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Am I the only nudist around here?


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I'm a bit strange in that I universally despise and detest windshields on motorcycles.

A nice, smooth flow of air against my upper chest and around my helmet is my ideal. Add a wee bit of forward body lean to counter the wind pressure, and I'm a happy clam for monster mileage days in the saddle.

If you like windshields, great. I'm not gonna yuk your yum. Just not my moto-taste, and I do understand that I'm the strange one here.

Anyway, as I fervently hoped when I bought this bike, it looks and works GREAT in naked mode. I scrapped the horrible stock windshield on my V-Strom many years ago, and have been happy with the results, but the FJ-09's smaller front end works even better naked; no turbulence at all.

I removed the Madstad barn door and hardware that came with my bike (make ya a helluva deal...), installed the stock plastic windshield support plate, and added some hole plugs to make it look a little less unfinished. At some point, I might try to fabricate something a little cleaner looking.

So are there any other FJ nudists around here? Or did they all just buy an MT-09?

I'm honestly not a fan of those giant weird pointy plastic hand guards, either... but that's another discussion.

IMG_20210224_132520706_HDR.jpg

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Well, I'm 52 and still airing it out... maybe one day I'll grow up, but I hope not.

I'm 100% with you on the luggage, though. I am highly skilled at two-wheeled grocery getting, and know exactly when to stop filling the cart.

Edited by bwringer
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1 hour ago, bwringer said:

I'm a bit strange in that I universally despise and detest windshields on motorcycles.

A nice, smooth flow of air against my upper chest and around my helmet is my ideal. Add a wee bit of forward body lean to counter the wind pressure, and I'm a happy clam for monster mileage days in the saddle.

I'm honestly not a fan of those giant weird pointy plastic hand guards, either... but that's another discussion.

If it wasn't for inclement weather in late Fall and Winter, I wouldn't have a full size screen.  In the warmer, drier weather I switch to the Parabellum Flyscreen and love the smooth airflow.  My brother rides a Honda 919 naked and it has the smoothest/quietest airflow I have experienced, when ever we swap bikes we always comment on the wind noise on mine and the smooth air on his, when you remove the screen it mostly goes away.

I agree on the hand guards, they have zero functionality except looking goofy and making the bars WAY too wide.

***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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“the hand guards, they have zero functionality except looking goofy and making the bars WAY too wide.” And windscreen way to narrow at the bottom (because of hand guards). Form over function...pretty bad idea in this case.

Edited by Rick123
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1 hour ago, betoney said:

 

I agree on the hand guards, they have zero functionality except looking goofy and making the bars WAY too wide.

I'm the opposite, I won't ride without hand guards ever since I got them on my '99 R1100.

The STOCK brush guards on the Tracers are pointless.  Barkbusters for my Tracer.  Had them on my FJR, too.  Keeps the rain and cold off my hands, enhances heated grip effectiveness.   Cold wet hands suck.  That's just me, others enjoy that sorta thing.  😉

Hmm...can't seem to edit out this wrong pic.  Oh well...

 

IMG_0955.JPG

Edited by 2WHLOZK
wrong pic
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56 minutes ago, 2WHLOZK said:

I'm the opposite, I won't ride without hand guards ever since I got them on my '99 R1100.

The STOCK brush guards on the Tracers are pointless.  Barkbusters for my Tracer.  Had them on my FJR, too.  Keeps the rain and cold off my hands, enhances heated grip effectiveness.   Cold wet hands suck.  That's just me, others enjoy that sorta thing.  😉

I agree, I use hand guards as well, just not the oem ones.  I take mine off in the warmer months so my vented gloves can get some air flow.

***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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There is definitely something to be said for a good naked bike and clean airflow. OTOH I have come to appreciate the place of serenity behind my Madstad barn door. Different strokes and all that.

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My hand guards were removed directly after the stock pipe. Way too wide after a Fazer 600 and nerve racking for lane splitting.

 

I still need to try riding without the screen.

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20 hours ago, bwringer said:

I might try to fabricate something a little cleaner looking.

Not sure if this works for you, but Higdonian makes a 'shorty' windscreen - but it's not really a windscreen, more like a finished look after removing the windscreen:

FJ09_wind_shield_1200x1200.jpg?v=1534950

A sporty look for the daily cruise around town. Handmade formed...

 

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2015 FJ-09 / FJR touring bags / oil plug mod / Evotech rad guard / SW Motech bash plate / VStream touring windshield / Seat Concepts:  Sport Touring / Vcyclenut ABS rings (speedo correction) / Cosmo RAM mount

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Yeah, expensive for a plate of aluminum with what appears to be one bend in it - not everyone can fab this up, though.

2015 FJ-09 / FJR touring bags / oil plug mod / Evotech rad guard / SW Motech bash plate / VStream touring windshield / Seat Concepts:  Sport Touring / Vcyclenut ABS rings (speedo correction) / Cosmo RAM mount

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I'd really like a small, shorty flyscreen for mine.  

Like @bwringer I really prefer to just lean against wind pressure.  I've found riding with the stock windscreen to be *significantly* more tiring than riding without a windscreen at all, simply because I can't lean into the wind, and there's uneven wind pressure on my head.  Doesn't help that the stock windshield is hot garbage.

It DOES help in the winter, though, keeping a lot of crap off my jacket and the lack of chest wind does help keep me warmer, but in the summer?  

I've been riding for over a quarter century now, and from the first day to today, I sincerely don't understand why people say riding without a windshield is tiring - at least, on a reasonably upright sitting bike anyways, it's different on a cruiser.  Just lean on the wind, like how you balance your hand/arm out a car window.  Zero effort.  

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