Coyote Chris
Site Supporter
Tried out two different wind screens on my XT today.
OK, I have done a preliminary test of the Madstad vs the Givi Airflow. Once the correct tools are layed out, the swap takes about 10-15 minutes. Going from the Givi (G) to the Madstad (M), my first impression before riding was that for some reason the G looks like it was designed for the lines of the bike, whereas the M looks like it would be more in place on a sport touring bike. No matter. The M is a quality piece and is designed well. There are problems with the instructions but not enough to cause much grief. But one wonders is anyone has someone read them before they are printed. Be advised there IS no flat washer as mentioned in the first paragraph to mount the frames to the XT brackets. Also, when mounting the screen, they mention "hard" vs "Soft" gaskets and one must go here and one there. Also, they show them as the same size even though they are different sizes. I could detect no texture difference and put them on in the order THEY put them on the screen mounting screws.
The range of adjustment on the 22" screen I bought for my slim 6 ft 2 in frame is amazing.
Once underway at 50 mph, there was noticed a problem with the M on this bike. If you look at the pics, the beak and the M form a duct that funnels air between the two and up to blast on the rider. Perhaps blast is too strong a word but the force is there. You can see this duct on the pics. Fortunately, the shape of the duct can be changed by putting the screen in a more upright position, all but eliminating the blast. Much like a P- 51 Mustang Meredith effect radiator, the inlet is now made smaller, letting in less air but perhaps at higher velocity. The air's speed then slows down as it expands into the now bigger volume behind the screen. In this position, there is absolutly more protection from the wind with the M than with the G. You notice this on the arms and shoulders, side to side. This is not surprising as the M screen is obviously wider than the G. And less complex aerodynamically speaking. Neither screen makes what I would call annoying turbulant air. If function over form is what you want, then you NEED the M. The clarity of the M is amazing, but I dont look through screens. I look over them.
Since I can configure my Modular LS2 FF399 Helmet "on the fly" for open face, Full closed, Shield open or closed, sun shield open or closed, I will say that if you are like a helmet that is closed up, either the M or G will be fine. You will notice a bit more blast on the shoulders and upper arms with the G. It would be loads of fun to take this bike and screens to a wind tunnel with injected smoke and see how they perform.
All this is just first impressions and I will continue to change them back and forth upon occasion. I would like to test them in a cross wind, in the rain, etc. AND the big one...longer distances and higher speeds. Today I just went 65 mph. Much experimentation to do but right now I would say both screens are quality and perform well.
OK, I have done a preliminary test of the Madstad vs the Givi Airflow. Once the correct tools are layed out, the swap takes about 10-15 minutes. Going from the Givi (G) to the Madstad (M), my first impression before riding was that for some reason the G looks like it was designed for the lines of the bike, whereas the M looks like it would be more in place on a sport touring bike. No matter. The M is a quality piece and is designed well. There are problems with the instructions but not enough to cause much grief. But one wonders is anyone has someone read them before they are printed. Be advised there IS no flat washer as mentioned in the first paragraph to mount the frames to the XT brackets. Also, when mounting the screen, they mention "hard" vs "Soft" gaskets and one must go here and one there. Also, they show them as the same size even though they are different sizes. I could detect no texture difference and put them on in the order THEY put them on the screen mounting screws.
The range of adjustment on the 22" screen I bought for my slim 6 ft 2 in frame is amazing.
Once underway at 50 mph, there was noticed a problem with the M on this bike. If you look at the pics, the beak and the M form a duct that funnels air between the two and up to blast on the rider. Perhaps blast is too strong a word but the force is there. You can see this duct on the pics. Fortunately, the shape of the duct can be changed by putting the screen in a more upright position, all but eliminating the blast. Much like a P- 51 Mustang Meredith effect radiator, the inlet is now made smaller, letting in less air but perhaps at higher velocity. The air's speed then slows down as it expands into the now bigger volume behind the screen. In this position, there is absolutly more protection from the wind with the M than with the G. You notice this on the arms and shoulders, side to side. This is not surprising as the M screen is obviously wider than the G. And less complex aerodynamically speaking. Neither screen makes what I would call annoying turbulant air. If function over form is what you want, then you NEED the M. The clarity of the M is amazing, but I dont look through screens. I look over them.
Since I can configure my Modular LS2 FF399 Helmet "on the fly" for open face, Full closed, Shield open or closed, sun shield open or closed, I will say that if you are like a helmet that is closed up, either the M or G will be fine. You will notice a bit more blast on the shoulders and upper arms with the G. It would be loads of fun to take this bike and screens to a wind tunnel with injected smoke and see how they perform.
All this is just first impressions and I will continue to change them back and forth upon occasion. I would like to test them in a cross wind, in the rain, etc. AND the big one...longer distances and higher speeds. Today I just went 65 mph. Much experimentation to do but right now I would say both screens are quality and perform well.
