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45 degrees-time for a windshield and handguards

Hank

Hank

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As best I can tell, Madstad is the people's choice. My first choice would be clear. Is there some reason for a tinted one? My bike is black.

As far as handguards, barkbusters or SW motech seem the choices.

Your thoughts?

So much for my farkle budget! This is going to be a $10,000 bike soon.
 
I got clear because I want to be able to see through it.
 
Both of my aftermarket screens were clear too.

Barkbuster Storm seem to offer the most wind/weather coverage from what I can tell, so that's what I'm getting too.
 
paid $21.00 U.S. vs. $120 for barkbusters? Anyway, with just a little bend they will not rub or hit the windscreen, goodluck
 
Hank said:
As best I can tell, Madstad is the people's choice. My first choice would be clear. Is there some reason for a tinted one? My bike is black.

As far as handguards, barkbusters or SW motech seem the choices.

Your thoughts?

So much for my farkle budget! This is going to be a $10,000 bike soon.
Click to expand...

Super happy with the madstad (22", medium gray). The tint is not an issue to me, even with the screen at mid-position (60 degrees?), but I'm tall (6'2). I can see my front beam in the screen at night, but that's not been a big issue.

The main issue with the madstad, due to its consequent width, is the handlebar. Before installing the SW-Motech handguards, the handlebar was not hitting the screen as long as it was more vertical. With the handguards, it's now hitting, so I assume I'll have to buy some bar risers (that will move the handlebar up and back), which is not an issue because I sometime felt the bar was a little too much forward and low, especially standing on the pegs.

I also had the issue of fogging after installing the madstad, but a pinlock on my helmet solved it.

Overall, I don't regret the madstad, it was quite the improvement. And the bike looks good. My advice would be to get the 20" if you're less than 6'1. I like the medium gray tint on my silver bike, looks clean and classy. I find the clear one a bit tasteless - from the pictures I saw.
 
I went with the SW-M Kobra handguards because I like the look of them better than the Storms which were my 2nd choice. Purely personal choice as far as looks go. If you go the Kobra route you WILL need the extensions if you're buying for weather related purposes (vs. off-road protection). The extensions are NOT included but are an optional extra. They do cost more than the Storms. The metal bar on the Kobra is black vs. the Storm's silver/chrome finish - but you can always paint the Storm version black which is what SuperTux1 did I believe (and still save $ !!) if that's important to you. Note that the clamp that mounts the Kobra to the handlebar is NOT black though. The Kobras are made by Barkbuster for SW-Motech, so quality is equal.

After my first ride with the Kobra's I loosened up the bolts and adjusted the angle slightly to provide more coverage to the back of my hands. I have the Honda heated grips and can ride with summer gloves down to mid 40's with the guards now. The last couple of mornings I've switched to winter gloves as the temp's are mid to high 30's when I leave in the morning. I can still feel the heat without a problem and there's no issue with cold air at all. Of course I haven't had to ride in rain since the install other than a slight drizzle and a thick fog/mist. In both of these cases my gloves were bone dry.

For the install I simply took off the bar end bolt, installed guard bar and re-inserted the original bolt. I kept the SW-M weights etc. in case I decide to use them at some future point in time. Having the OEM heated grips I didn't really want to mess with taking the internal weights etc. out. Jury is out on pro's/con's of doing this. Some say the provided weights with the handguards are better designed and will survive a fall/crash better. Others say they didn't like the change in vibration with them. Read through the various posts available here. IMHO I can't tell any difference from before, but I only commute <30 minutes each day and 1-3 hour rides at the weekend. YMMV though. For me I just decided to try the easier install and see if I could feel a difference, and if it was noticeably worse then I'd install the SW-M weights etc. As of right now the SW-M provided weights etc. are still in the bag on my workbench! If you decide to go the Kobra route you can look at my post that has more pictures of my install which may guide you with at least a starting point to positioning the clamps etc. I'm a visual person and the provided instructions left a little to the imagination, so I watched a few YouTube videos and looked at pictures of others installed to help. If I had to do it again I might also consider installing the plastics to the bar BEFORE mounting that to the bike as installing them after required a shorty screwdriver and/or a flexible 45°-90° driver!!

