Front fairing swap

Hey guys!

I haven't been here for a while. I still own my '83 XJ900. Mine is equipped with the small bikini-style front fairing.

It looks like I could grab an '84 Seca 750 fairing. It is bigger and I learned here that it makes the bike more stable at higher speeds.

Is it a direct swap or dooes it require minor mods, specially to properly bolt the lower section?

Thanks

 

I got this picture of the ad, I can easily figure that the top and center mounts are located exactly like the on bikini fairing, but I'm not sure about the lower mounts. Any idea ?

 

I think the mounting points are the same, but you may need a mounting bracket (can't remember if your bikini fairing mounts to the forks or not). That series XJ750 uses the same frame as the XJ900. It's essentialy a XJ900 with an XJ750 engine. Try starting a conversation with Hogfiddles. He knows more about the differences/similarities than I do.

 

I know for sure there is a bracket on my xj900. I'll ask Dave, thanks for the advice.

 

I have a 750 with the large factory fairing, with the "legs". This one mounts to the frame, and I've not noticed any impact on handling. Of course, I'm a 2Xl sized guy, so between the fairing and the rider (me) the gas mileage stinks.
I have trouble understanding how a larger fairing (attached to the forks) would cause fewer handling issues, especially in a turn. I can see how any fairing (attached to the frame) would be more smooth.
Still new to the 900, so don't have enough miles on it to compare handling (in the context of the two fairings) but I'm pretty sure that the framework which holds the fairing would bolts into roughly the same position.
You might consider holding out for a frame-mounted fairing.

 

That's what he's looking to do. He has the fork mounted bikini fairing now.

 

I'd be curious to see your 750 fairing and how it is attached to the frame. Could you post some pics?

 

The burgogne-colored thumbnail photo is the 750. The cross-piece allows the sidepieces to be solidly mounted. Immediately above the turn signal, the metal turns horizontally (I'll take better photo's). The fairing rests on those pieces and bolts go vertically. Behind the Atari is a tubular frame with flanges. Bolts attach the upper part of the fairing to the flanges. All in all a solid structure.
I will take the fairing off in the morning and post a comprehensive set of pictures.
I have some close friends from Shawinigan, who now do research at the U. de Montreal. Your riding season is shorter (and colder) than mine, here in CNY. The larger fairing adds 3-4 weeks to the riding season. Tuck your legs behind the outer cylinders and the "legs" will keep you warmer.

 

The legs are separate and unbolt easily. Not sure how well they'd handle the 900's acceleration. I think that they came from the factory with fittings at the "feet"to bolt to the frame, giving even more solid a feel (I bet,) although mine were damaged when I got the 750.
It's a little hard to see, there are flanges (to the immediate left of the horn in the picture) where the fairing bolts on. I put pieces of bike inner-tubing there to dampen the rattle.

 

Ross 1bd. You're talking about an entirely different fairing than Quebecois is. You have the touring fairing from the '82-'83 750. He is looking at putting on the sport fairing from an '84 XJ750 S, which is a very different machine and will not accept the earlier touring fairing.

The XJ750 S

 

Quebecois, After having looked a bit further I'm reasonably confident that the larger XJ750 S fairing is identical to the larger XJ900 fairing of the same year. You'll still need to find or make the mounting brackets though. The 900 was unchanged save for the appearance items, and (as stated earlier) the XJ750S was made by putting a 750cc engine into the XJ900 frame.

 

THanks K-moe. You talk about an XJ750S , I thought about an XJ750RL, but I think they are similar bikes, I may be wrong, but the more I look at pictures of both bikes, the more I think the XJ750RL and the XJ900RK use the same fairing brackets. I have one of those bottom scoops, also (not the right color for the moment, though).

 

Well thanks for the time you spent on unbolting it and taking pictures, but I dont think a fairing like yours would fit on my seca900, because your bike and mine have pretty different frames. My bike has an oil cooler and yours don't, and I think its location would be a real problem to fit your lower bracket.

 

Very nice bike.

 

Very recent update: I had a chance to do a road test with a XJ750RL for sale today, so I was able to have a look at the fairing mounts. It was not easy to take good pictures of it though (sorry), but at least it is very clear now that I would need to buy both the fairing and the bracket if I'd want to swap fairings. It would be a bit uneasy to modify my bracket or to fabricate one from scratch.

 

I had a close look at my XJ900F fairing bracket today, with a view to fitting something else on the bike. Anyway, the XJ bracket bolts onto a trio of welded-on lugs at the steering head. No big deal to cut them, tap them, and weld them on - the trick is to get them just right, as the stem from the bracket leaves the head at around a 20deg angle downwards. However, once you're in possession of a bracket you can see exactly where they need to be and the bracket itself is the jig for the fixing points.
I've done similar before, but it was a simple T-shape on its side that time.

 

Even if he didn't show it in its ad, the guy who has a '84 750 fairing for sale also has the bracket, so it would be a easy to install.

 

As far as I can tell from researching my bike, the Canadian and Australian XJ750RL is the same as the European XJ750S. I'm still not sure if the US ever got the XJ750S but I know they didn't get the RL. And k-moe is right, it was the same as the 900 but since they made it in '84 it came with the revised frame mounted fairing.

 

We never got the S either

The few examples of the RL I've seen were imported from Canada.

Yamaha was so cruel to have them listed for the U.S. motojournalists to write about, then not actually send any here.