Member Contributer BGFallbrook Posted April 24, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 24, 2013 First post so please forgive me if missing conventions. Bought a red 2004 VFR800 with paint that was a little rougher than the pictures would suggest. Long story short after much consideration I finally caved and bought an ebay (bliss-star-express = seller) fairing kit. Cost $623. Arrived in states one month after order but due to USPS error, sat in post office for ten days before I came to rescue it - another story. The original bike: Old and new part: The individual pieces came well packed in a sturdy box - no damage. A few blemishes in the paint could be seen on close inspection but fast forwarding to installed product they are not an issue. The entire take apart to install new pieces took about one full day but had a few bumps along the way. Know that I have a pretty complete garage for a non-professional so I could navigate unanticipated glitches. I also had an assortment of mounting fasteners (metal and plastic) from an earlier upgrade project. These became essential. These are the issues I feel anyone who is going to purchase one of these should be aware of based on my experience: 1) Fitment - you will end up pushing and flexing components together. There were no deal-breakers but I was uncomfortable at times with the force necessary. In the end it came together well with a few exceptions. Note gap between display bezel and black corner fairing cap: 2) Holes - you will need to enlarge the mounting holes to accept the rubber threaded inserts borrowed from the old fairing. This was not a big deal. You will need a drill motor with an assortment of bits. A micrometer is helpful for accuracy of hole sizes. 3) Some of the mounting bosses were pre-threaded with brass inserts in the plastic. These differed from the original parts (at least for 2004). I mis-threaded a front turn signal mount and damaged the fairing in the process which created a sub-project to repair the mounting point. Another thread mismatch was at the windshield mounts near the handlebar ends. Fortunately I was able to rummage through my assortment of screws to find a match but I should not have needed to use my supply of parts. 4) The mounting post at the bottom of the lower fairing that secures to the engine guard behind the front tire broke off while enlarging the mounting hole (see 2 above). Force was less than I would have expected to cause it to break. Got out the glue - another sub-project and wait time. 5) Extra holes - there are extra holes where the lower fairing joins to the front/nose fairing. I was able to use my extra mounting hardware I had around but would have needed to scramble or leave the hole if I did not. 6) The rear cowl mounted pretty straightforward as did the seat cowl. Missing a few rubber bits but, again, no deal breakers. The seat cowl rear alignment slot needed to be enlarged but this may be a consequence of my Sargeant seat. Dremel to the rescue. I thought it was an omission but the seller informed me that the seat handle mount covers are NOT included. Huh? New ones are about $9 each (which I have ordered from gearhead.com) but now I have to match the paint which is definitely less "cherry" than the original. I have the old ones in place now (after a Dremel modification) but the color offset is frustrating. 7) The tank cover worked well. The fuel filler hatch has a little rim around it that you can see the red tank underneath the cover. Also your magnetic tank bag will not work...plastic tank cover. So here is the almost finished project. Lots of unexpected detours. I recommend ordering a replacement set of fasteners (about $35 on ebay) in advance and have enough tools to make hard-to-predict modifications in the heat of battle. In the end I think it turned out great with most of the flaws mine to know but not obvious for all to see. Hope this is useful to those pondering a new fairing kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer wagzhp Posted April 24, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 24, 2013 I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted April 24, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 24, 2013 Useful info, thanks. How was the overall quality of the plastic? Thinner than oem or comparable?? C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted April 24, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 24, 2013 You definitely get an A+ for a first post with all the pics! Therefore we know it really did happen. That's a nice report on your experience with the aftermarket fairings. All the little flaws we know are there about our bikes may drive us nuts but as you pointed out most people never see them. Looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniCarver Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Looks awesome, you can never go wrong with a big red wing If you really want to still be able to use a tank bag with the plastic tank cover i'd suggest a gas cap mounted tank bag http://www.motorcyclegear.com/parts/luggage/tank_bags/cortech_by_tour_master/dryver_tank_bag.html I just got mine in a few days ago and i'm very pleased with it, in my opinion it was worth the money. (keep in mind the bracket is purchased separately but it's not very expensive) http://www.motorcyclegear.com/parts/luggage/tank_bags/cortech_by_tour_master/dryver_tank_bag_mounting_ring_sets.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer HumalogAddict Posted April 24, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 24, 2013 awesome 1st post welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Looks good. For the price, if you can live with a few blemishes, well, two body parts from Honda would cost as much as you paid for the whole set!