Stock or tour package- No brainer now

[gnevelesx08]

Okay die hard fans of the stock look. I spent hours on Ebay looking for a headlight and front turn signals for my 80G. I just think stock look was cool as hell. Finally took the vetter fairing off, installed the headlight, bike went dead, found the main fuse blown, replaced it. put on the new front turn signal brackets and checked clearance for the signal lights at full turns. They dont clear unless you take off the fairing bracket. Okay I thought lets take a spin without the fairing. Wooohoo wind in the face again at 50 mph! Cranked it to 80 + mph, damn near broke my neck trying to keep the back of my head from being a backseat passenger. I still think stock is cool, but the fairing goes back on! If I wanted to ride like a crotch rocket rider I'd get a Ninja. (BLASPHEMY)

[don07tncav]

LOL! I know what you mean, picked up the 81 Midnight Special and took it for a spin. Ordered a National windshield the next day!! Back in the 70's it was cool. Now, I'm too old for all that wind!

[John]

I have been running a full sized windshield for more than 10 years now, but it was destroyed it the accident, but I wouldn't think of riding without one. I prefer the full windshied over a fairing because it doesnt hide the bike like a fairing does. When I first got the windshield, I only used it in the winter, but after a couple of summers, I decided to leave it on. I have found a National Cycles full size windshield at JC Whitney for $ 159. It has built in lowers so that will be even better.

[Pat Kelly]

Wife has that same windshield on her Virago, John. Looks good on the bike. I need to trim the top off so she can see over it but she dosen't want me to.
I was removing the touring set-up on my E in the summer and putting it back on for the winters, about a 3 hour process. Now I have my LG and run it (almost) naked. It is my summer bike and the E is my winter/long trip bike.

[Geezer]

It's too bad so many of us can't take the wind but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. I put a Vetter on the Mongrel because the wind was mking my neck hurt on long rides.

Geezer

[Pat Kelly]

Both my bikes HAD to have a small screen to keep the wind off my torso. As 80-90 MPH I was leaned too far forward to use the mirrors.
I do get alot of helmet buffetting but then motorcycles are windy .
The E with the Pacifico is my 2-wheeled car with no doors and is a convertable.

[John]

As we all get older, it's more about the comfort, not the machismo. Ya know, there's really only two people we need to impress, the one that hired us and the one that married us. I don't think I could handle 25 miles of my head being knocked around. With the old windshield, and back when I was still smoking, I could smoke a cigarette at 60 mph, and the smoke and ash would blow forward and then up and over the top and I would never get any ash in my face.

[COOL TOM]

STOCK OR TOUR

ALSO YOU DON'T HAVE TO EAT BUGS OR GET HIT BY LOW FLYING BIRDS. BUG JUICE WILL STAIN YOUR TEETH. MY BOYS LIKE THE WIND BUT I WILL TAKE A FARING AND WINDSHIELD ANYDAY. BESIDES THAT I CAN HEAR MY WIFE TALK TO ME ABOUT STOPING AND GET SOMETHING TO EAT.

[TopCatGr58]

Well,
I thought I'd post a contradictive opinion! I had a small windscreen on mine when I was riding it over Long Distances to get to the rallies. But since I trailer it there, I took mine off. I wear a leather jacket, and it doesn't breath as well as those new Joe Rocket ones, I wear a FullFace helmet and shield, so bugs and birds don't scare me! I don't know if it's the slightly increased lean angle to my machine that helps drive some of the air up or around, but I don't think it's bad at all! On Rallies I'll ride several hundred miles, but most are at 50mph or less due to the fun twisties and such. I've installed a backrest that will support me when solo, and my head doesn't feel like it gets knocked or pushed much, and I've had neck surgery! And I'm just a few years shy of 50! So...1 vote FOR WIND!
T.C.

[John]

Here is the #1 reason for a fairing/windshield...Ever get stuck behind a horse/stock trailer on the freeway? Nuff said!

[John]

Windshield


This is the one that I'm looking at.

[cueball]

Way to go TC, windshields belong on cars!

[2fast]

I generally ride long distance, and have been into it since the 70's. I had a windshield on my Triumph Trident at that time, and have alway had a fairing since that time. Wind wears you out with long periods at highway speeds. I would guess windshield or not preferences might depend on your type of riding. These days I have a fair amount of electronic stuff on board as well, such as bike to bike radio, gps and a radar detector. A naked bike doesn't work well for that. Hey, if you get Rider magazine, there is a photo of a bike with the same vintage fairing I have, the Jacwal Superwedge.
Ride what you like, eh?

[81xsproject]

I admitt, the wind does where you out. But, I just love the naked look of my bike. In the transition of going from my old piece (82 XJ650 w/ stock handle bars) to my new xs11 that has superbike bars, I have found that the more forward leaning position of the new bars wears on me a lot less. I guess I am still just a little macho. Besides, the way I look at it, pushing those bigass feirings must detract from the bikes power\performance.

[Targetman]

My bike came with a small sheild that looked pretty cool.
One ride with it off, and I left it off though.
I don't know, I guess that the wind is part of the experience for me. Without the wind I felt like I was "IN" the bike instead "ON" the bike. If that makes any sense....