Hotbodies - First Impressions

2WheelGuy · January 30th, 2010, 07:08 PM

I just finished fitting my new set of Hotbodies bodywork to my Ninja 250r. Over the years I have had Sharkskinz, Catalyst, Airtech, Cheetah and now Hotbodies. Everyone gives Hotbodies a bad rap but they are not the worst bodywork I've owned. That distinction goes to Cheetah.

I know that Sharkskins and Catalyst make great bodywork but the reason I went with Hotbodies was price. Here are the prices I could get the bodywork for:

Sharkskins - $823
Catalyst - $797
Hotbodies - $453 (including shipping)

There are several other body sets that I discounted because the fairing was made of more than 2 pieces (upper and lower). The other sets had an upper, left side, right side and oil pan. At the track I have to remove the lowers every day for tech and one piece is much easier to deal with than three.

The first thing I noticed with the bodywork was that the upper and lower didn't match at all well. When bent the upper did match the lower but on its own it wanted to hold a different curve. This made fitting the DZUS fasteners a real bitch. Once the fasteners were attached all was good.

I had to notch the belly pan to clear the kickstand tab. I know some people cut the tab off but I need to be able to attach a kickstand for track day work. It also looks like I will have to make a notch for the exhaust. The stock exhaust touches the belly pan. When I get my Sportisi exhaust next week I'll know for sure.

The tail piece fit very well with one exception. There are two large indentations on the top of the tailpiece. They are obviously meant for mounting screws, but where do they attach? The mounting points are part of the rear fender that is removed when a race tail is used. Weird. I filled the holes in with bondo to make a smooth surface for my numbers. The two screws underneath the tail are sufficient to hold it in place.

The front fender is a fiberglass copy of the stock fender and attaches easily.

There are numerous imperfections in the finish but 98% of them can be fixed with a light sanding. Little dabs of filler can fix the rest.

The Hotbodies parts are definitely not show bike quality but are more than sufficient for a race bike on a Top Ramen budget. I plan on doing a rattle can paint job as I am into function and keeping costs down.

I'm told Hotbodies don't crash well but I don't expect to put them to that test. If I do I am pretty handy doing fiberglass repairs and the pieces appear sturdy enough to make repairs on. If not I can buy another complete new set and be out little more than the cost of one set of Sharkskinz.

So far I am happy with my Hotbodies. I probably spent twice as long installing these than I would have with Sharkskinz and I will probably spend twice as long prepping them for paint. That is ok, I'd rather have the money to spend on tires and race entry fees. I'll post more thoughts after I finish painting.

Alex · January 30th, 2010, 08:46 PM

Thx for posting up the review!

DEXSPEED · January 31st, 2010, 12:25 PM

how do you like your lr2?

2WheelGuy · January 31st, 2010, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEXSPEED

how do you like your lr2?

Love it. It is a great car. We had a Freelander which had more than a couple problems. The LR2 has all the positives and none of the negatives of the Freelander other than it is a lot more expensive.

Link to original page on YouTube.

KTRacing38 · April 17th, 2010, 03:09 PM

Thanks for the review. I mounted my bodywork today and had the same issues - had to cut the lower to clear the exhaust and another cut to clear the kickstand mount (I didn't want to cut mine off either...). The lower really doesn't match up very well with the upper, but it can me "made" to fit. I had no problems with the tail. I didn't drill the top holes as the bottom two were sturdy enough. After reading your post, I'm glad I didn't! The front fender is the best of the pieces though, no problems at all with it.

I didn't find the quality to be too bad. I sanded it before my dad painted it. He did a pretty good job painting (he paints and repairs MGs as a hobby so I didn't expect perfection from him, but it's definitely nicer than a rattle can job!).

Decals and accents are next... I'll post a pic when it's all done.

2WheelGuy · April 17th, 2010, 03:39 PM

Well I've had the bodywork on for a couple of months now. I just did a quick rattle can paint job. It looks great especially when you consider I spent little time and only $25 on it. It's just a race bike so I didn't spend the extra time to sand and clear coat it.

