CB Stories
Japan’s First Road Sports Model with Fairing Standard
Although fairings are now standard equipment on many production road sport models, they were regulated in Japan for a long period of time. In the early 80's, speeding violations were a social issue, and fairings, which were designed based on wind tunnel testing and other research, were banned as they were considered to encourage speeding.
On the other hand in Europe, fairings were standard equipment on many production road sport bikes. In 1981, Honda introduced the CB900F2 BOL DO'R, a CB900F equipped with a fairing. This fairing, however, was not intended to encourage speeding, but by helping to reduce wind turbulence, to reduce rider fatigue and contribute to comfortable riding.
Honda’s development team had hoped that Japanese riders could also experience the benefits of fairings which made touring more comfortable and enjoyable.
In 1981, after winning the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race, Honda sold a limited edition CB750F BOL D'OR 2 to celebrate the victory. The fairing, based on the CB900F2 BOL D'OR, was available as a dealer option, not as standard equipment.
In Japan, road sport fairings were finally recognized for their intended purpose, and were approved by the authorities for inclusion as standard equipment.
Following the easing of restrictions, in July 1982, Honda launched the CBX400F Integra, the first model released in Japan with a fairing as standard equipment.
This model featured a half-fairing integrated with the chassis. The wind screen was tall to protect the rider from wind even in an upright riding position, channeling wind flow smoothly above the rider.
Following the CBX400F Integra, Honda launched the larger CB750F Integra in August, the second model in Japan with a fairing as standard equipment.
Similar to the CBX400F, its wind screen was tall. The fairing also had leg shields to protect the rider’s legs and feet from wind turbulence.
Honda included the “Integra” moniker for models equipped with this type of fairing integrated into the chassis as standard equipment, and subsequently introduced more models in the Integra series.
Since the CB750F Integra was released, other manufacturers released models with fairings as standard equipment.