A must for naked bikes – Windshield

If you own a naked bike (ie. one without a fairing), motorway journeys can be tough. At speeds of over 60-70 mph, a rider on a naked bike is hanging on for dear life, with wind hitting the chest, making it hard to continue at the same speed for longer durations. Often at the end of such a journey you’ll feel more tired than necessary, with shoulders, arms and neck aching. Now this problem occurs because the rider of a naked motorcycle is not very aerodynamic. The wind goes over the front wheel but isn’t guided to go above the rider’s helmet, instead it hits him right in the chest and face.

So in order to solve this problem, there are many many shields available to put on your bike. Now I’m not really a speed freak as such, and rarely go anywhere on the bike that requires motorway driving, however my husband is quite the opposite. He didn’t like the way our Honda CB500 handled at motorway speeds, and thinking he might take it to work sometimes (which involves a considerable stretch on the motorway), he set out to find the perfect screen.

So this is what he came up with:

The Vario Touring Screen by MRA

It is not a very big screen, as can be seen from the pictures. However, the extra spoiler type thing at the top guides the air around you in order to allow extra comfort from a minimal screen. If you compare it to some of the very large screens that are usually found on Harleys and such, this screen is tiny, but still gives more protection than one might expect.

Looks: well as you can see, it doesn’t look very out of place, it’s not much bigger than a standard screen on a faired bike. The smoked grey colour looks nice with most paint finishes, or you can opt for a clear one to make it stand out a little less.

Practicality: Having tested the bike on the motorway last night, my husband found it did help reduce the wind hitting him from the front. It was smoother accelerating to faster speeds without feeling like you might lose control of the bike simply due to wind resistance.

Installation: Well although it’s certainly not impossible, installing this shield by yourself is quite a challenge, especially on a bike like the CB500, which has a relatively small handlebar which is already quite cramped. The two brackets that hold the screen up are quite fiddly to adjust to a good position and they do touch other things on the bike like the disk brake fluid reservoir, which can make a little rattly sound at slow speeds. If you’re not very patient, ensure that you have an extra pair of hands to help you out.

Quality: Since it’s only been installed last night, I can’t comment on whether the finish will last. However, I found it looks quite well made, the edges are properly finished so there is actually no need to put the piping on after installation.