View attachment 31490

View attachment 31491
 
I live at 7000 ft, the morning commute is chilly. Down to freezing. ... Givi windscreen, Givi handguards and Oxford heated grips......
 
I used Barkbuster Storms on my NC. In winter time I used to pull off the plastic shields and leaving the aluminium frames in place, I then used to pull on Handlebar muffs over the frames. I have had the same muffs for years and previously used them on my FJS600. They are still holding together and this year I will check if they will fit over the AT plastic handguards.
 
If I had to do it over again I'd consider buying something other than Storm/Barkbusters. It'd save some money and provide more secure and easier plastics mounting and thicker plastic (I'm off-pavement oriented when it comes to this). I've liked the Tusks and the Moose ones I've used. The Mooses had a better inner mount that made it easier to deal with wires and cables, with or without risers. But I think companies like Zeta provide a similar part.

Barkbusters get the sales because of the claim of a specific fit, and the supplied bar-end weights.

EDIT: Actually if you don't follow the Barkbusters instructions to the letter it's possible to get more latitude for angle adjustments of bar, cup and perches, and clean cable runs.


As far as the plastics, to really get winter protection, the differences in plastic cup sizes are negligible in all of these. To really knock some wind chill back add some muffs/shields/mitts. It's not hard to make something that provides better wind shielding than any stock cups on the market.
 
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I am a little confused. Do some of these handguards fit on the outside of the bar end weight? Does that mean you just put them out there and put the screw back in? That seems a lot easier than the whole removal process.
 
Hank said:
I am a little confused. Do some of these handguards fit on the outside of the bar end weight? Does that mean you just put them out there and put the screw back in? That seems a lot easier than the whole removal process.
Click to expand...

I attached my storms to the oem bar end weights. If you want to see them, I could ride over to Grove Tuesday or Wednesday and you could see them.
 
Warm and Safe jacket liner and gloves make a huge difference and when it gets really cold, add the pants liners. Prefer Warm and Safe over Gerbing. The liner is really thin and when off adds a wind barrier, but almost no insulation. Perfect for when you need it at some times and not at others. I can wear just a long sleeve t-shirt under the liner and be comfortable from single digits to mid 60's.

I also have Hot Grips heated grips which work great. I really like that they increase the grip diameter and provide an air space between the metal bars and the heated area. They draw less power because they don't need to heat the metal bar too.

Lastly, I use a Rukka neck gaiter. It is thin which fits better, but it does a really good job sealing air out which is the key.

Love fall riding. Once the leaves are gone, the mountain roads are not nearly as busy and you can really enjoy the curves.

Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk
 
Picking up a 2016 NC700XD next week and wanted to know if the windscreen mounting points are the same to earlier models? I know they increased the size of the screen but am wondering about the mounting points.
 
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peergum said:
Super happy with the madstad (22", medium gray). The tint is not an issue to me, even with the screen at mid-position (60 degrees?), but I'm tall (6'2). I can see my front beam in the screen at night, but that's not been a big issue.
Click to expand...

Can you post some pictures of your bike with the windscreen from a bunch of angles including on the bike at eye height? I have a silver/black 2014 750X, and plan on ordering a 22" for the spring (I am almost 6'2). I would much rather a darker one...

thanks
 
Changed, Madstad have a 2016 specific mount (and shield?); although if you go that route I'd call them after you place the order because at least one forum member here specified during the online ordering process that they had a 2016 model but they still received the earlier version of the mount.

hogsniper said:
Picking up a 2016 NC700XD next week and wanted to know if the windscreen mounting points are the same to earlier models? I know they increased the size of the screen but am wondering about the mounting points.
Click to expand...
 
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