Best Race Plastics?
- Thread starter bahs
- Start date
Stick with a good name like Sharkskinz or Armour Bodies. Stay away from Hotbodies, Godfather, E-Racing & Pit-Eck. You will be disappointed with the fit and finish of those brands. I have had Sharkskinz on both of my track bikes and I can't say enough for the fit, finish and durability of their product. I've been down several times and I've been able to repair them almost back to original condition. You will pay more for them, but you get more in return.
rk97
Member
i'm in the process of removing, sanding, and painting the Armour Bodies that came on my 'new' bike, and I have to say they're MUCH nicer than the cheetah skins I had on the F2.
and you can't beat the NESBA deal through woodcraft. www.woodcraft-cfm.com
just make sure you note your NESBA member number, so you get the $100 off. (i think it's $100 off...)
and you can't beat the NESBA deal through woodcraft. www.woodcraft-cfm.com
just make sure you note your NESBA member number, so you get the $100 off. (i think it's $100 off...)
smack28752
Member
I have Sharkskinz on my my bike (it came with them). They are very sturdy and held up great in a lowside, requiring little work to repair.
My brother has Armour Bodies. They fit great and looked super when painted. Unfotunately, they have been down too but they also held up very well. They seem to be a bit more flexible than other brands (not brittle at all).
For the $$, Armour Bodies are hard to beat... Support our NESBA partners.
My brother has Armour Bodies. They fit great and looked super when painted. Unfotunately, they have been down too but they also held up very well. They seem to be a bit more flexible than other brands (not brittle at all).
For the $$, Armour Bodies are hard to beat... Support our NESBA partners.
jas0336
Member
I agree with Jballz about spending money where it counts.
I look at it like this...I put race plastic on my bike so when I crash I dont waste my OEM stuff. So if the ONLY purpose of this product is to be wrecked why spend $1,000 on it when I can wreck something else for 1/2 that amount??
I have E-Racings. It fit fine and looks pretty good. I did almost zero prep and had my brother paint it for free.
People complain about fitment a lot but I haven't seen any plastic come pre-drilled so I think a lot of it comes down to how much common sense you use when mounting it.
Now...I think e-racings went out of business so I would say support NESBA and use Armour bodies like Jim said
I look at it like this...I put race plastic on my bike so when I crash I dont waste my OEM stuff. So if the ONLY purpose of this product is to be wrecked why spend $1,000 on it when I can wreck something else for 1/2 that amount??
I have E-Racings. It fit fine and looks pretty good. I did almost zero prep and had my brother paint it for free.
People complain about fitment a lot but I haven't seen any plastic come pre-drilled so I think a lot of it comes down to how much common sense you use when mounting it.
Now...I think e-racings went out of business so I would say support NESBA and use Armour bodies like Jim said
Snow
New Member
I bought new plastics at the beginning of the season this year, Optimal racing is the brand. http://optimalracing.com/
Fit and finish where great, there’s allot of flex, and minimal work has to be done before you paint. I got some pics of the bike on my profile with the new plastics. Did I mention they were cheap?
Fit and finish where great, there’s allot of flex, and minimal work has to be done before you paint. I got some pics of the bike on my profile with the new plastics. Did I mention they were cheap?
EngineNoO9
Member
lil team named Ten Kate uses Hotbodies.... :dunno:
http://2wheeltuesday.com/2009/02/hotbodies-racing-to-sponsor-hannspree-ten-kate-honda-team/
I have some cheapo stuff that was cleaned up, looks good, and if broken, cheap to replace... All depends on what you're going for.
http://2wheeltuesday.com/2009/02/hotbodies-racing-to-sponsor-hannspree-ten-kate-honda-team/
I have some cheapo stuff that was cleaned up, looks good, and if broken, cheap to replace... All depends on what you're going for.
D-Swens
Member
to those who say "why go cheap on something that doesn't matter?"
First of all, what is the largest part of the motorcycle?
Race bodywork is not there at all to "keep you from wasting your OEM bodywork" or "made to wreck". The real purpose of putting race bodywork on a real race motorcycle was designed and is still used as a performance advantage. The race bodywork on any well funded or most professional race programs usually cost a lot more than the OEM stuff. They are on there because of the weight savings, aerodynamic and profile changes (sbk seats, taller windscreens, larger ram air ect.) and ease of taking apart for bike adjustments/maintainance/repairs at the track or durring a pit. I'm sure most all of the factory teams would like it a hell of a lot better if every they wrecked, they were wrecking a set of OEM bodywork + lights instead a $3k set of carbon fiber...
