KLR aftermarket fairings (go high or go low?)

[Odakyu-sen]

Hello All,

I got my 2012 KLR (red) last week. I'm 180 cm tall, and I noticed quite a lot of wind roar off the stock windscreen. The air stream hits me about 5 cm below my helmet. When I stand up a little bit on the pegs, the wind roar largely disappears, and all I get is the hiss of the wind whipping past. When I sit down, the wind roar comes straight back.

Maybe the stock screen is a little high. Has anyone had an experience with cut-down wind shields?

Godiva (formerly Visual Plastics) make a taller screen for the KLR, but I'd prefer to go down than up.

Any suggestions?

BTW, the KLR handles really well in the tight twisties, thanks to its light, neutral steering. It really tracks around corners well.

[Padmei]

Konichi wa Odakyu sen
I made up a ridiculous looking screen for my green one however it worked brilliantly in all situations. The stock screens are prob the worst thinga about them apart from the stoc tyres they came with. I know they look geeky but I think the best protection comes from a higher one. marks will hipefully be along with a pic of his one.
I also took off my front fairing & enduroised it for going offroad.

[Odakyu-sen]

Hello Padmei,

So, it's not just me who doesn't like the stock KLR screen.

I think I'l take off the original screen and tape a sheet of heavy cardboard in its place. I can make the cardboard dummy as low as possible, then test it on the motorway to see if the wind roar is less. (I might get more wind pressure on my upper body, but we'll see.) I don't want to butcher the original screen as they are $264 to replace. If the low screen works, I will make one out of heavy black polythene sheeting. It should be rigid enough to take the wind pressure. (Aluminium sheeting might also be easy to work.)

If my experiment doesn't work, then I'll think about going for a taller screen.

Does anyone else have any suggestions?

[Box'a'bits]

Might wait a loooong time for MarkS to arrive. But here is his bike none-the-less.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Wl07IvNfVcg/UB-EmBZFsbI/AAAAAAAAMLs/yuLXhho_J1c/s800/DSC05336.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EVuig9y0dPw/UB-F4POM1xI/AAAAAAAAML0/b2dFxSQ_aDk/s800/DSCF1513-001.JPG

I think its a Godiva (http://www.godiva.co.nz/models.php?mk=9&srt=code&pg=1) (?) with a further aerofoil on the top

Interesting that the only place I recall the sign being was outside MarkS's Motel room at Reefton...:killingme

[Odakyu-sen]

That's one I haven't seen before: an aftermarket screen on an aftermarket screen.

I am not sure that a tall screen will be the answer (yet).

A couple of years ago, I got to ride a mate's Honda ST1300 that had an electrically driven windscreen that you could raise or lower while riding. I found that at the lowest setting, I got wind pressure but a fairly quiet ride. As I raised the windshield, the "zone of calmness" crept up my torso, but the wind roar really increased. When I raised the windscreen all the way up, everything went deathly silent, but the wind rotor sucked me forwards towards in the seat. It felt unnerving. Ever since then, I have been prejudiced against tall screens; I would prefer to experiment with a super-short screen, and trade off wind protection for a quieter ride.

Has anyone had any experiences with the tall Godiva KLR screen?

[Padmei]

Enduroised with a old UFO headlite from Nordieboys Eporium.

Saved me many breakages

Big Screen. Toasty warm in winter & very quiet in summer


I tihnk I prefered the enduroised one for comfort over the plain stock screen

[Odakyu-sen]

Enduroised with a old UFO headlite from Nordieboys Eporium.

That is a very minimal fairing, but was it quieter than the stock? (Like, when you stood up on the pegs, did the wind roar go away, or had it already disappeared thanks to the little fairing?)

As for the larger fairing, I like the way you have used the original fairing as a support. I think I will try something similar if my super-short fairing experiment is a flop.

[NordieBoy]

...however it worked brilliantly in all situations.
But if you were taller than Padders however :oi-grr: Right in the middle of the visor and vibrated your brain out your ears in a grey mush...

[Odakyu-sen]

But if you were taller than Padders however :oi-grr: Right in the middle of the visor and vibrated your brain out your ears in a grey mush...

I suspect that many people think "taller is better" for windscreens, but after my experience on the ST1300, I feel that "less may be more."

Personally, I hate wind roar, and will willingly sacrifice a little wind protection for a quieter ride (which is why I am going to experiment with lower fairing heights after I get my KLR back from its 1,000 km first service on Friday).

[Box'a'bits]

But if you were taller than Padders however :oi-grr: Right in the middle of the visor and vibrated your brain out your ears in a grey mush...
Is that what happened.

