Fairings
I love fairings. In my youth I only rode unfaired bikes. The frequent chillings and soakings definitely contributed to my extended time away from two wheels. While all fairings are good, it's pretty obvious that some are better than others e.g. what they offer in respect of rider protection and how they affect handling. So far I can comment on three from BMW... and while they all have strengths, none of them is perfect.
100RS
This was the first production bike fairing to be developed using a wind tunnel; it's benefited from this approach but also has some of the shortcomings you'd expect from the first of a new generation. Overall it gives the rider great protection and I had little difficulty riding 150 mile stretches at motorway speeds without fatigue. Older R series bikes are well known for vague front ends (steering and suspension). The RS fairing didn't seem to improve matters. In a straight line up to about 70mph the bike was very stable. Above this speed it began to feel generally less composed. Most noticeable was a slight waver that would occur in the turbulent air behind other vehicles or in a strong headwind. This was fairly unnerving until I got used to it and realized it was a "feature". The fairing also made the bike quite susceptible to being blown off course by side winds. Again this could be quite scary until I got used to "rolling with it" -though best advice would be to take it easy in windy, exposed places.
This fairing gives superb lower body protection. As well as being very effective at keeping the rain off it's famous for the stream of warm air that comes across the cylinders and keeps your feet and ankles warm. Wonderful as this is in cold weather it can easily get unpleasant in warmer conditions -and many owners remove the fairing lower sections in summer.
The upper part of the fairing provides very good protection. I'm about 173cm (5ft 8in) and 66Kg (145lbs) and with the narrow, forward positioned bars I found my upper body was completely out of the airstream, forearms were similarly protected, and elbows were just in the airflow. I had a clear view over the top of the screen and my head was right on the edge of the area it protected. If I moved my head up the wind noise would increase significantly; if I ducked it down it would get quieter. This positioning was emphasized in mucky riding conditions where the top half of my helmet visor would get much dirtier than the bottom. This all sounds pretty good but wet weather would show up some imperfections. In proper rain, up to about 35mph the fairing would give some protection from the front but I'd still get wet from the falling rain; from 35-50mph the fairing would protect from the front and create a slipstream that kept most of the falling rain at bay; above 50mph the slipstream would keep working but water would run up and over the top and around the sides of the screen and drop straight into my lap -the result would be rapid soaking of the nether regions!
1100RS
Fantastic stability -the bike is almost undisturbed by side winds or turbulence from other vehicles.
Upper body protection is surprisingly good -rain deflection is fairly efficient from around 50mph -arms catch it but body stays dry. The fairing is quite narrow at the front and hands are out in the airstream. With hand protectors from the R1100GS and heated grips this is a non-problem. Severe buffeting of my shoulders occurs when riding into headwinds. Replacement of the standard screen with a larger aftermarket one is a recommended cure. Overall the fairing allows extended periods of high speed riding without fatigue.
Lower body protection is also surprisingly good. My knees are in the airstream and somewhat exposed but sufficiently protected to avoid severe wetting -again the efficiency improves when you get a bit of speed up. So far I haven't had wet or very cold feet on this bike even though there's no obvious bit of the fairing designed to cover this area. I can only assume it's due to a combination of general airflow around the fairing and the protection provided by the cylinders. The worst thing is probably the cold draughts that blow up my trouser legs; this could of course be remedied by wearing higher boots and/or tighter trousers.
1100RT
This bike has a lot of plastic on it!. It isn't quite as stable as the 1100RS, neither is it as warm around the lower body as the 100RS but it achieves an admirable balance between stability and protection.
Upper body protection is really good. The fairing is wide enough to provide full coverage of my top half, though the high bars put my elbows in the airstream. The airflow over the top and round the sides of the fairing keep wet off me at speeds above about 30mph. The screen is electrically adjustable and from around the half raised position water droplets are blown up and over the top of my head -gratifying to watch and nice and dry around the nether regions.
The bottom half keeps my legs well protected; the airstream is directed past the outside of my knees and overall my legs stay pretty dry. Feet are well tucked in behind the plastic and stay completely dry though, like the 1100RS, there's a fair old draught up the trouser legs. The upper part of the fairing has a couple of vents to direct warm air onto the handgrips; I can't work out why there isn't an equivalent around the foot / ankle area. It would be easy to mod the fairing (just a few holes) and may go on my list for next winter.
