Featured Put The Windscreen Back On

I find on longer trips a windscreen of some type is almost mandatory. Fighting with the wind plays you out.

 

I agree. My photo shows my Sprint GT with the optional extended windshield. That helped to keep the wind off of my chest, but I still got a face full over the 17k miles of riding in the last few years. Recently, I picked up a '13 Trophy SE. That has tremendous wind protection, and it is not fatiguing to ride it long distances. It is a bit heavy, but the weight also makes the ride smooth, although it is a bit clumsy at low speed maneuvers.

I still like the Sprint for short rides, but the wind protection makes the Trophy ideal for longer rides.

 

In my years of riding I've concluded that most of the medium size windscreens result in a lot of wind buffeting, which to me is more tiring than simply scooting the butt back a bit and leaning forward into clean air. A little flyscreen works far better than the medium size screens. They tend to take the pressure off from the chest down, but leave my helmet in clean air.

Touring bikes with a well-designed fairing and windscreen however, are the best for long distance touring, but tend to be heavy and not as fun to ride.

 

I just posted something in the general forum that is related to this. I am finding that I am doing much more time on highways around here than I thought - and you know how fast the traffic is on I25. I love my Speed Twin 1200 but am trying to figure out what to do to address and a couple other features I want. A small windscreen might be an option. I have been looking at sport touring bikes and some weigh a little less, some a lot less than my current bike.

 

Long distance high speed work is where fully faired bikes with screens score massively over any naked bike. A big appeal of the classic twins is obviously the appearance but careful choice of a retro style screen can be a good compromise. I've used an Airhawk seat cushion on the ZZR for long rides making 600m+ days in the saddle relatively easy. My longest ride was 798m, mind you I was glad to get home and get my feet up!.

 

It is beginning to dawn on me that, like cars, there isn't one that does all tasks perfectly. Since I can't have multiple bikes, I want to optimize one to do reasonably well with most of the type of driving I do most often. It has just surprised me how much high speed driving there is. I live in a large state so it is possible to drive long distances and still be in the state. The state has some really great twisty roads that are loads of fun, even for a beginner so I want something that is very nimble and light to steer. I am also surprised that my trips are seldom an hour or two they are often 4 or more hours of riding. So.... I have some Ohlins to replace the stock rear shocks on order and will check that out before I spend any more on the bike. I really like the naked bike look but something more in the direction of sport/touring might be a bit better. I will just have to see how it goes. I have been looking at the Triumph line since I like my dealer so well but I just don't see anything in their modern classics, roadster, or sport lines that would be generally better for the type of riding I do most often.

 

Your right there isn't one bike that does everything. Wind management if you do much riding over 60 mph is a big one to deal with.
It's been my experience that one wants to find a bike that does as much as I like to do stock, something like 80 % of what I like to do, and then modify it to come closer to the 100%. That last 20 % can get expensive and you will have to make some compromises.
If you like to tour it is pretty hard to beat something like a Gold Wing. Right out the door it will take minimal changes to make it work. They are heavy bikes. Some of the adventure type bikes come pretty close and are very capable road machines and most have reasonable weights. But also often need wind management changes.
You can take something from the Bonneville line ( other than Thruxton ) and add some wind management, and with their light weight and good handling you can make a pretty good all rounder. I think some of the Tigers come pretty close as well.
So decide what is truly required in your bike as a starter and go from there.

 

Thanks very much, but I think I will stay more in the roadster category. I would give up too much on handling otherwise.

 

Jon I think you should start small with a little flyscreen that just covers the instrument cluster, maybe just a few inches above, but no more. You might be surprised at how well those little flyscreens work.

I've always had trouble with mid-size screens because turbulent air from the top and sides buffets my helmet, which is really tiring.

One of the only other options in my experience is a full-on touring bike or heavier sport-tourer, but then you're on a big heavy bike. One bike I had that wasn't terribly heavy, but had a well-designed fairing and windscreen was a BMW R1200RT. Still about 100 pounds heavier than what I consider a fun bike, but it wasn't perfect either - whenever there was a side wind I got a little pounding from the wind, but at least it had an electrically adjustable windshield that could be moved on the fly.

Also, a bike with a good fairing, but a short windshield worked for me too - I had a Ducati ST4S that was pretty comfortable to ride - the fairing protected my lower body pretty well, but allowed clean air across the helmet.

Another thing to consider is what you're wearing. A lot of synthetic nylon riding gear flaps around in the wind, which can lead to fatigue and discomfort. I've found that heavy weight leather makes riding more comfortable on the bike, but not as comfortable or convenient off the bike. My compromise on the naked bike (Speed Triple) is heavy leather pants and boots, and heavyweight nylon riding jacket such as my Aerostich Roadcrafter jacket or a heavy perforated leather or synthetic jacket when it's warmer.

Nothing is perfect, and riding a motorcycle will never be as comfortable as driving a car or sitting on the couch. It's just something that comes with the territory. Sure, you could go get a Goldwing or a big fat Harley, but then you'll miss out on the performance and fun that a powerful light bike can give.

