Help me decide upon a windscreen for my '83 1100E

[willie]

That's a great looking 1100G, Bill, and the windscreen was the basic style I was hoping to get feedback on. So thanks for posting the pic. As for the Hugon, I'll admit that in the 50 yrs that I've been into bikes, I don't recall every seeing that particular fairing. Very interesting. Thanks for posting pics and info.

 

[willie]

I commuted for 4 years on my '83 GS750ES 45 miles to Sikorsky, all year long. In the Winter, I mounted my Velorex sidecar, so I wouldn't slip on ice, and with special straps I ordered from Germany, I could easily travel in 8" inches of snow.. The large carrying space allowed me to carry all the gear and tools I could possibly need, even a small tent. The best thing to me is to make sure your hands aren't getting wind. That robs so much heat. I had a set of Vetter "Hippo=Hands" many years ago. It was like an oven in there. I just found them ungainly and gave them away, something I soon came to regret.

When it comes to keeping warm, what works is far more important that how something looks.IMHO

VERY impressive background experience and informative response. THANKS! I sold a pair of like new Hippo Hands before ever trying them out. . Having picked up sewing vinyl for boat cushions and seats recently, I can see myself making a pair. Hell, I could color match them to the bike. lol Anyway, thanks for the idea.
All things considered, based upon everything I've read, sounds like dressing accordingly with a pair of Hippo Hand knock-offs would be the best all around way to go.
Anyone agree?

 

[Suzukian]

It worked incredibly well for me. Keeping your neck shielded is important too. I had a nice piece of denim I would shove up into the chin part of my full face helmet, with the rest tucked up inside around the sides. That helped a real lot, and the shield did not fog up. I have to admit that the Hugon fairing, if it was available, I would say get one. 30 years ago it sold for $375 dollars. They are not to be found now. I find that the main culprit is if wind gets through the front of your outfit. If you can keep the wind out of your zipper (I have a Fieldsheer Winter riding jacket that is unbelievable) then you will be fine. It's in those 10 degree rides where I find going like a bat out of hell to get to your destination, crouching low to avoid air hitting your chest, and having excellent gloves will give you about 45 minutes of guaranteed "you'll get home". I carried a sleeping bag in my side car. One night, I shivered, and lost core temp heat. I pulled over, shaking like a leaf in the wind, and slipped into the sleeping bag in the sidecar. Within 5 minutes I was boiling hot. That night I left out one layer in the Belstaf riding jacket I had, which is no comparison to the Fieldsheer Winter jacket I own now. Insulating thick layers (which I did once going from Storrs, Ct, to Philadelphia, Pa, in very cold rain, (using crushed balls of a newspaper in my jacket for insulation) can help keep you warm in an emergency.

 

[waltergs1000]

I use givi, up to 120 km / h it protects

 

[willie]

Ironic that a picture of a Givi should get posted. After reading the earlier posts, I went down to my basement after remembering that I had a small plexiglass screen tucked away some where. Sure enough, it was a really nice Givi. I thought I was in luck until I held it up to my 8" headlight. It came off my old SV650 It's too small from my 1100. . Guess I'll list it and put the $$ towards something for my 1100, unless of course I just dress appropriately instead.

 

[Suzukian]

You could cut the Givi fairing with Hot Wire. If you are careful, and you could cover any jagged edge with car molding. Just an idea I'm throwing out there.Better to use, and see if that style would work for you.

 

[willie]

VERY good idea! I'll take a closer look at it and see if taking that route is feasible. Out of curiosity, where in CT are you located? I used to work near the NY/CT border in Port Chester many decades ago.

 

[Suzukian]

I'm just North of Danbury Ct.

 

[willie]

I'm just North of Danbury Ct.

Back in the 70's there was a really good Kawasaki dealer in Danbury. Worth the drive from Westchester County NY

 

[Suzukian]

I know the one you're talking about. Long gone, but probably one of the best dealers of any dealership in town. Danbury PowerSports is the only Japanese dealership, and they are a decent bunch. They have a website and do a lot of online orders. There's a great Ducati and KTM dealership just down the road from them. The Ducati and KTM shop have a '70's feel to them, disheveled, but organized, in a messy way. They are a bit expensive, but very knowledgeable. You have to pay big bucks to have those bikes serviced, but at least they do it right. The head mechanic told me I was the kind of person who could do the service on a Duke. I think so, but they are out of my price range.

 

[willie]

I know the one you're talking about. Long gone, but probably one of the best dealers of any dealership in town.

Small world. I remember riding my '70 H1 up there one cold day and getting pulled over on the Sawmill River pkwy on the way home during a snow flurry. When the cop asked me what I do when I get caught in weather like that, my response was to get home as quickly as possible. Thus, the reason for my exceeding the speed limit. He understood and let me go. The End

 

[Suzukian]

Saw Mill .Pkwy is still a nice road to go fast on. New York police, in general, are pretty good, as long as you pull over. Try to out run them, then, forgetaboutit!

 

[willie]

That's always good to know. Another great memory involving that road involves being passenger in a friend's POS '56 Chevy. It was a Winter day, the pkwy was covered in snow and we were headed down a long downhill sweeper when the car went into a slide. He stayed on the gas, the car made contact with the center guardrail and he rode it through like a train on rails. I can still remember the sound of the car going over each connection of the railing. Sounded just like a train going down a track. Yeah, those were good times. Nothing like being young and dumb. LOL

 

[Joe Nardy]

Al,

I once owned an eerily similar 1100E.

I used a Slipstreamer Spitfire windshield for longer trips. It worked well to divert some of the wind blast. It was easy to install or remove and had a decent amount of adjustment to tune the flow. I agree with others that the 1100E looks better naked but the functionality of a windshield is welcome in some instances.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[rphillips]

Hey willie, even better is being young, dumb, and "lucky"... you're still here telling about it.