09-10-2011, 11:53 PM
Since I bought the cat as a commuter scooter, It needs to work in all weather including cold. Lately it has been cool enough for me to assess the unprotected areas of the YZF600R.
My biggest concern is my hands, followed by my thighs. These areas got cold because of the constant wind force. I felt that if I could direct the airflow outward at the area of the upper fairing's cutaway, I could kill two birds with one stone. That is where the wind deflector kit comes in.
Finished installation pics:
This kit was difficult to track down. It has actually been available for years. The problem is poor marketing. You see, the factory mislabeled the YXF600R Wind Deflector Kit as garage door weather stripping. I found this kit locally at Lowe's for $14.00.
This is actually a universal kit that requires trimming to fit. It is held in place simply by being pinched between the plastic trim, and the fairing. Here you can sort of see how it was trimmed with ordinary scissors and fitted.
Here, I cut away the thickest portion to reduce the thickness under the black cover while making an opening for the screw to pass through.
It took some patience and tweaking. It is actually a foam, not a solid rubber. That allows it to squish a bit. It does tend to distort the black plastic, making it tricky to align and screw back in place. I think the stripping will "give" over time and flatten out more where it is pinched.
Does it work? Definitely!
I took it for a test ride at highway speed. It held its shape without flinching. I no longer felt wind blast on my hands or thigh/hip area. I felt wind from my knees down, and from my chest up.
Is it attractive? Matter of opinion. I don't think it will stand out to most people. I think that other riders that commute in winter will think it is clever. I guess I will find out, because I am rolling with this through the winter. Come spring, I will probably remove them and store them until fall.
Anyway, there that is. If you have something similar, please post some pics.
My biggest concern is my hands, followed by my thighs. These areas got cold because of the constant wind force. I felt that if I could direct the airflow outward at the area of the upper fairing's cutaway, I could kill two birds with one stone. That is where the wind deflector kit comes in.
Finished installation pics:
This kit was difficult to track down. It has actually been available for years. The problem is poor marketing. You see, the factory mislabeled the YXF600R Wind Deflector Kit as garage door weather stripping. I found this kit locally at Lowe's for $14.00.
This is actually a universal kit that requires trimming to fit. It is held in place simply by being pinched between the plastic trim, and the fairing. Here you can sort of see how it was trimmed with ordinary scissors and fitted.
Here, I cut away the thickest portion to reduce the thickness under the black cover while making an opening for the screw to pass through.
It took some patience and tweaking. It is actually a foam, not a solid rubber. That allows it to squish a bit. It does tend to distort the black plastic, making it tricky to align and screw back in place. I think the stripping will "give" over time and flatten out more where it is pinched.
Does it work? Definitely!
I took it for a test ride at highway speed. It held its shape without flinching. I no longer felt wind blast on my hands or thigh/hip area. I felt wind from my knees down, and from my chest up.
Is it attractive? Matter of opinion. I don't think it will stand out to most people. I think that other riders that commute in winter will think it is clever. I guess I will find out, because I am rolling with this through the winter. Come spring, I will probably remove them and store them until fall.
Anyway, there that is. If you have something similar, please post some pics.
Member: 100,000+ Mile Club (2003 YZF600RR)
Wind Deflectors Lost Sprocket Nut Fix
Current squeeze is a 2003 FJR1300R
Wind Deflectors Lost Sprocket Nut Fix
Current squeeze is a 2003 FJR1300R