Went for a ride with no wind screen today...

[BlackAndBlue]

And now I am definitely going naked. I don't see why anyone would want to leave those terrible things on their motorcycle. Naked is the way to go. I could ride without my vision being blurred from my head being beaten so violently. I don't have a headache and an inability to hear now that I'm off. Everything about the motorcycle was better without a wind screen. I had seriously been wondering why I didn't enjoy riding the FZ6 as much as I did my nighthawk and that is why. The windscreen, stock or Puig Racing, just ruins the experience with the constant carnage on your head. So now the research begins. I see the ebay kit for ~$300. I see the very long thread full of ideas on different ways to make it happen. What other good complete kits are available? I'd like to do it fast rather than take time to piece together parts.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Your rides must be confined to the city. Sometimes after a ride along one of the many rivers we have out west, thanks to my windscreen it takes the brunt of all the bugs. Better than my gear. It's nasty.

 

[BlackAndBlue]

Not at all. I am in a completely rural setting. I enjoyed the clean air up well above the 55 mph speed limit. I did start to miss the wind screen at speeds so high I shouldn't have been doing them anyway though haha.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

If you ride around twilight time, the bugs definitely get worse. But I always got hit by bugs even before I went naked so I don't even notice a difference. I love the smooth air though, it's so nice.

 

[BlackAndBlue]

i got plenty of bugs on me with the Puig racing screen too. a few extra bugs are a small price to pay for the comfort of no longer having to endure the ferocious, constant whaling on my head.

 

[major tom]

I'm curious why you should have such buffeting and noise. How tall are you? The bottom of your helmet must be in the zone with maximum turbulence. Standing or crouching down/leaned over it must be better, right? Have you tried cutting down the stock screen? I'm 6' 1" and the stock screen left too much in the blast and the Puig Racing put me in that zone. I ground off about an inch and 1/2 on the Puig and now I'm happy! Helmet in clean air, body mostly protected.

 

[Botch]

I put the taller "touring" screen on my '07 soon after I got it, and take it off every summer while I was still riding it. I seem to feel noise, buffeting, and backward force in either case, but they're different; the extra cooling in the summer is worth it to me.
fwiw.

 

[BlackAndBlue]

I'm 6', so same issue as you. Right in the brunt of the wind. I wear a shoei qwest too, as I read that was a very good helmet for noise/buffeting. And yes, it goes away when I stand up or crouch down. I will try cutting the stock wind screen, but only as a temporary fix.

 

[BlackAndBlue]

so where can you find the good kit options? I saw a forum post on another page advertising VS01 kits which look good, but they seem to be unavailable now. I see reports of the VS-2 kits too but cannot find where to get them. are the ebay kits the only ones available if you don't want to piece stuff together yourself?

 

[beatle]

You might try cutting down the stock windscreen before jumping in with both feet and going totally naked. I'm 5'11" with a 32" inseam and that's my preference. I also happen to have a Shoei Qwest (noisy, but well vented). Naked will still be cleaner air, but there's a lot more of it.

I was more fatigued riding my friend's Harley w/no windscreen after 30 minutes than I am after riding the FZ6 for an hour. This is at 75-80 mph. At speeds of 60 and below, I agree that naked feels better, and yes, it is cooler in the summer with nothing blocking your air.

 

[WatchThisPlay]

so where can you find the good kit options? I saw a forum post on another page advertising VS01 kits which look good, but they seem to be unavailable now. I see reports of the VS-2 kits too but cannot find where to get them. are the ebay kits the only ones available if you don't want to piece stuff together yourself?

[MENTION=11238]dev_usc[/MENTION]is who people get both of those kits from. I had a great experience buying from him and he will take care of you. The only downfall I see to the kit is the speedometer bracket is thin and rattled on my bike. For that I bought a custom made bracket from [MENTION=14141]LeaN69[/MENTION] and it's been awesome.

 

[garmie]

This is a really interesting topic to me. I'm 6'2" and I ride a stock FZ6. I've noticed that freeway riding can be terrible because of the amount of wind buffeting on my head. Of course if I bend over more it's reduced but then I'm not comfortable. I have a Shoei RF1200 helmet which I've heard nothing but good things about. I always thought that going naked would be worse buffeting which is why I was reluctant to even though I really like the style, but I'm hearing that it's better excluding bugs, at least under say 80 mph? Am I understanding correctly?

