noise

Anyone else having trouble with wind noise. I'm using a Zero Gravity DB screen. Even with the stock screen I seem to have a layer of turbulent air at about shoulder level. If I stand up the air is cleaner with less wind noise. I try to use ear protection but am wondering if anyone else has this problem and what they have tried to fix it. The tubulence isn't causing a buffeting problem. Just noise. Thanks
(other than this I love the bike)

Yup... my stock screen is much quieter than me OEM extended/taller screen - and getting up over it quiets things even more. BUT, I like the wind protection offered by the taller screen and simply shove the earplugs in a little deeper (along with carrying some needle-nosed pliers).

I have found a dramatic difference in noise depending on which helmet I'm wearing and my seating position on the seat (set in the high position). Even with my noisy Scorpion I can slid either far forward or to the rear and it will pretty much go away.

I have the same problem with noise, and have up untill now tried 4 screens including the ZG sport touring screen and i have also cut the stock screen down, the best result for me is to take the screen off alltogether but this is not a permanent fix as it looks real stupid (but does work) so as a last resort i have ordered the robo brkts and screens from madstad engineering, i have seen a few reviews on these and they look favourable, but have also seen good reviews for the ZG screen and for me this was louder than the stock screen,
it really is a problem for me and i am hoping the robo brkts will work, at least they have a good range of adjustment to play with,
I ordered the brkts last monday and was informed the base screen was out of stock but they were on order and should be there shortly, so i will have to wait for them to come into stock before they can be shipped to the uk.

I used a Madstad bracket on my old DL650 and it did help. Please keep us informed on how it is.

Yes, noise with my Zero Gravity DB screen is SIGNIFICANTLY worse. It seems to block more air, but pushes it up to my helmet level.

I bought a new helmet a few weeks ago and returned it because the noise was so bad it hurt my ears and drowned out all traffic and engine sound.

Next spring I may go back to stock...

I have the Madstad system and it really helps. I can look over the screen but the air hits the very top of my helmet. I have not exhausted all of the possibilities yet.

"Clean air" w/no windshield/fairing = no noise: smooth wind blast (I don't mind it)

"Bikini fairing" = steady stream of 'livable' wind noise: chest is relieved of wind pressure but head & shoulders is still in the wind.

Small windshield = both a little noise and helmet effected by turbulence: chest & partial shoulders relieved of wind pressure, wind hits helmet half way up.

"Double Bubble" design = broadens the wind protection around the shoulders, smooths wind flow over helmet. VERY dependent on torso height and choice of helmet with regard to turbulence & wind noise. Shorter riders and/or low handlebars forcing the rider into a forward leaning position benefits most from this.

Naca duct technology = a triangular cutout in the screen to relieve/minimize the the push-pull of air pressure between the wind behind the screen and the wind flowing over it that causes felt turbulence around the helmet. Depending on width, height, and angle of the screen, rider position, etc.,. can sometimes make for an envelope of quietude & stillness. Gotta be lucky on this one.....

"Barn door" = Huge & ungainly Gold Wing wannabe windshield. Contrary to the whole concept of "SPORT" Touring. Buy a Barko'lounger touring bike instead, then hang a cup holder from yer handlebars, and an air freshener tree from your (huge) windshield.....

Novelty items like the Laminar lip can work for you, depending on your height and rider position. I've heard more passengers sing the praises of the Laminar Lip than I have the pilots of the bike.

The Madstad system is brilliant in design & purpose, as it allows the windshield's height & angle to be adjusted for the specific rider. It also incorporates a bit of the Naca duct theory for relieving air pressure differences. Cosmetic appeal is lacking, but some people are fashioning brackets that place the secondary screen at the discovered 'right' angle, then replacing the Madstad hardware with the home-made brackets. I would simply opt' for dark tint screens to hide all the techno hard-ware.

-- It's all about trial and error. What works for one, may not work for another --

I simply accept that I'm riding a sport bike with a small fairing/wind-shield that affords my chest some relief from the oncoming wind. Shoei and Schubert makes some of the quietest helmets, ear plugs are STILL an absolute must, and a jacket that cinches to the arms, waist, and chest helps, as well as very good form-fitting shoulders. "Dress for the fall, not the ride".... but dressing for the ride too will help to reduce the clothing catching the wind and flapping (the pilot/rider) around.

