End of my rope: unbearable noise and/or turbulence

[rider33]

Wider windscreens work better, which is one of the secrets to why the Parabellum screens are liked.


I think there may be some truth in that. With the Parabellum tall and the Madstad bracket I can get the screen well above my line of sight if I so chose. The noise I still get at that point is wind direction dependent and seems to be coming from the sides, why I tried the Yamaha winglets tho the seem to be too low. On the other ST (1300) it would not hit dead silent until the screen was fully up which also put the width up as it was fairly tapered. Somebody somewhere in one of the screen threads posted a chart that had widths of various screens, the Parabellum was the widest as I recall, The deeper mysteries of this is that like seats and bars, everybody's different. I'm 6'2" but most of that is in the torso, I also have a pumpkin head (3XL). What works for me may not work for you. I would say tho and I order of important on various bikes including several dual sports this seem to be the key for me:

1. height matters (just below line of sight being best)
2. adjustablity matters (temp/wind direction/rain etc all impact what you need at a given point)
3. width matters (if the screen is a lot narrower than you are odds are you will get some noise depending on the conditions)
4. how far back you sit matters (the pocket if there is one is only so big)

 

[spinalator]

Stateside, there is also the ERMAX Clip n' Flip. At least one of the vendors sells it, in Canada, I bought one from motorcycleinnovations. I bought one, but have not used it yet, but others have said they like it for touring.

 

[HBLQRider]

I've posted this before: I'm 6'7" and I have found that the Madstad Bracket, CalSci wild wings, and the tallest Parabellum make a huge difference for me. If you're not as tall as me I really feel like the quality of the CalSci screens is better than the Parabellum.

For hot weather I run the same set up but with the short Parabellum (for my 2013 the Parabellum screen is wider than the CalSci).

Hope this helps.

 

[Jabba]

I sit tall- cause I have a long torso. 6'1 and just a 30" inseam.....so we are close to the same seated height. I've been dealing with buffeting on Adv bikes for a long time and I've learned a few things.

First- Windshield angle and gap below the windshield play a big role. Because these bikes place the windshield far from your head, you need more air entering beneath the screen (in front) to reduce the vacuum behind it, and as relatively low angle to the screen so the air "flows". That's where the Madstad bracket is a plus- height AND angle help here.

Next is clean air flow around handguards and mirrors. The Yamaha wind wings help with this- making the edges of your calm bubble smoother.

Finally- your helmet plays a bigger role than you might think. Best I've ever found- and it made a big difference- was a Shoei X11 race helmet. I now run a Shoei Neotec and it's pretty good for a flip up. I view it as a compromise- a little more noise for a lot more convenience. These "Adv" style helmets that are so popular now are horrible at handling noise- more so if you sit tall in the saddle like we do.

My recipe (and mine is a 2014 with a different mount- but you could make it work with a little effort) is as follows:

Madstad bracket
Puig touring screen (tall)
Yamaha wind wings
Shoei helmet
Foam earplugs
OEM handguards and mirrors
Ebay Chinese mirror extenders

That recipe has provided me with the best airflow of any of the 5 ADV bikes I've owned. It's pretty dang good- but it was never meant to be a Goldwing. Don't the best you can- and appreciate the times it let's you go where a Goldwing can't. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[dietDrThunder]

It's not that hard. Lower the windshield, level with your nipples and you get clean smooth air on your helmet. I'm using that now with the warmer temps.

Or, raise it, level with the tip of your nose or mouth and the air will go over your helmet, smooth and relatively quiet.

Anything in-between and you get buffeting and noise.

But I've found the perfect way to get in a nice calm pocket of air..........................................................DRIVE A CAR!!!!
::002::

Ok, so no, the air-at-nipples thing is not universal. If it weren't that hard I wouldn't have posted, and there wouldn't be literally hundreds of aftermarket options for what is mostly a not-very-popular or big-selling bike.

Thanks for your constructive input though.

 

[dietDrThunder]

I haven't seen this mentioned in this thread, but I have the X-creen deflector (I think I got it from Revzilla or Twisted Throttle) on my '13 S10. I'm 6'1 and wear a Shoei Neotec modular helmet with earplugs. I don't know if it's my height, but I find the set up to be perfect from a noise/wind/buffeting standpoint. The X-creek adjusts to point the airflow up at an angle that really—for me at least—minimizes anything unpleasant. But FWIW, I don't think a big tall dual sport is or ever will be a Goldwing. Or similarly purpose-built highway lounger. This, from a guy who refers to himself as "Adventurelounger." I'm all in for comfort...somehow, with the X-creen, heated grips, and an Alaska sheepskin seat cover, and perhaps my size, I've managed to really attain it. Here's a snap of my screen:

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Did someone say something about wanting the S10 to be a Gold Wing? All I want is to either a) not have my head chake so much that I can't read highway signs, or b) enough of a noise reduction such that my -32db earplugs are enough to make my ears not ring after 30 min on the freeway (which is the case right now).

