Suzuki V-Strom (VStrom) Owners Club DL250, DL650, DL1000 & DL1050
Oily Rag - Dedicated to Pat, Greywolf. 26/06/45 - 04/06/18 => Screens => Topic started by: sjrainsford on August 07, 2023, 08:43:22
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Morning all
I've got to the point where I'm considering parting ways with my 650, mainly due to the aero. It just doesn't seem to suit me!
I cannot seem to avoid turbulent air and none of the screens I've tried seem to help.
I've got an MRA Vario, Givi Airflow and powerbronze adventure short screen. I've tried numerous packers to alter the angles and the palmer bracket. I just can't seem to make any combination work for me. Even with no screen the air from the bike itself is turbulent and noisy. If I stand up on the footpegs it's lovely and quiet.
Anyone else found this? Particularly on the version 2 650, or Glee as it's known on here. Any suggestions? It's annoying as otherwise an immaculate bike that goes so well after tuning. But it's taken too much of my time being annoyed with it rather than enjoying it.
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Ay up me duck.
Screens? Yes, they can be a pain in the ear hole. And your wallet.
Maybe the bike just doesn't fit you. It happens.
Since purchasing our 650 last year we've done a lot to change the ergonomics and it drives me nuts that manufacturers could help but don't. It's not just Suzuki, they're all the same and offer little adjustability as standard.
But what about your screen?
Why not post your height, screen height and anything else you think is relevant, such as mirror type and extenders etc and see if someone similar has solved the issue.
As you live in the middle of dear old blighty can someone offer you a swap for an hour or so to see if they have a solution that works for you too.
I am tall and sit two inches higher than std, the Loster screen and Puig adjustable flip works OK for me. But other folks solutions only work for them and might be dire for you. I also run std mirrors and Oxford extenders.
I've got nothing else, but if you're passing Northumberland you're welcome to try mine.
I note your other bikes are scooters, have you been cosseted behind a large close fitting screen for too long?
Upt.
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Thanks for the reply Upt
My vespa is the only scoot I own, so haven't got much to compare with. I run that with and without screen depending on the weather.
I'm thinking that the issue mostly is the air coming off the fairing, and therefore between the screen and fairing when a screen is attached. I think it may be coming straight up and hitting me at the helmet level causing the noise. A screen seems to alter it, to be either more noisy or to shake my head around.
One combination I haven't yet tried is the palmer adjustable bracket with the powerbronze short screen. That is now fitted, so will give that a try next. Perhaps see if I can angle it over the clocks so that the air coming up underneath it is aimed lower down my torso away from the helmet.
It's a lot of faff!
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I had a glee some time ago and had all manner of issues with wind, both noise & buffeting. It took several screens, but I eventually got the Givi Airflow to work for me. This took a LOT of fiddling and faffing on to get the right height & angle combo to suit me (6'2" and 'robustly' built...) but when I found screen nirvana it was a thing of beauty. I do remember that the upper screen part of the Givi was literally millimeters from either perfection or loads of wind noise - it was a very small window of bliss (for me).
Good luck with it, I had to sell a new Moto Guzzi V85TT a couple of years ago as it was just too noisy and buffety for me...
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I was the same and the Givi airflow fixed most of it.
What sorted the last elements of buffeting was changing the mirrors. I can’t remember to what but around 2014/15 the ones I chose were all the rage on here. Might have had some word like Rocket in the title.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Ian
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Buffetting is a nightmare everyone is different. I'm 6'2" and on my 2016 Glee I tried various options.
The Givi Airflow at full height I found was quieter but it felt like riding around with a barn door bolted to the front of the bike.
I finally settled for the Suzuki Vario screen bought 2nd hand from Fleabay and also CB125 long stem mirrors which I found slightly better than the BMW/Aprilia ones which I tried previously.
Even went to the extent of fitting a seperate mirror mount for the right mirror so I could position it slightly further out from the screen. (See pic)
If you measure the distance from the bar ends to the bottom of the mirror stalks there's quite a difference, if you get really pernickety you'll find that the angle of the mirror stalks doesn't match from side to side (If your levers are in the factory supplied positions).
Best adjustment of the Vario screen was with it close in to the fairing (2 tap washers out) but this meant on full lock the handguards bashed into the screen.
Hope this is of some help.
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Pretty sure I put Aprilia Tuono mirrors on my 2014 model, which made a big difference over the standard ones. This was coupled with a GIVI Airflow screen which I had on lowest setting unless it was raining. It was superb at motorway speeds.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aprilia-Tuono-1000-V4-R-APRC-2011-2013-Pair-of-Mirrors-Black-OEM-Style-/294773790133?epid=819374086&hash=item44a1e315b5:g:Lq8AAOSw9cBh98hj&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAA4H820ClTC58nAb+H5pjD7yj6Z6DQ2B1n+OUN3X3CbgSTp59GxuDmc/MwQoewRbjhb1p9MgefsN/PBrQG12hWgJ7wM2NBO29GPOA5/dhuqFPvChkckuwse8QaILjRiN3KHZFoT2F4rCQe4WsZYKNHieD5Pv4vQwIew5k32olVewP+VytaFcCoKXWw7EC52UFzwi8thQa3r8NERRzSH1Vtplgdb8btfbgbi00RA/HvuXr/UuXRtIQwUOxL4j1+fgfjbOFDGirym6WX/9I/TS/lFPuAoPAWik18KlHD9ewipqOA%7Ctkp:Bk9SR7yAv6S6Yg&pageci=a1d02cdf-3a34-4e05-b3c3-77667b943726&redirect=mobile
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sjrainsford
I know how you feel,my left ear is shot and noise is the number one problem for me.I found less is more screen wise but if you tried it screenless that will be your quietest ride.
