Anyone Fitted A Madstad Windscreen ?

Anyone fitted a Madstad screen to a Bonneville ? ... my problem with either no screen or a fly screen is that going at over 50 mph has eventually got too unpleasant due to the wind force and wind noise around my head. I use proper moulded motorbike ear plugs, a Schuberth C3 pro, so can’t see what else I can do to protect my hearing ... and have had tinnitus for a few years caused I believe by the useless Triumph screen on an 800 Tiger blasting the wind at my head. I changed the screen on the 800 for a Madstad which solved the problem entirely and made riding at any speed comfortable and enjoyable... hence thinking a Madstad would do the trick on a classic style bike. I have tried the Triumph flyscreen and slightly bigger but misleadingly named ‘touring’ screen which do nothing in the head area... and a few years back on a previous Bonnie wasted money on the Triumph ‘long haul’ screen which created so much turbulence at over 40 mph it was no use whatsoever. Although I think the big Madstad screen spoils the look of a classic I’ve decided that functionality has to take priority but before I plump for one I thought I’d ask of any experience anyone may have. My bike is actually the Street Scrambler so will look even more a mismatch with a big screen but figured it’s the same riding experience and more riders will likely have fitted a Madstad to a Bonnie than a SS ...hence posting in the Bonneville forum. Thanks in advance for any opinions, views, comments

 

Thanks for reply, guess not many people are fitting the Madstad screens as no one has posted. I tried the Triumph touring screen but for me at 5’ 11” it didn’t work, perhaps to do with the more upright riding position on the Street Scrambler. Lovely bike you have by the way with the screen and panniers.

 

Thanks for replies.... yes the point about a handlebar mounted screen affecting handling is something else to consider...and not getting one larger than necessary...think will end up being trial and (but hopefully not), error ! .. thanks again ... not rushing into buying anything yet so any further advice welcome

 

Thanks this is exactly the 1st hand experience of the screen I needed and certainly helps me choose to fit the Madstad. I was over at my Triumph dealership today talking it over with them and even they agreed that anything over 60mph on a classic style bike turns a trip into a bit of an ordeal. I don’t recall being bothered when I was younger, but age brings its baggage so it’s certainly ‘function over form’ nowadays ha ha. I’ve taken the flyscreen off now as it was bumping the air under the collar of my helmet and it’s better without. Whilst it may be voted the worst looking Street Scrambler when I’ve got the Madstad screen fitted I’m not looking at it when I’m riding...and otherwise it is a great bike.. even for a few days touring ... thanks for invite to drop over and try... was over your way nearly 40 years ago and still have a small piece of driftwood from just up the coast at Seaside and a historical map from Tillamook... lovely State you live in and only 5000 miles away many thanks again...just the advice I need

 

Thanks for this extra info... I guess all screens that are angled will reflect at night to some degree so just learn to look through it and not get distracted... prob same reflection will be with the clear screen which I would be getting but worth it as I mostly do daytime riding.

 

Well I bought the Madstad 20” screen for my Street Scrambler. it’s got a fork mounted system instead of handlebar mounts so just before lockdown had to get the dealership to put the fittings on for me due to a lack of proper tools , and now we are able to get on the road again I’ve tested it out. Hmmm ... although I’ve tried it in different angles and heights I’m not pleased with it so far. It’s quite noisy even at low speeds but at speeds over 50 mph it’s very noisy ... understandably the big slab of a screen is deflecting a lot of air but even with proper earplugs the wind noise is quite unbearable at 70mph. At lower speeds the airflow also prevents me riding with the face shield up with my Shoei J Cruise helmet, which without the screen is fine, faceshield up, at speeds up to 50 providing I’m not battling into a strong headwind ... so without the screen a bike ride is very pleasant pottering around up to 50 mph ... but uncomfortable at faster speeds both from wind noise and wind blast on the body... with the screen, riding at 70mph is less tiring and the screen works in keeping the wind blast off ...the but the noise is totally unpleasant and not bearable for anything other than a short blast. I will try it again with my Schuberth C3 pro helmet but I don’t expect it’ll make the required difference to riding at speed. I’ve had the screen initially set so the top was about my chin level... as I had it set with a Madstad on my Tiger 800 which was perfect at high and low speeds ... but as this set up hasn’t worked on the Street Scrambler I’ve tried lowering it and changing the rake of the screen all over its range but can’t get an improvement..so put it back to chin level with the rake in line with the forks.... I did make it really uncomfortable with the additional delight of severe head buffeting by adjusting the screen to be more upright, .. which wasn’t at all pleasant .!.. so whilst I’ll try adjusting it again and test it out I’m not optimistic... but will further report back here to give my experience of the screen to anyone else thinking of fitting one ... luckily it is quick release so easy to take on & off in less than a minute... prob less good if someone wants to pinch it though!

 

I’ve tried the screen now and it’s a mixed bag....basically I wouldn’t rush out to buy one. At full rake back and at it’s max height it allows me to ride faster and for longer, (70 ish), in reasonable comfort but at under 50mph riding is far better without it due to wind noise and airflow issues. I can only use my Schuberth C3 Pro helmet with the screen on and have to shut the visor at over 30 mph and can’t use my open face (albeit it has a face shield), Shoei J. Cruise helmet due to excessive noise and airflow problems. At a flatter rake the wind noise is unbearable and creates buffetting and at lower heights the air flow isn’t going over the top of the helmet. I’ve done the usual sitting up , crouching down, leaning forward and back whilst riding in an attempt to find the sweet spot but it’s no better than I describe. I wonder if a larger screen would be better but the 20” is designed for my height and a bigger area of screen would increase the amount of air to be displaced so prob no better.. given its a lot of money I’m not going to splash out on a trial & error basis. Whether the screen would be better on the Scrambler I don’t know but I would think probably not... it’s a disappointment as the Madstad I fitted to my Tiger 800 was absolutely superb at any speed, visor up included... just doesn’t seem to work on essentially the design of a classic naked bike. So I’ll fit it when going a longer distance and need to be on A road motorway type speeds but for my usual pottering around the country lanes at up to 50 mph I’ll take the screen off and be able to enjoy a ride with whichever helmet I want, visors up or down. I think I’ve accepted it just isn’t possible to have the best of all worlds with one bike ... luckily it’s a quick release screen so on and off in under a minute... hope my experience useful but of course may be different for others

 

Hi, sorry my comments on the Madstad has caused some dismay. I posted them a month ago so shame you hadn't seen them before purchase. However on the positive side you can position the screen to avoid any buffetting which is a big plus, and depending on how sensitive you are to wind noise it may be quite fine for you. I have quite bad tinnitus and am quite old too so maybe I am more aware of it and find it more uncomfortable than others would. Although the Madstad for my TIger 800 made the bike a joy to ride at any speed it surprisingly didn't work well on a 2016 HD Road Glide I had... so I guess a bike's design defines the screen that Madstad can make, and for a classic style Triumph it is not as effective as on the Tiger adventure style design... An earlier post here by DaFoole shows it on a Bonnie and he was quite positive about it so it could be fine for you ... perhaps the slightly more upright riding position on the Street Scrambler is a factor. The Madstad does have a reasonable amount of adjustment so you set it up best for you. Good luck with the screen and post how you get on with it...all the best