Road Comet 2 Impressions

[Frulk_imp]

Paulibiker sold me his RC2 and it arrived yesterday in 'as new condition'.

Some general comments:

Fit and finish...Exceedingly well made with flawless paint that color matches the tank perfectly. Silver stripe is under the clear coat. Appears to be all stainless steel hardware.

Install.... was straight forward. 3 bolts (two replacement bolts..1 for each side of headlight bucket. They're tapped for another screw to go into them that holds the sides of the fairing in place. Then a lower chin bolt goes into an angle mount which in turn ties into the bolt that holds the horns in place. So, the fairing is hard mounted at three points to the bike and doesn't touch anything else including the instrument cluster. I mounted the fairing without the smoked screen on it thinking I had room to get to hold the bolts in place but that wasn't the case. Removed the fairing. Mounted the smoked screen and then reinstalled. Added 15 minutes to the process.

What the RC2 replaced....I've had a Dart Fly screen and a one-off hand-made aluminum fly screen on the bike and been exceedingly happy with how both functioned and looked. I really don't need a fairing as wind 'blast' on my chest doesn't bother me even at speeds approaching triple digits. I used the screens more to keep the bugs off the instrument clusters and for cosmetics to give the front end a sportier look

Aluminum fly screen:



Marlin Dart:



The RC2 on the bike. I also have some red side covers coming for it with the old school Honda Wing as part of the CB1100 lettering.




Riding impressions: Doesn't vibrate at speed. Had it up to the ton today and didn't notice any additional turbulence coming over the screen or hitting my helmet (I'm 6 foot even). I do believe I heard some kind of harmonic resonance at 2K to about 2.8K As a result of this I placed two thick foam rubber spaces on each side of the comet between the inside of it and the gauge cluster. Went and rode and still there. The bike was laid down by my prospective son-in-law a year or two ago on black ice and as a result the gauge cluster cracked. I glued it with 2 part epoxy and clamped it tight but there may be something inside the cluster that's doing that and maybe I just never noticed it. I'm absolutely convinced it's not the fairing. The smoked windshield seemed to flex just a very small amount at upper highway speeds around the screen at the top end where it's least supported. The rubber spacers stopped that cold. All in all very pleased with it.

Lastly...The RC2 Aesthetics are top notch in my estimation.

[Mandrau_imp]

Appreciate your review as am considering getting an RC fairing. I notice the Dart Piranha screen in the second pic. I have one and a Dart Marlin as well. I have gone back and forth with these two screens and I think I prefer the Piranha. It is surprisingly effective for such a minimalist screen. Reduces wind to the torso and catches bugs too. I like what you did with yours.

[peterbaron]

Mandru, looks good, what is the seat that you have, can we have 1-3 pics of it from close range, please.

[Frulk_imp]

It's an K&H solo seat I bought off a forum member 3 years ago. No doubt came from Samurider originally. Well made seat that I can ride all day on without any issues in spite of the fact the interior cushioning was more than likely not set up for my weight. There are MANY seat cover and interior (foam/gel) options for this make and model. There's currently a black one on in the For Sale area of this site. The black insert seating surface is just a little slick under hard braking and allows you to move forward into the tank.

The seat has held up well considering it has almost 18K miles on it.

[Roper_imp]

Looks good, Frulk. Thanks for the review. I have the RC2 on my bike. It directs the wind off my torso. The airflow is right at the top of my shoulders, now. It increased wind noise around my helmet. After I put the chin screen in, the noise went back down. I installed the Chic Designs matching hand guards. With Gore Tex gloves, I haven't needed heated grips.

[the Ferret]

It is a nice looking addition. The red side covers will add to the good looks imo.

[Frulk_imp]

Roper. You lost me at “after I put the chin screen back in”. You mean you were riding it without the RC windshield?

[Roper_imp]

That would have looked really weird . What I meant to say is the chin curtain on my helmet. The RC directs air to the top of my shoulders and neck, which increases wind noise around the bottom of my helmet. Once I put the chin curtain in my helmet, it cut down on a lot of the noise.

[Frulk_imp]

Got it. I wear heavy buffs to fill the gaps in the helmets especially around the neck

[QimmiQ_imp]

I have the RC2 as well and I love it. I ride much of the time at 120kph plus. I found it made a big difference on my chest, especially in hard acceleration and at speeds over 100kph. I am 6'2" and the height seems perfect at least for me. Wind hits just at/above shoulders but not at helmet so it has reduced that buffeting for the most part. I would agree though, helmet noise has increased. I do have a crap full face helmet though.

Paint quality is awesome but it hasn’t resolved the light bleed issue around the headlight that the RC1 had. I rarely ride after dusk though.