Karen627

That one should be about perfect for you, I did not have the same brand of windsheild on my S40; but it is 16" above the headlight. I don't know what kind of helmet you are wearing and what your normal cruising speed is  ???

Here is what I experienced after the windshield installed:

- bike is more stable at speed above 55 mph
- no wind pressure on the chest = more relax ride at high speed  
- however lots of wind buffering noise (earplugs will take care of that problem)
- depend on the angle of the windshield, my full face helmet shaked a lot = blurred vision(I wear glasses)

But if you adjust the windshield so that you will be at the sweet spot of the buffering zone, you will have one great add-on to your bike.

I wished that you post this thread 1 week ago; I would buy that windshield (nice looking one )

SavageDude

I agree.  Im not really into windscreens and ect.  Honestly, when I go really fast(75+), my bike feels kinda squirrely and wind isnt the problem.  Besides I never wanted to be in an old Chips episode, even tho I love the theme song.  

Yeah, I have to agree that the bike looks better without a windshield but I like mine.  In my opinion, a properly adjusted windshield actually improves the handling by making the combination of rider and bike more aerodynamic.  It also reduces rider fatigue on longer rides.  Though it has the drawback of decreasing the cooling factor of the breeze in summer it also has the advantage of doing the same in winter.

My wife had the Pop Top, I think. Looked like that or the Big Shot, blue gradient. She liked it. I'llask her to shoot you her opinions on it.

I can't stand riding with a windshield. I even pulled off the shield on my GS750T fairing.

The way I tend to ride, the bike behaves better without a windshield. Make double sure that shield is on perfectly straight. Crooked shields have a tendency to induce a hyper-violent headshake at highway speeds. And if the MSF instructors forgot to mention it, headshake or "tank slapping" by the bars at speed will most likely cause you to crash if you don't recognize what is going to take place and slow down ASAFP.
-WD

I will agree that it gets unstable with an improperly mounted shield and it's likely worse as the shield gets larger.  As it is, mine's mounted right and is a small/medium NC shield.  Seems to work for me anyway.  Between the windshield and the trunk, I have definitely opted for utility over aesthetics on my Savage at this point.

This is the pic from the NationalCycle site but I'm pretty sure this is the shield I have.  It mounts only to the fork tubes but is pretty sturdy.



Sluggo is definitely right about diversity in the group.  I like mine and ride with it more often than not but take it off sometimes.  It takes me one allen wrench and about 10 minutes (most of which is spent getting it centered and aligned just right before tightening) to put it on; the same allen wrench and maybe 2 minutes to remove.

Believe me, you'll notice it. Tank slap or headshake is a condition where the front end starts a side to side oscillation. If you don't get off the throttle RIGHT THEN, the bars will start to whip back and forth, close to or into the tank. At that point, start praying, you WILL crash. Usually within seconds.

Any attempt by the bike to pull from side to side means something is big time wrong. STOP. Could just be you picked up a nail in the front tire. Could be the steering stem bearings going south on you. Could be lousy pavement or a loose shield. You can't tell while you are rolling. Close the throttle and pull off the road. Use the REAR brake ONLY in case the front end is messed up. Forget the niceties like signals, get off the road and figure out what is wrong.

Watch a GP motorcycle race sometime. The bikes that highside and crash tend to tank slap before or during the wreck.
-WD