Windshields
How much effective are they?
The wishes...
Definitely, they could be very useful. An ideal windshield is an every TAer's
dream: none of us (both drivers and passengers) could claim we are completely protected
against wind and cold. Just because of the short OEM windshield and the upright driver
position. I wouldn't, of course, say that naked, chopper or light-weight on-off
motorcycles do something better (actually they are worst than a TA).
...And the real world
Actually, a tall windshield doesn't always improve the situation. It strongly
depends on so different parameters:
- Windshield shape, absolute width and height, rigidity,
- Driver's height,
- Traveling speed.
I think my GIVI windshield increases air turbulence significantly, particularly on
the upper half of the helmet, for any speed above 110 Kph (68 Mph). At 130km/h and higher,
noise starts to be tiring. Noise and wind blow are intolerable when exceeding 145 Kph (90
Mph). I am 1.78m tall. Similar results have been reported by other riders, at least for
the GIVI model. Others claim they have seen noticeable improvement by cutting 1-2 cm from
the shield.
On the other side, my wife claims that she feels much more comfortable when we I the tall
windscreen. Besides, in winter, there is also cold and rain. That's why we use the
original windscreen only in summer.
Some friends are satisfied from the after market windshields but most of them are not. If
possible, it's better to test such a product before buying it, preferably at the speed
range of 90-130Km/h.
Advise: if you frequently drive at speeds nearly the upper limit, do not use any
after market windshield.
Generally speaking, a higher windshield tends to transfer the air pressure from chest to
head (however this pressure is now attenuated and turbulent in nature). Thus, a decision
for an after market windshield could be a matter of taste.
Here is a comment by CyberGary (?):
"I suppose the original windshield will be less noisier but don't expect any
miracles ! I'm using it for 8 months now and am still not used to the turbulence around my
ears ( I drove a naked bike before ). After I removed the windshield one time as an
experiment , the disturbing low frequent noise was gone and I only heard the wind, so I am
convinced that the best windshield would be a custom made one, which is about 10cm shorter
than the original ( so that it covers the instrument panel, for esthetic reasons )
Unfortunately, as you stated it, these windshields are quite expensive to just start
cutting them at wild luck."
Some people have reported satisfying results by using the add-ons from Saeng.
Brands like ERMAX (France), GIVI (Italy), KAPPA (Italy), POWERBRONZE (England), ZERO GRAVITY (U.S.A.), RIFFLE produce tall windshields.