I did have to make a notch for the exhaust and a small one for the chain. No big deal, just a few minutes with a Dremel.

I've received many unsolicited comments on how good my bike looks. I'm very happy with it and glad I went with the cheap option. I'd rather spend my money on tires and riding.

BlueRaven · April 17th, 2010, 03:51 PM

Looking good! Wish i had the guts to try racing.

2WheelGuy · April 17th, 2010, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueRaven

Looking good! Wish i had the guts to try racing.

If you ever find yourself riding too fast on the street. Remember it is easier and safer to ride too fast on the track.

KTRacing38 · April 17th, 2010, 05:40 PM

Blue Raven -

There's Atlantic Motorsports Park in Nova Scotia. Not sure where in New Brunswick you are but it would be worth the drive to take your bike out on the track! Lots of track days there - you don't have to race, but it would be a lot of fun to see what your little bike (and you!) can do!

Craig -

Did you have any trouble remounting the black side panels?

2WheelGuy · April 17th, 2010, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KTRacing38

Craig -

Did you have any trouble remounting the black side panels?

No more so than with the stock bodywork. I drilled little holes into the tabs on the Hotbodies pieces. The side panel tabs snap right in.

BlueRaven · April 17th, 2010, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KTRacing38

Blue Raven -

There's Atlantic Motorsports Park in Nova Scotia. Not sure where in New Brunswick you are but it would be worth the drive to take your bike out on the track! Lots of track days there - you don't have to race, but it would be a lot of fun to see what your little bike (and you!) can do!

Looks like about a 2 hour drive from home. I would definitely need a new set of tires and then i would feel more comfortable to attempt something like that. Stock tires sucks.

Will have to put some extra time in the rig to get those

Can't wait to be back on the road with my new freightliner, well new to me anyway

January 30th, 2010, 07:08 PM	#1
2WheelGuy ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Craig Location: Silicon Valley, CA USA Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): '98 EX250, '02 EX250, '08 250r, '03 SV650, '98 GSXR750 '03 Hayabusa, '87 YSR50, '84 ZX900, +MORE Posts: A lot.	Hotbodies - First Impressions I just finished fitting my new set of Hotbodies bodywork to my Ninja 250r. Over the years I have had Sharkskinz, Catalyst, Airtech, Cheetah and now Hotbodies. Everyone gives Hotbodies a bad rap but they are not the worst bodywork I've owned. That distinction goes to Cheetah. I know that Sharkskins and Catalyst make great bodywork but the reason I went with Hotbodies was price. Here are the prices I could get the bodywork for: Sharkskins - $823 Catalyst - $797 Hotbodies - $453 (including shipping) There are several other body sets that I discounted because the fairing was made of more than 2 pieces (upper and lower). The other sets had an upper, left side, right side and oil pan. At the track I have to remove the lowers every day for tech and one piece is much easier to deal with than three. The first thing I noticed with the bodywork was that the upper and lower didn't match at all well. When bent the upper did match the lower but on its own it wanted to hold a different curve. This made fitting the DZUS fasteners a real bitch. Once the fasteners were attached all was good. I had to notch the belly pan to clear the kickstand tab. I know some people cut the tab off but I need to be able to attach a kickstand for track day work. It also looks like I will have to make a notch for the exhaust. The stock exhaust touches the belly pan. When I get my Sportisi exhaust next week I'll know for sure. The tail piece fit very well with one exception. There are two large indentations on the top of the tailpiece. They are obviously meant for mounting screws, but where do they attach? The mounting points are part of the rear fender that is removed when a race tail is used. Weird. I filled the holes in with bondo to make a smooth surface for my numbers. The two screws underneath the tail are sufficient to hold it in place. The front fender is a fiberglass copy of the stock fender and attaches easily. There are numerous imperfections in the finish but 98% of them can be fixed with a light sanding. Little dabs of filler can fix the rest. The Hotbodies parts are definitely not show bike quality but are more than sufficient for a race bike on a Top Ramen budget. I plan on doing a rattle can paint job as I am into function and keeping costs down. I'm told Hotbodies don't crash well but I don't expect to put them to that test. If I do I am pretty handy doing fiberglass repairs and the pieces appear sturdy enough to make repairs on. If not I can buy another complete new set and be out little more than the cost of one set of Sharkskinz. So far I am happy with my Hotbodies. I probably spent twice as long installing these than I would have with Sharkskinz and I will probably spend twice as long prepping them for paint. That is ok, I'd rather have the money to spend on tires and race entry fees. I'll post more thoughts after I finish painting. __________________________________________________ CraigHarris.org Pacific Track Time CraigsWeb See you at 2014 MotoGP Laguna Seca! We'll be camping on Fox Hill. AFM #278