Padders :killingme

[pete-blen]

These...

http://www.rallyraid.co.uk/shop/proddetail.php?prod=RRXR650F

[Woodman]

I got a gen1 KLR and have removed the screen and it is way more relaxed and quieter with almost no buffeting.
Only issue so far is when riding in cold weather and the cold wind hits me in the chest making me colder.

[Padmei]

Is that what happened.

Padders, 640 max size, 100kb :nono: :killingme

Faaaaaaark
another ticket:mad:

[Odakyu-sen]

Faaaaaaark
another ticket:mad:

Well... do you have something that you want to share with the rest of us?

[Padmei]

Well... do you have something that you want to share with the rest of us?

No just ridiculous photonazi hunters

[Rosie]

Hello Padmei,

So, it's not just me who doesn't like the stock KLR screen.

I think I'l take off the original screen and tape a sheet of heavy cardboard in its place. I can make the cardboard dummy as low as possible, then test it on the motorway to see if the wind roar is less. (I might get more wind pressure on my upper body, but we'll see.) I don't want to butcher the original screen as they are $264 to replace. If the low screen works, I will make one out of heavy black polythene sheeting. It should be rigid enough to take the wind pressure. (Aluminium sheeting might also be easy to work.)

If my experiment doesn't work, then I'll think about going for a taller screen.

Does anyone else have any suggestions?

I did something similar when designing the WR's screen - taped on a piece of for sale sign and kept snipping bits off until it was too short. Having the turbulence from the top of the screen hit just below my chin seemed to be a good compromise between wind pressure, and wind noise.

I had a local plastics fabricator make my screen up from clear polycarbonate sheet. You end up with straight bends rather than a smooth curve, but it works well with the lines of my bike.

[Odakyu-sen]

I did something similar when designing the WR's screen - taped on a piece of for sale sign and kept snipping bits off until it was too short. Having the turbulence from the top of the screen hit just below my chin seemed to be a good compromise between wind pressure, and wind noise.


Hello Rosie,

I can't do anything at the moment because my KLR has 1,030 km on it and Red Baron can't do the 1,000 km service until this Friday. In the meantime, it's pouring down in Auckland, so the cardboard dummy would get soggy in the rain.

The stock fairing is great for keeping wind pressure off me; it's just the wind roar I don't like. The wind is hitting me just below my helmet. I don't get any buffeting, but I do get the roar.

My cardboard dummy will do two things: 1) lower the height of the fairing by 10-11 cm, and 2) eliminate the "flick-up curve" of the original wind shield. Hopefully these changes will lower the height of the turbulent wind stream. The downside could be a little more wind blast on my chest, but I am prepared to accept that for a quieter ride.

I'll test the dummy using the "stand-up-on-pegs" comparison method. I'll cruise along the motorway at 100 km/h. I'll check the wind noise sitting down. Then I'll stand up on the pegs. When I do this with the stock fairing fitted, the roar disappears and all I can hear is the hiss of the wind around my helmet. I'll do the same thing with the cardboard dummy taped on. If there is minimal difference in wind road between standing up and then sitting back down, I'll know my dummy is a success. If the thunderous roar comes back when I sit down, then I'll know a low-cut screen is not the way to go.

I thought the rearview mirrors might have been to blame, but even when I swivelled them both side-on into the air flow, there was no difference in wind noise.

[pete376403]

do you use ear plugs?

[Odakyu-sen]

do you use ear plugs?

Yes, I have worn earplugs since the early 1980s. I wouldn't ride without them.

I am very sensitive (probably over-sensitive) to wind roar. I don't mind the hiss of clean, laminar airflow past my helmet. It's the roar of the rough air that I don't like.

I hope that lowering the height of the fairing will make a significant difference. If not, I'll look at "tall" windscreens.

[Odakyu-sen]

I removed the original wind shield and taped a shorter cardboard "dummy wind shield" in its place. This effectively lowered the wind shield height by about 12 cm. I took it for a ride on the motorway to test it. The height of the wind blast has been lowered, from just below my helment to about 8 cm below my helmet. Lowering the wind shield height has not reduced the wind blast zone quite as far as I had hoped. The wind roar is still aparent, but it doesn't seem to be quite as bad as before (I could just be imagining this. Will need more tests.)

I am noticing more wind force on my chest (no surprise there), although it's not that much greater.

Has anyone had any experience with Godiva's "tall" screen for the KLR? Or any other "tall" screens available for this model?

[Padmei]

What you may be experiencing is the wind being driven up the from the front sides of the screen. I did some pretty extensive testing before making my screen (was almost going to make a mini wind tunnel in the workshop with a circ fan & wool tassles) & found the wind was either being driven round the sides as much as from the front or sucked up from behind the screen due to negative air pressure.

