Touring Screens for the Adventure

 

By:Cyborg

I liked the Ricardo "double screen" idea so I set out to give it a try.

Started with my stock screen cut down to one inch and installed screw-post bolts and black nylon spacers (3/4 inch for the top and middle row, 5/8 inch bottom pair) and rubber washers on the mount screws, to allow the install of another stock KTM screen with no mods to the top level screen:





Then I mounted another stock OEM screen and went for a ride.





I was dissapointed to feel not much difference. I then started to feel where the air was going and noticed most of the air coming in the headlight vent was blowing right out the lower sides of the double windscreen gap and not breaking the vacuum pocket.




So, I got the idea to duct the air up to the area it was needed to break the vacuum pocket, the center of the windscreen. I used some soft rubber weatherstripping I had laying around and applied it like this:






Then put the stock windscreen back on. The lower windscreen shading covers the weatherstrips so they aren't noticeable




Then I went for another ride... WOW!!! This made all the difference. The vacuum pocket was gone, just very calm air behind the windscreen! Now there was still some turbulence since it is a small windscreen, no getting around that, but FAR better than it was. I could ride with my faceshield open with very little buffeting all the way up the highway speeds 75+, and quite tolerable up to the ton.

This worked great and daily commutes with it are pleasant.


However, I was getting ready to go on a what turned out to be 3600 mile trip and wanted a bit more protection for the long days on the road I anticipated (800+ mile days in a few cases). So I figured if I can bolt on the stock windscreen, why not the new KTM touring screen aka "Alien".


This would create a Super Ricardo!

I got the touring screen and bolted it on, a less than 5 minute process to change from one screen to another.





Went out for a long ride, and DAMN! this thing ROCKS!! Again, nice quiet air behind the larger screen and even less buffeting. Very tolerable for long rides and better than anything I had on my previous Tigers. At freeway speeds 75+ it is quite nice and only around 85+ is the headlight vent starting to not keep up with the vacuum pocket trying to form, but again, still far better than stock.


Since my wife would be riding 2-up with me for 800+ miles of my 3500+ mile trip, I took her for test rides on the back, with full luggage on the bike to get the actual "air dynamic" pocket we would experience on the road. She liked the double-touring screen much better than the stock shorter double-screen, much less buffeting for her too. So that was the fairing chosen for the trip.



Looks pretty good too. Got a lot of comments from folks on my trip who thought the bike looked cool and hard-core.

Side benefit of the taller touring screen after the 9 day ride I just finished, was the 10 million bugs splattered all over the bike and screen, but not on my helmet visor. Very nice.



The more sporty stock fairing goes back on it for daily commuter use, but the Alien is ready for the long trips.



I'm now a happy camper in the windscreen department!!! Disclaimer: The information contained on this page and on this site is condensed from the combined wisdom of the members and contributors of the Orange Crush Forum. The contributions are reprinted here exactly as posted by the contributors. The spelling, syntax, grammar, etc have purposely not been corrected in order to retain its original flavor. The contributors are from throughout the World, and English may very well not be their native language. Don't be an ass and complain about the lexicon. It is mostly subjective, with a little objectivity thrown in for seasoning, based on the experiences of the contributors. Use this info at your own risk. The site owner is not responsible for its accuracy or validity. None of the procedures described should be taken as recommendations by anyone. Take anything you read or hear anywhere, but especially on the World Wide Web with a very large dose of salt. The cognoscente is a skeptic.