Windshields: form vs. function

[cornbiker]

I have had nothing but trouble with windshields since getting my '16 NC earlier this year. It came with a tall/skinny Puig (8910W), I tried a GP Komposit (with and without height increasing brackets) and a CalSci. The GP looks the best but it's a bit too short. I'm running the CalSci right now because it's taller/wider and does well with noise abatement, and not too bad with buffeting. So yes, I figured out the function part!

But it still looks dorky even after I made a cosmetic modification to the lower edge. I'm either going to have to cut it up more or figure out something that looks better that doesn't look bad (to me). I like the NC but the front end of this bike is just difficult to make look good (again, to me). I've looked and looked and nothing moves the needle and I'd like to avoid using a top mount visor on a better looking windshield.

I was seriously thinking of getting a different bike because of this the other day lol!

 

[the Ferret]

In my opinion the stock shield looks the best ( probably why they are sold with that shield), but performs the worst. Its too tall for hot weather and too short for trips or cold weather, hence I have 3 shields.. the stock shield for resale when I eventually get rid of the bike. A cut down stock shield for the heat of the summer, and a Givi touring shield for trips and cold weather (which I am currently running). Luckily on the 2021 there are just 4 allen bolts holding the shield on with well nuts that remain on the shield bracket, and working slowly it can be changed from one shield to another in about 5 mins by even a non mechanical guy like me.

Height of different shields.. cut down stock shield for summer on left, stock center, touring and cold weather shield on right

If you want a still air pocket, the larger the shield the better, as far as function goes. But they can look absurdly out of proportion to the bike.

 

[T.S.Zarathustra]

The750X would look good with a Vetter Windjammer.

 

[670cc]

The750X would look good with a Vetter Windjammer.

Nah. The Vetter Quicksilver would look better on late model NCXs.

 

[dduelin]

The Madstad is a relatively small shield and yet has a nice quiet pocket of wind protection. It is definitely a function over form upgrade.

 

[cornbiker]

No sooner had I posted this that I decided to brainstorm on the CalSchi, and looking at Ferret's windscreens (helpful - thanks ) I noticed that the bottoms of his are more pointy....as is the GP Kompozit that I liked. It made me think that when I reshaped my bottom edge before I didn't consider matching the upper lines of the 'V' shape of the headlight. So I went ahead and did that today w/ the help of cornbiker jr. in-between his shenanigans and ladybug hunts in the backyard.

Here are some pics of how this progressed from stock to today. Is it better? I think it improved the looks, but won't really be able to function test it until maybe Friday or next week at the earliest. My only concern is by making the gap on the bottom a bit larger might have had negative consequences....dun dun dun

 

[670cc]

No sooner had I posted this that I decided to brainstorm on the CalSchi, and looking at Ferret's windscreens (helpful - thanks ) I noticed that the bottoms of his are more pointy....as is the GP Kompozit that I liked. It made me think that when I reshaped my bottom edge before I didn't consider matching the upper lines of the 'V' shape of the headlight. So I went ahead and did that today w/ the help of cornbiker jr. in-between his shenanigans and ladybug hunts in the backyard.

Here are some pics of how this progressed from stock to today. Is it better? I think it improved the looks, but won't really be able to function test it until maybe Friday or next week at the earliest. My only concern is by making the gap on the bottom a bit larger might have had negative consequences....dun dun dun

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My first reaction is . . Uh-oh. I had much trouble with my V shaped “sport” Madstad (like your final product) allowing air to come from below and at the low corners, and allowing buffeting and noise to reach my upper chest/neck. There was an alternate Madstad “adventurer“ screen that had the low extensions as on you premodified screen. I had a chance to try it on a second NC I had bought, and it was quieter.

My Madstad‘s bottom shape is just like yours, and I had to lower it significantly to keep air from coming in underneath. My screen bottom now is just near the top of the headlight lens.

To summarize, I hope you didn’t destroy some function in your apparent attempt to improve looks. I hope your function test goes well.