[Odakyu-sen]

What you may be experiencing is the wind being driven up the from the front sides of the screen. I did some pretty extensive testing before making my screen (was almost going to make a mini wind tunnel in the workshop with a circ fan & wool tassles) & found the wind was either being driven round the sides as much as from the front or sucked up from behind the screen due to negative air pressure.

KLR riders will know that when you remove the wind shield, there are two triangular pointy bits of the supporting fairing that stick up. (You don't notice these untill you remove the wind sheild.) I don't want to damage these pointly bits, so if I reduce the heigh the wind shield, I will have to leave some supporting plastic on the sides of the shield to protect the pointy bits. As a result, my super-low shield will change the "face" of the front of the KLR and make it look like it has "fox ears."

I have tried this configuration with a cardboard dummy and it seems to reduce the wind roar quite a lot. In addition, the wind pressure on my chest is a lot more than with the stock wind shield, but only over 110 km/h does it become noticeable. It kind of "improves" the sensation of the ride. (I found the stock shield isolates you from the wind a little too well.)

I will have to do some more tests next weekend.

[pete376403]

Have you seen the Brittania Composites KLR fairing?
http://www.britanniacomposites.com/index.php/products/phoenix13

[Odakyu-sen]

Have you seen the Brittania Composites KLR fairing?
http://www.britanniacomposites.com/index.php/products/phoenix13

Thanks for the link.

I am going to make my own "short" windshield. After testing my cardboard dummy screens, I have ordered a couple of 350 mm x 300 mm x 2 mm sheets of smoky polycarbonate sheet. I like the feel of a little wind when I ride (not too much, mind you). The stock windshield is a little too effective in this regard.

I don't think I'll go for the "tall" screen as I don't want to deal with buffeting. (I hate buffeting more than wind roar). Hopefully in a week or so I'll have some photos to show.

I have taken a paper pattern off my stock screen so I can get the shape of the sheet right. It should bend into a nice curve pretty easily. I should be able to reuse the original bolts and rubber-sleeved nuts.

[Sable]

I think you should restart puberty and grow a little more this time. Either that, or the tried and true method of hardening the fuck up. :yes:

[Odakyu-sen]

I think you should restart puberty and grow a little more this time. Either that, or the tried and true method of hardening the fuck up. :yes:

Tinnitus, my friend, is no joke. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus

I've developed it over 35 years of motorcycling, and I am trying to manage it as best I can. It never stops. Wind roar aggravates it. I hope you don't end up with it.

[Eddieb]

Tinnitus, my friend, is no joke. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus

I've developed it over 35 years of motorcycling, and I am trying to manage it as best I can. It never stops. Wind roar aggravates it. I hope you don't end up with it.

+ lots, it's not nice lying in bed at night with a buzzing in your ears.

[Odakyu-sen]

+ lots, it's not nice lying in bed at night with a buzzing in your ears.

Every night. And every day.

Sometimes I don't notice it for days at a time. But after a long ride (even with earplugs) it comes back stronger than before. (For a few days at least...)

Life goes on.

[NordieBoy]

+ lots, it's not nice lying in bed at night with a buzzing in your ears.

Yep. Constant cicadas...

Day and night...

[Night Falcon]

Every night. And every day.

Sometimes I don't notice it for days at a time. But after a long ride (even with earplugs) it comes back stronger than before. (For a few days at least...)

Life goes on.

That sucks...have you tried these http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/helmets-clothing-footwear/other/auction-503042829.htm

[Odakyu-sen]

That sucks...have you tried these http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/helmets-clothing-footwear/other/auction-503042829.htm

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.
The best earplugs I have had are those ones where they inject a silicone mix into your ear canal to take a mold. Its amazing how one ear canal can have a very different diameter and shape from the other (a bit like rabbit holes...). Unfortunately, after 2 years, they split (soft silicone). The guy who made them had moved out of Auckland, so I couldn't get new ones made.
I went to the University of Auckland Audiology Department, who made up a similar set of plugs, but they were never any good. I don't think any of the researchers were motorcyclists.
In the end, I went back to using my old rubber ear plugs. (They actually work quite well.) They're a lot more effective than the expanding foam rubber ones.

[pete376403]

http://kiwiriderproducts.blogspot.co.nz/2009/10/plugs-4-lugs.html

BTW - tinnitus can be fixed. In my case it took a $50,000 cochlear implant. Ironic - I've been deaf since age 8 or 9 yet tinnitus was the loudest thing I could hear. Since the op I've not had any tinnitus at all and my hearing now measures about the same as a 20 year old (one side only, the other side is still totally cactus)

[Sable]

Go get hit in the head with an axe, get a fractured skull and a burst eardrum, then come and tell me about tinnitus.

