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ORIGINAL: idodirt

There is a wide variance between the quality you get with the factory original and aftermarket. It also depends on what you''''re trying to do. Only you can determine on which part of the balance you fall.

For quality, fit, finish, all around perfection, then go with factory originals. They come fully painted with all the decals just like it came off the showroom floor. The colors will match perfectly. If you want to get it back to looking like a new bike, then thats the way to go. The down side is that they''''re extreemly expensive. I''''ve never priced a full set (maybe I will someday), but they''''re going to be on the better side of $2,000.

Aftermarket one''''s I don''''t have any personal experience. I''''ve seen reviews on some of the Chinese ones. For the most part they''''re made of inexpensive plastic. Some of the holes for attaching to the bike are not there, you have to drill them open yourself. It appears that they made them for the European model because they have a hole in them for the rear grab rail that''''s on that version of the F3. The paint is not too bad, but it seems that it scratches easily. You have to be careful with the lower pieces and put some insulating tape on the inside or they will melt from the heat off the headers.

There are also race farings. They are usually made from fiberglass and don''''t exactly match the factory shape. They are made to be painted and come usually plain white or maybe gray. They are very strong and hold up well during crashes (something best to avoid).

If your fairings are not too bad, then you might consider getting them repainted. They can be repaired since they''''re made of material similar to the bumpers of many cars. Body shops have been fixing them for many years.

What are your goals for your bike ? Is it your first, or do you plan to keep for a long time ?