Terry's Chinese Fairing Adventure

[Terry]

I recently had the misfortune to lowside my previously mint 1999 VFR800. I hit a patch of spilled oil or diesel, and went down hard on the right side, probably at around 60 mph. ATGATT saved my hide and aside from bruised ribs I'm untouched, but the same can't be said of the bike.

I thought I would post my experiences with getting the bike back to something like its former glory. If you are interested, read on.

The damage was mainly confined to the fairings, the top fairing and right side fairing bore the brunt of the slide, and it looks like my leg smacked the tail fairing as it has two clean breaks but no rash. My cheap Chinese brake lever bent a little but was OK to use on the painful 30 mile ride home. The right bar end was mashed up a little, and the right bar has rotated on the fork leg and dented the tank slightly (bugger).The right mirror was ground through and full of gravel, but the lens was unbroken.

The foot brake pedal bent back, and the rider footpeg snapped clean off but the peg hanger is fine. I rode home with my heel jammed on top of the swingarm pivot end. The pillion peg took a lot of the rear load, and the peg carrier has been ground a little on it's end. The Delkevic muffler has a light graze on the endcap but was otherwise mostly fine (which was a surprise). The only other damage was the pillion grab rail which got a little rash on the load hook.

I'm realistic that I own a 91000km bike that is 16 years old, that I paid about US2600 for last year, so I don't want to overspend on the repair. Looks like I can get most OEM parts if I want to shell out the big numbers. I have ordered the OEM brake pedal the fairing mounts through Partzillla and was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable shipping cost to me in New Zealand. The brake pedal delivered worked out to about 60% of the locally quoted price from my Honda dealer. I'm keen to support local businesses, but they need to be closer than that. Delivery was 3 weeks ex Japan, so no benefit there.

I let my eBay fingers do the walking, and have ordered up replica rider and pillion footpegs, mirrors, and clear indicator lenses. I put the OEM brake lever and bar end back on, so once I get the ordered bits I'll be rolling again, which just leaves the fairings.

[Terry]

I took my rashed fairings to a local repair shop. The guy there took one look at the lower fairing and said "toast", then explained that it would cost around US250 per panel to repaint anyway.

I have followed Viffercrab's Chinese fairings thread with interest. He was working on a 6th gen, and went with a custom paint job, but reported a very satisfactory outcome from Chinese supplier Auctmarts. These guys also offer 5th gen parts, so I decided to take the plunge.

I made contact through the email address on the following link: http://gundamhost.com/auctmarts/shop/product_info.php?cPath=118_252_327&products_id=4825&osCsid=8226bd270ca73b2c4efad301732e9c94

Me: "I would like to get a price for fairing parts to suit the Honda VFR800 1998-2002. I want just the top fairing, right hand side fairing and the tail fairing. All painted in the factory Italian Red R157. Can you please provide a price for these parts, delivered to me in New Zealand?"

A day later I get: "280 USA shipped". Not the most comprehensive reply, but promising.

Me: "Will the colour be an exact match for Italian Red R157? Will decals be fitted or supplied?"

Auctmarts: "we will match the color for you". Again not too detailed but OK.

I had a little to-and-fro with Viffercrab, just to check the email address was kosher (it was) so I proceeded:

Me: "OK, I want to place an order for the parts please. For Honda VFR800Fi 1999, colour to be the standard Honda colour "Italian Red R157". I want to buy the headlight fairing, the right hand side fairing, and the tail fairing. Please do not apply any decals to the parts. Parts to be shipped to me in New Zealand. Please advise how to proceed with payment."

At this point something odd happened, and I got two replies, from different email addresses. One from "KM wong WOng (auctmarts1co@yahoo.com) and the other from admin@auctmarts.com:

Auctmarts (wong): "The price is 539USD shipped to Italy. Let us know if you are interested. We need to get the paint match with the paint code." and;

Auctmarts (admin): " the price is 280 US shipped, I will send you the invoice to pay for it" These emails came from two different addresses, but both seem legit.