[Padmei]

http://kiwiriderproducts.blogspot.co.nz/2009/10/plugs-4-lugs.html

BTW - tinnitus can be fixed. In my case it took a $50,000 cochlear implant. Ironic - I've been deaf since age 8 or 9 yet tinnitus was the loudest thing I could hear. Since the op I've not had any tinnitus at all and my hearing now measures about the same as a 20 year old (one side only, the other side is still totally cactus)

Wow It woud have been awesome to get that hearing back - good stuff. Do you have an external attachment to your skull to help with your implant? Seriously - I saw a couple of kids with coloured plastic things sticking out of their heads & was informed that was part/ or a different type of implant. Apparently something to do with resonation off the bone????

I've never had timmitus however there is one spot in the forest where we ride under some trees where the cicadas are truly deafening - that is what I imagine it to be like.

While we are talking about plugs - has anyone ridden with plugs then halfway thru taken them off & found their riding to be a lot better? It has happened to me a couple of times & am unsure if it was;
a. all in the mind,
b. I'd got kinda warmed up & loosened up or
c. if the inner ear was working better being able to breathe etc.

[pete376403]

Wow It woud have been awesome to get that hearing back - good stuff. Do you have an external attachment to your skull to help with your implant? Seriously - I saw a couple of kids with coloured plastic things sticking out of their heads & was informed that was part/ or a different type of implant. Apparently something to do with resonation off the bone????.

1. the reciever is inset in the skull bone just above and to the rear of the top of my ear, and obviously under the skin. The external part uses a magnet to hold it on and the reciever is powered by induction. The sound processor sits behind my ear like a normal hearing aid.

2. There is another type of implant called BAHA (bone anchored hearing (aid?, assist?) where the sound resonates through the skull, This is for cases where there is no inner ear (cochlear)

Both amazing technology . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant

[Odakyu-sen]

Success! I used 2-mm-thick polycarbonate sheet and made the lowest possible screen. I got a hint of the shape when I rode the bike without a windshield. There was no wind rumble; only the hiss and rush of the clean air past my helmet.
The trade offs are: 1) a little more wind pressure on my upper body, but this is not a problem, even at 120 km/h; 2) a little bit of a quirky shape, but I'll get used to it. Well worth the $16 for the sheet + my own time (about 2 hours).

Before: ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAARRRRR!!!! After: hisssss

[Padmei]

Good work - hope you never get pitched tho - Ouch

[Odakyu-sen]

Good work - hope you never get pitched tho - Ouch

Yes, I don't like the pointy bits much, either, but I don't want to cut off the original fairing tabs. I found that simply making the fairing flush in an arc across the top (5 cm lower than stock) didn't make a difference to the wind noise. I really had to radically lower the shield height to get the noise reduction.

Still, having those two sharp points is a potential hazard. I have a second sheet of polycarbonate, so I may make a second screen that has rounded "ears" instead of those sharp "horns."

[Odakyu-sen]

Yes, on second thought, having those two sharp points is a potential hazard. I have a second sheet of polycarbonate, so I'll make a second screen that has rounded "ears" instead of those sharp "horns."

[gav24]

While we are talking about plugs - has anyone ridden with plugs then halfway thru taken them off & found their riding to be a lot better? It has happened to me a couple of times & am unsure if it was;
a. all in the mind,
b. I'd got kinda warmed up & loosened up or
c. if the inner ear was working better being able to breathe etc.

I thought that was just me!
When I used to road race, I tried ear plugs a few times but always felt more "in touch" without them, so I stopped using them. Same now, I usually remove the lug plugs when the tarseal finishes and the real fun starts.
Probably just all in the mind, but I definately feel a bit "woolly" and disconnected from my surroundings when trying to concentrate at 100%...

[NordieBoy]

I thought that was just me!
When I used to road race, I tried ear plugs a few times but always felt more "in touch" without them, so I stopped using them. Same now, I usually remove the lug plugs when the tarseal finishes and the real fun starts.
Probably just all in the mind, but I definately feel a bit "woolly" and disconnected from my surroundings when trying to concentrate at 100%...

I'm too mechanically sympathetic to ride off road without plugs.
I can't stand hearing all the bike noises, clunking from the suspension, squeaks and vibration from the dash...

On the Clarence ride, I sped* up quite a bit after putting the plugs back in.

*From the old Norse, Spedding. Not to be confused with speeding. Totally different.