 

Thanks for the advice about a wind screen - that makes sense. As far a clothing goes I just found the Klim line and got a Klim Induction jacket. It seems pretty - much lighter weight without too much flapping around. The AlpineStars leather jacket (Airflow) was still too hot to use in NM (it was 101 the other day pulling out of a parking lot).

BTW - I am looking at two alternatives. The Aprilia Tuono v4 (non-factory because of the more relaxed seating position) and BMW S1000R - it is about 40 pounds lighter than my Speed Twin 1200).

 

Good points. In terms of comfort and a bike. I get that. I used to ride my (pedal) bike a lot. More than 4,000 miles on summer. A good friend once told me the secret to long distance riding is pain management . In terms of my Triumph, or whatever I do next, I want it as comfortable as possible. I am exploring options.

 

Both good naked sportbikes with a lot of power and sportbike handling. They'll be a far different ride than your current bike, and are designed for high performance over long-distance comfort. They're basically sportbikes with a higher handlebar, but still tend to have higher footpegs/rearsets, will still have a forward leaning position (although not as much as sportbike clip-ons), stiffer sport-oriented suspension, and a more "snatchy" more powerful engine, especially the Tuono, will have a more "twitchy" feel to the handling vs. your current bike, and far more powerful brakes. A Speed Triple would roughly be in the same category. Best to get a few years experience or several track days under your belt before getting one of these because they're far less forgiving of mistakes.

 

I was at my local Triumph dealer yesterday and tested several alternative bikes. I asked whether fairings would help or not with high speed wind - specifically the cross winds we have in our area. He said probably not. In fact fairings can act as catch points for the wind which might make things worse. A windscreen will definitely help. I guess it may be a fact of life that there is nothing I can do at highway speeds 65+++ to deal with the cross winds except perhaps tucking. Maybe I should just get a super sport bike

 

...Or keep the bike that you already have and with some small changes be happy with it. Searching for the "perfect" bike could end up being a never-ending process. You're a new rider, and as the years pass you'll key into the type of riding that you really enjoy - it's different for everyone. There might be more than one type of riding that you end up enjoying, neccessitating more than one bike.

For the types of riding that I like, for example - this is just my example - different for everyone, it's now a naked sportbike (Speed Triple) and a dual sport (DRZ400). The naked isn't the most comfortable for long tours, but I'll take that slight discomfort to have fun riding in the twisties. It has some modifications that make it a little more comfortable/capable for long distance such as a Corbin seat, fly screen, throttle lock, accessory driving lights, connector for heated vest, radiator guards, etc. Everything I need for a multi-day tour fits into a tail bag and a tank bag. The dual sport is used to ride the BDR routes with the off-road wheels installed, and with supermoto wheels installed it's great for those really tight twisty roads in the mountains and running errands when van camping. Everything is a compromise - for example I don't ride the dual sport long distance because it's just not made for it and only has a 400cc engine, but where I do ride it it's 100% fun! I carry it on the back of my camper van or on the trailer if someone else is coming with me. I've also trailered the Speed Triple when there's a whole lot of nothing between me and where I want to ride.

Your bike is a capable machine that can be used for a lot of things, including light touring, running some twisty roads, and all-round fun. When you get something more focused it's always a tradeoff.

 

I like the small fly screens or the puig versions.

 

As always thanks for the advice. I seriously considered working on my current bike to get it closer to what I want. Your are correct there is a lot to like there. When I prioritized some of the things I found I want, some could not be added (or added in a way I liked) to the Speed Twin 1200 - for example cruise control. I even made up a list of features/characteristics that I was looking to improve on on a new bike to help me think about this. Unfortunately I can not have more than one bike now which is why I am prioritizing the kind of riding I find I am doing. Rides less than 300 miles/5 hours or so on a combination of highways and great twisties which is why I am prioritizing high-speed performance and handling. I will definitely give up some comfort but I don't need much luggage for the one or two trips I will take a year. I even tired a Tiger 900 GT Pro the other day. It turns better than my speed twin but I could not live happily with the reduced power. BTW the Tiger was very comfortable when compared to the Speed Twin. For fun I even tried the V100 Mandello S which was a lovely looking bike and fairly comfortable but it was kind of lethargic even relative to my current bike. As they say, the engine has a lot of "character". I even considered a Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX ABS. I guess I am partial to European bikes. I agree, as I ride more, I may change my priorities and want something different or perhaps find a way to have more than one bike. For now, I will keep trying out some of the choices. I have mentioned. One thing I factor in heavily is the dealer.

Finally, I agree that a track day or two --- regardless of what bike I ride would be a good thing. I think I may do some training before going to the track - even though there are novice groups running. I am still interested in the Yamaha ChampSchool. That seems the only one around. It will likely mean a trip to California which means not riding my own bike but they have some good options. They are at some nice facilities (e.g., Willow Springs in California, Mid-Ohio, and Road Atlanta)

 

Had the genuine accessory fly screens on my T120 and 1200 Speed Twin. Both bikes were noticeably better than stock. Just enough to take some wind off the torso but not enough to add wind noise and helmet buffeting