For me the noise is transmitted directly through the ear bones bypassing the drum as a banging noise so not so much wind noise as the turbulence hitting the lid with a crack .
I ended up using a silk balaclava all the time to isolate the lid a bit and the long version of the windjammer,then a long silk scarf wrapped around it.A faff but means I can ride.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302908520223
Also I found that ear wax build up makes it worse,all though that may seem backwards , not if it is the bones in the ear transmitting the noise,bone induction I think it is called.Some headphones work like that.
Anyway best of luck finding a solution,even if it means getting a new bike,....man needs to ride!
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Thanks for all the responses. Looks like screens have been difficult to get right for many on here.
I should point out that I went for the Aprillia mirrors years ago upon recommendation not long after I first got my bike.
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Besides the advice given above, have you investigated other options besides replacement screens, spoilers, mirrors and mirror extenders? Perhaps have a look at where the most bufferig is coming from. Use your hand as a shield to try determine from where the buffeting is coming.
I've read that there have been complaints of wind coming from around sides of the screen, that cause the turbulance. One solution was fitting wind deflectors. This was discussed in https://www.v-strom.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=21591.0 plus on a few threads posted on Stromtroper.
The other cause of turbulance was reported to be coming from the stearing well / fork tunnel. Sometimes a key hole / ignition switch shelf would reduce the buffeting. But I guess that it would depend on how much of the steering well is covered by this key hole shelf. An example of the key hole shelf is: https://www.adventuretech.biz/auxiliary-shelves-main-page.html
Another example of a possible DIY fork tunnel solution, but for the Dl800 de, is shown in reply #2 and #4 of https://www.stromtrooper.com/threads/sand-in-my-eyes.442884/#post-5691067 Perhaps you could rig up something similar to try on your model.
Others have reported that adding a decent sized tank bag also breaks the updraft. Each rider is different in physical build, seating position, etc plus have different tolerances, so just saying, some food for thought...
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Buffeting from the screen can be generated directly as the airflow is pushed aside by the screen creating a low pressure area behind it which sucks the air back onto the rider. That is why some sportsbike screen have vents in the front although it is a little counter intuative.
So it maybe you might consider drilling some holes in it outside of the sightline of course.
The other cause of buffeting is when the airflow pressure is swept into a pressure wave and released at the wrong height / width for your body shape.
You may need a wider or taller, or both, screen. On my strom I used a GIVI airflow and then installed an add on screen to the top of it and it worked quite well for me. One thing I do know is that for a screen to work it will be fugly. Very fugly.
Advice from others should only be acted upon where they are the same height "in the saddle". Which is to say the height of the top of your helmet to the seat. Otherwise what works for them will not work for you.
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You might want to consider this too from Bosnjo
https://www.v-strom.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=21591.0
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I've actually been fiddling with my screen extender as I moved it to clean and haven't got it back in the right spot yet. So far, I can duck slightly and buffeting around the head goes away (a little on the shoulders, but I can live with that). Different mirrors made a big difference too (as well as looking tidier).
The flies seem to splat around the top of my helmet, with none on the visor, which seems to suggest to me that I'm not far off airflow wise. The problem is that I don't wish to extend the screen any higher as I then end up looking through it, rather than over it, so playing with angles instead.
I've also got 10mm spacers on the screen to bike fixings... unsure if this actually makes a difference.
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Thanks again for all of the replies, certainly lots of food for thought there!
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Also try taping short lenghts of wool around the screen to better understand what the airflow is doing.
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Like this?
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:grin:
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.
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OK not wool then. Try strips of a black bin bag.
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I've got a Puig screen and spoiler on my glee and don't have much trouble with buffeting with it in the highest position. I'm 6'2". However I now have the problem that there is too little airflow over my visor, so the rain doesn't clear from my visor at any speed.
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Hi, I tried the Tuono mirrors but they found they didn't make much difference to noise or buffeting. After the garage door dropped and broke one of them, I fitted some Shin Yo Agila universal adjustable mirrors and these made a noticeable difference to noise and turbulence. Well made and rock solid at speed but you have to sit them low towards the bar grips to get the best field of vision and least turbulence.
The other thing I did was cut 100 mm off the top of the screen, mounted on lowest position, which got rid of all the turbulence and noise but turned the bike into more of a naked style. Fine in the summer weather. I'm currently experimenting with an Ali-Express screen deflector on the cut screen which is reducing the wind load on my chest and lower helmet without the buffeting but have yet to find an ideal position a week into the test. Its looks l like I'll end up with the cut screen put on its highest mounting point and then working on the angle /position of the deflector.
Good luck. I hated the buffeting, it was ruining the bike for me but now fixed I love riding it.
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the biggest difference I found on the 2017 650 and a 09 BMW gs before that was a new helmet which fitted better. I went from a hjc 16 to a hjc rpha st. the 16 was a medium size which seemed OK but the rpha is a small which is a tight fit to get over my lugs but is really comfy once on.
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Bit of an update, even though my lovely strom is for sale.
I swapped back to the MRA vario touring screen that I previously had fitted, but made an adjustment to the way it was fitted. I've put it on the lowest mounting point (as I have with all my screens), and then obtained longer bolts and various spacers.
Now I have about 15mm of spacer in the lower two mountings, and 5mm is on the upper two mountings. This angles the screen towards me more, so much so it couldn't actually angle any further without spacing it off the bike further.
This has made a surprising difference. The air is now smooth! I took a spin up the motorway, and it was much improved. Helmet now in clean air.
There's still a little noise from the screen, but it's smooth noise if that makes sense.