Motorcycle race fairings: Avio Fiber or Carbon Fiber, which one suits my needs?

Avio fiber and carbon fiber are two most commonly used materials in the world of motorcycle racing, each of them with its’ own advantages. Let’s take a look into the details.

Avio Fiber

The name ‘avio fiber’ comes from aviation as this technology is widely used for covering the open structures on aircrafts. In the world of motorcycle roadracing it’s an alternative to standard fiber glass fairings. Comparing the two, avio fiber is better in many ways: it’s stronger, lighter, much more flexible and, maybe the most important, it doesn’t brake or crack that easy. For sure something a racing team is looking for is to have less damage after a slide or a crash.

The reason for that is high quality synthetic fiber (avio cloth) with tighter fiber density in combination with epoxy resin. Though avio fiber is still not as strong as carbon fiber, in Carbonin we reinforce all our avio fiber parts edges and the places of fitment (where the parts are fitted with the bolts) with some extra carbon fiber stripes for optimal combination of strength and flexibility.

All our avio fiber parts come in a white gel coat, which offer a smooth and easy finish, which enables us to easily upgrade and personalize the final look with spray paint and/or decals design. It’s also possible to just put the stickers directly on the white gel coat.

 

 

 

Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber (also called graphite fiber) is the most prestigious material that’s used not only in racing but also in aerospace, military and other competition sports where lightness is the most important factor. It’s fibers measure only about 5-10 micrometres in diameter (about 10 times thinner than a human hair!) and are mostly composed of carbon atoms. Several thousand carbon fibers are bundled into a tow that are then woven into a fabric. In Carbonin we mostly use prepreg (pre-impregnated) fibers that are then vacuumed in moulds and finally heat treated (‘baked’) at 130°C (266°F). After the process the parts are polished for the final shiny look – without any extra varnishing. The result are great looking light and strong top end quality parts that precisely fit on the bike. The carbon fiber parts can be used raw or can be spray painted and embellished with decal design stickers (we offer complete customisation of decal designs).

The material has several advantages: it’s ultra light, has high stiffness and tensile strength, plus it’s also temperature and chemical resistant. Feedback from our partnered racing teams is that carbon fiber parts are not as flexible as carbon-reinforced avio fiber parts (mentioned above), but when you’re looking to save every gram possible, carbon fiber is still the best choice – total weight difference can be up to 0,5 kilograms (1,1 pounds) on a fully equipped race bike when comparing avio and carbon fiber race fairing.

Our suggestion: make a combination!

When preparing a race bike, use avio fiber for the most exposed parts when crashing (like lower, front, side panels and the seat) and combine that with pure carbon fiber smaller parts like front and read mudguards, fuel tank cover, clutch, frame and engine protectors (which can be huge saviours!) etc. This way you will get a light, durable and not too expensive bike with a fantastic look!

All Carbonin products are developed in cooperation with top racing teams to be used by professional and amateur racers all around the globe. Only the best lightweight and durable materials are used and when it comes to accuracy of final product, there’s no doubt. It fits – it fits your bike and your needs.