Shortly thereafter, a Paypal invoice was recieved with the description "goods" for US280, which I duly paid. I made a point of adding a note to the payment: "Honda VFR800Fi 1999 Top fairing, right side fairing and tail fairing All painted standard Honda colour Italian Red R157 Do not affix any decals" just to be clear.

Later that same day, I got the following:

Auctmarts: "Hello, we have receive 280USD payment, but would you mind to send us a picture of what you order, and what model is your bike and the year of make please.

please email us back as soon as possible to start the order, because we really do not want to make any mistake. once again, thanks for buying from us and we appreciate your patience"

Which I responded to with nice photos of the rashed parts inside and out, and photo of my bike in its former glory:

Aah, that was a lovely day!

Anyway back to the story.

The following day I got this response:

Auctmarts: "Full fairing kit is selling for 499USD and I think our co worker give you the wrong pricing, he thought your bike is a 02-12 VFR800, so we need another 30US for that. Are you going to send us paint chips for color match? or you will pay 50USD for us to get the paint match. let us know. "

Which brings me up to date. I have replied:

Me: "It is disappointing to learn that your co-worker made that mistake. I was very clear in all my communication that I wanted parts to suit the 1998-2001 VFR800. If I pay this additional 80US will there be any other charges? Will you guarantee the colour match? I’m an active member of a number of internet motorcycle forums and will be posting up my experiences with you as a supplier. If there is a good outcome, I’m sure you will get plenty more orders."

I feel slightly disturbed at where this is going, but in reality if I get reasonably painted parts delivered at a total of US360 I can't really complain.

Stay tuned for the next thrilling installment (if you're still awake!).

[SCguy]

Are these injection molded? I was under the impression that 5th gen fairings were currently only available in compression molding?

[Terry]

According to their eBay site, they are injection moulded.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400868626730?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I'm honoured by your visit SCGuy; loved your road trip story so far.

[Rectaltronics]

Bummer about the mishap.

Do I see a SebSpeed clutch cover in your future..? ;)

[Terry]

Nope (and no offence to Seb) but I'm a bit of a tightwad. I've already erased the worst rash with my trusty file, and I plan on applying a light filler coat, a bit more sanding and then a rattle can touch up while in place. Fortunately the clutch cover is structurally fine.

[fonque]

I am subscribing to this thread, I have the exact same damage on a VFR I just bought on the cheap.

[Cogswell]

I'm certainly wide awake reading this thread! It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall at Auctmarts to see just what the heck's going on. Sounds like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand's doing. This part had me LOL . . . " Auctmarts (wong): "The price is 539USD shipped to Italy. Let us know if you are interested." Italy?? It will all be worth it in the end to see a 5th gen back on the road with correct body panels. Best of luck with it. A number of us will be watching with interest and rooting you on!

Cheers

[Terry]

Well, Mr (or Ms?) Wong has replied to my query about colour match:

"Yes, I would say 98% of the color match. It will look a bit different tho for the new and old paint.Do you know what I mean?"

I can't help hearing this with a Cockney accent, know wot I mean?

Wong was also keen for the $$, not a paint sample for the colour match:

"It would easier to get the paint match with paint code. We just send an 80USD invoice to your paypal."

Wish me luck, as I have just enriched the Chinese economy to the tune of US80.

[Auspanglish]

Terry... so so sorry to read of your close encounter of the gravitational kind... glad you came out virutally unscathed.

You got back on the horse so quick I haven't even had time to offer you a footpeg and brake pedal I have lying around

here which I believe would have served your purposes (6th gen but I think they are the same)... for the cost of shipping

only.

Regarding the fairings my concern is twofold:

Colour: I doubt they will be able to match the colour and finish to the point where you have to look really hard to

notice the difference between the originals and the chinese ones. I hope I'm wrong but they are liable to stand out like

the proverbials on a bull. Perhaps you would have done better to purchase and install the entire set (except the fuel

tank which I'm sure you can live with judging by the photos), selling of the remaining untouched panel(s) to recover

some of the expenditure.

Fit: Perhaps the chinese front fairing won't meet up well with the OEM left side panel.

Again really hope I'm wrong and looks like we will find out either way as you have already parted with your hard-earned

cash.

Watching closely...