 

[cornbiker]

I had already shaved a bit off the wings at first, and today was the 2nd time the bottom edge has been under the knife. If it doesn't pass muster, I'll try the GP again (nobody has bought it) with the 2" raising brackets and maybe add a top mount deflector/visor.

I'll update the post with my findings soon.

 

[ST13Fred]

The only important airflow is that OVER the top of the shield, thus OVER the helmet.
A clear shield will not detract from the look of the OEM bike.
I set the (tall) shield height to 1 1/2 car length ahead under normal sitting position.
I've owned several Parabellum shields over the years on several bikes.

A gentleman on the Blue Ridge Parkway years ago told me he went down when his very tall shield suddenly fogged up.
One always needs to scan the road surface in the tire track. A shield fogging up becomes very dangerous, no matter the size.

 

[cornbiker]

*Sad trombone*

To no one's surprise, reshaping the lower edge to be more cool-looking & pointy resulted in more air/buffeting/noise to the upper chest and neck as @670cc predicted. Today's temps were in the mid/upper 50's and on the highway it was, you guessed it, not great. Top-side airflow over the helmet was still ok, seeing how I didn't alter that. This windshield is the CalSci Sport 22" (their tallest is 24.5"). If I was only riding around town or back roads below 45-50 mph in 60+ temps I could live with it.

So, I put the GP Kompozit back on, but I am not using the 2" raising brackets this time because the gap that they left at the bottom is about the same as the modified CalSci gap above. The GP is 4.5" inches shorter than the CalSci though, so I threw $25 at a top mount extender/deflection visor that will add upwards of 6-7 inches on top once installed. Will it work? What will cornbiker to with his cool-looking but fairly non-performing former windshield? Stay tuned, film at 11!

Thanks for tagging along w/ Adventures In Wasting Money ©

 

[mzflorida]

The only important airflow is that OVER the top of the shield and OVER the helmet.
A clear shield will not detract from the look of the OEM bike.
I set the (tall) shield height to 1 1/2 car length ahead.
I've owned several Parabellum shields over the years on several bikes.

Agreed, for the most part. I think it depends on how one defines important. On my C400GT the stock screen wraps air around the sides and into the rider. It also drives rain from the screen to the back of the mirrors which is then caught in the stream and directed toward the torso of the rider. The front facing leading lower edge of a windscreen contributes to the barometric pressure between the rider and the rider facing surface of the screen. That pressure is a contributor to how air flows over the top of the screen and where the flow over the screen is directed. Low pressure and the air over the top lowers its path. High pressure and the air over the top raises. Vented screens perform differently.

 

[670cc]

The only important airflow is that OVER the top of the shield and OVER the helmet.
A clear shield will not detract from the look of the OEM bike.
I set the (tall) shield height to 1 1/2 car length ahead.
I've owned several Parabellum shields over the years on several bikes.

If you’re speaking for everyone, not just you, I think my long term experience and perhaps cornbiker’s recent experience would disagree. I have had experince with more than one windscreen where air flow from the bottom or sides of the screen played a large role in the screens effectiveness. There is also a case with the NC where the mirrors and or hand guards can redirect and influence wind at the neck and torso. For me, it is definitely not all about airflow OVER the top.

 

[the Ferret]

I think the NC has a ton of air behind the screen that comes up thru the fairing tunnel, and hits you in the chest and neck.. You can stick an ungloved hand out there and feel it coming up from below. Especially noticeable if you ride in sub 40 degree temps.

 

[cornbiker]

I think the NC has a ton of air behind the screen that comes up thru the fairing tunnel

Now I know why the Madstad and CalSci etc. have their jagged bottom edge design. It's effective I guess but it's an aesthetic compromise. The NC feels like a pretty windy bike in general too. It leaves me puzzled about the design choices Honda made.

There's another one called the V-Stream something but is only made for '12-15 models. Other than that, I could start over with a fresh CalSci and make some better alterations. I'll need to see how the GP + extender combo shakes out next week first.