Just my .02 cents... My experience with wind noise and my recent bikes. I'm 6'1" and wear a 35" sleeve in a dress shirt. Just to give you an idea of where I might sit on a bike compared to you.
My first Sport-Touring bike was one of the last BMW R1100S that were sold as 2006 models. The windscreen directed the air over the top and hit mid-chest. Not much wind protection, but it served a purpose! The wind hitting my chest would pretty much neutralize any strain or discomfort from the mild lean forward riding position. I wore a Fulmer AFM full-face helmet and found the wind noise to be terrible. I also owned an Arai Classic M open face helmet that I wear with a 5 snap flat shield. The noise from this helmet was much better!
My next bike was a 2006 650 VStrom. I added a Sargent seat which adds aprox. 1" to the height over the stock 650 seat. With the stock windshield mounted in the standard position, The air coming over the shield is hitting the top of my helmet just above the top of the face shield. Wearing the Fulmer produced a very serious buffeting. The Arai was much better. I noticed that much of the "Dirty" air that was moving the helmet around was coming off the inside edges of the mirrors. This was determined by placing/taping short pieces of tape from an old audio cassette on the inside area of the mirror and riding at my normal cruising speeds. Try it on the Bandit or what ever you ride, it's a great tool. The flow of air around the full face helmet seemed to cause a minor vacuum in/under the helmet, whereas, this was not noticed with the open face/ flat shield combination.
Last, the '07 Bandit. Pretty much the same experience as with the R1100S with the exception of the seating position issue. The Bandit has a much more upright riding position, but the airflow over the windscreen hits me in the same area, mid-chest.
Noise is going to be different with each brand and style of helmet. The undisturbed air flowing over a helmet will create noise. The shape, venting, and sealing surface that surround the shield will have a lot to do with the amount of noise you notice. Add to this, turbulent air coming off a taller windshield and vehicles in front of you and the noise and buffeting most likely will increase. It's just a matter of finding the right combination that works for you.
My favorite combination on any of the bikes I own is the open face with flat shield...
Just my .02 cents...
P.S. Just wanted to add that I got so tired of hearing people complaining about the buffeting over at the Stromtroopers site, I won't visit that site anymore! The constant repeat questions about what oil to use and where to buy an oil filter, what seat do you like... It got so bad that no productive threads were ever started. Not saying that this is the case here, just my .02 cents!

That was a good description of wind noise....One thing I've noticed is that "clean air" or the air that would hit you without the windshield has a different type of sound than what folks refer to as turbulant noise...Turbulant noise seems to make a drumming like sound on the helmet...Clean air is better in this case IMHO for noise levels....

You have to get a pretty big windshield to get rid both drumming and clean air type noises...For my height which is about 5'8 my zero gravity would need to be about 4 inches taller to eliminate both noise types with ear plugs of course...I can duck or just angle my head down and it goes real quiet and all you hear is that quiet turbine jet style engine sound of the Bandit 1250 ....The ZG does greatly reduce wind pressures on shoulders and chest but it gives more of a drumming noise on the helmet at my height...

I had an older Concours that had a pressure relief hole cut in the shield, about 1inch by 31/2. I could duck down about an inch and be conpletely quiet. I haven't been on a quiet ride since.

Yeah, my friends on their Harley's have the windshield cut just below their sight-lines and they don't feel any air at all! Of course, they don't feel any air in the twisties, if you know what I mean...

Gads!
Don't let it get out that the Harley Road King / Electra Glides are notably the most comfortable bikes to log the loooong miles on,

especially with a quality 3/4 helmet (Arai makes the best) with a face shield in place (I still insist that ear plugs saves hearing),

behind a time honored, time proved wind-shield.

Heck!
Harley Davidsons might become a popular option for touring (except among the more 'sporting' eternally young crowd that WE are)......

Fittysom'n said:

...except among the more 'sporting' eternally young crowd that WE are...

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Amen, my two-wheeled brother!

Fittysom'n said:

Gads!
Don't let it get out that the Harley Road King / Electra Glides are notably the most comfortable bikes to log the loooong miles on,

especially with a quality 3/4 helmet (Arai makes the best) with a face shield in place (I still insist that ear plugs saves hearing),

behind a time honored, time proved wind-shield.

