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I know there are some guys here with some racing experience on these old bikes. I'm wondering how to go about mounting a full fairing on a naked bike? I'm sure I could figure out mounting points for the bottom of the fairing, but wondering how best to go about the top part and headlight section. Is a bracket normally welded to the steering column? Anyone have any experience with this or have any pics?
The type of fairing I'm referring to is something like this, but with a working headlight:
Deacon, I've been looking at the same thing, but have never done it. But if you can get a bracket welded just behind the steering stem (on the backbone), then that could be the base of a "Y" shaped bracket - each tip of the Y would be near the mirror mounts (for fairing mounted mirrors of course). Also, Airtech has a bracket kit - there is another Y shaped bracket that comes straight off the neck and would hold the headlight mounts.
The way we do most race bikes is to weld a length of steel tube to the steering head pointing straight forward and them get another length that slip over/into that tube and weld a 4" length of 1"x1/8" across the front to bolt to the center of the fairing.
If you need a headlamp, try to mount it below the tube if it's small enough.
That's basically how a TD3 or TZ Yamaha was organized.
Modern bikes typically have a pair of lugs cast into the steering head to bolt the fairing stay (a.k.a. sponson or front bracket) but that's harder to organize on an old steel frame.
Dunstall used to use what was basically an exhaust clamp around the steering heard and Airtech sell a modern copy which you can copy or purchase http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/miscpages/brackets.html
Thanks guys, great info. Never thought about having a tube sliding over the other, would make installation/removal a lot easier, great idea. Just checked out the Airtech bracket, something like that should do the trick.
Rich, as I was thinking about doing a fairing I never even thought of the mirrors thanks for the reminder.
Thank you very much for your help guys, appreciate it.
Another trick is to size the front tube so that a Honda RS125 nylon fitting slips in. They are held in the fairing with a single 6mm screw, so it's really neat and easy on-easy off.
You can also make tube rear mounts like a TZ250 or RS125 and use those same end fittings. I had a few made up my our machinist out of Delrin to fit the tube I had available.
Or use flat aluminum strap from the hardware store and use Dzus 1/4 turn fasteners for an equally trick look.
Here's a CB160 frame that was modified slightly. De-tabbed and braced. The rear loop was cut from a dirt bike frame and welded in and the seat brackets on that loop were cut off the frame - they used to hold the air filters or something. Front tubes came from something - re-use where possible or buy a couple of feet of chrome moly tube - it's quite cheap at Aircraft Spruce or Online Metals.
I just stuck teh silver tube (part of an SL175 frame tube) over teh fairing mount to show how it works. The stub on that frame will be shortened to around 4 inches and the sliding tube will be drilled and I use an R clip (axle clip) to stop it from rotating. Then I mount the electronic tacho on that front tube - just like they do on real race bikes
Wow teazer, thank you for your help, this is great info. I love those fasteners. They are something like I had in mind when I made a belly pan for my Gladius but I didn't even know what to look for. I ended up using rubber grommets but those would have been a much nicer solution. I just went on the meadspeed site that is noted in the first pic, wicked site, lots of great stuff and ideas.
Perfect picture to help explain it as well, thanks for posting.
Thanks again for all of this, really helps me out!!!
Where a screw goes through a fairing panel to bolt it to a solid metal bracket, you should use rubber grommets with steel spacer tubes. Most sport bikes use them so choose a make and model and look them up. I used a set from an RZ350 belly pan. I just ordered 5 or 10 of the rubber grommets and the same number of spacers plus the wide headed allen screws.
Parts 19, 20 & 21 in this schematic http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/1985-yamaha-rz350n/o/m10098#sch514751
Lockhart Phillips offer a similar kit of 4 or 5 with plastic spacers.
I have used rubber insulators from early GSXRs part 22 in this http://www.bikebandit.com/1987-suzuki-gsxr750h/o/m6224#sch248772 when the tube on tube wasn't an option. I weld a 6mm flanged nut into the end of the tube and screw one of those metalastic bushed in and screw a wide head allen screw through the fairing into the insulator.
Sometimes I can modify a bracket from another bike and other times I just look at other bikes to see how they did it and adapt the idea. As long as you do the research and are prepared to redo it if it isn't perfect the first time, you will succeed.
Hint. Fairings are hard to get straight and square so take your time, use boxes and bungee cords and friends or tape or anything else to mock it up until it's exactly where you want it. Sometimes you just have to cut lumps out of a fairing to clear a water pump or other protrusion, I can show you pics of those if you need it.
I know one of the aftermarket manufacturers (Rickman, Vetter?) used a couple of straps on tank mounting stubs and a clamp around steering head
looks a bit clunky but seems to work ok
if you don't want to weld stuff to frame
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thanks for the reminder. 
