Race bodywork - opinions?

[fzrbrandon]

Okay, so I'm getting real close to purchasing the body work for the 400 track toy and I'm trying to decide which way to go with it. I did a little bit of searching the other day and didn't come up with much in the way of good comparisons. Basically, I need an upper, lower, and tail. I've already got a tank cover and fender so we're good to go there. The two best options so far seem to be Sharkskinz and Beasley. Airtech doesn't seem to have a one piece lower w/ belly pan available so I think they're out of the running. The Sharkskinz set runs $679 while the Beasley set goes for $506. Yeah, I know it's a lot of dough for something that has a good (read: probable) chance of getting damaged.

It's looks to be a no-brainer on the surface. However, I've read that the Sharkskinz stuff has really good crash durability and the fitment is very good. I'm open to other manufacturers as well. So... What do y'all think?

Thanks,
Brandon

[sweekster]

Here's a question..Are you going for a "period" look in that you want it to look like a FZR400?

[fzrbrandon]

Here's a question..Are you going for a "period" look in that you want it to look like a FZR400?

Actually, my reasons for going with "stock" bodywork are two-fold. First reason is that the body work needs to be OEM replica in order to be eligible for the Super Stock class that I plan on running in. Secondly, I don't really want to have to deal with the potential fitment problems that go along with bodywork from a different bike. Modified Production and Superbike rules allow for pretty much any bodywork but I want to keep my options open class-wise. Since I really don't think the bike would be competitive in Superbike that would leave Mod Prod as my only option. There IS Vintage also but since that class runs under Superbike rules so I'd be in the same situation as I would be in Superbike.

Oh, and the FZR400 bodywork is cheaper than the stuff for late model bikes. So... there's that too.

[R3TARD]

my airtech belly pan was one peice but you dont want airtech anyways due to the quality. I have seen 3 airtech kits and none of them impressed me. Mine was very thin in places and had areas that were humped up

[fzrbrandon]

my airtech belly pan was one peice but you dont want airtech anyways due to the quality. I have seen 3 airtech kits and none of them impressed me. Mine was very thin in places and had areas that were humped up

Yeah, this has kind of been my general observation from what I've read.

Thanks for the input!

[sweekster]

Actually, my reasons for going with "stock" bodywork are two-fold. First reason is that the body work needs to be OEM replica in order to be eligible for the Super Stock class that I plan on running in. Secondly, I don't really want to have to deal with the potential fitment problems that go along with bodywork from a different bike. Modified Production and Superbike rules allow for pretty much any bodywork but I want to keep my options open class-wise. Since I really don't think the bike would be competitive in Superbike that would leave Mod Prod as my only option. There IS Vintage also but since that class runs under Superbike rules I'd be in the same situation as I would be in Superbike.

Oh, and the FZR400 bodywork is cheaper than the stuff for late model bikes. So... there's that too.

Well this just kills my whole "Purist and why I think you should go with FZR400 body work" speech. Sheesh. party pooper.

Ok seriously. The Beasley's may be the way to go if you are ok with fiberglass. I haven't read many bad things about their stuff and it's better quality than Airtech. Sharkskins tend to be pricey because their name but supposedly their quality is on par with the pricing. I was actually going to suggest hunting down a set of Maier ABS body work but that stuff is hard to come by these days.

[fzrbrandon]

Actually, my reasons for going with "stock" bodywork are two-fold. First reason is that the body work needs to be OEM replica in order to be eligible for the Super Stock class that I plan on running in. Secondly, I don't really want to have to deal with the potential fitment problems that go along with bodywork from a different bike. Modified Production and Superbike rules allow for pretty much any bodywork but I want to keep my options open class-wise. Since I really don't think the bike would be competitive in Superbike that would leave Mod Prod as my only option. There IS Vintage also but since that class runs under Superbike rules I'd be in the same situation as I would be in Superbike.

Oh, and the FZR400 bodywork is cheaper than the stuff for late model bikes. So... there's that too.

Well this just kills my whole "Purist and why I think you should go with FZR400 body work" speech. Sheesh. party pooper.

Ok seriously. The Beasley's may be the way to go if you are ok with fiberglass. I haven't read many bad things about their stuff and it's better quality than Airtech. Sharkskins tend to be pricey because their name but supposedly their quality is on par with the pricing. I was actually going to suggest hunting down a set of Maier ABS body work but that stuff is hard to come by these days.

LOL! You know, part of me DOES in fact like the idea of going out with a bona fide OLD bike as opposed to an old bike dressed up as a new one. So your speech would have been perfectly valid and I would have agreed 100%!

Anyhoo... The Sharkskinz stuff is fiber as well I believe so that makes for an apples to apples comparison. I actually checked the Maier site and didn't see anything anyways. What you said about the Sharkskinz quality is pretty much what I keep seeing also so I guess it boils down to deciding whether or not they are in fact woth the extra $173. I also noticed that the Sharkskinz stuff is pre-drilled. It may not seem like a big deal but I'm betting it takes a lot of guesswork out of the install.

Thanks for your input Duane!
Brandon

[olie05]

Also, i don't think beasley offers a one piece front fairing with cheek panels attached. The sharkskinz one seems simpler, easier to install etc.

The advantage to the beasley is that if one piece is ruined, you can replace just that piece rather than the entire section it's attached to.

[fzrbrandon]

Also, i don't think beasley offers a one piece front fairing with cheek panels attached. The sharkskinz one seems simpler, easier to install etc.

The advantage to the beasley is that if one piece is ruined, you can replace just that piece rather than the entire section it's attached to.

Hey Olie,

Actually, they DO make a 1 piece upper with the mids (as well as the one piece lower, of course). So... Hence my conundrum! I agree though that the Sharkskinz would probably prove to be a little easier to install due to the pre-drilled holes.

Thanks!
Brandon