Right off, my first impression was that it was at least 100 times better than the old screen. I was on country roads getting out to the freeway and at 50 mph felt nothing at my head. I got on the freeway and headed into the wind. At 65 there was a little wind moving about my head but it was not buffeting like before. I was also stuck with all of that high speed traffic so there was a lot of dirty air to begin with. I felt the wind come up and push (not like a blast but more of a push) up to about the mid/upper rib height, my upper body and shoulders felt little if anything. I got up to about 80-85 and even in traffic I felt nothing more than some air tugging at the top of my helmet. I felt the air around the screen and decided that I would go about 1” taller on height as I now sit (which will change with bar risers next week). I could feel the air hitting the very top of the helmet but it appeared fairly clean. I have a new central vent on the top of this helmet and when I closed it whistled so opened it back up and it was fine, interesting.
This screen is good. It is not at the level of air management that I had on my GS but I had the BMW “winglets” that took the low tank and bodywork driven air out of the equation and I had a screen tilted way back and much closer to my head than you can do on this model. The fear of getting my head traumatized by that violent buffeting air is gone. The head moves just a little with the wind but I had a lot of wind from all directions.
Joe, you have done an incredible job on this screen. I can’t wait to get it out on a warm(er) day on a road without so much traffic and normal 3-5 mph breeze. I am putting away my delrin that I bought to help tilt the screen back. I may futz with it a little bit as time passes since I don’t have your manufacturing constraints but that is only because I have a tinkering habit. It may be that I decide it is good enough and leave it alone, it would be one of the few things…
As you said, “it is not perfect” but it is good. I like the fact that it is smaller than the old screen so looks less like a “barn door” – which I never thought the old appeared to be either but some said it. If someone decides to tilt it back the bottom edge won’t catch the light and will look better while doing it. You may have the potential for making a wider range of customers happier, even if it doesn’t work well for them initially.
Man, thanks for this. I’ll have a list of people that I feel deserve this thing in a couple days, I have sent out e-mails asking if some would be interested.
Best Regards,
Mr. McKay