[marriedman]

Being a tightwad myself, I understand why you are going the route you are. But in all honesty, I think I would have splurged for the entire fairing kit to ensure the best possible color match. Then sell the OEM to help recoup the cost.

Either way, hope this turns out well for you and I will be following this thread!

[VifferCrab]

Well, that was a dubious start to your fairing adventure, huh? I'll keep an eye on this thread too, as I don't remember seeing any 5th gens doing this. But then again, my search was focused on the 6th gens. As you know, mine turned out MUCH better than expected, and I'm happy to have helped with my messages to you. If there's anything else I can do, feel free to ask.

I will say, when I did my build, I sent them an email linking them to the thread. They seemed happy to have a good honest review from me as the build progressed, as I'm sure it could mean more sales for them. You might wanna do the same for the 5th gen. Just a thought...

I'm interested to see how close of a color match they get with a bike that old.

Good luck!

[Gregg]

Subscribing as I'm interested in these for the 5th gen. Tossing around the idea of a full set for my 98.

[wagzhp]

subscribing also. Knowing there is a good option for the 5th gen is high on my list.

[enzed_viffer]

I recently had the misfortune to lowside my previously mint 1999 VFR800. I hit a patch of spilled oil or diesel, and went down hard on the right side, probably at around 60 mph. ATGATT saved my hide and aside from bruised ribs I'm untouched, but the same can't be said of the bike.Looks like I can get most OEM parts if I want to shell out the big numbers. I have ordered the OEM brake pedal the fairing mounts through Partzillla and was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable shipping cost to me in New Zealand. The brake pedal delivered worked out to about 60% of the locally quoted price from my Honda dealer. I'm keen to support local businesses, but they need to be closer than that. Delivery was 3 weeks ex Japan, so no benefit there.

I let my eBay fingers do the walking, and have ordered up replica rider and pillion footpegs, mirrors, and clear indicator lenses. I put the OEM brake lever and bar end back on, so once I get the ordered bits I'll be rolling again, which just leaves the fairings.

Hi, Terry. It's nice that you want to support local businesses, but the big spanner in the works is Blue Wing Honda, who have the monopoly on Honda parts AND don't carry any stock. It's not only quicker to buy parts over teh interwebs, but also considerably cheaper, even with freight.

[Auspanglish]

I recently had the misfortune to lowside my previously mint 1999 VFR800. I hit a patch of spilled oil or diesel, and went down hard on the right side, probably at around 60 mph. ATGATT saved my hide and aside from bruised ribs I'm untouched, but the same can't be said of the bike.Looks like I can get most OEM parts if I want to shell out the big numbers. I have ordered the OEM brake pedal the fairing mounts through Partzillla and was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable shipping cost to me in New Zealand. The brake pedal delivered worked out to about 60% of the locally quoted price from my Honda dealer. I'm keen to support local businesses, but they need to be closer than that. Delivery was 3 weeks ex Japan, so no benefit there.

I let my eBay fingers do the walking, and have ordered up replica rider and pillion footpegs, mirrors, and clear indicator lenses. I put the OEM brake lever and bar end back on, so once I get the ordered bits I'll be rolling again, which just leaves the fairings.

Hi, Terry. It's nice that you want to support local businesses, but the big spanner in the works is Blue Wing Honda, who have the monopoly on Honda parts AND don't carry any stock. It's not only quicker to buy parts over teh interwebs, but also considerably cheaper, even with freight.

Same here in Spain usually... Depending on the part.

[Cogswell]

Dealers in the US don't seem to stock much, either. Turnover is probably pretty low so the return on investment isn't high enough for them to justify holding the inventory. Unfortunately that makes it all that much easier to purchase on line, because not only is it cheaper, it saves 2 trips to the dealer - one to place and pay for the order and a second to go pick up the part. Buying on the web is the new normal and if dealers don't adapt, they'll fade in to oblivion.

[Terry]

Dealers in the US don't seem to stock much, either. Turnover is probably pretty low so the return on investment isn't high enough for them to justify holding the inventory. Unfortunately that makes it all that much easier to purchase on line, because not only is it cheaper, it saves 2 trips to the dealer - one to place and pay for the order and a second to go pick up the part. Buying on the web is the new normal and if dealers don't adapt, they'll fade in to oblivion.