[Odakyu-sen]

I glued and pinned on a pair of "ears" to make my windshield safer. I tested it on the motorway (in two directions) and it is a massive improvement over the original. The wind is now striking me just above my sternum (which is the best place). The wind rumble has gone, leaving just the sound of the wind flowing past my helmet. Additional wind force on my chest is negligible. It's good to have the "feel" of the wind without all the racket.

[Padmei]

Yes but did you make up some plugs for its' ears????

[Odakyu-sen]

Yes but did you make up some plugs for its' ears????

Well, actually, I did. Since the glue is not that strong, I drilled and pinned each "ear" with a plug made out of a sawn-off nail (glued in place). Of course it would be better to make a second shield from scratch, but why throw away a perfectly good item?

I am surprised that there are very few "short" aftermarket windshields for the KLR650. I guess most riders assume that "bigger is better" and go for the monstrosities. "Hey, look at my big, swinging d**k (windshield)."

[Box'a'bits]

I am surprised that there are very few "short" aftermarket windshields for the KLR650. I guess most riders assume that "bigger is better" and go for the monstrosities. "Hey, look at my big, swinging d**k (windshield)."
Nah, he's sold Gonzo now. :innocent:

I like the look of the short one you've made. The little horns were even appealing, but I do understand the safety concerns.

[Padmei]

I agree that my big screen looked pretty - well, dicky i spose, however it was soooo comfortable to ride behind in winter I put up with the queer looks. I also suffer a bit from the cold & it was truly toasty warm. I would encourage you to ride a long day down here in the middle of winter with or without the protection of a screen & do an honest comparison of how comfortable which one is.:yes:

[Odakyu-sen]

I agree that my big screen looked pretty - well, dicky i spose, however it was soooo comfortable to ride behind in winter I put up with the queer looks. I also suffer a bit from the cold & it was truly toasty warm. I would encourage you to ride a long day down here in the middle of winter with or without the protection of a screen & do an honest comparison of how comfortable which one is.:yes:

I haven't taken protection from the cold into consideration. For riding looooooong distances in the middle of winter (God, why?) then I can see a good reason for going for the big windshield.

I suppose in the perfect world you would have a summer screen (like walk shorts) and a winter screen, that you would swap over as the seasons change.

[NordieBoy]

For riding looooooong distances in the middle of winter (God, why?) then I can see a good reason for going for the big windshield.

Cause it's an adventure?

[Odakyu-sen]

Cause it's an adventure?

Yes, I suppose it is.

I recall the Cold Kiwi a couple of years ago. That 2 km muddy access road to the site off the main highway was a shocker. I remember seeing white-faced Harley riders on the point of tears, trying to navigate that goat track. A KLR would have been right at home on that weekend.

[Rosie]

For riding looooooong distances in the middle of winter (God, why?) then I can see a good reason for going for the big windshield.

Why? Because snow is so pretty :love:

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/2046/p7250021.jpg

[NordieBoy]

Yes, I suppose it is.

I recall the Cold Kiwi a couple of years ago. That 2 km muddy access road to the site off the main highway was a shocker. I remember seeing white-faced Harley riders on the point of tears, trying to navigate that goat track. A KLR would have been right at home on that weekend.

Advgd's chains on his DR250...
http://www.adventureguide.co.nz/articles/12/38/images/high-country-9-8-20.jpg

[Odakyu-sen]

Advgd's chains on his DR250...
http://www.adventureguide.co.nz/articles/12/38/images/high-country-9-8-20.jpg

Now that looks like some serious adventuring in progress...:eek:

[Eddieb]

Yes, I suppose it is.

I recall the Cold Kiwi a couple of years ago. That 2 km muddy access road to the site off the main highway was a shocker. I remember seeing white-faced Harley riders on the point of tears, trying to navigate that goat track. A KLR would have been right at home on that weekend.

Thats no where near a goat track, though it does have some good chunky roacks on it. Will be there again in 9 days.

[Padmei]

Actually on a cruiser you would at be able to put 2 feet on the ground. On a KLR you're over before you even notice the front wheel going.

Do you think in hindsight maybe that a bike without a front fairing & screen may have been better?

[Odakyu-sen]

Thats no where near a goat track, though it does have some good chunky roacks on it. Will be there again in 9 days.

To the Harley XLSXOS cruisers it was absolutely a goat track.

To adventure riders, I think not. ..."That were luxury! When I were a lad....(channelling Monty Python's Four Yorkshiremen skit...)" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

[pete376403]

Didn't need tyre chains, just a good (IIRC) Metz Sahara

[NordieBoy]

Didn't need tyre chains, just a good (IIRC) Metz Sahara
All you need is POWER!
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