Question About Honda Tall Screen Mods

[shawnk]

A little backround first- I read all the threads on this screen I could find multiple times before buying. I'm approx. 5'6" and the bike has 1.2" risers on it. I thought with my height this screen would work great for me, but after 300 miles or so I find I like it less every time I ride. It starts at 40 mph and gets worse progressively above that- wind noise/turbulence. It feels like you're riding on an extremely windy day, and above 60 it actually feels like the front end is less stable- kind of like catching turbulence behind a semi truck. I like the way the screen looks, and the amount of coverage vs. airflow, but I've got to do something about the turbulence issue. I plan on adding a deflector eventually, but was thinking of trying the hole drilling mod first. (Before I make this thing non- re sellable) Has anyone drilled the holes without a deflector installed, and did it make some difference?

 

[shawnk]

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-mods/5913-wind-noise-tall-riders.html?highlight=wind+noise This is the mod I was referring to

 

[scrumpymike]

MRA sell a clamp-on adjustable aerofoil - more expensive but no drilling and easily transferred onto another bike. Is your mod the Honda touring screen btw?

 

[shawnk]

Yes- some people call it the Honda Tall screen, others the Honda Touring screen. The clamp on spoiler is something I am planning to try, but I was going to try the holes first. In that thread, it seemed like the ones who had tried it already had the aftermarket spoiler installed. I was kind of curious to see if anyone had tried the holes alone, and whether it had any affect by itself.

 

[OriginalRocket]

Not to sound sarcastic, but have you tried ear plugs? I won't ride without them now. No longer do I feel fatigued after a long highway ride, or even cruising around town.

Other mods: CalSci medium Shield, SHOEI GT-AIR Helmet.

I'm 5'7" and I found the medium shield to work great, airflow hits the top of my forehead for good helmet ventilation. I didn't try the Honda Tall/touring shield as I thought it wouldn't do me much good. I've read from people the best shields are the ones you barely look over. I found this to be true.

 

[scrumpymike]

Having spent a lot of time (not to mention money) on this issue, these are my conclusions. You need to start off with a screen height that suits your 'height in the saddle' (the CalSci table is a good guide), and it probably doesn't matter whether this is achieved with the right one-piece screen or screen-plus-extension (taller folks will probably need a two-piece). The next most important thing is to get some air flowing behind the screen - either by cutting/drilling a vent in the screen or by introducing a gap between screen and fairing. My experience is that these two steps account for at least 80% of the total available improvement in screen comfort/protection/efficiency. If that doesn't do the trick, adding an inner dash panel that squeezes/accelerates the air flow behind the screen (like the MadStad set up) delivers a smaller but noticeable improvement. Last and definitely least on my list is rake-angle adjustment - either of the whole screen or an MRA-style foil attached to the top. I'm 5' 9" tall with 31" inseam and my 'fix' is Givi screen, Palmer adjustable brackets, and home-made dash panel as shown below. What you don't see is a set of 'hondabikepro' Dale's nut plates, which I think are essential.

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o598/scrumpymike/007_zps52969165.jpg

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o598/scrumpymike/011_zps96d430ae.jpg

 

[shawnk]

Having spent a lot of time (not to mention money) on this issue, these are my conclusions. You need to start off with a screen height that suits your 'height in the saddle' (the CalSci table is a good guide), and it probably doesn't matter whether this is achieved with the right one-piece screen or screen-plus-extension (taller folks will probably need a two-piece). The next most important thing is to get some air flowing behind the screen - either by cutting/drilling a vent in the screen or by introducing a gap between screen and fairing. My experience is that these two steps account for at least 80% of the total available improvement in screen comfort/protection/efficiency. If that doesn't do the trick, adding an inner dash panel that squeezes/accelerates the air flow behind the screen (like the MadStad set up) delivers a smaller but noticeable improvement. Last and definitely least on my list is rake-angle adjustment - either of the whole screen or an MRA-style foil attached to the top. I'm 5' 9" tall with 31" inseam and my 'fix' is Givi screen, Palmer adjustable brackets, and home-made dash panel as shown below. What you don't see is a set of 'hondabikepro' Dale's nut plates, which I think are essential.

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o598/scrumpymike/007_zps52969165.jpg

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o598/scrumpymike/011_zps96d430ae.jpg

Thanks for that- and reading all the various threads on windshields,and looking at the manufacturer recommendations, I figured the Honda screen was approx. the "correct" height for me at 18.5". It seems like a proper height- sitting on the bike it appears to me to be around my mouth area (I notice the top if I look for it, but I can see well over it otherwise). That's why I had it in mind to try drilling first, because I figured at 5'6" I shouldn't need the extra height that a deflector could give me. I need to double check everything using the Calsci yardstick method...maybe the risers have me sitting up to where the air would be hitting me at a weird angle or something?