Hey there everyone! My name is Misha, my passion is modifying cars and motorcycles to my taste… This ranges from tuning the suspension, engine, etc to fabricating new looks (this is a new hobby). I really want to make a new fairing for my bike to give it a new look (followed shortly by a new seat). I’m located in California, near San Francisco.
The project:
I am making a custom fairing for my motorcycle.
The problems:
I have to make a mirror image of an oil reservoir found on the left side to be on the right side. I don’t want to make the fairing any wider. I need to keep it relatively cool, so I don’t want to cover it up. The stock fairing had vents near it, but that means even wider fairings, and I’m trying to keep the bike looking slim up front. My idea was to keep it completely exposed, surrounded around the edges with a new fairing. On the right side, I wanted to make a replica, mirror image, of the oil reservoir, and use it as the air intake for the engine. The problem here is that I’ve never made accurate mirror images of anything, so I have no idea how to transfer the same lines that are found on the left, to be on the right other than eyeballing it, and I want it to look good.
The other issue is the material. I don’t plan on dropping my bike any time soon, but if I do, I just want the new intake and fairing to flex just enough so that it can absorb some small impacts. I have tons of fiberglass from my childhood RC airplane exploits. I’ve heard that fiberglass/epoxy ends up being heavier than the stock material, (some sort of plastic) and epoxy would be quick to crack because it’s really brittle. I’m open to other materials (different resin, and/or some kind of plastic without fiber altogether) to make the fairings, because anything that cuts weight is a great bonus, but the main constraint on material is the price. I’m between jobs right now, and I’m using the motorcycle project as a stress relief outlet from all the interviews and stuff.
Any tips and techniques would be greatly appreciated.
PS anyone know where I could find an apprenticeship/job as a fabricator? 