 

[ChanceCoats123]

This is a really interesting topic to me. I'm 6'2" and I ride a stock FZ6. I've noticed that freeway riding can be terrible because of the amount of wind buffeting on my head. Of course if I bend over more it's reduced but then I'm not comfortable. I have a Shoei RF1200 helmet which I've heard nothing but good things about. I always thought that going naked would be worse buffeting which is why I was reluctant to even though I really like the style, but I'm hearing that it's better excluding bugs, at least under say 80 mph? Am I understanding correctly?

Going naked gives you smoother air. There is definitely more of it than if you kept your fairings on, but I've really only noticed it when riding in the cold (less wind protection). The bugs will increase a bit, but honestly speaking I'm noticing basically the same amount from when my bike was faired. RE the 80mph note, I've gone faster than that for brief stints and the wind was not a terrible as people say it is. Sure if you cruise on the highway at 100mph, you're going to get tired of it. But if you keep your spine in a straight line, you won't get any neck pain from the extra wind (if anything you'll have less from the lack of buffeting).

 

[garmie]

Sounds like a better way to stay cool in the summer anyway.

 

[BlackAndBlue]

You might try cutting down the stock windscreen before jumping in with both feet and going totally naked. I'm 5'11" with a 32" inseam and that's my preference. I also happen to have a Shoei Qwest (noisy, but well vented). Naked will still be cleaner air, but there's a lot more of it.

I was more fatigued riding my friend's Harley w/no windscreen after 30 minutes than I am after riding the FZ6 for an hour. This is at 75-80 mph. At speeds of 60 and below, I agree that naked feels better, and yes, it is cooler in the summer with nothing blocking your air.

I think exactly the opposite of the Qwest actually. I find it to be like an oven compared to some other helmets I've used but it is rather on the quieter side. I used it back to back with my friends Shark last weekend and the shark is ventilated ten times better and has better, quieter aerodynamics, but the noise reduction was not nearly as notable as the increased air flow. maybe mine is just too tight.

I am going to try cutting the wind screen down though. I do miss being able to tuck down for higher speed sprints. I just have to figure out how to do a clean job of it. Though, without the wind screen, I feel comfortable up to about 75, which is what I typically cruise on the interstate. Cutting the stock screen may be a good compromise for me.

 

[Erci]

I've tried it all on FZ6.. including not just cutting the screen, but putting in side slots like the ones on BMW S1000RR.. to reduce buffeting.

While it helped, it was still nowhere as quiet and buffeting-free as completely losing the screen/fairing.

I ended up converting to full naked and loved it for a while.

Then I started riding highways more.. and riding in the cold more.. really began to miss having a screen! Bug protection is a valid point too.

I've been riding FZ1 with touring screen for 3.5 seasons now.. not going back to a naked unless I can have more than 1 street bike.

Definitely depends on the type of riding you do.

 

[beatle]

I think exactly the opposite of the Qwest actually. I find it to be like an oven compared to some other helmets I've used but it is rather on the quieter side. I used it back to back with my friends Shark last weekend and the shark is ventilated ten times better and has better, quieter aerodynamics, but the noise reduction was not nearly as notable as the increased air flow. maybe mine is just too tight.

I am going to try cutting the wind screen down though. I do miss being able to tuck down for higher speed sprints. I just have to figure out how to do a clean job of it. Though, without the wind screen, I feel comfortable up to about 75, which is what I typically cruise on the interstate. Cutting the stock screen may be a good compromise for me.

My only other helmet experience is a relatively cheap Scorpion. I found it to be quieter than the Qwest, but the ventilation was inferior. Maybe I need to replace my helmet!

Not sure where in Eastern VA you are, but if you ever come up to Northern VA, you're free to stop by and try out my windscreens. I have a stock windscreen, a cut down stocker, and a Puig double bubble. None are as clean as a true naked bike, but I have to spend too much time above 70 to get anywhere I want to go around here.

 

[raja777m]

I did the same today and it scared me a little.
I feel I'm looking at the end of cliff while riding. And also, the bike felt very light weight by just removing the stock screen.
Any explanation? Did any of you feel the same?

 

[payneib]

Naked is only hard at 85+. Anything up to that, it's a nice steady air flow to lean on. Unless I'm wearing the big furry helmet cover. Then I wish I had a screen.

 

[raja777m]

Naked is only hard at 85+. Anything up to that, it's a nice steady air flow to lean on. Unless I'm wearing the big furry helmet cover. Then I wish I had a screen.

Yup, I'm not going Naked....!Blah