Heck!
Harley Davidsons might become a popular option for touring (except among the more 'sporting' eternally young crowd that WE are)......

Click to expand...

Funny you said that..My wife and I went some Harley shops to look around for something with more comfort so we could ride and take trips together...I sat on an electra glide...Ohhhhh so comfortable...I'm talking comfortable even compared to some of the more comfortable cars...I don't know why folks talk bad about them (I think its some of the "image" some folks choose to take on when they get one) but walking into that dealership was fun because those bikes do look nice...The paint quality, frame welds, nuts and bolts, instruments and controls all had a very nice finish and of course the push rod engine is gorgeous...And the simplicity is appealing as well.

whitesands said:

Funny you said that..My wife and I went some Harley shops to look around for something with more comfort so we could ride and take trips together...I sat on an electra glide...Ohhhhh so comfortable...I'm talking comfortable even compared to some of the more comfortable cars...I don't know why folks talk bad about them (I think its some of the "image" some folks choose to take on when they get one) but walking into that dealership was fun because those bikes do look nice...The paint quality, frame welds, nuts and bolts, instruments and controls all had a very nice finish and of course the push rod engine is gorgeous...And the simplicity is appealing as well.

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You don't have to go get tatoos and leather vests to own a Harley, but the gals do look good in the snug clothes they sale. The road king is also very comfy. I say own a cruiser and a sporty bike.

whitesands said:

I don't know why folks talk bad about them (I think its some of the "image" some folks choose to take on when they get one) but walking into that dealership was fun because those bikes do look nice...The paint quality, frame welds, nuts and bolts, instruments and controls all had a very nice finish and of course the push rod engine is gorgeous...And the simplicity is appealing as well.

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I don't necessarily "talk bad" about them, but do get the feeling that for many folks it's more about image than actually riding - and more importantly for me, when I look at the sticker price I almost faint!

Serious question: Is there really a comparison that includes performance and VALUE that a Harley can objectively win with any other bike? BMW's are incredibly expensive, but I'm under the impression that they are also very high performance (and durable) machines... just asking I've never owned either.

twist said:

Serious question: Is there really a comparison that includes performance and VALUE that a Harley can objectively win with any other bike? BMW's are incredibly expensive, but I'm under the impression that they are also very high performance (and durable) machines... just asking I've never owned either.

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You can find used sporsters starting around 4k, a new one for 7-10k. I bought a new superglide in 2006 for 12k otd. When most of us ride for pleasure anyway can we really say its about value? If so I would be riding a scooter or a bike. Cruisers are about cruising not performance, that is unless its a V-ROD then its a performance cruiser.

jnappier said:

...When most of us ride for pleasure anyway can we really say its about value? ...

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Good point. My Harley friends are always trying to convince me to come over to the Dark Side. I just tell them I'll buy as soon as HD makes a bike that corners like the Bandit.

GregH said:

Good point. My Harley friends are always trying to convince me to come over to the Dark Side. I just tell them I'll buy as soon as HD makes a bike that corners like the Bandit.

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They did make one but only a few left available and no longer built.
Buell 1125R

jnappier said:

Buell 1125R

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That's a nice looking bike. I'll bet it's fun on a track. But it would have been hard for me to do 1,824 miles in 4 days (Big Bend trip) on it!

GregH said:

That's a nice looking bike. I'll bet it's fun on a track. But it would have been hard for me to do 1,824 miles in 4 days (Big Bend trip) on it!

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I want to make that trip some day. Alot of flat land isn't it?

Only getting to it. Once you're there it is some truly awesome roller coaster-type twisty roads.

GregH said:

Only getting to it. Once you're their it is some truly awesome roller coaster-type twisty roads.

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That is awesome. Its such a large area, how did you know where to ride.

Oh, sorry for the thread Hijack.

jnappier said:

That is awesome. Its such a large area, how did you know where to ride.

Oh, sorry for the thread Hijack.

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We'd been planning it for a while and some of those roads are rated in various magazines as top roads in Texas. I'm going to try to post my ride report in the not too distant future.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming...