re; national cycle windshields

[k650dsn@aol.com]

In a message dated Tue, 2 May 2000 9:57:31 AM Eastern Daylight Time, dswass@... writes: > Hope it was a great trip nonetheless.

>>Dual Sports: They were everywhere alot of XT's

Very popular machine in Europe and other countries. Extremely tough. One of the first choices for European adventure touring types.

>>Riders in general: They all rode FAST and had no fear of splitting

lanes. And they had no regard for the weather I saw as many bikes on the days it rained as the days the sun was out.

[Jim Jackson]

>from what I've researched, seen and heard, motorcycling in Europe is more >of a way of life than it is here in the States.

From my my travels in the Med I can definitely agree with that. The only think I'd add is that when I was there I saw ALOT of very small dual sports. I saw more KE100's than anything else. Of course this was 5 or 6 years ago. I think a motorcycle makes much more sense in Europe than here. Shorter distances, way narrower streets, higher gas prices, parking issues and the fact that from what I saw most folks tend to keep their rides alot longer. A woman I met in Rome had a tiny VW that was built in the late Cretaceous period. We had to recruit pedestrians to push start it... Much simpler on a bike. Jim Jackson II A13 - South Carolina ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

[Gary Weaver]

Having pioneered fairings and windscreens for recumbent bicycles.I must comment that large handlebar fairing are not recommended. They tend to create a lever effect on the motorcycle.Crack a handlebar mounted fairing up to 100 mph and evaluate the results. "squirrely" especially in crosswinds. Actually the stock shield does a good job if you tuck into it. Rifle's tall shield tends to produce tremendous buffeting unless you have a tall torso. If you feel the need for wind protection ,I would go with winglets made from lexan or plexiglass. You can custom cut to the exact height you need to push the vortex over the top of your helmet. For those who feel the need to be fancy, go with Sang edging on the screen and the winglets. Once you get offroad you can remove the winglets. Plain old rubber edging will dress it up to at a fraction of the price of Sang edging $10.00 a foot "ouch" I used Sang on my BMW with limited success. Looked cool on the screen till it blew off on the interstate one afternoon. Must admit it did work better in the rain and helped quiet down the noise level. Here in motoland we use old full face shields custom cut. Tinted shields make a fashion statement as well as the coveted POSER look. Less not more equates better handling. Distraught tonight,wife's new van was rammed by a dump truck while parked. Major damage,time to play the insurance adjusters game. Twist it don't grip it, Gary Keystone Zen Riders Home of the Keystone MotoLand 2000 "Forest Tour" East/Coaster's/ Pa./KLR/ posse 2 days left till motoland magic