 

[dduelin]

Not all Madstad screens have the dropped lower corners. Perusing their website shows a variety of shapes and the original NC700X system offered two templates, the smaller rounded corner Sport and larger angular Explorer. I’ve had both and in the southern climate I live in I prefer the Sport. It’s seemingly just as quiet and flows more air to keep a modular or full face helmet clear of fogging. The original base was different though and probably smooths the airflow up the backside better than latter models without the aluminum base. On my ‘15 I fabricated a plastic piece to force air up into the slot and smooth the flow over the back of the instrument pod In a way similar to the original base.

 

[cornbiker]

I only see one shape available for a '16-20 on Madstad's site unless I'm blind. And they only make them with a frosted lower half too, both negatives to me. Whatever, I wasn't really interested in their product anyway. I think what I want and what actually will work are at odds. Curses, form v. function!

 

[MZ5]

There's another one called the V-Stream something but is only made for '12-15 models.

Those focus reflected sunlight on your dash and melt it. Take care for that if you install one.

 

[dduelin]

No sooner had I posted this that I decided to brainstorm on the CalSchi, and looking at Ferret's windscreens (helpful - thanks ) I noticed that the bottoms of his are more pointy....as is the GP Kompozit that I liked. It made me think that when I reshaped my bottom edge before I didn't consider matching the upper lines of the 'V' shape of the headlight. So I went ahead and did that today w/ the help of cornbiker jr. in-between his shenanigans and ladybug hunts in the backyard.

Here are some pics of how this progressed from stock to today. Is it better? I think it improved the looks, but won't really be able to function test it until maybe Friday or next week at the earliest. My only concern is by making the gap on the bottom a bit larger might have had negative consequences....dun dun dun

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Have you ridden fully faired touring or sport touring bikes? I am kind of wondering if the unicorn windshield for the NC exists without incorporating additional wind management that a full fairing can provide. I believe my NC with a really good windshield is a very quiet bike for what it is and what I have added to it but it's not like a bike with extensive wind protection ie., faired mirrors, headlights, instruments, engine, etc. The bikes below have relatively modest windshields but progressively more streamlining from fairings. All allow some to significant air flow under the bottom of the screen. I think what provides smooth quiet air on the NC is a way to reduce a large low pressure area behind the screen. It is low pressure on the back side that promotes turbulence spilling off the sides and corners and the turbulence impacts the helmet and upper body. On the 2015 I made a small fairing to guide air coming up the lower edge smoothly over the back of the NC's instrument pod. I was trying to replicate the original Madstad base that I have on the 2013.

 

[cornbiker]

I think more experimentation is needed, at least for me in the typical sense of making the bike fit an individual more to their liking. I've played around with only a couple of options/combinations so far, and there really isn't much more that is commercially available. I never had the OEM windshield(s) to know what the baseline was, though internet hearsay tells me they we inadequate.

The GIVI and a few others look decent, but I think they are not tall enough like the Madstad and CalSci offerings. The 22” tall CalSci seems about the minimum needed for my height. The other trick is dealing w/ the lower/side airflow while not making it look too ungainly.

 

[cornbiker]

Update - I thought I'd have my top extension in hand by now but it seems to be tied up in LA for some reason. So I only had the GP Kompozit without it for a ride out to lunch today. Temps were in the low 60s at the start, but the route went uphill a bit and it was very shady, so realistically it was more in the 50s and felt like it dropped into the 40s at times (micro climates). The GP does pretty well with no air/buffetting coming from the bottom and bottom sides. It's definitely not tall enough for my height, it being almost 19" tall compared to the CalSci 22" - it's crazy how much a 3 inch difference makes, the GP lets more air hit my helmet so it's louder obviously. I think it's a bit weaker too as far as letting L/R side air flow in, but my perception might be off. The next update will be whenever I can go ride with the extension installed, whenever it decides to show up.

Old pic of it