Or.. you email the dealer, wait for the response, and place the order by email. Helps to have a trusting relationship with my local guys I guess, and (aside from their prices, imposed by the Honda importer) I can't fault their service. But you are quite right, if the dealer is also waiting on parts to ship from Japan and including an importer margin, their OEM spares supply business will die.

[HighSideNZ]

With what I've done to my bike, if I paid the prices demanded by the local dealers and Blue Wing, it would have cost me twice as much.

I am also all for supporting the local guy, but I do hate being bent over and generally shafted.

I've bought the majority of my stuff from Partzilla and used YouShop for shipping.

Probably takes a few days more, with the double handling from local US freight to the NZ Post YouShop service, but overall the cost is far less than either Botany Honda or Cyclespot.

My 2 cents worth.

On the fairings, I agree with a number of others.

Go for the whole set as at least they will be all painted with the same batch and will match each other.

Hard pressed to get a weathered OEM half to match to a newly painted top, even if they do get the colour right from the number.

Weathering makes a big difference in matching.

[Terry]

Good point on the weathering/fading, but my fairing is (was!) actually pretty new looking. I recently bought a brand spanking new solo seat cover for the VTR, and that is a perfect colour match for the 16-year old VFR.

[Terry]

I've had more communication with Auctmarts, the impression I get is that they're trying quite hard to make sure they get the colour right. They have requested a swatch sample, so I took my dremel to the rashed side fairing, up near the join to the top fairing, and have shipped a piece of that to them. I also looked closely at the side fairing where it sits under the instrument surround, and there is a tiny bit of visible fade between the exposed and covered sections, but this looks confined to the horizontal sections only.

Hoping to hear back from Auctmarts in the next two weeks as this should be when the parts are ready to ship!

[Terry]

Received notification today that they're ready to ship. And no post should be without photos!

I think they look great!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VifferCrab]

It's getting tougher and tougher to rationalize OEM fairings over these guys, isn't it? I do have some tiny fitment issues on mine. I'm talking a few mm gaps at places up around the instrument bezel. There's a lot of little pieces that need to come together up there, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'd have gotten an OEM kit to look show room tight in those areas. For the money, these things are a homerun.

[Rectaltronics]

It's getting tougher and tougher to rationalize OEM fairings over these guys, isn't it? I do have some tiny fitment issues on mine. I'm talking a few mm gaps at places up around the instrument bezel. There's a lot of little pieces that need to come together up there, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'd have gotten an OEM kit to look show room tight in those areas. For the money, these things are a homerun.

As the years went on with my 4th gen, and sorry to say I went through a fair amount of plastic, it did get tougher and tougher to get new OEM pieces to line up, even after buying brand new stays. It's as if the OEM molds distorted with age or something.

[VFRpwr]

It's getting tougher and tougher to rationalize OEM fairings over these guys, isn't it? I do have some tiny fitment issues on mine. I'm talking a few mm gaps at places up around the instrument bezel. There's a lot of little pieces that need to come together up there, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'd have gotten an OEM kit to look show room tight in those areas. For the money, these things are a homerun.

As the years went on with my 4th gen, and sorry to say I went through a fair amount of plastic, it did get tougher and tougher to get new OEM pieces to line up, even after buying brand new stays. It's as if the OEM molds distorted with age or something.

It is unlikely the molds physical size changed with age - it is more likely how the mold was run changed. It is virtually guaranteed they ran these later parts at a faster rate than the originals with more uncontrolled post-mold shrinkage of those plastic parts. Increased part shrinkage/distortion can also be caused by the mold's cooling channels being less efficient - coated with corrosion, calcium, etc. Being somewhat familiar with the plastic industry, it can almost be guarantee the later parts were run faster than the original parts on the same mold(s) having less heat transfer capability - so more post-mold shrinkage of the plastic part. We are talking thousandths of an inch per inch of part in terms of shrinkage; but over a 16 inch or 30 inch long part those few thousandths add up and pretty soon you're talking a real, meaningful distance. Alright it's the size of a spark plug gap but still.......