5 Problems With Reckless Motorcycle Fairing (Explained)
Reckless Motorcycles is a leading name in the motorcycle industry and makes some of the best fairings on the market.
But like other motorcycle fairings, the brand has a few pitfalls.
One of the recurrent problems with Reckless is the lack of installation instructions for the fairing. It might also sit too high on some motorcycles. There are issues with communication in some cases, too.
Here is an in-depth look at some of the common problems you may have with this brand.
Fairing May Sit Too High on Motorcycle
It is not out of place to get a fairing with the wrong brackets. This will make the Reckless fairing sit too high on your motorcycle.
In many cases, users will have to re-drill the brackets to make them fit on the headlight. In other instances, the brackets will have to be moved about a quarter of an inch on the fairing to make them fit.
If all fails, you might have to email Reckless Motorcycles to find a solution.
The 4-Speaker Batwing Fairing Might Rattle
Adding the 4-speaker batwing fairing makes sense if you enjoy playing your favorite music on your motorcycle.
Yet, no one wants to fill their eardrums with annoying rattles from their speakers. Unfortunately, this can happen with the 4-speaker batwing fairing.
Although this is not very common, there is still a small chance of this happening, as some customers have indicated.
And when this happens, it can be a very serious rattle.
Usually, the rattling is noticeable when at low rpm, and is caused by the inner and outer fiberglass units railing against each other.
To fix this will mean removing the entire fairing and working on the fiberglass units.
Thankfully, this isn’t a big deal and anyone with a little experience should be able to correct it fairly easily.
No Installation Instructions for the Batwing Fairing
No doubt, installing the batwing fairing is easy-peasy for most people.
Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to do these things. And to make things worse, the speakers don’t come with installation instructions.
Some bikers had to look up instructional videos on YouTube to install the speakers.
Overall, most users can install the batwing fairly easily and quickly, too. But if you are not a handy person, it might be a tad tricky to do it without some guidance.
Reckless Fairing May Drain Your Battery
Perhaps this is one of the most problematic issues some bikers have with Reckless fairing.
As you may have rightly guessed, this problem is not unconnected to the lack of detailed installation instruction.
Of course, you don’t have to be an expert technician or wiring guru to make the correct connections.
But if you don’t get the wiring right, Reckless Motorcycle fairing can drain and kill your motorcycle battery.
At least one customer had to go through five different batteries in a short period after installing a Reckless fairing complete with factory stereo and amp.
Wiring Reckless Fairing Can Be Tricky for Some
For the records, the fairings aren’t necessarily killing or draining motorcycle batteries. Instead, it is a poor understanding of how the wiring works.
Unfortunately, not everyone knows how these things work.
Some customers might find it tricky to correctly wire accessories such as Infinity Bluetooth audio.
It is common to get questions like, “Do I need to cut any wires connected to the battery?”
This is because the instructions (if any) that come with accessories are mostly vague. That’s why Reckless needs to include detailed installation instructions with every order or purchase.
You might need to seek help from an expert to wire the fairing and other accessories correctly, especially if you don’t have enough experience with electrical wirings.
Occasional Issues with Customer Service
Generally, customer service at Reckless Motorcycles is usually great.
But in some instances, customers have had less than satisfying experiences with communication.
You might not receive any update about a purchase or order, even when it is long overdue.
And in some cases, returns can turn out to be unnecessarily problematic.
While many of the customer service agents are great and try to keep buyers happy, a few bikers weren’t very lucky.
General Pros and Cons of Motorcycle Fairing
Here is a quick rundown of what to expect with motorcycle fairing:
Pros
- Improved motorcycle aerodynamics
- Can offer extra storage room
- Significantly reduce wind and buffeting
- Good-quality fairing can improve motorcycle handling
- Fairing can positively impact fuel economy (miles per gallon – MPG)
- Can make riding more fun and less tiring
Cons
- Can increase the overall weight of the motorcycle
- Low-quality fairing can negatively impact motorcycle handling
- Fairing can take up more space
- Impacts negatively on the motorcycle’s ergonomics
What’s the General Review for Reckless Motorcycle Fairing?
The reviews for Reckless Motorcycle fairing are generally positive – in fact, overwhelmingly positive!
This is not too surprising, though, considering the company has over 60 years of combined experience in the fiberglass and motorcycle industry.
Plus, it offers fairing for most of the major motorcycle brands, including:
- Harley-Davidson (more than 15 different models)
- Yamaha (8 models)
- Kawasaki (8 models)
- Suzuki (4 models)
- Honda (VTX 1300 & 1800, and Shadow)
- Indian (5 models)
- Triumph (2004 to 2019 of Rocket 3 touring model)
That means you’re most likely to get professional fairing for your bike, no matter your bike make and model.
Interestingly, the pricing is low compared to what’s available with other companies like Quadzilla and Dragonfly.
Reckless offers nearly half the cost for basic products as you’ll get with other popular brands, making its price fairly affordable for any average biker.
The company had issues in 2013 that led to the shutting down of one of its manufacturing locations.
Luckily, it had nothing to do with the quality of its products. Instead, it was a lack of a permit for the operating site. And that has long been put to rest.
Final Thoughts
A company’s website is not the best place to find down-to-earth reviews, at least in most cases. So, it makes sense to take all the positive reviews on the Reckless Motorcycle site with a pinch of salt.
That being said, you’ll find a ton of great reviews about the brand on other independent sites as well.
Still, you can’t rule out the possibility of having a few problems with Reckless Motorcycle fairing.
Fortunately, these problems are usually not major deal-breakers for most bikers.
Sources
Reckless Motorcycles Testimonial Page