Zen Moment-Craig Vetter's Energy Absorbing Fairing.

Via: craig vetter Via a tip from the UMTC

"Motorcycles don't have any energy absorbing equipment to help the rider in an accident. When a deer stepped out in front of a friend on his dual sport BMW and caused great damage to him and his motorcycle, I decided to design something that would lessen the impact and absorb the energy.

A traditional cow catcher would simply pull a motorcycle into the ground and be of no use. Something that would slowly absorb any impact of a big animal who was in the wrong place was needed. At a flea market in Oregon I found a big, two man saw and knew immediately how to solve our problem. I affixed it to the front of one of my new metal-armored KLR fairings and had it re sharpened. Then I designed an extra blade over the front fender and sharpened it too.

I was a little worried about the extra side area up front as the KLR does not do well crosswinds. However, it seems to have no adverse effects on handling."