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Our bikes: Screen play
(by Guy 'Guido' Allen, September 2023)
Need a
decent touring screen? Talk to the Americans
There are a few payoffs for being a
little taller than average, and I'm not talking about
being a giant. Let's say about 188cm or 6' 2" on the
imperial scale.
First, it's surprising how often you bang
your head on things. That loses its novelty after the
first 40-or-so years.
Second, a spectacular range of
motorcycles don't really fit – particularly when it comes
to windscreens.
(And here's a little bit of trivia some
of you may not have considered until now: It is possible
to have a motorcycle seat that's too low. Another story
for another day...)
So, for example, you get on a bike with
touring pretensions and discover the wind-spill is just
low enough to grab the upper surfaces of your helmet and
shake it about at highway speeds. Weirdly, that seems to
be true even if the model in question has an
adjustable-height screen.
Whatever...you learn to cope,
particularly if it's on a borrowed demo bike. Make the
inevitable commentary ("the sodding screen doesn't fit –
again!", or words to that effect) and move on.
But if you own the thing, you don't have
to put up with it. Now I'll risk a little diversion: Since
we're on the theme, here's another little aside. When I
bought my first Suzuki
Hayabusa some 20 years ago (which I still have and
there's a second on order...), the sodding screen didn't
fit.
Yeah, I know, it's not a tourer. The
issue wasn't wind-stream coverage but being able to see
the instruments. If you were much over six feet tall (in
old measure) your sight-line to the tops of the clocks was
cut off. That was easily fixed with an aftermarket bubble
screen. And the issue was dealt with by the maker on the
second and third generation 'Busas.
Moving right along, the touring section
of the home fleet has filled out somewhat over the last
few years. It now consists of:
a 2001 Honda
Valkyrie Interstate (aka GL1500CF),
and a 2001 BMW R1150GS.
It's a bit tempting to add the 2009 Kings
Mountain Indian, the Chief Vintage, to the list.
However it's really a feel-good cruiser rather than
serious mile-eater.
Let's get back to the plot. The K1200LT
is a great example of why stock screens come up short and
how to fix them. In this case the screen had a pretty big
range of height adjustment, via a button on the left
handlebar. And none worked for a tall person.
What's that song line about 57 channels and
nothin' on? I would love to know the physical
parameters used by screen designers.
Like the K1100LT before it, the K1200LT
failed to make the grade as a long distance bubble, simply
because the screen (all the way through its adjustment)
wasn't big or tall enough, and there was no adequate
factory alternative available as an accessory.
What the hell? If I'm riding and feeding
a giant tourer with heated seats and handlebars I expect
not to have the top of my noggin belted around.
Based on past experience, I went
searching for American suppliers. European makers do
elegant and clever, while Americans do
just-give-me-acreage to make the problem go away. While I
have reservations about a place that makes cup-holders for
Gold Wings, it does nevertheless 'get' comfort and long
distances on a motorcycle and it definitely gets
windscreens.
The short version is I ended up with a
giant ZTechnik screen, measuring 63cm in height and over
73cm in width. It's designed and made in the USA, by part of the
larger National Cycle group.
Locally, they're distributed by a mob
called Mototoys out of Newcastle.
What you're seeing here is
the Z2461, which is sold here for Au$445 (US$290,
GB£230).
In short, it works well. The fitting instructions were clear and simple, while the screen offers close to 30 per cent more area than the stocker. I can see over it on the lowest position, and generally ride with it about midway. That provides a 'bubble' of still air – with a slight back-pressure – perfect.
Fuel consumption remains very good, at
20km/lt at 110km/h on the freeway. Weirdly, though it's
physically one of my biggest bikes, it manages to be the
most economical.
National Cycle by the way is a believer
in polycarbonate over acrylic screens and has a dramatic
destruction test video to make its case.
As for the Valkyrie, it was a matter of
tracking down a new-old-stock Tulsa screen via Ebay. That
was expensive at $720 (US$460, GB£380) by the time it was
shipped across the Pacific.
With no adjustment, I'm permanantly
looking through the screen, which is okay in most
conditions – maybe not at night when it's raining. The
payoff is once again a 'bubble' of still air.
Finally, we get to the R1150GS, which is
used as my runabout. Again I went for a ZTechnik product,
in this case the Z2240 which is
the tallest offering. That's priced at Au$419
(US$270, GB£220)
It's a little wider and taller than the
stock screen, while using the standard adjustable mounts.
First impressions are that it's providing some extra and
welcome coverage, which has been enough to eliminate the
annoying helmet shake I was getting. There's still some
noise and turbulence happening, but the situation is
improved. That will do.
I've been careful to put aside and keep
the old screens, on the assumption that anyone I
eventually sell these things to will want that option. In
the meantime they've all been made significantly more
useable for relatively little cost. Money well spent, in
my view.
See more on these bikes here:
Honda Valkyrie
Interstate GL1500CF
Indian Kings
Mountain Chief Vintage
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