Larger Windscreen or Not

Hello,

I would appreciate your all input to help me decide if I should use a larger windscreen or small one for my first trip longer than just a day or two.

I am planning to take a 7 day trip and actually go to Sturgis for the rally. Only for a day or two. Most my riding is around in the area I live. Most is riding is during the week and 30 miles on a weekday and then on weekends maybe 100 to 300 mile rides.

I swapped out my Puig touring windscreen for my Yamaha factory screen in May since it was getting hot. I like the Yamaha screen in the hot weather since it is 4 inches shorting at the low point. Thought I mostly ride with the screen up about two inches to get wind flowing in how I like it. When the ride is long and coming home I typically push the screen back up another 4 inches and that feels pretty darn comfortable.

The Puig screen is much better at protection when it comes to wanting to sit in a bubble (4 inches higher and 2 inches wider). My sitting position is a bit leaning forward and a bit of wind makes it feel like you are floating. You know what I mean (we have FJRs right).

So, should I go for the protection or the wind? Is it weather dependent or after a few days am I going to want to crank that screen up?

Thanks for your input!

I think it's entirely personal. Me? I'm actually considering cutting my screen down for the summer and getting a taller than stock one for the winter (in phoenix, winter = regularly less than 80F highs). In foul weather, I rather like the stock screen, as is, in the full up position. Couldn't bear it in the hot and dry, though. The bubble just becomes a massive convection oven. I couldn't imagine that for more than an hour at a time. Bottom line: For high mileage days, I'd go with the screen you can shed the heat with and cower behind if the weather calls for it. It's really all down to personal preferences...

Finding the right fit on a windscreen is a hit and miss deal.

I have tried the stock Yamaha and the touring Yamaha windscreens and all they did is direct wind to my chest or helmet.

I finally lucked out with a Cee Bailey reverse flip 2+2 and I love it. It works great for winter or summer.

However just because it works for me doesn't mean it will work for you.

Good luck with your quest.

It's subjective. For me, the stock screen is a joke. I use an OEM touring screen in the summer, a Cee Bailey barn door in the winter. With any of the three, there is no still pocket of air at a useable level. The only still pocket is down by the tank/gauges, where you'd have to be laid over like a squid to benefit from. I find the OEM touring screen lets plenty of air by when it's hot. For distance riding, it's about fatigue. Wind pressure and buffeting are not what I want when I'm riding all day. But that's just me.

While I was very unimpressed with any Yamaha screen on the '07, I really like the air flow on the '15. I raised the screen a little on the ride in this morning as it was 55 when I left the house. I will look for a larger aftermarket screen for the cooler riding months. The VStream is awesome on the '07.

For me it's about bug control. I ride along rivers (only crooked roads in the midwest is outside of the farming areas) and the insect hatches are horrendous. The Cee Bailey works well. I used a Yamaha touring screen last year on a little 10,000 mile jaunt out west and back and it did well, I just like the Cee Bailey better though. Have fun with whatever you choose. ff

I swear I got hit dead center of the face shield by a bug so big it damn near rocked my head back. Any bigger and I'd have claimed it was a sparrow. Face shield rang like a gong.

After having CB shields on my previous three FJRs, I decided to try a VStream on the GEN III. Went with the sport touring version and couldn't be happier. Adequate air flow when down, but gives ME a still pocket when raised. Pillion reports less noise and head buffeting than on prior gens as well.

So far, so good...

--G

Up until this year I used a CeeBailey +2+2 no flip. But this yr I went bigger with the +4+4 flip. Just got back from a 1730 mile trip to Mobile, AL. Even in the heat I'm glad I have it. It can be put down low enough to get some air (and buffeting) when you want but the the quiet, non-buffeting made for a very comfortable ride on the interstates.

Good luck in your search, it took me only 7.5 yrs to get this far.

Now to make things confusing. I agree it is personal, but I never found one screen on any bike that works in all conditions for me. I purchased Three or four different windshields for my FJR depending how you look at it. In really cold weather I have used a larger V stream. In more varying weather I went with a slightly larger over stock CalSci. For warm weather, I bought a smoked CalSci small shield. And the fourth came OEM when I purchased the FJR new, but it pretty much came off right away and went into storage. They all had their pluses and minuses when using them. But when it came down to it, I think I preferred the smoked small CalSci the best. I think more because I tend to like the shield down as low as possible in the warm weather. But that same shield does afford fairly decent protection when things turn cooler/cold. So I find it more flexible to adapt to changing weather than the others. Although in the colder weather that would switch to the other CalSci for the slightly better cold protection, but still decent air flow when down. But then of course riding in cold late fall/winter days, that V stream does cut a nice hole in the wind. I guess that's why I spent the money and went three ways. I change them based on a particular situation (normally trips). But to be fair, the small smoke spends by far most of the time on the bike.

escapefjrtist said:

After having CB shields on my previous three FJRs, I decided to try a VStream on the GEN III. Went with the sport touring version and couldn't be happier. Adequate air flow when down, but gives ME a still pocket when raised. Pillion reports less noise and head buffeting than on prior gens as well.
So far, so good...

--G

Click to expand...

That's good to know. What size is the Vstream and where did you purchase it? Judging from the excellent hot weather air flow on the '15 I am sure I will need a larger windshield for colder weather riding.

