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Klaoutdoors
Guest
Hello I have a gs650g and was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on windshields. Pros and cons
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F
Flyboy
Guest
Depends on what kind of riding you doing, and what are you after, form or function?
K
Klaoutdoors
Guest
I'm generally riding around 55 but occasionally get out on the interstate. Would a windshield help in these speeds or hurt. I've owned a lot of bikes, but never one with a windshield
G
Guest
Guest
I like riding with a small shield. Helps me from getting fatigued on the long rides. If I'm just doing day riding or short rides it really doesn't matter, but for the long trips it sure is a help. There's tons of different styles to choose from, you can actually have some fun changing your 'bling'
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Flyboy
Guest
A wind shield is always nice at higher speeds, the speeds you are talking, yes you will feel a major difference, in comfort, it also cuts down fatigue on long trips a lot.
The F Series from National are all around $100.00.
They are easy to put on and take off and supply a decent amount of protection for the occasional weekend trip.
http://www.nationalcycle.com/catalogue/FSeries.shtml
They are easy to put on and take off and supply a decent amount of protection for the occasional weekend trip.
http://www.nationalcycle.com/catalogue/FSeries.shtml
I had the same question and built this for a 400...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=1909287&postcount=3380
It immediately made low flat bars painful, without the wind to hold me up.I changed them to ones an inch higher.
Small bike for such a big screen (upper lip level) but functioned well at 100kmh+ and really was warmer and much quieter inside the helmet, behind it-a big Improvement in rain...you stay drier/warmer longer. This will look huge to you, but small screens merely put more wind in wrong places(neck,helmet), in my limited experience,though they keep bugs off jacket, (and redirect to helmet)
...Handlebar mounted, it gave me a couple of nasty steering suprises in highway breezes ((but I get these anyways on my little bike not so extreme feeling though, on the rare occasions the screen really suprised me with it's "lift")...something to get used to,I suppose.But it keeps you wondering where the next weird gust is coming from...I guess a larger bike with more inertia would be ok.
keeps bugs off leather but the screen gets slowly muddier with their guts and there's no wiper-washer like cars have.
The usual great motorcycle view is blurred with this "thing" obscuring a large portion so you lose that fisheye visibility of the road a naked bike has.. and the feeling is the top edge would cut my head off were I to tip forward suddenly...
When I take it off, riding seems more fun and I wonder what all the fuss was about..
but I will put it on again when I get thoroughly chilled in October.
PS-Anyone I know with a Windjammer, frame-mounted fairing wouldn't ride without it....these are out of vogue now and can be picked up for a song
It immediately made low flat bars painful, without the wind to hold me up.I changed them to ones an inch higher.
Small bike for such a big screen (upper lip level) but functioned well at 100kmh+ and really was warmer and much quieter inside the helmet, behind it-a big Improvement in rain...you stay drier/warmer longer. This will look huge to you, but small screens merely put more wind in wrong places(neck,helmet), in my limited experience,though they keep bugs off jacket, (and redirect to helmet)
...Handlebar mounted, it gave me a couple of nasty steering suprises in highway breezes ((but I get these anyways on my little bike not so extreme feeling though, on the rare occasions the screen really suprised me with it's "lift")...something to get used to,I suppose.But it keeps you wondering where the next weird gust is coming from...I guess a larger bike with more inertia would be ok.
keeps bugs off leather but the screen gets slowly muddier with their guts and there's no wiper-washer like cars have.
The usual great motorcycle view is blurred with this "thing" obscuring a large portion so you lose that fisheye visibility of the road a naked bike has.. and the feeling is the top edge would cut my head off were I to tip forward suddenly...
When I take it off, riding seems more fun and I wonder what all the fuss was about..
but I will put it on again when I get thoroughly chilled in October.
PS-Anyone I know with a Windjammer, frame-mounted fairing wouldn't ride without it....these are out of vogue now and can be picked up for a song
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spyug
Guest
A big plus 1 on that. In my first year of riding one nearly killed me by pushing me into the oncoming lane. Luckily for me there was no traffic but it took me completely by surprise and I had no time to react. If traffic had been there I would have been dead, no question in my mind.