I ordered a Madstad mount, and I'm gonna get one of those wings...thanks for the reply.

 

[dietDrThunder]

At 6'3" with a 32" inseam, you must have a pretty long torso. Any windscreen or deflector is also going to need to be super tall. You noted that you are not trying to re-create a Goldwing, just kill the buffet.

So start the other way and take a ride without any windscreen.


My guess is that like with an unfaired bike, your head will be in smooth air. Get some heavy cardboard and start making windscreens of increasing height till you find the height which breaks the wind a few inches below your helmet, leaving your helmet in smooth air. Be careful to match the bottom of the cardboard to the stock windscreen, as the air coming underneath is a big factor in flow.


Couple of other thoughts:
Wider windscreens work better, which is one of the secrets to why the Parabellum screens are liked.
We've had people make a baffle to block air coming up from the forks and say the they got some improvement.

I've actually done the no-screen thing, and predictably it's a fine 0 protection/clean air situation. I may very well end up with some sort of tiny fly screen that I make in my garage. Not optimal for a LDR touring bike, but neither is a migraine.

 

[dietDrThunder]

I sit tall- cause I have a long torso. 6'1 and just a 30" inseam.....so we are close to the same seated height. I've been dealing with buffeting on Adv bikes for a long time and I've learned a few things.

First- Windshield angle and gap below the windshield play a big role. Because these bikes place the windshield far from your head, you need more air entering beneath the screen (in front) to reduce the vacuum behind it, and as relatively low angle to the screen so the air "flows". That's where the Madstad bracket is a plus- height AND angle help here.

Next is clean air flow around handguards and mirrors. The Yamaha wind wings help with this- making the edges of your calm bubble smoother.

Finally- your helmet plays a bigger role than you might think. Best I've ever found- and it made a big difference- was a Shoei X11 race helmet. I now run a Shoei Neotec and it's pretty good for a flip up. I view it as a compromise- a little more noise for a lot more convenience. These "Adv" style helmets that are so popular now are horrible at handling noise- more so if you sit tall in the saddle like we do.

My recipe (and mine is a 2014 with a different mount- but you could make it work with a little effort) is as follows:

Madstad bracket
Puig touring screen (tall)
Yamaha wind wings
Shoei helmet
Foam earplugs
OEM handguards and mirrors
Ebay Chinese mirror extenders

That recipe has provided me with the best airflow of any of the 5 ADV bikes I've owned. It's pretty dang good- but it was never meant to be a Goldwing. Don't the best you can- and appreciate the times it let's you go where a Goldwing can't. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

FFS I'm not trying to re-create a Gold Wing! Why does everyone keep saying that?

I have the Touratech mount- no vacuum going on. I'm looking at a similar setup to what you have as a next step. Thanks for the details on your stuff.

---

I thought I posted this somewhere, but I dont' see it...so: Here is some perspective:

I have road raced at Road Atlanta in endurance racing, on a bike with a wide-open ear-splitting exhaust, that exceeded 160moh every lap down the long back straight, for 70 minutes stints at a time. Using the same earplugs and a noisier helmet, I never had my ears ring once, ever, as the result of track riding. Yesterday, I rode with a quieter helmet and the same ear plugs for 40 min on the freeway at about 75, and my ears rang for 6 hours afterwards. I don't think it's unreasonable for me to think that I should be able to at least come close to the relatively tolerable amount of noise I experienced going 160 on an open-pipe race bike as I do on my touring bike.

 

[Jabba]

Take a breath dude- I didn't say you wanted a Goldwing. It's called analogy~

If the bracket doesn't allow the screen to lean back far enough, or let enough air beneath the front lip- you get a vacuum. I believe the Madstad gives more adjustability than the Touratech- so you should see some progress with that change.

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[CentralCal]

Feel your pain jabba. The Tenere is my first bike with a shield. Rode street bikes without them without issues. But the buffeting made the rocks in my head rattle. Lots of crosswinds where I ride. Many threads on here about it but everyone's different. I think a lot of people here have more than a few windshields that they tried sitting in their garage.
I was lucky, found my match on the first try. The winglets made a huge difference then added a 21" VStream the bike is perfect now. Top of the screen is about my nose level.
Hang in there and good luck. Hope you can find your setup without too many tries. Then you can ::021::

 

[silvergoose]

Diet, I did not read, or if I did it did not stick, but what type of helmet are you wearing? Modular, open face or full face. I am 6'1'' with a 32 in inseam, I have found a product from Russia that has greatly reduced the buffing. It is a laminar lip, Tour tech has on and I am sure only makers are out there. The lip clamps to the existing shield and can be adjusted for height. I have found a sweet spot and the change is outstanding. Touratech wants more than $200.00 mwhile the Russian unit,on ebay, is less that $60.00. The quality is very good and shipment was on the order of 10 days. It is cheaper than a new shield and is adjustable.

