Screens on Cruisers - Yay or Nay?

[savagetony]

[QUOTE=Zookey;1656951]

Have ridden me fairly new (LOL) um 3days old, 2007 Honda Shadow 750 C4 without a screen and can tell you that i am getting Givi screen as soon as i can, i do fairly big mileages, like 60thou a year

My mate has just bought a Shadow and he put on a small bikini Givi,we just finished a thousand miler and he didn't clean his visor once i had to strip mine at every gas station,and for the Harley riders if you have ever been to Sturgis you would have been outnumbered by the screens,as the ones without were mostly retro bikes and would have looked Gay just like dumb arse ape hangers, NOW. I bent mine.

Yep wonder what you call a givi bikini, anyway have put givi A660 on, looks ok, though am playing around with it trying to get optimum height and zero turbluence. read somewhere that have screen so you can see road at 50 feet, above the screen.
had heaps lower than that and found great for not getting chest knocked around but helmet noise and turblence is very annoying.
will post pics later

[duckonin]

Took the M109 back to Tauranga today, dressed for the occasion, all thick leather full face helmet,pumped my arms up with some weights then hit the road..

When a man is on a mission and riding a M109 look out they are a serious machine, didn;t get so cold had the head down into the wind and glided to the city, great bike, power wise,now if it had a screen Hmmmmm!!

[Solly]

No such thing as a silly question, just silly answers. My first baby was a Virago 750.....no screen. Not too bad I must say, although I didnt ride long distances either.

Now I have a Bully C90......bought it without a screen and again it wasn't too bad but would feel nakered after a decient ride. Put a screen on it after about 4 months and "bloody hell!!", what a difference it made. I was still fighting fit even after going to the rally's around our area.

Still it's a personal thing, as you would have already read.......what ever you do.....or not...........enjoy your ride

[Griffin]

I would rather be soft, warm and refreshed with my screen than hard, tired and freezing without it.

Like stated above - each to their own but dont dis it till you've tried it.

[sandmart]

Hi, Have read through a few comments and as a goldwing rider for the last 7 years, sports bikes before that i enjoy the screen due to I can just cruise along not get buffeted listen to my sounds and this is not a good one but talk to my pillion when needed. Personsal preference at the end of the day. Cheers Martin.

[buellbabe]

I have never ridden with a full-on screen...with ya Big Dave RE: the Buell fairing...700km ride ain't a prob.

I have a mate who rides an Ultra ( and he ain't no nana on it! ) and he reckons the screen is fantastic for keeping the weather out! This guy rides the desert road all year round in fingerless gloves, a t-shirt and open face helmet! I can't remember the last time I saw him in a full leather jacket...

Scummie, you would like this fulla!

[ratusratus]

no screens!!!naked

[Gizzit]

My C50T is the first bike Ive owned with a screen and I love it. Dont care what anyone else thinks - I like the protection and the look...

I agree with you. I think the C50T is a good looking bike. I think they look balanced .... having the screen, and with the "sissy bar" on the back. I haven't seen a cruiser that "I" think looks balanced, if it has a screen, but doesn't have a sissy bar. In my view, a cruiser is either "naked" or has both a screen and sissy bar..... IMHO.

It's also encouraging to hear from the guys that have got a good result from their screen setup .... It means it is achievable, to get good wind/rain protection, with the right screen adjusted to the individual rider.

[Lord Derosso]

The Kawie VN Classic800 is my first bike with a full windscreen and I wasnt really sure if it was my scene frankly. However I have to report that I have found it to make the ride very pleasant though because I am more a owner than a rider at present, I haven't had a chance to test it in heavy weather conditions though I am actually looking forward to doing so . I have had several other road bikes with semi and full fairings and have ridden in cloud bursts many times so I am interested in seeing how it copes. As for the look etc, I think it actually adds to this models looks and besides I have a pack carrier on the back anyway which I reckon helps 'balance' the bike as people have being saying. At the end of the day, the bike is meant for comfortable long distance riding with a pack on the back and at open road speeds, it is very pleasant indeed. I also believe that the windscreen helps neutralise the side effect of Wellingtons harbour winds and makes the Vn much more stable than other bikes I have ridden here. Than again, wire spoked wheels, naked engine, low centre of gravity, heavy bike, and low rding might also have a little to do with it too.

[Winston001]

Have messed about with screens quite a bit on my BMW and the Duke. The BMW screen literally leaves you dry in the rain. The Duke has a bikini fairing like most sprots bikes.

Faffed about extending the height and then the angle on the BMW because of annoying buffeting. Similar problem with the Duke but not as bad.

In the end my conclusion is that the angle of the screen is the most critical element. Sloping back towards you is best and its just a matter of how far. Rode the BMW without the screen for comparison and felt like I was being pushed off the bike. Very noisy on the helmet too.

The Duke would benefit with a sloped 150mm extension and the later ST3 comes with that design.

The best screened bike I've ever ridden is a 650 VStrom with a high Givi. 120k was really quiet and felt like 50k.

[slowpoke]

Nay! I ride a bike for the agility, power to weight and sense of freedom. I liken it to flying, with the sense of speed you get being close to the ground making up for the fact you don't actually leave it.

What's this got to do with a screen? On a cruiser the agility isn't too flash, neither is the power to weight ratio and to add a screen removes some of the sense of freedom by meaning you have to actually look through something. When it gets to that stage you might as well take the car and just wind the window down.

[Lord Derosso]

I dont look through my screen at all.

Its mounted to deflect air and birds and whatever over my head but I dont look through it at all. As someone said in an earlier post here, I am also actually looking ahead about 50-100' to the road approaching and besides I have a technically advanced windscreen - its completely see through. IN all fairness though, I agree that they do work well with a certain sized bike and properly a certain type of rider. Like all things, its personal choice though I recommend you do try riding a decent cruiser with one attached just for the different ride. The first time I took the VN for a ride I was amazed at the comfort the screen helped provide and I am lucky enough to have one thats well mounted and have experienced no buffeting or like, though 110 kph is my usual open road speed now a days anyway. I wish I had one up in Northland as it would have saved me from many bee stings over the years.

[Horse]

My bike has one of the biggest fairing/screen combos available on production bikes. And I love it! But I don't look through the windscreen, the top of the screen is a few inches below my eyeline and at normal open road speeds the airflow from the screen just hits the top of my helmet.