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted April 24, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 24, 2013 Nice job! Paint the handle covers white and be done with it instead of trying to match the red... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted April 24, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 24, 2013 A lot better then a $800.00-$1000.00 paint job and WELCOME !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 I guess if I get tired of my silver I will know where to go. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer 2thdr Posted April 24, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 24, 2013 Looks like a great job, as others have said. How difficult compared to the OEM parts do you think R and R will be for routine maintenance? If I had to struggle with fit everytime plastics are removed, it would be a no go for me unless I had no other options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedalpoet Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 +1 on great post and that's a nice looking VFR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Looks like a great job, as others have said. How difficult compared to the OEM parts do you think R and R will be for routine maintenance? If I had to struggle with fit everytime plastics are removed, it would be a no go for me unless I had no other options. I would hope that after being installed, and being out in the sun, the plastic might relax a little. When I rebuilt my bike, the used OEM plastics I got didn't fit quite like the ones I had from new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer 2thdr Posted April 24, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 24, 2013 Looks like a great job, as others have said. How difficult compared to the OEM parts do you think R and R will be for routine maintenance? If I had to struggle with fit everytime plastics are removed, it would be a no go for me unless I had no other options. I would hope that after being installed, and being out in the sun, the plastic might relax a little. When I rebuilt my bike, the used OEM plastics I got didn't fit quite like the ones I had from new. I wonder if with almost every bike that rolls off the assembly line, the guy (or gal) that is tasked with attaching the plastics has to slightly modify and fiddle with them some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BGFallbrook Posted April 26, 2013 Author Member Contributer Share Posted April 26, 2013 Thank you to all who responded and commented. Regarding the quality of the plastic, the aftermarket material is more compliant and flexes more for a given deforming force. It does not seem any thinner than the original. Thank you for the info on a cap mounted bag! I am partial to tank bags and was sad that my magnetic tank bag only barely grips the tank cover now. Now if I could just get my wife to stop calling my bike a peppermint stick all will be good. Thanks for the warm welcome from a great VFR community. I look forward to contributing. Postscript: The ebay seller issued a partial refund for some of the problems I was encountering. They seemed motivated to make things right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiff Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Postscript: The ebay seller issued a partial refund for some of the problems I was encountering. They seemed motivated to make things right. Really like the color combination here. Glad to hear they are making it right, that is a big selling point to any future customers I am sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted May 8, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted May 8, 2013 Looks like they have a hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer pluseb0 Posted May 8, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted May 8, 2013 Looks great and welcome! Are you considering PC/Painting the wheels white or red? +eb0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 How does that tank cover fit on there? Is it tight or can you deform it by pressing? I also wonder if it will eventually scratch up the original tank? Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRad704 Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Bike looks great! And Dutchy beat me to it, but just paint the handle covers white and don't stress over matching the red. With all the other white on the bike, it should end up going un-noticed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTEC2k8 Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Did you ever try to contact Bliss Star directly? I've been trying through Ebay's "contact seller" but have yet to get a response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 Peppermint stick. Looks pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer 007 Posted April 2, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted April 2, 2015 How does that tank cover fit on there? Is it tight or can you deform it by pressing? I also wonder if it will eventually scratch up the original tank? Thanks for posting! I am curious about the tank cover, as well. Does it have padding or something to prevent scratching / rubbing on the original tank? This would be OK if the original tank is crap, but might be a deal breaker for someone with good original paint who just wants a quick color change but might go back later. I would hate to do this only to find a worn tank a few years down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.