Build a Fairing in Your Living Room

Build a Fairing in Your Living Room Many fairing projects require special tools, make a mess, and also smell up the place. These techniques should be able to be duplicated by most anyone, even with limited facilites and tools. A higher resolution image is available for the pictures by clicking on the image.
	I take a couple of 4 X 8 foot sheets of Coroplast and cut some "V's" out with scissors. This is 4mm Coroplast, but 2mm works as good or better -- bends easier and is lighter, but is not as stiff over long spans. I used a spread sheet to generate a bunch of measurements so I know how to cut the right size "V". I calculate the diameter of my tube for every three inches along the entire length. I use a chart to make sure that I am coming up with good curves. I just make a measurement every so often and free hand in between.
Here is some of my significant sketching. Each block represents 3 inches. I drew in the basic bike demensions and went to work. The tube is ovalized by making the side panels larger than the top and bottom.
	The spreadsheet has all the necessary demensions. You don't need to be too precise, because the coroplast's ridges make only rough approximations possible. An Excel or Open Office (XLS) file is available by clicking and saving. here The construction process is possible for one person, but a helper will accelerate things. Much of the sewing works best with a person on each side pushing the needle back and forth.
My experience tells me that small stiches don't offer much advantage over large ones. Mine average about 3/4 of an inch. The panels are not exactly symetrical, because I wanted the nose to be lower than the center. The lefthand panel reflects this desired shape. The second sheet will be a mirror image of this sheet.
	I get a needle and some dental floss and stitch the panels together. I cut a little circle at the end of the "V" and then start to sew, drawing the edges together as I go. Here is one sheet sewn and one to go.
The two halfs are sewn together. The seams are then finished with a strip of Econokote ironed on. Econokote is a low-temp heat shrinkable plastic film made by the Monokote people. It is basically made to cover styrofoam in the model airplane hobby. It comes with an adhesive back. I set the iron on its lowest temp, cut strips from the roll, and iron away.
	When this skin is slightly tensioned with internal bulkheads, it becomes remarkably sturdy because of the arches both fore and aft, and across. One seam is just taped, so that it can be opened to install this shell on the bike. An Econokoted styrofoam nose will be added, along with a tailpeice.
Next, I form the bulkheads that will mount the fairing to the bike out of 2 inch styrofaom insulation. I use a saw and surfoam tool to rough them out. Then sandpaper smooths them out. Ultimately they will get coated with Econokote to stregthen them and make them durable. This styrofaom is cheap and works easily. This bulkhead fits on the back end. The hole fits over a rear-rack and squeezes into the fairing skin.
	I install sleves in holes in the styrofoam so that the zip ties used for attachments don't end up pulling through and erode the attachment. I make the sleeves out of UPC tube --3/8 inch OD- cutting them to a length equal to the thickness of the styrofoam sheets. I install them by pushing out a hole with a tapered ball point pen and then pushing the sleeve into a snug fit. You can see some of these installed in the bulkhead above.
Running a zip tie through the sleeve and poking it through the coroplast skin at the appropriate place, holds the coroplast in a certain position and the syrofoam benefits from the toughness of the coroplast. If the styrofoam bends or tensions the coroplast it will benefit from the formed arch with the flexibility of the coroplast tensioning the arch skin.
	The white coroplast box makes a socket for the installation of the syrofoam bulkhead. It is cut out and attached with zip ties. These boxes can be made up and attached wherever they are needed.
This is the bulkhead that goes in the socket above. The cutouts are for the riders legs, as this bulkhead is just forward of the riders lap. It supports the fairing forward of the rider. This bulkhead already has the Econokote covering.
	Time to untape that seam and put the bike in. Now I need to cut all the necessary holes and fit in all the supporting bulkheads.
When I know that they are going to work, I coat them with Econokote for strength and durability.
	This makes for a good solid connection of the skin to the rear rack. Zip ties through the sleeves make it removeable and replaceable.
I wish I didn't have to cut any holes in it, but the rider has to get in and out somehow.
	Here it is with the entry hole cut out. It is as small as I can make it.
Here is a little trick that works really well. To smooth out the angularity of the coroplast panels, I just zip tie a hula hoop to the inside surface. I place the zip ties next to the edges of the panel, and snug them down.
	Here is a peek into the front of the fairing. You can see that I just make styrofoam parts and zip tie them into the places I need them. The right placement makes the fairing very sturdy and durable.
Here is one of the parts before being installed. You can see a corner of it above, way to the front.