I had been riding down a two lane country road at about this time of year. There were open fields on both sides and gusty wind shooting across from my right hand side. When the wind swung abit to my "starboard quarter" (still from the right but behind me a little) a big gust caught the screen and pushed the bars to the left. I was doing about 40 mph at the time and I barely missed shooting into the ditch on the other side. I had to stop to compose myself as did the car behind me. The lady driver said she thought I had had a medical episode.
Yes they can be good with light winds from the front but anything stronger or coming from the side and behind, be very careful.
good point, spyug- slower speeds can cause greater shifts in apparent wind ! I sort of assume that lower suburban speeds are less fraught with a screen but you are scaring me...mine maybe does have a profile that is too "good" as a wing surface.
..., the tilt of the example pic must be pushing my forks down a bit..and this is part of the different feel of the screen, I bet
..., the tilt of the example pic must be pushing my forks down a bit..and this is part of the different feel of the screen, I bet
I rode for years with one on my 79 GS1000L as my only means of transportation. I rode it from Florida to NY and back. I rode from FL to Atlanta GA several times. I rode in MANY major thundershowers when I lived in FL. I never felt this sudden wind shift issue. Now, with that said, it was a commercially made high quality windshield and mounted on a much heavier bike. I would say that it's more about the design and application then anything else. Buy a good windshield that has the right curves and you should be fine. My bet is that a $40 windshield is probably not designed with this in mind.
The only real down side I can think of is a little less air flow on those really hot days.
The only real down side I can think of is a little less air flow on those really hot days.
K
Klaoutdoors
Guest
What about the smaller wind screens. Seems like they would make driving harder
I have owned several bikes and on several of them I used the sportshield, it has ranged from 110 to 130.They take a lot of wind off your chest and shoulders.You still need goggles or a faceshield, the wind comes right over the top.But it does make for much less fatigue at 50 or more mph.
Steve
GS Whisperer
Not sure how they would make driving "harder". :-k
I have experienced several different shields on several different bikes. These have ranged from the small one on my son's 650 (shown in my sig), up through the larger handlebar-mounted one on my wife's 850, and similar larger handlebar-mounted shields on Kawasaki 400, 650 and 1300 (only until the frame-mount fairing arrived). All provide a decent amount of protection from the wind blast and bugs. Of course, the larger the shield, the more protection there is. I have also experienced frame-mounted fairings on several bikes: various models of GoldWing, Honda PC800 and ST1300, Kaw KZ1300 and ZN1300 and two versions of Yamaha Venture. Amazingly, the wind protection is about the same on all of them, and I never really noticed any ill effects of the handlebar-mounted ones. I have done more than just quick rides around the block with them and have never noticed any wind gusts pushing the bars around to change my direction. Certainly not any more than it does with a frame-mounted fairing, which leads me to believe it's not wrenching the bars to make you change direction, it's simply pushing the whole bike over. However, we have NO problem passing trucks on windy days, and that 'bow wake' coming off the front of the truck should be enough to notice. As an experiment once, I set the throttle lock while passing a truck and raised my hands about an inch off the bars. Yeah, there was a little nudge as I passed the front of the truck, but it barely pushed me over one foot.
It might be the mounting angle, it might be the size of the shield, it might be the weight of the bike.
Heck, it might even be my total lack of sensitivity.
.
L
luvmy40
Guest
My Seca 750 in it's stock configuration had an unstable range starting at about 70mph up to about 90mph. Not really scary unstable but some very noticeable vibrations/shimmy to the bars. I put a Slipstreamer Helfire wind screen and 4" rise drag bars on and the the bike was stable well past 100mph.
I never noticed any "steering grab" or issues with side winds any worse than without the wind screen.
My son swapped the Hellfire(bar and fork mount) out for the smaller Spit fire(bar mount only) and reinstalled the factory bars. The bike was just as stable though there was a noticeable difference in the way the wind hit you at highway speeds. We rode the Seca with the Spitfire screen from Youngstown, OH to Phoenix, AZ easily making the ride from fill up to fill up with little fatigue.
I always set the wind screens at as close to the same angle as the forks as possible.
BTW, I run a Vetter Windjammer on my GS(my first full fairing). It makes long highway runs effortless.
I never noticed any "steering grab" or issues with side winds any worse than without the wind screen.
