I was wondering if the wind has a tendency to beat you up much on the 9T without at least a small windshield / headlight surround? I wear a full face helmet, which helps, but you really seem to be out there in the open on this bike with no protection. Have no frame of reference yet because it's winter here, I just got my bike, and I haven't even had a chance to ride it yet because it's been too cold.
Small Windshield or No Windshield
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It's winter here too and I ride my bike everyday to work.
You just need the right gear. For example I use heated gloves as well as the heated grips as my hands get painfully cold if I don't.
I have a small Rizoma screen but it doesn't do much.
With all my gear on the weather has little effect on me.
You just need the right gear. For example I use heated gloves as well as the heated grips as my hands get painfully cold if I don't.
I have a small Rizoma screen but it doesn't do much.
With all my gear on the weather has little effect on me.
Kudos to you for that. I used to be like that too when I was younger with less protection. I have cold weather gloves that aren't heated that don't do much good after a few miles. I don't think my bike came with the heated hand grips, although I'm guessing it must have been an option on these bikes, so you must be able to add that option after the fact if you want. I would have to get some cold weather riding pants too because my legs get pretty cold. Thanks for the tips. I'll keep that in mind.
I’d say wind becomes more of an issue at higher speeds. Once you go over 100mph, the NineT gets uncomfortable, even though the seating position is (usually) leaning forward quite a bit. So, in the US with its rigorous limits, and cops all over the place, I personally don’t think it’s an issue and for that reason, a windshield isn’t making a difference, unless you mount a giant “touring” screen, which IMO looks a bit weird on this type of bike. I can sense a drastic difference though when I’m wearing a solid leather jacket as opposed to a summer perforated one, the solid leather works almost like a sail, again, at higher speeds. In Germany, at usual continuous travel speeds in excess of 120 mph, I definitely wouldn’t want to be without one;-)
And over 150 mph, even with a fancy race fairing, you need to buy a very suitable aerodynamic helmet, to avoid your eyeballs shaken out of your skull...
And over 150 mph, even with a fancy race fairing, you need to buy a very suitable aerodynamic helmet, to avoid your eyeballs shaken out of your skull...
Sounds scary. I'm pretty sure that I'm not brave enough to even attempt to ride my bike at speeds anywhere close to that. I very rarely if ever even ride on the highway here because it's just not an enjoyable thing for me to do in my mind. I'm more of a back country road, occasional state route, some city, type of rider, and that's about it. That's where I get most of my riding enjoyment and where I feel the safest and most comfortable. Thanks for the info, and for sharing your opinions with me though. I really appreciate it.
They look too good to put a windshield on. I added the B.M.W. front plate thingy on mine, It helps very little but some. I even noticed a difference in wind when I removed the donkey ear mirrors for bar ends. Heck I think that's why they call it gettin in the wind. I had a big electra glide years ago and fell asleep riding down the highway, my wife noticed us heading for median and slapped me. we pulled over for a few minutes to walk around a bit. When I got home I took that bat wing fairing thing off, eventually I went to police windshield for trips but no screen around town and everyday riding. I think you have to sacrifice something or just ride in the car. P.S. I think the same way about radios on motorcycles
Let's put it this way. A small screen may help relieving a bit the air pressure. It's a naked bike, no surprise the aerodinamics is not a feature for the rider.
Sometimes screens can create even worse effects by deviating air to the helmet, all depends on the sum of bike, pilot heigth, helmet, sometimes it can be kind of a bet, to understand whether a screen will be beneficial or not.
I think that it's not bad to be on full exposure, as it helps feeling the real speed. I remember driving sports bikes and reaching high speeds with no real perception due to the protection of the fairing.
So let's slightly reduce the speed and enjoy the riding, how about that? ;-)
P.S. Despite all this, I added a small screen on m UGS... 😎
Sometimes screens can create even worse effects by deviating air to the helmet, all depends on the sum of bike, pilot heigth, helmet, sometimes it can be kind of a bet, to understand whether a screen will be beneficial or not.
