When I bought my SV650 from the previous owner, she had installed a Targa windscreen. It looked sort of ugly and I much preferred the clean naked looks, so among the first things I did was to remove it. Last weekend I re-installed it and went out for a ride. Why did I want to install that thing? Well I want to reduce the wind blast. After a little over a thousand miles I’m ready for a quiet ride with less fatigue at the end of the day.
Installation was fairly easy. It slips into the studs holding the upper triple clamps. I’d say the results are not bad:
So I decided to head out on a “windy” ride (Ride Report 23) to test out the setup. What better than the Altamont and I5 corridor? I’ve ridden that part of the central valley on RR13 . Well the Bay part of the ride was OK; the shield reduces wind drag on the chest significantly. The helmet sees clear turbulent air without any buffeting, so it’s not really any quieter. But the reduced drag beats you up lesser.
But I5 is still horrible. Not my cup of tea. Riding in a straight line at an indicated 90mph with the wind blasting me like crazy. It’s also amazing how different the ride can be in different directions. South bound the ride was quiet, but north bound on my return the wind was howling. Anyway I need to remind myself — never again. There is no point in super slabbing 130 miles from point A to B and back. There is very little fun in that, it’s mostly just a waste of gas.
Here are some foggy videos from that day:
Sujit Kirpekar 