January 30th, 2010, 08:46 PM	#2
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	Thx for posting up the review! __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

April 17th, 2010, 03:39 PM	#6
2WheelGuy ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Craig Location: Silicon Valley, CA USA Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): '98 EX250, '02 EX250, '08 250r, '03 SV650, '98 GSXR750 '03 Hayabusa, '87 YSR50, '84 ZX900, +MORE Posts: A lot.	Well I've had the bodywork on for a couple of months now. I just did a quick rattle can paint job. It looks great especially when you consider I spent little time and only $25 on it. It's just a race bike so I didn't spend the extra time to sand and clear coat it. I did have to make a notch for the exhaust and a small one for the chain. No big deal, just a few minutes with a Dremel. I've received many unsolicited comments on how good my bike looks. I'm very happy with it and glad I went with the cheap option. I'd rather spend my money on tires and riding. __________________________________________________ CraigHarris.org Pacific Track Time CraigsWeb See you at 2014 MotoGP Laguna Seca! We'll be camping on Fox Hill. AFM #278

April 17th, 2010, 03:51 PM	#7
BlueRaven ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Lil One Location: NB Canada Join Date: Mar 2009 Motorcycle(s): '09 Ninja 250 Black Posts: A lot.	Looking good! Wish i had the guts to try racing. __________________________________________________ I'm not small, I'm fun sized

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January 31st, 2010, 12:25 PM	#3
DEXSPEED 2012 is here,let's ride!! Name: dex Location: visalia,ca. Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009R,'12 suzuki +500 Posts: 354	how do you like your lr2?

April 17th, 2010, 03:09 PM	#5
KTRacing38 2010 250 Cup Champion Name: Kristy Location: Port Perry, Ontario, Canada Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250R and 2007 Honda CR150F Posts: 168	Thanks for the review. I mounted my bodywork today and had the same issues - had to cut the lower to clear the exhaust and another cut to clear the kickstand mount (I didn't want to cut mine off either...). The lower really doesn't match up very well with the upper, but it can me "made" to fit. I had no problems with the tail. I didn't drill the top holes as the bottom two were sturdy enough. After reading your post, I'm glad I didn't! The front fender is the best of the pieces though, no problems at all with it. I didn't find the quality to be too bad. I sanded it before my dad painted it. He did a pretty good job painting (he paints and repairs MGs as a hobby so I didn't expect perfection from him, but it's definitely nicer than a rattle can job!). Decals and accents are next... I'll post a pic when it's all done.

April 17th, 2010, 05:40 PM	#9
KTRacing38 2010 250 Cup Champion Name: Kristy Location: Port Perry, Ontario, Canada Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250R and 2007 Honda CR150F Posts: 168	Blue Raven - There's Atlantic Motorsports Park in Nova Scotia. Not sure where in New Brunswick you are but it would be worth the drive to take your bike out on the track! Lots of track days there - you don't have to race, but it would be a lot of fun to see what your little bike (and you!) can do! Craig - Did you have any trouble remounting the black side panels?