I think that it's not bad to be on full exposure, as it helps feeling the real speed. I remember driving sports bikes and reaching high speeds with no real perception due to the protection of the fairing.
So let's slightly reduce the speed and enjoy the riding, how about that? ;-)
P.S. Despite all this, I added a small screen on m UGS... 😎
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same here, I ride every day to work, (hospital theatres). use garbing gloves and heated grips, no probs,
I've recently fitted a dart screen and it takes the wind off my chest.
Having come from a Honda VFR (a fully faired sport-touring bike with OEM windshield), I wondered how the wind blast would be on a naked bike like the R9T. I bought mine last August and rode it home from Michigan. The windblast was noticeable at first, but I got used to it quickly. At this point it's fine up to about 75-80 mph (indicated) when becomes bothersome to me.
I do enough freeway/interstate riding to at least try a small windshield, so I opted for the smallish Dart Classic Flyscreen, which I ordered a couple weeks ago. A few other members have this screen and I don't think it detracts from the bike's looks much. I'll install it this winter, and if I don't like it I'll just sell it on the classifieds here.
(Edited for length.)
I do enough freeway/interstate riding to at least try a small windshield, so I opted for the smallish Dart Classic Flyscreen, which I ordered a couple weeks ago. A few other members have this screen and I don't think it detracts from the bike's looks much. I'll install it this winter, and if I don't like it I'll just sell it on the classifieds here.
(Edited for length.)
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128 Posts
I had a wunderlich screen mounted on my urban g/s.. took it off and sent it back after a single ride.
There was too much extra added turbulence and wind noise.
I rode big bike in the past that had huge windshields; there you are comfy and out of the wind.. but those are tourer bikes like a Honda CBF1000 / FJR1300.
There was too much extra added turbulence and wind noise.
I rode big bike in the past that had huge windshields; there you are comfy and out of the wind.. but those are tourer bikes like a Honda CBF1000 / FJR1300.
I have owned 5 bikes including this one. I would put them in two categories, and neither category has a true windshield nor do I consider the small aftermarket front windshield / fairing that I added to my CB1100 a true windshield. It was more for looks / astetics. Same for the factory one on my Ninja 1000. The one on the Ninja 250 was more integrated into the front fairing than the 1000, so that one doesn't even really count in my mind. My Thruxton has a very, very small windshield (if you want to call it that) / front headlight surround fairing. To me my 9T is most similar in style obviously to the CB1100 and the Thruxton. I never had any issues with feeling like the wind was beating me up on those bikes without a true windshield unless I was riding at 70+ mph sometimes, and I don't anticipate having a problem on the 9T. Most of my riding is back country roads and I don't usually reach speeds as high as that anyway. I might get a small windshield / front headlight surround or fairing for my 9T that's similar to the one that I have on my Thruxton but only for looks or astetics purposes only just like the one on my Triumph. I would never expect either one to function like a true windshield because they aren't big enough. The looks of my bike are way more important to me than my 100% comfort, otherwise I would have purchased a highway cruiser. I was just curious as to what the consensus was of some of the other riders on the forum.
Unless you have a full shield, like those lazy boys on wheels there's no advantage...
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I have a Dart screen and find it noticeably takes the edge off the wind blast over 50MPH and easily gives me an extra 10MPH on my top cruising speed. Certainly won't take all the wind away like a barn door fairing on a dedicated tourer but that would be an extremely unrealistic expectation.
Do you have a picture of it on the bike that you could show me? Maybe a part number if I like it? Thanks!
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Bought a 1975 R90S with the cafe racer fairing, but when I moved from Detroit to Miami, decided a tall fairing would be better for the ride south. It was 15 degrees when I left Detroit and it snowed in Broward county when I arrived. Got spoiled not having the wind buffeting you to death. First add on for the R9T was a fairing from Memphis Shades.
I bought a Dart windscreen also for my scrambler. I didn’t think it did anything and did not improve the looks so I took it off.
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