From touring to sport windscreen – Sure looks good, but what about comfort?

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My bike with the original mirrors prior to the upgrade

If you’re like me you adore your GS/GSA, but ever since you got hold of you bike you’ve been struggling with wind noise and turbulence. Sounds familiar? My screens too grew taller and wider until it all felt rather ridiculous.

Windscreens can get too large

The Photoshopped picture above illustrates an important point. Windscreens can get too large. That is, they may solve or at least reduce the issue of wind noise and turbulence, but usually at a cost. To me this cost was riding quality, and this was particularly true to me since I used to have a tinted Puig Touring Screen which both reduced sight (especially in the dark) and become somewhat obtrusive when riding standing up and off road like I prefer to do.

Puig Touring Screen
The Puig Touring screen as seen from the riding position

I have to admit though that it looks amazing!

Puig Touring Screen front
The Puig Touring Screen sure looks good – especially with the TET sticker on it

While researching I came across Simon Pavey and his professional riding instructors at Off Road Skills in the UK. Studying their bike fleet I realized non of their bikes had massive windscreens like mine. In fact all were equipped with tiny enduro screens. And I wanted one!

New Puig Sport Screen fitted on the bike
New Puig Sport Screen fitted on the bike

I was super happy with Puig, and I wanted a black screen for my Triple Black, so I went with the Puig Sport Screen. The install is not difficult, but tiny hands and fingers is an obvious advantage. An advantage I didn’t happen to have! Non the less, the swap was done in minutes.

Puig Sport Screen with TET
The install wasn’t done until the TET sticker was back on

So what about the problem I originally set out to solve, and all motorcycle riders seem to struggle with. Wind noise and turbulence. Did this help? Yes and no.

Obviously with this tiny screen you are more exposed to the elements and both wind and rain hits you harder and more direct. For riding in pouring rain over long distances I would still prefer the touring screen. Or a hotel. Will I change back to the touring screen then? No way!

Foremost I can deal with the wind noise. Turbulence, well I don’t care to much about that either. The riding experience on the other hand is at another level. It feels like a new bike! Now I can see my front tire! The bike seems lower, more nimble and easier to ride off road! And god damn does it look good or what?

Smaller is better
Smaller is better

You know what they say; size matters. But listen up folks; when it comes to windscreens, smaller is better!

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