Have you ever held up a set of new optimal or e-racing bodywork next to a set of Sharkskinz? They weight easily 3 times the amount, maybe more than that. You're talking about up to 10 - 15 extra lbs. of top-end weight on the bike.
Secondly, plenty of times when a bike goes down at any speed, the bodywork can get broken up badly enough that it leaves the bike un-rideable. Imagine that happens early on the first day of a track weekend that you drove 6 or 8 hours to get to, and now you can't ride the rest of the weekend. Sure you can buy another set cheap when you get home, but its a hell of a lot better to be able to just pick the bike up and ride again. I literally have a set of Sharkskinz in my shop that has been down 3 times this year, all at high-speed, and once at 100mph+. After all 3 of those get-offs, the rider still was able to finish his race weekend with that same set of Sharkskinz on. With that being said, it was still in good enough shape that I was able to fix all of the cracks, and get the nice original paint job basically back to perfect again pretty cheap.
Sharkskinz is not indestructable, but it is by far the best crashing bodywork I have seen on the market, and will by far pay you back. Every week I get sets of crashed up bodywork from one brand or the other in at the shop to fix, trust me I can easily tell the difference.
Nice bodywork makes a difference in your track experience with your bike. Armour Bodies, Attack, and Sharkskinz are definitely 3 of the top 5 brands that I know of in the US + Europe, and probably the top 3 of mainstream brands.
How many times do you take a bike apart at the track to make an adjustment or fix something? I can have my bike with Sharkskinz apart with upper, lower, and sbk tail off the bike in about 1 minute easily, and back on the bike ready to ride in about that time as well, by myself.
Also, if you have any kind of nice paint, wraps, or any kind of sponsorship to show off or cause to promote, if the bodywork is wrecked you lose all time and $ you put into the paint or gaphics. In that case, 2 sets of $400 bodywork that get destroyed after 2 crashes can't compare with 1 set of $800 set of bodywork that survives all of those and can't be re-touched for cheap...
That being said, I'd rather ride ride with cardboard than not ride at all. If you can afford it, the higher-end brands are well worth it.
First of all, what is the largest part of the motorcycle?
Race bodywork is not there at all to "keep you from wasting your OEM bodywork" or "made to wreck". The real purpose of putting race bodywork on a real race motorcycle was designed and is still used as a performance advantage. The race bodywork on any well funded or most professional race programs usually cost a lot more than the OEM stuff. They are on there because of the weight savings, aerodynamic and profile changes (sbk seats, taller windscreens, larger ram air ect.) and ease of taking apart for bike adjustments/maintainance/repairs at the track or durring a pit. I'm sure most all of the factory teams would like it a hell of a lot better if every they wrecked, they were wrecking a set of OEM bodywork + lights instead a $3k set of carbon fiber...
Have you ever held up a set of new optimal or e-racing bodywork next to a set of Sharkskinz? They weight easily 3 times the amount, maybe more than that. You're talking about up to 10 - 15 extra lbs. of top-end weight on the bike.
Secondly, plenty of times when a bike goes down at any speed, the bodywork can get broken up badly enough that it leaves the bike un-rideable. Imagine that happens early on the first day of a track weekend that you drove 6 or 8 hours to get to, and now you can't ride the rest of the weekend. Sure you can buy another set cheap when you get home, but its a hell of a lot better to be able to just pick the bike up and ride again. I literally have a set of Sharkskinz in my shop that has been down 3 times this year, all at high-speed, and once at 100mph+. After all 3 of those get-offs, the rider still was able to finish his race weekend with that same set of Sharkskinz on. With that being said, it was still in good enough shape that I was able to fix all of the cracks, and get the nice original paint job basically back to perfect again pretty cheap.
Sharkskinz is not indestructable, but it is by far the best crashing bodywork I have seen on the market, and will by far pay you back. Every week I get sets of crashed up bodywork from one brand or the other in at the shop to fix, trust me I can easily tell the difference.
Nice bodywork makes a difference in your track experience with your bike. Armour Bodies, Attack, and Sharkskinz are definitely 3 of the top 5 brands that I know of in the US + Europe, and probably the top 3 of mainstream brands.
How many times do you take a bike apart at the track to make an adjustment or fix something? I can have my bike with Sharkskinz apart with upper, lower, and sbk tail off the bike in about 1 minute easily, and back on the bike ready to ride in about that time as well, by myself.
