European HPV Championships 1993 in Farum, Denmark.
Rear part of that fairing is made in the
same fashion, from a single sheet of
polycarbonate. Amazing what a clear idea, a bit of of
paper engineering, and ability to wield scissors can achieve! As
homebuilt fairings go, this must certainly top the league of
cost to degree-of- cover to aerodynamic- effect ratio.
The only aspect
about it, that I do not like is its dependence on
a supporting frame, to which it is bolted. Potentially, it
represents a real hazard in traffic accidents, with the rider
becoming trapped inside, and even "perforated" by broken struts,
such as the one mid- frame between rider's legs. If not --forgive
the horrific image-- beheaded in a crash by the sharp rear edge of
the front part of it.
For those reasons
alone, I'd have much preferred, if the supports were kept to
a minimum, even at the expense, and added weight, of using
thicker, more stable, sheet of polycarbonate. In addition to that
the top edge of the fairing ought to be thickened somehow to
prevent it from acting like a knife in out- of- control
situations.
But, above all, in
the event of a crash with a fast- moving Mad
Maxian (or -Marsian, because, who
really knows where automobiles originate from?)
object, after taking up the energy of the initial blow, the entire
fairing with supports ought to separate cleanly, in two
pieces, from the frame, thus freeing the rider from the bike.
Ergo it ought to have been attached to the frame with some
fasteners of a known, and consciously- selected, specific
shear resistance. Of course, the difficulty lies not in
selection, but in prior modeling of the forces at stake.
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