It works for me maybe for you.

Good Luck

 

[Don in Lodi]

6'3", you need at least a 24" windscreen to tame the air around your helmet. That's like 24.5" up from the dip between the headlamps. How much noise do you get when you stand and put your head into a smooth airstream? You can either go ultra short and have your face in clean air flow, subject to turbulence when in traffic, or you can go high, usually only high enough that you can still see over the top, at least for most folks. A Madstadt and a 22-24" shield should be awesome. I'm using the Touratech and a 24" CalSci. I can see over the top at 6"2", 32" inseam. The CalSci is going on 5 years old, looking at CeeBailey's 22", it's got a slight flip that should add some 'height', and let me see more over the top.

 

[itlives]

I have the stock touring screen with a Givi spoiler. If there's no side wind and no traffic, it is very doable for me at 6'2" & 34" inseam.
I sympathize with you , when I first started riding again after a 30+ year absence, the wind noise almost made me quit. I didn't get ringing though. I'm wondering if you may have accumulated ear damage after all the years and other riding you've done ?

 

[rider33]

what ever the reason, if you are wearing ear plugs and a full face helmet and are still getting ringing something is very, very wrong in your set up. Airflow is weird and influenced by a lot of things but while many of us may bitch about it, I doubt many have experienced the problem you seem to be having. My guess is a Madstat with a much taller screen will significantly improve things. What ever you do, don't ignore ringing. Ears can be damages and once they are they cannot be fixed, ask Pete Townshend.

http://www.livescience.com/522-sound-science-pete-townshend-blames-headphones-hearing-loss.html

 

[yoyo]

I suffer from tinnitus after riding for a few years without plugs (I know I was silly) nothing worse than waking in the early hours just to lay there and listen to the noise in your ears keeping you awake, hope you get it sorted soon.

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[Theov39]

Check you HELMET too. I have a very good Shoei helmet that was missing a small rubber plug in the screen leaving a tiny round hole. That made an enormous amount of whistling noise which i fixed with a tiny piece o sticky tape!!

Generally I found it is better to have the screen height low so the air hits your chest rather then your head.

 

[Nissbird]

I have a givi airflow in high position stock mount and could not be happier.6 7" 36" inseam.Nice pocket of air.S10 is also a 2012.

+1 on the Givi Airflow

 

[Kox]

I also bought the Russian spoiler.
For me it worked miracles. On my first ride after i mounted it, I heard a strange noise, it took me several minutes until I figured out that I'm was able to hear the motor at cruising speeds
I had a lot of buffeting and noise before. After a days ride I was very tired mentally. I still have a little noise, but the buffeting is gone. Only in hard winds from 10 and 2 o'clock there is a little buffeting.
I LOVE it. The best 40 bucks I ever spent. True, it doesn't look like a million. But the screen is clear. I have a set of both his new and old brackets. The new model is in much better finish, however, not perfect.

2010 S10 standard screen. 6"4 36 inseam. Seat high position. Happy camper!

 

[Kox]

BTW. I referred to this post when I ordered my spoiler: http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=18184.0 He makes the screens different sizes, he'll know which size from the picture in the first post. I think mine is 320mm by 150mm

 

[dietDrThunder]

what ever the reason, if you are wearing ear plugs and a full face helmet and are still getting ringing something is very, very wrong in your set up. Airflow is weird and influenced by a lot of things but while many of us may bitch about it, I doubt many have experienced the problem you seem to be having. My guess is a Madstat with a much taller screen will significantly improve things. What ever you do, don't ignore ringing. Ears can be damages and once they are they cannot be fixed, ask Pete Townshend.

http://www.livescience.com/522-sound-science-pete-townshend-blames-headphones-hearing-loss.html

Yes, I thought I was pretty clear about having a problem with my setup, what with starting a thread about how I have a problem with my setup.

Too late for me re: ear ringing...I've had tinnitus for about 10 years. I came to my senses and started with earplugs a long time ago, but between playing drums with over-ear phones blasting music, live music, and my first motorcycling years with no plugs, damage was done. The ringing I'm talking about in my previous post is transient due to the noise with that short screen, not my usual tinnitus ringing.