Also, if you have any kind of nice paint, wraps, or any kind of sponsorship to show off or cause to promote, if the bodywork is wrecked you lose all time and $ you put into the paint or gaphics. In that case, 2 sets of $400 bodywork that get destroyed after 2 crashes can't compare with 1 set of $800 set of bodywork that survives all of those and can't be re-touched for cheap...
That being said, I'd rather ride ride with cardboard than not ride at all. If you can afford it, the higher-end brands are well worth it.
liteitup
New Member
You make a good point but on the other end you have to keep in mind that we are doing track days, not racing. The speed difference in the weight savings and aerodynamics isnt going to change your track day experience. Why do you say " Nice bodywork makes a difference in your track experience with your bike?" If you're racing then yes but track days? No
DFlowe
New Member
The last bodywork I purchased, I decided to spend the extra money and go for Sharkskinz. My expectations were that the fit and finish would be worth the additional expense. I will say that the finish was very good; the fitment of it was a huge disappointment. I had to cut, grind mount and remount it more than any other bodywork I've ever owned and this is the fourth set I've installed.
After living with Sharkskinz for a year, it does hold up well and its likely better in that regard than any other brand I've owned. The big disappointment for me was the fit and the ram air tubes on my bike are still no where even close to matching the holes for them in the fairings.
My vote would be to go for optimal racing (http://optimalracing.com/) and spend the saved money on other things. My friends that are using optimal have had good experiences with their product.
After living with Sharkskinz for a year, it does hold up well and its likely better in that regard than any other brand I've owned. The big disappointment for me was the fit and the ram air tubes on my bike are still no where even close to matching the holes for them in the fairings.
My vote would be to go for optimal racing (http://optimalracing.com/) and spend the saved money on other things. My friends that are using optimal have had good experiences with their product.
bfolkerts
New Member
+1 for e-race fairings! I've bought a set for my 600rr, and one now for my 1098. Both mounted up just as easy as any other "name brand" that I've used. I think I paid $300 shipped for each set.
I've crashed my 600rr plenty of times, and they have held up GREAT! Yes they are thick, and probably weigh more...but I could easily just not eat McDonald's for a week and lose 5 pounds. The extra weight is definitely not my limiting factor at the track.
I've crashed my 600rr plenty of times, and they have held up GREAT! Yes they are thick, and probably weigh more...but I could easily just not eat McDonald's for a week and lose 5 pounds. The extra weight is definitely not my limiting factor at the track.
jas0336
Member
is Optimal the company that took over e-racings? Seems like I heard that somewhere. No matter what you buy, you will hear good and bad. If you bought 10 sets of any brand out there I think you might have 10 different experiences. It's true that Sharkskinz have a fantastic finish. Armour bodies also finish great. Most of them fit...some need to be trimmed, some don't. It all comes down to what you are looking for.
FOR ME...I bought cheap cuz I know I will sell it one day (if I dont completely trash it at the track) and I want to be able to sell as a street bike. I don't race, I was able to get it painted for free and I didn't really worry about a perfect finish. It looks pretty good...I get comments about it almost every track weekend. The cheap stuff is just as easy to take off as the expensive. Pull a few dzus fasteners and you are done. I have to take it off every track day to change oil, check water etc.
You just have to decide what you want out of it...
To save your street plastic?
For the look?
To ease maintenance?
I completely disagree about the performance comment. Most race plastic meets AMA specs which require it to be only as aerodynamic as OEM stuff. The weight savings is probably negligible and only noticable due to the weight of the lights....just my opinion
FOR ME...I bought cheap cuz I know I will sell it one day (if I dont completely trash it at the track) and I want to be able to sell as a street bike. I don't race, I was able to get it painted for free and I didn't really worry about a perfect finish. It looks pretty good...I get comments about it almost every track weekend. The cheap stuff is just as easy to take off as the expensive. Pull a few dzus fasteners and you are done. I have to take it off every track day to change oil, check water etc.
You just have to decide what you want out of it...
To save your street plastic?
For the look?
To ease maintenance?
I completely disagree about the performance comment. Most race plastic meets AMA specs which require it to be only as aerodynamic as OEM stuff. The weight savings is probably negligible and only noticable due to the weight of the lights....just my opinion
Todd Lewis
Member
I've never weighed bodywork but I question the accuracy of D-Swens scale.
Are you comparing World Super Bike quality carbon fiber bodywork to the heaviest crap Hot Bodies ever made?:dunno:
And what DFlowe said. Mo' $ for seat time.(with NESBA of course)
Are you comparing World Super Bike quality carbon fiber bodywork to the heaviest crap Hot Bodies ever made?:dunno:
And what DFlowe said. Mo' $ for seat time.(with NESBA of course)