Intech said:

escapefjrtist said:

After having CB shields on my previous three FJRs, I decided to try a VStream on the GEN III. Went with the sport touring version and couldn't be happier. Adequate air flow when down, but gives ME a still pocket when raised. Pillion reports less noise and head buffeting than on prior gens as well.So far, so good...

--G

Click to expand...

That's good to know. What size is the Vstream and where did you purchase it? Judging from the excellent hot weather air flow on the '15 I am sure I will need a larger windshield for colder weather riding.

Click to expand...

The sport touring is VStream's middle size which they claim to be 20-1/4" tall, picked it up through RevZilla. I plan to make this my one and only year-around shield. We're heading home from Spearfish and crossing MT in 100 F temps now. While I'm sure a shorter shield would provide more air, the shield is doing a fine job.

YMMV

--G

Let me add my recent experience with a 3rd gen: Although the stock aerodynamics are an improvement over my old 1st Gen, that is no great claim to fame.

I sit pretty tall in the saddle, 6'2" and my height is more in my torso than legs, plus I have a Russell Daylong and HeliBar riser bridge. The stock windshield was a head buffeting nightmare if the shield was more than 3/4 raised. Trying to get out of the rain on the highway got really old after an hour or two.

I bought the Yamaha Touring mostly because it added some height without costing $200 like the other options. But with the touring all the way up I was still getting a lot of buffeting. By tilting the touring shield back using some spacers (I posted about it here) I get kind of the best of both worlds. With the shield fully raised it gives more weather protection than the stock shield all the way up, but not nearly the amount of head buffeting, and with the shield all the way down the increased angle lets more wind on the chest than the stock shield all the way down.

Give it a try... It should also work with even larger windshields like the Cee Bailey or CalSci, etc. And if you are away on a long trip somewhere and decide that you need more shield coverage for some reason, it is fairly easy to remove the spacers with just a screwdriver and allen wrench.

I am 6'2" and although I love the look of the stock windscreen, the buffering on my helmet is too much for longer rides. When I purchased my bike I went ahead and grabbed the Vstream windscreen giving me the additional 4'' of protection (the weather elements and wind). Great part though, is if I need wind to cool me down, I just put it to the lowest setting and I'm good to go. I live in Indiana where the air temp doesn't get as bad as AZ, but the humidity is God awful -- so having fresh cool air is important. I've never had an issue with it. The only thing that makes me want to put the stock windscreen back on is the look of the bike.

Agree it is a personal choice and may involve trial and error to see what works best (for you). I hate helmet buffeting as it gets tiresome over the long haul rides. Ventilation in heat, I use Baker Air Wings to bring in (or block) fresh air to the torso. Not sure if they make those for Gen III yet, but I wouldn't be without them. Tried a CalSci, it sucks as the top is too narrow, thus terrible helmet buffeting, a wider shield is better for that. I look over my shield. I've been using a Rifle for a few years now and while a barn door, I like it in combo with the Air Wings. The spacers tilting it back are the best things since sliced bread, very quiet almost don't need earplugs......downside is, no other shields hole pattern fits..... have to agree with Fred, add some spacers you'll be pleasantly surprised how good that works (done that on previous bikes). If I were looking around for a shield for my preferences, I'd like to try a V-Stream with spacers, it just looks like it might work well, and it keeps the stock screw hole pattern in case you wanted to switch to another shield for different seasons. If I had a GenIII tomorrow, I'd try the V-Stream if the stock shield wasn't cutting it, but this is only my opinion.

I' m 5'8. I bought a MRA Xcreen spoiler to install on top of the stock OEM windshield. While it was better and got all the bugs off my helmet, it wasn't as quiet as I like.

I recently bought a Yamaha Touring windshield and it was better than "stock + MRA" with the wind off my body, but it caused a lot of noise in my helmet. I then mounted the spoiler on top of the touring shield and it was perfect! I have calm air, quiet helmet (I could even leave my helmet shield opened at 75 mph on the freeway and it was quiet!). When it gets warm, I could tilt the spoiler back to direct air flow to my chest.

Here is how it looks on mine now:



This pic was from twistedthrottle where I bought the MRA Xcreen:

On my '15:
Yamaha Stock windshield = not good.

Yamaha Touring windshield = better, but still too much turbulence.

Yamaha Touring windshield + "Fred W"-style spacers = much more better; more and smoother air, but lost a bit of height.

Yamaha Touring windshield + "Fred W"-style spacers + MRA Screen = even better yet. Can gain back height, lots of flexibility.

Just completed a two-week 6,700 mile summer tour of the country, and was really glad to have this last set up. Now I just need to get busy and attach the cheapy hand guards to the bike.

Question about the MRA spoiler: Does it make the shield shake and move around a lot on the highway?

Reason I ask is that I tried a home-made laminar lip style add-on and it was fabulous at adding more coverage with the screen up, without blocking much more air with the screen down, but it acted like an air foil and the turbulent truck wash shook the screen violently enough that I ditched the idea.

If I had a screen that was 1` or 2" taller than the Yamaha touring screen to be used with the spacers (or whatever more permanent solution we come up with later) I think that it would be just enough for me.

Fred, it did shake a little more with the spoiler than without, but just slightly and not overly so. As you could see, there is a gap between the spoiler and the windshield and I'm guessing the air that gets under did cancel out some of the added resistance.