Honda Air Deflectors - How Effective?

[Daboo]

Now that it is colder and wetter, has anyone formed any opinions on how effective the Fairing and Lower Wind Deflectors are for keeping you warmer and drier? Or are they a mod that serves no functional use...but looks cool?

Chris

 

[Rocker66]

There seems to be differing opinions on this however mine is that they do make a difference

 

[FrankQC]

Now that it is colder and wetter, has anyone formed any opinions on how effective the Fairing and Lower Wind Deflectors are for keeping you warmer and drier? Or are they a mod that serves no functional use...but looks cool?

Click here : http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-...did-you-do-your-nc700-today-38.html#post10579

 

[Daboo]

Thanks. That's the best picture I've seen of them. And your verdict is about what I expected. I thought the hand guards helped on my current bike initially. I think that was wishful thinking to justify in my mind that I had spent the money on something worthwhile. But a year later, I had to admit they really did very little. But they looked cool, or so I thought.

Some DIY wind deflectors like Beemerphile made would probably be a lot better in the end.

Chris

 

[duk2n]

Now that it is colder and wetter, has anyone formed any opinions on how effective the Fairing and Lower Wind Deflectors are for keeping you warmer and drier? Or are they a mod that serves no functional use...but looks cool?

I'm one of those who was thinking they just look cool. But now I have the lower deflectors fitted. They are not cheap, but I would fit it again

 

[radiotinnitus]

I have the upper ones only and the lower ones on backorder. I think the uppers are minimally effective and I'm glad I have them. I know they're way over-priced for what they do but I didn't care about that when I ordered them. There's no apparent reason to me that they shouldn't be standard equipment except to gouge out more profit from people like me. That's why I love Beemerphile's DIY stuff where he beats them at their game both in effectiveness and cost.

 

[deedub]

I've got both sets installed. I think they look good, and they do make some difference, though not a big difference. For what they are - pieces of molded plastic attached with double sided tape - they are ridiculously overpriced.

Edit: Not really on topic, but I thought it's interesting that the bike is made in Japan, the oem heated grips are made in China, and the oem deflectors (mine anyway) are made in Italy. Truly an international product!

 

[mike5100]

Am I alone in having great difficuty in noticing any differnce in appearance of bikes with and without the deflectors. I really have to llok hard to see where they are (and I have both sets fitted to mine )
Mike

 

[Daboo]

Till FrankQC's picture at the link above, I couldn't tell what they looked like either...which made me ask the question. I suspect they are there for the same reasons people install spoilers on their cars. Not that the spoiler does any good, but for the image. After all, most dual-sport bike owners, never take their bikes off-road any more than 4x4 owners take their pickemup trucks off the pavement. It's the image that counts.

BTW, don't get me wrong here. The image does count. If you can't feel good looking at your ride as you walk up to it, why have it?

The conclusion I've come away with on these and the other "accessories", is that Honda is shrewd in their marketing strategy. They sell a bike at a good price point. Now if you want to move from owning the bike for entertainment to daily commuting use, you will spend a couple thousand dollars to get it to that level. If I buy one of these, I'm hoping I'll find a lightly used one that someone has taken the initial depreciation hit on and spent the $$ to mod. If not, I'll be searching through Beemerphile's posts to see how he modded his bike with things like his DIY air deflectors.

Now if someone can come up with an inexpensive answer for luggage...

Chris

 

[duk2n]

BTW, don't get me wrong here. The image does count. If you can't feel good looking at your ride as you walk up to it, why have it?

If you read carefully the post you will discover some of us have the deflectors because they do some job, not because "the image does count".

 

[Rocker66]

If you read carefully the post you will discover some of us have the deflectors because they do some job, not because "the image does count".

You are 100% correct. I don't see how they can be about image when some people are posting that they don't even notice any difference in appearence when they are fitted.. Personally I think that it is a good thing that they don't stand out like a sore thumb. If they were designed to be about image they would be made of something like carbon fibre or at least colour matched to the bike

 

[FrankQC]

You are 100% correct. I don't see how they can be about image when some people are posting that they don't even notice any difference in appearence when they are fitted.. Personally I think that it is a good thing that they don't stand out like a sore thumb. If they were designed to be about image they would be made of something like carbon fibre or at least colour matched to the bike

Let me explain my previous post: If I had to do it again, I wouldn't buy them. I needed wind protection, purchased both kits and installed them. I've tried the bike and found, IMHO, that their efficiency is far from matching their price tag. Since they hold on the bike with double sided tape, there's no way to get a refund if you don't like them. That's the reason why I then told myself that they look cool and I haven't paid for nothing..... BTW, that's a perfect color match for my black NCX, it fits the matte parts of the bike.