Windscreen or no windscreen?
- Thread starter vito_imp
- Start date
beardyweirdy@me.com_imp
Been there
I tried but it caused more turbulence than it was worth. I find the clear air preferable to all that jostling I get from a short screen.... noisier too. Still, I know a lot of people on here have found solutions they are happy with. I guess it takes a bit of perseverance and it's down to your needs.
emptysea
Road warrior
You will see a number of options offered in upcoming posts and I'm sure that a quick search of the forum will get you even more opinions. I've tried two different screens that worked for others here, but just didn't do much for me. I opted for a quieter and more aerodynamic helmet to solve the helmet shakes and wind noise at speed and have just learned to adjust to my body being a parachute. The thread title posed the question and my answer is: no windscreen for me.
LongRanger_imp
Road warrior
No windscreen for me. I find the absence of buffeting and turbulence to be very relaxing.
Haggard Rider_imp
Running like a top
I have a Dart Marlin (?) fitted to mine. No buffeting upto 70-75mph, then a bit after that. Nothing compared to the wake of a passing truck though.
As for noise, I have a flip-front helmet so noisier than most, but all I do hear is wind noise, no/very little engine or exhaust sound. Whether it is made worse by the screen - no idea
As for noise, I have a flip-front helmet so noisier than most, but all I do hear is wind noise, no/very little engine or exhaust sound. Whether it is made worse by the screen - no idea
peterbaron
Road warrior
Yes , tall screen for me, perfect on hwys above 100 km/h
National Street Shield EX
http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/pdf/documents/StreetShieldEX_Review_Rider.pdf
Street Shield™ and Street Shield EX™ for Metric Bikes
Make your own decision upon feedback and have an enjoyable and safe rides.
National Street Shield EX
http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/pdf/documents/StreetShieldEX_Review_Rider.pdf
Street Shield™ and Street Shield EX™ for Metric Bikes
Make your own decision upon feedback and have an enjoyable and safe rides.
the Ferret
Road warrior
On trips and during colder months I throw on a NC Street Shield EX cut down 7". Keeps the wind off my chest but lets my head be in clean air.
Retsel_imp
Been there
I had a 1999 Valkyrie that had terrible head and chest turbulence at highway speeds. I added a tall wind screen and it was perfect. That said, the air is so clean on the CB I haven't felt the need. Open face helmet and ear buds work for me.
Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk
Pros:
-that giddy feeling when your UPS package arrives
-that giddy feeling when you've bolted everything up, and there were no unused nuts or screws
-warmer in winter
-protection against rocks and other road debris
-reduced wind fatigue on the freeway, if your bike sits too upright for comfortable freeway work (doesn't apply to the CB1100)
-that giddy feeling when you finally come to your senses and remove your ugly, hot, noisy windshield
Cons:
-headache-inducing wind buffeting
-annoying, noisy airlflow
-having to look through a windshield is for cars, not motorcycles
-optical distortions with taller shields
-a windshield full of splattered bugs
-scratches on your windshield
-big gusts of wind grab onto your tall windshield, turning it into a big sail
-your beautiful naked bike now looks hideously nerdy and downright awful
-reduced fuel mileage (with a tall shield)
-reduced acceleration (with a tall shield)
-reduced visibility at night and in the rain (with a tall shield)
-much hotter in summer
-extra cost and complexity
-absolutely not the way God and Soichiro intended
Unless you're on a feet-forward cruiser, sitting bolt upright, to where you need some sort of windshield in order to do freeway speeds without being blown off the back of the bike, the best windshield for any naked bike is the smallest windshield possible, or no windshield at all. People who say there is too much windblast on a CB1100 have simply never spent any real time riding one. In terms of wind fatigue, it will do normal freeway speeds without any problem whatsoever. You won't maintain 100+mph Autobahn speeds, but you can comfortably do 75 mph all day and night, no worries.
Enjoy the feeling of freedom that comes from riding your CB as it was intended to be ridden, in clean, smooth, quiet air.
Skip the windshield.
-that giddy feeling when your UPS package arrives
-that giddy feeling when you've bolted everything up, and there were no unused nuts or screws
-warmer in winter
-protection against rocks and other road debris
-reduced wind fatigue on the freeway, if your bike sits too upright for comfortable freeway work (doesn't apply to the CB1100)
-that giddy feeling when you finally come to your senses and remove your ugly, hot, noisy windshield
Cons:
-headache-inducing wind buffeting
-annoying, noisy airlflow
-having to look through a windshield is for cars, not motorcycles
-optical distortions with taller shields
-a windshield full of splattered bugs
-scratches on your windshield
-big gusts of wind grab onto your tall windshield, turning it into a big sail
-your beautiful naked bike now looks hideously nerdy and downright awful
-reduced fuel mileage (with a tall shield)
-reduced acceleration (with a tall shield)
-reduced visibility at night and in the rain (with a tall shield)
-much hotter in summer
-extra cost and complexity
-absolutely not the way God and Soichiro intended
Unless you're on a feet-forward cruiser, sitting bolt upright, to where you need some sort of windshield in order to do freeway speeds without being blown off the back of the bike, the best windshield for any naked bike is the smallest windshield possible, or no windshield at all. People who say there is too much windblast on a CB1100 have simply never spent any real time riding one. In terms of wind fatigue, it will do normal freeway speeds without any problem whatsoever. You won't maintain 100+mph Autobahn speeds, but you can comfortably do 75 mph all day and night, no worries.
