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First impressions: new Madstad 20" windshield

Drilling Question

I don't know how Madstad is mounting the shields on the new brackets, but on the old ones they consistently mounted the shields too high, IMO. I ordered my 20 inch shield un-drilled and mounted it 1 3/4 inches lower than Madstad would have done. I look over the shield at the low position. All the air blows over the top of my helmet.

So, if you decide to go to a 22 inch, you might drill it 2 inches higher, so the shield sits 2 inches lower. This will give you the same upper coverage but close off that bottom gap that directs wind at your neck. Even if you mount it lower than stock, you'll still have plenty of height if/when you raise it on the sliding brackets

For someone who knows zilch about drilling, exactly what tool do you use to drill these holes? With the 20" screen, mine is in the lowest position but I would like to lower it 1 more inch...maybe I should've gotten the 18".
 
Carefully consider potential problems before lowering a Madstad windshield with new holes drilled higher than normal. My experience: (I'm 6'0" with 32" inseam.) I ordered and installed the 20" light gray. The bottom air flow bothered me a bit, so I asked Madstad to replace the 20" with a 22" pre-drilled by them 1" higher for 1" lower position on the brackets. (They shipped the replacement first, thankfully, so I could use the same shipping box.) GLARE from the headlight on the bottom third of the 22" was BAD. Madstad did me a favor by allowing me to return the pre-drilled 22". I ate the to/from shipping costs. I've since dialed in the perfect tilt/height of the 20", and I'm a happy rider.
 
Carefully consider potential problems before lowering a Madstad windshield with new holes drilled higher than normal. My experience: (I'm 6'0" with 32" inseam.) I ordered and installed the 20" light gray. The bottom air flow bothered me a bit, so I asked Madstad to replace the 20" with a 22" pre-drilled by them 1" higher for 1" lower position on the brackets. (They shipped the replacement first, thankfully, so I could use the same shipping box.) GLARE from the headlight on the bottom third of the 22" was BAD. Madstad did me a favor by allowing me to return the pre-drilled 22". I ate the to/from shipping costs. I've since dialed in the perfect tilt/height of the 20", and I'm a happy rider.

Thanks for the answer! So, now you still have the 20"...what position do you have it in?
 
See photo below: For my delicate sensibilities (I prefer the least wind noise and buffeting), I have my 20" Madstad adjusted to low height and (top) tilted forward. This -- plus my Sargent saddle -- makes riding long distances ALMOST as comfy as my '07 GL1800 was.

Lees-Madstad-090617-down-and-tilted-forward.jpg
 
Great info here concerning height but what about shade. Is the light gray better than clear and if soo...why?
 
The light gray tint reduces glare a bit, while still maintaining excellent see-through of the road directly in front of the bike. I never considered clear. Madstad says light gray is the most popular choice also. (I've seen photos of the dark gray version... it looks like your bike's been covered with a huge Hefty leaf bag. :cool:)
 
Windscreen Height.......

Folks,

Cardboard. Brown, cheap, and everywhere. Has anyone considering a taller windscreen just put a little cardboard on your windscreen with some binder clips? If I were to do this I would put some painters tape on both the inner and outersides of your existing windscreen so as not to damage it.

Angle. Someone mentioned being not sure about the angle and I just wanted to mention that many bubble apps also include an angle sensor, meaning you can just put your phone against the windscreen
to see the angle.


Slo_Rider
 
After much experimentation I settled on an angle but I'm not completely convinced it's the absolute optimal. What is everyone's preferred angle?

Also I've found that most of my buffeting came from the sides and under the the windshield. If I could do it over again I would order a wider and maybe longer one and mount it low enough to see through. With the Rox risers the extra width wouldn't be a problem.
 
For those worried about glare, I had it too.
My solution was to lightly sand the edges of the screen.
They were originally a very nice, highly polished finish that caused glare.
Now the edges are a rather decent, ground finish that has no glare whatsoever.
 
After much experimentation I settled on an angle but I'm not completely convinced it's the absolute optimal. What is everyone's preferred angle? Also I've found that most of my buffeting came from the sides and under the the windshield. If I could do it over again I would order a wider and maybe longer one and mount it low enough to see through. With the Rox risers the extra width wouldn't be a problem.

MiG: Per my photo earlier in this thread, I have my 20" Madstad all the way down and tilted with top furthest toward rider. Ideal angle will depend on rider's torso length and riding position. I don't use risers. I'm 6'0", 32" inseam.
 
I change my angle depending on the riding season. Mine is a bit different also with the "S" model. In the winter I have the shield all the way up and angled away from the rider. In the Summer all the way down and angled towards the rider. Winter to block airflow and Summer to increase.
 
In the lowest position my Madstad gets some glare from the headlight. It is tinted, so the glare is not terrible, but it is there.
I wonder if those of you who are lowering it have ridden at night.
 
Yes, the Madstad on my NC700X and Africa Twin both have a little glare at night.

I thought about costing the bottom of the screen with flat black PlastiDip but haven't gotten around to it

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk
 
In the lowest position my Madstad gets some glare from the headlight. It is tinted, so the glare is not terrible, but it is there.
I wonder if those of you who are lowering it have ridden at night.
Yes, I ride at night, sometimes all night on IBA rides. At first I taped off the lower 1/3rd of the shield to reduce the glare but I only did that once. I got used to it and haven't since bothered with the tape. I recall that some owners painted the inside of the lower part with flat black paint.
 
I had a similar issue w/glare on my Vstream...Painted the lower 1/3 of the screen (from the inside) using a satin black. Problem solved. By painting the inside of the screen no worries about chips in the paint.

IMG_2517-XL.jpg
 
Just reading this as I am looking at loads of stuff in preparation for picking my bike up in March. I notice no one has mentioned the fact that buffeting and noise vary so much with shape and position of the rider nor the fact that your helmet and jacket can make it different. There is no cure all for wind noise. I tried all sorts with my Triumph Tiger Explorer in the UK including mounting the screen on a different set of adjusters to give more adjustment. In truth nothing stopped the noise which I noticed had got worse since changing my jacket. So really the fact that you are X tall with a Y in seam and weigh Z has no correlation to another rider of the same build and height as the variables of seating position, clothing and helmet are still there.

Of course I have as yet to find out just what the ride is like with the standard screen so may still in the coming weeks be pulling my hair out trying all sorts of things to alleviate noise.
 
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