From Z900 to S1000R to Street Triple, we love our naked bikes and even the ones that leave a little to the imagination with what we once called bikini fairings – especially when it’s hot. When it cools off a little, though, maybe you’d like a light wrap. A jacket. A flyscreen, a windbreaker, as it were. Especially if you use your naked as an everyday bike to ride even when the weather’s brisk, or if you spend more than a little time at freeway speed. At the same time, you don’t want to be duct-taping some ill-fitting piece of tacky plastic onto your darling. There are probably some decent “universal-fit” windscreens and other bargains, but the best ones are going to be bike-specific. We asked around for naked bike windshields people like the best, and this is them.
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DART Manta – $170 (for Harley Fat Bob pictured)
Your DART comes highly recommended from seasoned motorcycling veterans. Darts have been made in England since 1995, when the founder wanted a flyscreen for his Ducati Monster, was unhappy with his choices, and wound up making his own. Dart’s site states the credo: “Accessories need to work, but they should also complement the bike’s appearance. With our screens, I take this further and say they should become part of the bike – like a factory part. Why is this important? Well, the screen is always in your field of view when riding, so it’s essential that it looks like it belongs… My aim is to make accessories that you are proud to put on your bike and make a genuine improvement.”
Dart screens are injection-molded, rather than thermoformed from sheet material, and are available for lots of motorcycles, from Triumph Classics to Harleys to Yamaha MT-07s. The Dark Tint one pictured is for a Harley-Davidson FXDF Fat Bob.
National Cycle VStream – $140 (for BMW S1000R pictured)
Not to make any outlandish claims, National Cycle states that the “VStream revolutionizes windscreen performance! The advanced “V” shape and dimensional contours push the wind vortex out and away from the rider’s helmet, resulting in a peaceful, quiet environment This improvement is notable for the passenger as well.”
Our online pal John B likes the one on his BMW S1000R quite a bit. It’s quite a bit taller and wider than the stock screen, and gives the S1000R real touring capability without sacrificing the sporty facade. And our 6-and-a-half-foot tall friend Grant loved the VStream on his Honda ST1300 before he threw it over for a newer model. The Honda, not the screen.
This one’s made of 4.5mm coated polycarbonate outstanding clarity and strength characteristics, three times more resistant to abrasion than acrylic materials, and with 20X greater crack and impact resistance, says NC.
National Cycle Flyscreen with Black Hardware – $88
Another vote for National Cycles, this time the Flyscreen which the great motojournalist Peter Jones has affixed to his own personal nude: “Well made, high quality, easy to install, I own one and love it.”
Designed mostly for custom cruisers, muscle bikes and anything with accessible fork tubes, there’s a whole range of these that use a fork mount system according to your tube diameter. Countersunk screws lets you achieve a custom fit on almost anything from things like TU-250s to Guzzis to Hogs. Made from 3mm high-impact acrylic and real steel, the usability is high and the price is low.
Puig Naked New Generation Sport – $121
That’s Puig. Aleberto Puig. Actually maybe it’s not, but Puig has been cranking out windscreens since 1964 in its Granollers, Spain, factory. And it’s been sponsoring MotoGP since 2002 with Norick Abe and Team D’Antin. Puig makes a veritable plethora of motorcycle plastics. These Naked New Gen Sports are made of 3mm thick high-impact methacrylate for strength and flexibility. Puig claims these are all tested in its own virtual wind-tunnel, for optimum aero and maximal aesthetics, which in this case is minimally invasive to your cool naked bike. Available in clear, smoke, dark smoke, and black, the New Gen Sport is certified by the German TUV.
MRA Sportscreen – $146 (for KTM Super Duke R pictured)
If there’s one naked bike that needs a windscreen, it would be the KTM Super Duke 1290. Capable of dialing up ludicrous speed instantly, a solid thing to cower behind is what’s needed for brisk sport-touring or cool-weather commuting. This 30-cm (11.8-inch) sport windscreen from MRA (Motorcycle Racing Accessories) can be quickly and easily mounted directly onto the motorcycle using the brackets included, and noticeably reduces the wind pressure. Available in black, transparent smoky grey, or completely clear and colourless. MRA is like the Puig of Germany, and offers hundreds of other screens for all kinds of bikes; its products are likewise TUV-approved, and the company is ISO 9001 certified.
Don’t Forget OEM!
The parts biz is big business for most Original Equipment Manufacturers, and no self-respecting brand is going to allow their name to be associated with an inferior product. This “Polycarbonate Mid Windshield without Headlight Cowl, Clear” that Indian sells for its FTR1200 probably isn’t made by Indian, but it is made to Indian specs by a reputable manufacturer for sure. Which means it should fit perfectly, look good and be just the thing the FTR needs to be a nice traveller. It also gets the OEM markup – $180 – but this list is about Best, not Skinflintest.
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