I've been trying to find the a combination of comfort and looks ever since I purchased my VTX1800R. I started out with the Windvest Shield. It provided minimal protection, at the time that's what I wanted since it looked so damn nice..

I then went to the other extreme, bought the Memphis Fats 21" with Lowers. Compared to the Windvest it was like riding around in a aquarium tank. Definitely better for the long hauls and cold weather riding but during the summer rides I started to miss the wind real quick.

During this time of Windshield shopping I bought a few fairings with the thought I'd make a removable version along with a way to listen to tunes.

The first fairing I picked up was a cross between the standard full size and a huge headlight cowl. It definitely had its own look and didn't need much fabrication work to get it to fit right.

The next fairing I picked up was the Harley Batwing got it from a Harley Shop up in Oregon. I had originally thought it was made from fiberglass and intended on having it gelcoated. Once I realized I was dealing with molded plastic I started stripping the original paint off, doing some of the grunt work before I took it in to a sprayer.

Regardless of the fairing used, a mounting system is needed. Most of the "Batwing" style fairings mounted on the existing light bars. If you can get a set of the Memphis Windshield mounting brackets they work great with the original Batwing mounting brackets. You'll have to do some modifications to the length of the brackets along with relocating the stock headlight position higher to fill in a gap.

Due to another bike project, I abandoned the idea of custom building a fairing. I installed the Hoppe Industries Fairing. This works out great for black bikes, I chose the non-painted gel coated version. I plan on waxing it up and keeping it black. If it gets dinged up with rocks on the road I can sand and buffed it out. I may take it to a fiberglass boat shop in the summer, I've seen some of their work and they can make it look like a black mirror finish.

I also went with the full Quadzilla radio package, talk about the answer to listening to tunes while cruising along. Its just plain @#$@!!%# awesome. I don't think I can ever go back to a scoot without this setup. Depending on the windshield you can hear the tunes at the higher freeway speeds. I have the 12", 10", I also have the 5" tint & 5" black versions. I'm sure the listening level will decrease as you reduce windshield size.

A couple of issues I ran into with the other two fairings was the height & width of the fairing. If I were to look straight and level into the headlight I didn't want to see any of the hand controls. Another problem was the gap between the headlight and the surrounding fairing. The other fairings had a HUGE gap that required headlight bucket relocation. I wanted a very narrow gap, at the top it's less then a 1/4", the sides are just about a 1/4". By the tight fit, you can tell it was made for the VTX.

Who would have ever thought about having a stereo/CD remote for your motorcycle. I went ahead and picked one up for the Mrs. - now she controls the #@$@%!#@$! tunes...

Rear shot of inner fairing...

A lot of guys ride around with the Hoppe setup, all the reviews I read were positive. If there is anything to improve on, it would probably be the way its mounted on the VTX, the use of 6 hose clamps. The other issue is the radio ergonomics, takes a bit getting used too, using gloves on the small buttons can be a challenge. I guess the extreme would be bright yellow Fisher Price toy size controls, Nay. I'll stick with these. In any case, this has to be one of the most functional mods I've done to date!

Another view...