Looking For Windshield Advice....

[newbert]

My 2016 F3-T has the standard, stock windshield. I like wind therapy as much as the next guy and this windshield allows me to experience a good deal of wind. (I mean that as a good thing.) But, I'm finding more and more that I seem to a be a birdsh_t and miscellaneous debris magnet! On every ride, I end up with a nice glob of bird crap on the face shield of my helmet. (Thank God for face shields. :2thumbs And I frequently get hit (both on the face shield and on my hands) with other stuff (ie - miscellaneous pebbles, etc which I don't know where they come from....).

So, I'm figuring that it may be time for a different windshield. (If there are better alternative solutions to this problem, please let me know.) Ideally, I want something that would deflect the bird crap and other crap to fly over or around my helmet, but would still maintain a decent amount of "wind" to cool me off in hot weather. However, I really don't want to have to look thru the windshield when ryding.

So there's my dilemma. I need something that would strike a balance between minimizing being hit by crap while still experiencing "wind therapy". Perhaps there's something that's adjustable or customizable on the market?

FWIW, I'm 5'7" and sit an inch or two higher on the F3-T than normal. (I have a custom seat that raises me up a bit.)

If anyone has any ideas to address this problem, I'd appreciate hearing about them.

Thanks!

 

[AsphaltEagle]

Winshield advice

Check out Madstad eng. Their windscreens are fully adjustable. Prices reasonable.I
Ive used them on my last 4 bikes.

 

[bushrat]

once again, we're discussing similar issues

Hey Bert:
Again, we're looking for solutions to similar issues. Uncanny, eh?? ... Here's what I posted recently on another thread which discussed windshield choices:

As of now, I have ridden my 2017 F3L with four very different windscreens - 1) the OEM 'short' stock shield with curled lip; 2) the BRP 'Tall Boy'; 3) a 23" tinted, no vent F4 shield; and 4) the OEM short stock shield with added MRA-Xcreen 'tour' add-on. I don't mind a bit of wind, but prefer to cut down on the buffeting and provide a bit more comfort for my lady passenger; we ryde two-up 80% of the time. I'm 5' 10", and now have an Ultimate seat, probably placing me 3/4" higher than the stock BRP driver seat. My findings: The OEM short shield is 'breezy'. The 'tall boy' cuts this down somewhat, but seems to be rather 'noisy' around our helmets and still does allow some air to hit my arms. The 'short' shield with X-creen add-on is less 'noisy' than the 'tall boy', and also allows a bit more air to come around the sides, striking both my full arms and chest sides - great in hot weather!!! I'm currently using this combination. I look over the top at anything 35' in front of me. The add-on X-creen is very adjustable and provides many variations in direction of airflow. At approx. $120, it's a cheaper 'fix' than many new shields.

All of these push the frontal air somewhat up and towards/over the top of our helmets. I would rate the 'air-lifting' abilities, in terms of increasingly improved effectiveness, as: (1) short stock shield, (2) tall boy, (3) short shield with X-creen add-on. However, if you want really quiet comfort, the F4 does cut down both noise and wind in much improved fashion, at least to our senses. It's much wider, for a start. What I didn't like so much was that the top of the 23" F4 I had was right at eye level, for me, and with a lightly tinted shield, it gave me a 'two-tone' view depending on whether I was gazing far down the road, or looking 50'-70' just in front. So, for me, if I ever go back to an F4, it will be to a 21" clear shield. I prefer to look over my shield at anything more than 30' ahead of me; and I have decided against the tint - simply a personal preference thing. At your height and ryding style, I would think something around 19" or 20" is going to be about the maximum height; check it out before you decide. Just one other word of caution when choosing a windshield - are you also using a cover for your Spyder? Is it large enough, or is the windshield 'expansion pocket' big enough to extend for a wider screen (such as the F4, or whichever you choose)? One of the difficulties I encountered, after buying an expensive BRP trailering cover, was that it would not properly fit over the wider F4 screen. There are many variables as well as your personal comfort and individual measurements to take into account. Hope these comments of my experiences are helpful.

 

[UtahPete]

If you ever figure this out ...

