Ride without windscreen?

[Mad German]

I recently saw a posting and a pic that someone posted on the FJR owner's Facebook page that showed his FJR without a windscreen? It looked pretty cool, in a sporty way. I've never considered it, but was wondering if anyone has ridden without their windscreen. I've seen some pics that people have posted that showed windscreens that had been drastically cut down, almost to thte point of not having one other than to fill in the space where the screen goes.

I'm really curious to get some better pics and a possible ride report.

Thanks.

 

[radiummadman]

**** That !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

buy a piece of **** Harley if you want to be a dumb *** and never exceed 55 mph

 

[Burnspot]

On FB, it was mentioned that the fella was waiting for a new windscreen motor to come in. Saw a video of a guy who dumped his FJR and had to ride without the screen for awhile...they did not enjoy it (cold and wet weather).

I can imagine it's probably nice in a humid summer...I personally prefer having a bit of plastic up there to keep it a bit quiet and push rain out of the way.

 

[SacramentoMike]

The difference in the riding experience is huge--you just don't realize how much protection the screen offers.

Anyway, a fully-faired bike like the FJR without the screen would look just wrong.

 

[Big Sky]

Depends on what you prefer. I rode with no windscreen or a mere token one for 25 years before coming to the FJR. I now run with an even bigger-than-stock Cee-Bailey. I've come to enjoy a calm pocket of air and riding with the face shield open. I ain't going back. But I know there are proponents of a good, steady wind blast to the chest or helmet - not rough buffeting - who like no windshield or cut down "sport" shields. Some wind blast can be welcome on a very hot day when you need air blowing through the jacket or helmet. The FJR shield can be removed in five minutes. Try it without and see what you think. Stock screens come up for sale fairly frequently. Get one, try it, cut it down, cut it down some more. You will become the authority. Please report back.

 

[Spud]

Seems to not be very fun.

 

[s.ga.rider]

I used to on my harley and loved it but have never considered it on the fjr. The windshield is nice and to me thats how its supposed to look.

 

[LKLD]

Well, they're extremely easy to take off/put on, so why not try it for yourself?

 

[escapefjrtist]

Well, they're extremely easy to take off/put on, so why not try it for yourself?

Kinda what I was thinking...take a few pics while you're at it too!

--G

 

[art miller]

If you're curious, remove the screen and report back. I once rode a Yamaha Virago 1100 from Greenville, NC to Gettysburg, PA without a windscreen. The very next day I went to the Yamaha dealer in Hanover, PA and bought a windscreen. Now you know I feel about wind blast.

 

[El Toro]

I think I am like Big Sky on this. I rode without a wind screen for a long time. But then when I got to the Rocket III Touring, I really liked that quiet pocket that exists behind the tall screen.

Even more important than the wind and rain, at least in my neck of the woods, is that the screen really helps protect you from bugs. Bugs can ruin a ride down here in the muggy southlands.

So ... I find myself using the tall screen on the R3T. And I find myself putting the screen on the FJR all the way up. And I've ordered the touring screen for the FJR, which Yamaha says is tall enough to hide behind for someone of my seated height.

Nevertheless, YMMV. I have a friend in Maine who has two screens for his ST1100. The ST1100 is crippled in that the wind screen is fixed with no provision to change the height. So he cut one of the stock screens down to make a short screen. And in cold weather he rides with the tall (normal screen) and in warm weather he rides with the one he cut down.

I still go for rides on bikes that are wind screen free, but I do not enjoy them once the speed gets above 60 mph. Wind noise, wind force, and lack of protection from flying objects kill the deal for me.

Triumph makes what they call "fly screens" for various models, including maybe the Rocket III Roadster ... but these look cartoonish to me, in spite of my love affair with the Rocket III Tourings.

FWIW, to my eye, a screenless ST type of bike, like the FJR, looks broken without a screen.

 

[Bokerfork]

Seems to not be very fun.

Seriously? 37 minutes to tell us that riding without a windscreen is more turbulent than riding with one. $1K to drop your bike while making a U-turn? And you posted the whole thing on YouTube?

Damn we live in interesting times.

 

[El Toro]

Seriously? 37 minutes to tell us that riding without a windscreen is more turbulent than riding with one. $1K to drop your bike while making a U-turn? And you posted the whole thing on YouTube?

Damn we live in interesting times.

I couldn't bring myself to watch the video. The video is symptomatic of what's wrong with the modern world. There are no editors any more.

 

[bluesdog]

Seriously? 37 minutes to tell us that riding without a windscreen is more turbulent than riding with one. $1K to drop your bike while making a U-turn? And you posted the whole thing on YouTube?

Damn we live in interesting times.

I couldn't bring myself to watch the video. The video is symptomatic of what's wrong with the modern world. There are no editors any more.

It's the youtube curse. A few nights ago I was looking for some recommended trans-coding settings for handbrake, (a video trans-coding application). All I could seem to find were long-winded, poorly edited youtube videos, when all I really needed and wanted could have been much more efficiently provided by a few sentences, or maybe a couple of screenshots.

Video is fine for pure entertainment, and for teaching process and technique, as in learning a musical instrument, but not so great for simple information or instruction.

And I really hate those damn 'vlogs' presented by egotistical little twerps who think they know all about motorcycles...

 

[Bill Lumberg]

It's fine if you're flying low and slow. It's not if you're traveling at highway speed for very long. The buffeting and pressure of the air trying to peel you off the bike is tiring.

 

[RossKean]

Seriously? 37 minutes to tell us that riding without a windscreen is more turbulent than riding with one. $1K to drop your bike while making a U-turn? And you posted the whole thing on YouTube?
Damn we live in interesting times.

I couldn't bring myself to watch the video. The video is symptomatic of what's wrong with the modern world. There are no editors any more.

And that was just one part of a multi-part series! Same author had done a number of FJR "maintenance" videos that are similar in terms of content/time ratio. As exciting as watching oil-based paint dry on a cool damp day.

 

[LKLD]

He's a bit long winded in the video, though vocal about what most are thinking at a time like that.

I would think his next videos will be about installing frame sliders, GPS, and tank bags.

 

[mcatrophy]

Only reason I went to a sports tourer was because it had some weather protection. Plenty of good naked bikes out there if that's what you want.

 

[BigOgre]

Seriously? 37 minutes to tell us that riding without a windscreen is more turbulent than riding with one. $1K to drop your bike while making a U-turn? And you posted the whole thing on YouTube?
Damn we live in interesting times.

I couldn't bring myself to watch the video. The video is symptomatic of what's wrong with the modern world. There are no editors any more.

And that was just one part of a multi-part series! Same author had done a number of FJR "maintenance" videos that are similar in terms of content/time ratio. As exciting as watching oil-based paint dry on a cool damp day.

As I recall, he got rather defensive too when the reviews started coming in. If you're really bored, it might be amusing to revisit some of those exchanges.