It was my time to test “Suzy’s” latest bit of bling, the Screens for Bikes windscreen which I had added to my Safari Tanks’ fairing.
My attempt to make a screen myself had been only partially successful and a long ride was planned to see how the Melbourne product would handle the task.
We did 870km of mixed riding from Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast through state forests and national parks and into Victoria, stopping overnight at the small town of Delegate.
It was a good mix of bitumen, forest twin-track, open dirt roads on the Monaro High Plains and everything in between.
WE RATE
FITTING The initial fitting of the cast acylic windscreen was straight forward, with only three holes needing to be drilled for the mounts and all the hardware supplied.
TURBULENCE The top of the screen sits a little higher than my version and definitely gives a smoother, quieter ride with less buffeting. I’m confident that, in the colder months, the Screens for Bikes screen will do a good job protecting me from the colder temperatures as well.
HEIGHT I’m 187cm, or 6’ 2” in real-bloke measurements, so seeing over the screen was not a problem but it should suit shorter riders just as well. Some experimentation with the mounting position using duct tape before drilling
would help if you suffer from ducks’ disease.
BUGGER OFF Another thing I noticed when we rode through the inevitable clouds of summer bugs was that the screen seemed to either catch or deflect most of them, with very few ending their existence on my faceshield.
CLEANING Using some water and a soft rag, the windscreen was as good as new. No scratches are evident so far.
WE DON’T RATE
DUST The Screens for Bikes unit does a great job of diverting wind but, naturally, it collects dust and, in the late afternoon when heading into the sun, glare could be a problem for shorter riders. Some careful setting up in regards to height should mostly alleviate this. I carry a soft cloth in my tankbag and a gentle wipe when on cornerman duty took care of it.
VERDICT
I could have saved myself a lot of cat shagging around if I’d just installed the Screens for Bikes windscreen from the word go. My home-made job did not work as well, was fiddly to get into the right shape, tricky to bend and scratched easily. I chose clear but Screens for Bikes has eight different tints available as well as solid black or white gloss. Money well spent, I reckon.
Warren Jack of all trades
GET IT HERE
BILL: Standard (3mm) $135, heavy- duty (4.5mm) $160, plus postage
BROWSER: screensforbikes.com
BLOWER: (03) 9469 3192