Let me know! Pretty much, either the windshield catches it all (but then you're looking through the windshield and have reduced air flow to the rider), or you're going to get max airflow along with everything that comes with it.

I had this Micro-Swirl product on a Yamaha Vstar windshield; it did an amazing job of redirecting airflow. Still on there when I sold it a week ago.

You might want to try it and let us all know; https://saeng.com/product.php?id=581&category=80

The nice thing is that it is easy to apply, easy to remove and at $15/foot is worth experimenting with.

 

[newbert]

Hey Bert:
Again, we're looking for solutions to similar issues. Uncanny, eh?? ... Here's what I posted recently on another thread which discussed windshield choices:

As of now, I have ridden my 2017 F3L with four very different windscreens - 1) the OEM 'short' stock shield with curled lip; 2) the BRP 'Tall Boy'; 3) a 23" tinted, no vent F4 shield; and 4) the OEM short stock shield with added MRA-Xcreen 'tour' add-on. I don't mind a bit of wind, but prefer to cut down on the buffeting and provide a bit more comfort for my lady passenger; we ryde two-up 80% of the time. I'm 5' 10", and now have an Ultimate seat, probably placing me 3/4" higher than the stock BRP driver seat. My findings: The OEM short shield is 'breezy'. The 'tall boy' cuts this down somewhat, but seems to be rather 'noisy' around our helmets and still does allow some air to hit my arms. The 'short' shield with X-creen add-on is less 'noisy' than the 'tall boy', and also allows a bit more air to come around the sides, striking both my full arms and chest sides - great in hot weather!!! I'm currently using this combination. I look over the top at anything 35' in front of me. The add-on X-creen is very adjustable and provides many variations in direction of airflow. At approx. $120, it's a cheaper 'fix' than many new shields.

All of these push the frontal air somewhat up and towards/over the top of our helmets. I would rate the 'air-lifting' abilities, in terms of increasingly improved effectiveness, as: (1) short stock shield, (2) tall boy, (3) short shield with X-creen add-on. However, if you want really quiet comfort, the F4 does cut down both noise and wind in much improved fashion, at least to our senses. It's much wider, for a start. What I didn't like so much was that the top of the 23" F4 I had was right at eye level, for me, and with a lightly tinted shield, it gave me a 'two-tone' view depending on whether I was gazing far down the road, or looking 50'-70' just in front. So, for me, if I ever go back to an F4, it will be to a 21" clear shield. I prefer to look over my shield at anything more than 30' ahead of me; and I have decided against the tint - simply a personal preference thing. At your height and ryding style, I would think something around 19" or 20" is going to be about the maximum height; check it out before you decide. Just one other word of caution when choosing a windshield - are you also using a cover for your Spyder? Is it large enough, or is the windshield 'expansion pocket' big enough to extend for a wider screen (such as the F4, or whichever you choose)? One of the difficulties I encountered, after buying an expensive BRP trailering cover, was that it would not properly fit over the wider F4 screen. There are many variables as well as your personal comfort and individual measurements to take into account. Hope these comments of my experiences are helpful.

As they say - "Great Minds Think Alike!" :thumbup:

That X-creen extender sounds interesting. I know nothing about it, so do you have a link?

 

[newbert]

Check out Madstad eng. Their windscreens are fully adjustable. Prices reasonable.I
Ive used them on my last 4 bikes.

I actually had Madstad in mind when I posted, but was wondering about other options. I'll take a closer look at Madstad.

Thanks.

 

[newbert]

Let me know! Pretty much, either the windshield catches it all (but then you're looking through the windshield and have reduced air flow to the rider), or you're going to get max airflow along with everything that comes with it.

I had this Micro-Swirl product on a Yamaha Vstar windshield; it did an amazing job of redirecting airflow. Still on there when I sold it a week ago.

You might want to try it and let us all know; https://saeng.com/product.php?id=581&category=80

The nice thing is that it is easy to apply, easy to remove and at $15/foot is worth experimenting with.

Very interesting (and low-cost) idea, Pete. I've never seen anything like this before. This might be worth trying!

Thanks for the link!

 

[bushrat]

As they say - "Great Minds Think Alike!" :thumbup:

That X-creen extender sounds interesting. I know nothing about it, so do you have a link?

Here's one at RevZilla: https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/mra-x-creen-tour-variable-windscreen-spoiler-blade

and another at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...argid=kwd-298992974867&ref=pd_sl_2e6s8ngnht_e

I bought the 'clamp on' package, which gives you both the removable clamps as well as the basic 'bolt on' mounts if you decide you want to drill holes and make it more permanent. I have been using the clamp version for about 4 months now; no problems. It simply attaches to the top lip of your short stock windshield. Still playing with adjustments, but think I have pretty much found a setting I like. I paid a little less when I bought, as I recall, and you may even find someone selling a used screen that they tried but weren't happy with. There are two different styles "Tour" and "Sport". Tour is larger - i.e., wider, and that's the one you want. Good luck, whatever you decide.

I did come across a video as well, which I previewed before buying. This may be it, not sure:

 

[newbert]

Thanks for the links for the X-Creen, Roger. Looks interesting.

Are you able to find a "happy medium" setting which still allows some wind to cool you off (in summer), while still deflecting most of it over and around you?

 

[jbim]

I have a 2018 F3L and

just like other posters above I've been using what Revzilla shows as

MRA X-Creen Tour Variable Windscreen Spoiler Blade at

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/mra-x-creen-tour-variable-windscreen-spoiler-blade

I had this from a previous bike. A very inexpensive and effective solution. I am 5'10'' on a good day and I have it setup to look over it. Very little turbulence to the helmet at speeds up to 60-70 MPH. Not wide so it does not do much for anything else than the helmet /head. As you can see it is easily adjustable and there is a bolt-on as well as clip-on version. I use the clip on version.

This allows you to keep you Spyder stock, at least as far as the windscreen is concerned.

Good luck!

 

[SpyderAnn01]

I went to the BRP Tall Boy which was light years better than the stock but then I got a custom seat which raised me 2” higher so I was a bug magnet. I now have a 21” F4 Customs Tinted Vented Shield and I love it. It is the perfect balance of air flow and protection.

 

[F4 Customs]

F4 Customs Windshields for the F3 Touring and Limited

Check out the F4 Customs windshields that are made from High Optics Polycarbonate:
www.f4customs.com
330-968-4644

 

[bushrat]

Just to explain...

I don't want to be misunderstood concerning my comments on various windshield choices mentioned above. Shields, like seats, are a very 'personal comfort' issue. I'm still experimenting, and not at all sure that I am yet done. Other possibilities remain untried. I'm searching for the optimum choice for our personal style/needs while ryding summers in Canada, winters in Florida. I'm trying to find something that doesn't require changing shields. Your situation/needs may be different. I'm not making recommendations; simply reporting on my personal assessment of our experimental process. Other readers should decide their own personal needs/desires. Bottom line for us: the F4 has been the best all-round choice so far in maximizing comfort and minimizing buffeting and noise. We are not currently using one, but may well return to an F4; next time it will be a 21", clear and probably vented - that much we have discovered through experimentation, which is continuing. Cheers.

 

[UtahPete]

I don't want to be misunderstood concerning my comments on various windshield choices mentioned above. Shields, like seats, are a very 'personal comfort' issue. I'm searching for the optimum choice for our personal style/needs while ryding summers in Canada, winters in Florida. I'm trying to find something that doesn't require changing shields. Your situation/needs may be different. I'm not making recommendations; simply reporting on my personal assessment of our experimental process. Other readers should decide their own personal needs/desires. Bottom line for us: the F4 has been the best all-round choice so far in maximizing comfort and minimizing buffeting and noise. We are not currently using one, but may well return to an F4; next time it will be a 21", clear and probably vented - that much we have discovered through experimentation, which is continuing. Cheers.

:agree: I'm happy with the stock touring shield; my wife prefers her tall and wide F4 with the vent.

 

[Jeffmal]

My vote for f4

:agree: I'm happy with the stock touring shield; my wife prefers her tall and wide F4 with the vent.

I bought the f4 clear 23" with vent. I am 5'10', stock seat on f3t.
This screen seems to be the perfect height and does a fantastic job!