Enjoy the feeling of freedom that comes from riding your CB as it was intended to be ridden, in clean, smooth, quiet air.
Skip the windshield.
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
VLJ's opinion captured quite a bit.
I use a Dart Marlin on the CB and it is great for speeds up to about 120 km/h. After that, I don't think it makes a difference. Impact on bike "looks" is minimal.
- - -
I have used large windshields on other bikes are they are great for long freeway cruising, albeit with some side effects mentioned by VLJ. I suppose the biggest beef I have for large shields are:
* They are hot in summertime,
* They get murky to see through, especially at night and in the rain,
... and some VLJ missed ...
* They can trap birds, garbage and wasps in the negative pressure vortex between you and the screen,
* If you are tall, your helmet can sometimes hit the top of the screen, usually in stop-and-go traffic because you might be standing up to stretch, and generally hacking around because you can't lane split.
I use a Dart Marlin on the CB and it is great for speeds up to about 120 km/h. After that, I don't think it makes a difference. Impact on bike "looks" is minimal.
- - -
I have used large windshields on other bikes are they are great for long freeway cruising, albeit with some side effects mentioned by VLJ. I suppose the biggest beef I have for large shields are:
* They are hot in summertime,
* They get murky to see through, especially at night and in the rain,
... and some VLJ missed ...
* They can trap birds, garbage and wasps in the negative pressure vortex between you and the screen,
* If you are tall, your helmet can sometimes hit the top of the screen, usually in stop-and-go traffic because you might be standing up to stretch, and generally hacking around because you can't lane split.
flat out_imp
First service completed
Being a shorter rider the Dart Fly screens work really well and look decent.
I used the Piranha for cruising around and the Marlin for longer trips.
t.
I used the Piranha for cruising around and the Marlin for longer trips.
t.
Honda_Fan_imp
Running like a top
I just took my bike out for a quick ride with and without Puig screen. I definitely need a screen especially after 60mph.
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
Hard to disagree with that.m in sc_imp said:
I’m 5’10” and riding highway speeds without any shield was definitely like being the sail on a ship. Taller windscreens always seem to put turbulence right at my head. I have a cafe screen from Samurider and it does a great job of reducing wind drag to a tolerable level while keeping the noise and vibration away from my head.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
I can see why The Ferret has his custom (?) windshield that is part way between a small instrument cluster size and full-size. I reckon it is all round good balance.
Used a Dart Marlin for about four years and it functioned and looks okay. Then replaced my Arai Quantum II with a Shoei Quest and that helmet was so quiet I discovered I didn't need the screen anymore. The bike looks a bit better too.
And like others have said, without the screen, there is less "bike awareness" on the road. Just seems like I see more of everything.
And like others have said, without the screen, there is less "bike awareness" on the road. Just seems like I see more of everything.
Vent pockets.jedd_imp said:
For me, that's the ticket. I have the NC Defender on my 2013. I adjusted it all over the place but until I raised it 1 1/2 inches above the headlight it wasn't good. After raising it and playing with the angle, I found a sweet spot.
I have since bought a 2016 CB500X, lo and behold it came with a raise spot on the bottom and 2 holes cut in the bottom half of the screen.
With that, both screens are good enough for me. Not perfect but pretty darn good. No bugs
Mike
One other 'con' to windshields that I missed...GoldOxide_imp said:
-their nasty tendency to sever your carotid artery in a crash
GoldOxide, I tried the Classic and Marlin options from Dart for my XSR900. They both worked, in terms of giving me back the five-to-seven miles-per-hour on the freeway I lost when I added bar risers, but they both also added buffeting and noisy turbulence.
The solution was Yamaha's factory flyscreen, which makes even the Dart Classic look like a Vetter Windjammer. It's barely any taller than the instrument gauge. That little guy added no noise or buffeting, and it restored my normal cruising speeds.
Perfect.
I rode the CB1100 for a decent while today, with this thread in mind. Nope, that bike absolutely does not need any windshield at all. Smooth, quiet freeway speeds are a doddle. The wind pressure at seventy-five mph is entirely negligible. No fatigue whatsoever.
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