Generally speaking, the average motorcycle fairing kit costs about $600-$1,500 depending on the make and model. The cheapest fairings are arguably the Chinese aftermarket kits that start from as low as $300. On the other end of the spectrum, you can find racing fairings that may even cost thousands of dollars. If you want to find out more about aftermarket and OEM fairing prices, this post is for you!
We at PowerSportsGuide have gathered the average prices as well as the pros and cons of aftermarket fairings under one roof!
What do Motorcycle Fairings Prices Depend on?
Motorcycle fairing prices vary widely and depend on many factors, such as:
- Year and model of your bike
- OEM vs. Aftermarket Fairings
- Material
- Quality
- Painting and design
There is no question that one of the major factors affecting fairing prices is the year and type of the bike.
The general rule is that the more expensive your bike is and the more fairings it features the higher the prices you will have to reckon with.
For instance, if you have a high-end sportbike with full fairings, you should be prepared for hefty price tags. Especially if you are looking for an OEM kit!
In contrast, fairings are far cheaper for smaller naked and half-naked street bikes.
Prices can also skyrocket if you are looking for a racing kit or just want to customize your bike with some special fairings.
As an example, even a tiny “café racer style” head fairing may cost you about $150-$300.
But if you are in the market for a large batwing fairing with a built-in audio system, be prepared to pay no less than $600-$800.
Other important factors are the material and the quality of the fairings.
Keep in mind that the cheapest motorcycle fairing kits typically come without any painting. Therefore, painting it the right color and with new decals would be an additional cost.
Finally, don’t forget labor costs if you want to get the installation done by a professional.
However, replacing fairings is not rocket science, and can be done in a few hours. So, if you want to save some money you can consider doing the replacement on your own.
But keep in mind that if they don’t fit perfectly it may end in a lot of headaches.
What’s more, the paint job scratches very easily and the fittings are also prone to breaking, especially on aftermarket kits.
Let’s move on and take a closer look at the average costs of motorcycle fairing kits!
How Much do Motorcycle Fairings Cost?
When it comes to purchasing new motorcycle fairings, there are basically three different options to choose from:
- OEM fairing kits
- Low-budget aftermarket fairing kits
- High-end aftermarket street kits and racetrack kits
In the following sections, we’ll get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about these options in detail!
How Much do OEM Fairings Cost?
Generally speaking, the prices of OEM fairings kits range from $600 up to $1,500. In most cases, only a single-side fairing for a sportbike will cost you about $300-$500. Nose cowls or tail fairings can also cost about $350-$600. This means that the price of larger OEM fairing is about $300-$600 each!
OEM motorcycle fairings are expensive, but with good reason.
They offer high quality and durability as they are manufactured in the same factory that bikes are manufactured in. What’s more, they always fit perfectly, which makes installation much easier.
On the other hand, many riders find OEM motorcycle fairings are excessively expensive.
This is the reason why many full-fairing motorcycles are totaled when their fairings get damaged.
If you’ve dropped your bike and are looking for new fairings, you probably want to know if there are any cheaper alternatives out there.
The good news is yes, there are!
One of your options would be purchasing a used motorcycle fairing kit from eBay or Craigslist. If a bike is totaled due to engine damage, it’s not uncommon for the owner to sell it for the parts.
If you are lucky, you can find the exact fairing you need or even a complete set for a fair price.
Your other option would be to consider purchasing a Chinese aftermarket fairing kit. Let’s see the pros and cons of these kits!
How Much do Aftermarket Fairings Cost?
Chinese aftermarket motorcycle fairings are always significantly cheaper than their OEM counterparts. Surprisingly, prices start from as low as $300 per kit and go up to about $700. In many cases, smaller fairings are even available for less than $100 each!
One of the reasons why Chinese motorcycle fairings are so cheap is that they can typically be ordered directly from overseas.
In contrast, OEM fairings are always sold by retailers or dealerships, and their fees are also reflected in the price.
Although the prices of the cheapest aftermarket fairing kits make them very attractive, as you might assume, they typically have some disadvantages.
Without claiming completeness, the most common complaints against the cheap aftermarket fairings are as follows:
- Low quality and durability
- Don’t fit perfectly (alignment issues)
- Harder to install
- Fittings are prone to breaking
- There is a risk of damage during shipping
- Many come without painting or decals
Let’s face it, many of these fairings are low-quality replicas from China.
And as usual, you get what you pay for.
The cheaper the kit, the lower quality and durability you can expect.
Experts say that one of the biggest drawbacks of these cheap fairings is that many of them fit terribly. While OEM fairings are easy to install these replicas are typically a few millimeters off.
This results in higher labor costs or more work for you if you do the replacement yourself.
In a worst-case scenario, the fairings won’t line up perfectly, which may result in aesthetic problems.
If they are too large, you can trim them with a sharp blade. But if they are not completely aligned it can lead to a hole between the fairings and the other parts of the bike.
Finally, due to their large dimensions, aftermarket fairings can easily break during shipping.
What is a Racetrack Fairing?
Contrary to popular belief, not every aftermarket motorcycle fairing is of poor quality. You can find many decent aftermarket kits on the market, however, they come with higher price tags.
What’s more, for closed courses you can choose from many high-quality racetrack fairing kits.
What is a racetrack fairing? As the name suggests, it’s a special fairing kit designed for closed-course racing. These fairings are typically lighter, more durable, and more flexible than regular street kits. What’s more, the light and turn signal holes are closed on them for better aerodynamics. They are typically made of gel-coated fiberglass, and often feature Carbon or Kevlar reinforced mounting areas as an option.
The most expensive motorcycle fairings are arguably the carbon fiber fairing kits. They are extremely durable and much lighter than regular ABS or fiberglass kits.
They also look really cool!
Drawbacks?
Just the price tags, as the cost of these carbon race fairing kits starts around $2,000 and goes up to a whopping $4,000!
Conclusion
Since they come in many shapes, materials, and quality, the prices of motorcycle fairings vary widely.
The cheapest fairing kits are typically the aftermarket fairings from China. The prices of these kits range from $300 up to $700.
If you are looking for an OEM fairing kit, be prepared to pay about $600-$1,500 depending on the make and model.
The most expensive models are arguably the carbon fiber racing fairing kits, which may cost you about $2,000-$4,000.