My son swapped the Hellfire(bar and fork mount) out for the smaller Spit fire(bar mount only) and reinstalled the factory bars. The bike was just as stable though there was a noticeable difference in the way the wind hit you at highway speeds. We rode the Seca with the Spitfire screen from Youngstown, OH to Phoenix, AZ easily making the ride from fill up to fill up with little fatigue.
I always set the wind screens at as close to the same angle as the forks as possible.
BTW, I run a Vetter Windjammer on my GS(my first full fairing). It makes long highway runs effortless.
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spyug
Guest
I think that the seize and weight of the bike has a lot to do with it also. The bike I was riding at the time was a Yamaha XS400 so quite light. Most probably the bike itself was being pushed by the wind gusts and the windscreen just helped amplify the movement.
I do believe the weight of a bike has a lot to do with how it behaves in in conditions of wind. I have ridden 125s 250s,400s, 500s, 550s 650s and 750s and everything up to the 750s seemed easily influenced by winds and or pressure waves off of passing vehicles. With both the GS750 and now the FZ750 I have not noticed that at all.
Also, those bikes with frame mounted fairings don't seem to be as easily affected as those with bar mounted windshields.
In summary, I'd say bar mounted shields would be fine 90% of the time but just be aware of those winds coming on the rear quarter as they could catch it and use it like a sail taking control away from you.
Good luck and let us know what you decide.
I do believe the weight of a bike has a lot to do with how it behaves in in conditions of wind. I have ridden 125s 250s,400s, 500s, 550s 650s and 750s and everything up to the 750s seemed easily influenced by winds and or pressure waves off of passing vehicles. With both the GS750 and now the FZ750 I have not noticed that at all.
Also, those bikes with frame mounted fairings don't seem to be as easily affected as those with bar mounted windshields.
In summary, I'd say bar mounted shields would be fine 90% of the time but just be aware of those winds coming on the rear quarter as they could catch it and use it like a sail taking control away from you.
Good luck and let us know what you decide.
I went through several different windshields on my 78 GS750 back in the day. I started off with a small windsheild that was actually made for a scooter. It offered no protection for the hands, it only took the wind blast off of my chest. That made a big difference in the fatigue level for an all day ride. I had a couple of Plexifairings that improved the protection by taking the wind blast off of my hands, but made little change in the fatigue level. I had a Vetter Windjammer on the bike for the last two years I had it. By far it offered the best protection and most comfortable riding conditions (as long as the temps stayed below 80-85 F). It was slightly better than the smaller fairings for reducing fatigue, although the relative fatigue levels may be obsucred by my old fart's memory.
As far as getting blown around the road by wind & other vehicles, the larger the windshield/fairing the greater the effect. The worst for that was the 97 GS500 I had for a few years,due to it's ligher weight. But in all cases it wasn't unmanageable. I was more concerned about it when I was younger, but with experience you learn to compensate for it the same way you do if switching from a larger to a smaller car, at an almost subconscious level.
As far as getting blown around the road by wind & other vehicles, the larger the windshield/fairing the greater the effect. The worst for that was the 97 GS500 I had for a few years,due to it's ligher weight. But in all cases it wasn't unmanageable. I was more concerned about it when I was younger, but with experience you learn to compensate for it the same way you do if switching from a larger to a smaller car, at an almost subconscious level.
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spyug
Guest
I agree that you will adapt to the behaviour of the bike over time but its the first unexpected event that could be disasterous.
In my case I never gave it a moments thought and it nearly got me. Subsequently, I obtained my copy of David L. Hough series Proficient Motorcycling and found he talks about it in one of the early chapters. If I'd have known that, it would have been in my mind at the time of the incident ...perhaps.
Same thing happened with gravel and sand. Never thought about it until I ventured on to a parking lot coated in it and went down as soon as my back tire touched. Again read about it later and since its always uppermost in my mind when I ride.
Forewarned is forearmed I believe.
Be aware and ride safely.
In my case I never gave it a moments thought and it nearly got me. Subsequently, I obtained my copy of David L. Hough series Proficient Motorcycling and found he talks about it in one of the early chapters. If I'd have known that, it would have been in my mind at the time of the incident ...perhaps.
Same thing happened with gravel and sand. Never thought about it until I ventured on to a parking lot coated in it and went down as soon as my back tire touched. Again read about it later and since its always uppermost in my mind when I ride.
Forewarned is forearmed I believe.
Be aware and ride safely.
