Q: How does the Fairing stand up to off-road use and ‘get off’s’
A: The fairing was extensively tested off road for 4 months in gruelling winter conditions and only suffered scratches and minor abrasions. The non-steering ‘beak’ design means that it doesn’t actually come into contact with the ground on normal tip-overs. On more substantial ‘getoffs’, the fairing takes a lot of force before it would break. In fact, in our testing, the fairing struck some rocks so hard that it actually bent the headlight sub-frame, the frame protection bars and still didn’t damage the fairing. However, it is important to remember that the XS is designed for ‘adventure’ riding and is not recommended if your bike is used for ‘dirt bike’ duty!
Q: If the front section of the fairing doesn’t steer with the front wheel, how does it function as a fender?
A: At slow speeds, the under fender does the work of keeping the spray under control and this steers with the front wheel in the conventional way. At higher speeds, the front wheel is always centred and the fairing ‘beak’ picks up the spray being thrown forward by the front wheel.
Q: Is this fender arrangement more effective than conventional high fenders.
A: No. We have found that there is little difference. However, most bikes that have similar designs (namely BMW), use low street type fenders and undoubtedly this is better than any high fender for road use in heavy rain. It is possible to use a low fender (like the UFO street fender) and remove our under fender altogether. We will be testing this option shortly.
Q: Is the screen as good as other conventional large screens that are available for the KLR.
A: The screen system is much better than other large screen options. At the outset, there were 3 clear objectives in the design of the XS.
1) It had to provide superior wind protection for the rider at highway speeds.
2) It had to provide space for additional instrumentation.
3) It had to give the KLR a more up to date look.
Wind protection is very subjective among riders, but what is undeniable is that large screens provide better protection than small ones at the cost of increased buffeting and (in most peoples opinion) increased ugliness. The XS differs in it’s use of ‘laminar air flow’. Without getting overly technical, the screen sits forward of the fairing by about ¾”. When the airstream hits the headlight area, it travels upwards towards the screen where it is forced to split between travelling on the outside or inside surfaces of the screen. On conventional screens, the air travelling over the outside surface ‘rolls of’ the top edge which is what we feel as buffeting. On the XS, the accelerating air travelling up the inside of the screen has no top edge and continues upward, taking the air rolling off the top edge with it. The turbulance still takes place, but it’s up above your helmet.
Q: How does the painted surface stand up to scratches etc.?
A: The fairing isn’t actually painted. The coloured surface is a Gelcoat that is sprayed into the mold before the fibreglass is added. The Gelcoat is much thicker than paint and will take deeper scratches and doesn’t ‘peel’ like paint will. For general upkeep, the surface can be washed and polished in the same way as Auto paint.
Q: Can the fairing be repaired if necessary ?
A: Yes. If the fairing was subjected to a large blow, ultimately it will crack. It is quite straightforward to patch the area from the inside, using fibreglass repair kits available from Auto shops. If it’s completely broken, it may be best to replace it. The fairing can be purchased on it’s own, without screen and underfender.
Q: How does the fairing effect the stability at highway speeds ?
A: Many KLR owners experience instability at highway speeds, which has normally been attributed to flexing forks or oscillation from the front fender. It was never an intention to address this issue, but it appears that the XS is much more stable at high speed. We don’t know why this is, but we’re pleased anyway !
Q: Is there a warranty with the fairing ?
A: The fairing and all fittings have a 1 year warranty against failure resulting from manufacturing defects.