This is a review for Hollywood Electrics' sport touring fairing that fits 2014+ model year Zero's.
Disclaimer: I was discounted on the fairing price in exchange for creating installation documentation. I was already signed up to buy it, also generally in favor of supporting any vendor that makes a Zero-fitted product, and finally very much in favor of vendors who craft fairings for the Zero.
Electric Terry Hershner has been fielding this fairing for some time, with his own modifications to accommodate his dog, Charger, in the tank area. Terry’s efforts are impressive, of course, but I hope a review of my own might clear up what this fairing offers to the average rider.
Here's a reference install thread by a customer on their own:
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=8093Here’s my initial review on the Facebook Zero owners group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/zmcowners/permalink/1668738283195373/My overview:
- This is a combined cockpit and sportbike half-fairing that is suitable for touring, in the way that a Honda VFR 800 is a sport-touring bike.
The cockpit features:
- The instrument cluster, headlamp, and wiring are all projected forward 4 inches and fixed to the fairing instead of the forks.
- This cleans up all that messy wiring arrangement and makes it easier to change a bulb or connect accessories.
- I can actually see and read the dash while riding without feeling like I can’t see the damn road.
- You can shade the instrument cluster from the sun as I’ve done with a smoke windscreen.
Airflow details:
- The airflow is very good and clean. Just the right amount of low speed air comes up through the bottom at highway speeds, so there’s no buffeting around my helmet.
- The windscreen is low but it’s forward of any windscreen we’ve been able to install on a Zero before. So unless you sit back with a Corbin seat, your head will be in airflow. But it will be clean air.
- You can tuck behind the screen like a racer if you like. There’s more room than from the screens we’re used to.
Hardware details:
- The main bracket has a boxy core with places to fasten wiring connectors so they’re all contained and easily arranged.
- The brackets as a whole are extremely sturdy yet minimal. My cockpit doesn’t wobbly or rattle at all at any speed.
Accessorizing:
- The windscreen opening matches bodywork for a 2015 Yamaha R1 so you have a reasonable set of ready windscreen options for under $100. I have a higher sport touring screen on the way for my highway needs.
- There are hard supports for the windscreen fairing section that can support mirror stalks - still waiting to see and evaluate those but they’re sport-oriented. You can keep your stock mirrors as I have here but we should figure out various options. Bar-end mirrors work for a lot of people but my DS bars are already tricky in lanesplitting traffic.
Touring/range nerd section:
- Drag/range benefit is at least 10%. Maybe 15% but YMMV literally because you always need to adjust such things to work with your body and riding style. It’s as good as my custom windscreen mounts.
- If you don’t put mirrors where the stalks are intended, it may be easy to use them to mount a real touring windscreen with a slight offset bracket or spacers. Obviously I’m going to investigate this personally.
- I think I can use this to help mount a second version of my dustbin fairing.
Overall, I’m very pleased and got to think through the install and see some of their development and design process which was impressive in its persistence and crafting.
Making fairings and brackets with appeal to more than one person is incredibly difficult and I think this strikes a balance you could use to build various looks you might be interested in even if this or the other installs don’t quite charm you.
I think we should encourage each other to invest in these fairings to make our Zero’s have a more stylish and impressive look, and to get a standard set of brackets in circulation. One-offs are gratifying but we need a fairing that makes our bikes attractive.
I’ll say on top of this that I finally got a Power Tank with cells matching my 2016 and my highway range seems to stabilize around 135 miles. Which feels really awesome. I want 150 miles of highway range this year and will do my damnedest to get it.
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Topic: [Review] Hollywood Electrics sport-touring fairing for Zero (Read 1937 times)