Screens Again(sorry)

Went on a 200 mile run yesterday in awful weather & when I got home my ears were ringing. The protection was great but I was deaf. By raising my hand I could tell where the screen was ceasind to do its job. Have ordered the Skidmarx one. Probably wasted my money but it hasnt cost the earth. Will post results when it comes.

Edited by yamahasam, 20 September 2010 - 08:34 am.

I have a double bubble but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Had tried a Givi touring screen and that was much worse (I'm about 5'8")

Might try one of those Vario things with the adjustable upper blade for next season's Euro bashes!

I have a Yamaha 145mm Touring with the MRA lip on top. Works for me but
I am yet to try my Tigerscreen.

Matt

I've got an MRA Vario and it's better than the standard one but not perfect. I have to wear ear plugs on the TDM all the time, whereas I don't on my Fireblade (with full Akrapovic race system).

It's my one bugbear on the 9er!

dude, earplugs

I SAID EARPLUGS! essential accessory

If I'm going anywhere more than a few miles down the road, earplugs are the order of the day.

Especially if it's a motorway run.

Yes, the Tdm 900 is unfortunately one of the noisiest motorcycles you will ever ride. I doubt it ever saw the inside of a wind tunnel during its development. The simplest and cheapest improvement is to remove the screen completely. Not bad in the summer but quite unpleasant for the colder months. You can spend a lot of time and money buying, cutting and drilling various screens. However, I believe there is a fundamental flaw with the design of the fairing which probably draws and concentrates the airflow up into the riders face. Therefore, no amount of experimenting with subtly different shapes of standard fitting windscreens will make much difference. In my experience I found that larger and higher windscreens had the most noticable effect on wind noise. Thus, I have settled upon a custom-built Tigerscreen. It's not the largest screen available, but is certainly a good compromise of looks, surface area and effectiveness. It's possible to ride at speeds of 50-60 mph quite comfortably with your helmet visor raised and experience drastically reduced windnoise. (with the occasional insect just making impact with your eyes - so airflow is probably not therefore being directly completely over the top of your head). Strangely I find that windnoise is worse with my visor down. You know the Tigerscreen is reducing windnoise because you can hear the engine and exhaust more. If you are riding at say 70-80 mph, however, you really ought to have the visor down, and it is under these conditions that the Tigerscreen is having a lesser effect on windnoise and you begin to feel that you need earplugs ( something that I find totally unexceptable I'm afraid - they're so painfull).
I have no evidence, but if my premise of bigger is better is correct than perhaps the (Austalian?) Eagle screens are even more effective. They however, have an inferior fitment compared to the Tigerscreen and due to their surface area place considerable stress on the fairing. Take a look at the new BMW r1200RT electric windshield which provides exceptional protection from windnoise - it is a very wide and tall screen but it seems neccesary to achieve maximum effect.

Fred

Started using wans to stop watter gerrin in yer lugholes whenst swimming. They are very comfy and if it rains me ears will stay dry. Though can't say wind noise particulary bothers me on the mkI.

Ermax Screen + 14cm. Enough for me.

Ride a bike for any length of time without wearing earplugs and you will eventually damage your hearing irreparably. I can't say that I find earplugs uncomfortable at all - the soft plastic ones being much more comfortable than the big foam ones.

Have a search through the knowledge base and you'll find pages of useful info from screen experiments. The bottom line is the only way to get peace and quiet at speed is to have a screen height that is a fraction below your line of sight to a point about 30 metres ahead. The tiger screen is the only one I've ever come across that'll give you that.

Edited by Baron, 20 September 2010 - 11:00 pm.

Agree fully with this, I still get a small amount of buffeting even with a severely cut down standard screen, I am fairly sure the shape of the fairing causes it, rather than the screen itself. If you look at the Tiger screen (link), which seems to be the only real solution, it covers the fairing as well as raises and widens the screen.

Sorry, but IMHO the Tiger screen would look best on a 1950's Panther combination.

I've got a tigerscreen and it works. So well that I rarely use earplugs or forget to put them in and it's not a problem, and I can hear the engine a lot better with the screen fitted.

I agree, I have suffered severe hearing loss in my left ear and also have constant tinnitus and I ALWAYS did use earplugs and mates of mine who didn't bother suffered no ill effect; still who said life was fair!

For the last 3 years I've been using the Ultimate Ear moulded plugs which are brilliant, best 65 quid I ever spent and I thoroughly recommend that anyone who rides a bike should invest in a pair. For those of you who already suffer from tinnitus, try taking a zinc tablet everyday. A couple of years back Mrs Saga was looking for advice on the interweb as at that time the ringing was really getting me down and she stumbled upon this tip. I've now been taking one every day since and although it hasn't cured it fully it certainly reduced it quite significantly and I am usually only aware of the ringing in quiet environments.

I'm not convinced on the tiger screen
Not saying it doesn't work, I just don't believe the fairing is
designed to cope with the extra load generated by the size of it

The various winglet looks the best mod to me

Does anyone know if you can buy the MRA winglet on its own?

Christ on a bike! That's a mahoosive screen!

I suppose if it does the job it's maybe worth it.... but haven't I read about peeps having their upper fairing crack using very big screens?

If the screen makes everything quiet I'll only start to worry about the noise the engine is making, mind you the Fuel cans are pretty deafening too!

I've been using Tigerscreen for quite a while now and the size seems not to be a problem. Probably because the screen extends far below the original screen mounts and while riding the wind pressure against that lower part somewhat balances things out. It is quite solid even when following big truck or bus at speed.

Yep, pretty much why I don't have one either - function beats form for me most of the time but not in this case