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One of the main reasons I gave up on using the CTX700D as a tourer was that I couldn't get the windshield just right for my shape and size.
I rode my blue CTX1300 a couple of thousand miles before switching to the tall Honda shield. Then I rode it like that for a few thousand miles before adding the Laminar Lip. I've ridden another thousand miles with the Laminar Lip.
I only rode about 800 miles on my red CTX1300 before replacing the Honda shorty with the MadStad 15" screen. I've only done a hundred miles or so with the new shield.
I'm 5'10" with a long torso. I generally find that my windshield experiences line up with guys who are about 6'0".
The shorty is OK for riding around town and short trips on the highway as long as I have a helmet with a face shield that doesn't fog too bad. The air hits me at the shoulders and above. It is very smooth. The bike totally ignores wind gusts and the vortexes around the trucks. My head gets pushed around a bit. Noise is not too bad if I wear earplugs, but I can't use the audio system and I don't hear much of the exhaust or engine gear whine. I've done 400 mile days with the shorty and it was OK, but I did not feel like I was truly enjoying the ride.
When I ride in the sunshine I normally wear prescription polarized glasses. These are awesome for removing glare from horizontal surfaces like the road. However, looking through these glasses and another piece of plastic like a face shield or windshield makes for some very disturbing effects. I can not tell the slick road surfaces from the merely shiny surfaces. That means I end up riding without my sunglasses when I ride with the shorty shield and use a face shield on my helmet.
The Honda tall shield is good. It leaves just a slight bit of turbulence at the top of my helmet. I can look over the shield so I don't have any odd polarization going on. The Honda tall shield does not seem to hurt my fuel economy. Some of my results may indicate that it's actually better. The trucks don't seem to be an issue with this screen. The bike gets "touched" a little bit more, but my head gets moved a lot less.
The MadStad shield is better. It is much wider. It is adjustable so that I can set the height and angle for my shape and size. I've got it tuned in pretty well now. It leaves just a hint of turbulence at the top of my helmet. I can look over the shield. I suspect that it will negatively affect fuel economy. I can feel the bike pushing the shield through the air. There is a hint of resistance when I accelerate now. I got the medium tint on this screen. That seems to show the bugs a bit less. I can see the shield flex and wobble a bit around the trucks, but I don't feel any significant steering input.
The Honda tall screen with the Laminar Lip is best. This combination lifts the turbulence just above my head. I can still look over the shield. The bike does not feel like it's working too hard to push the screen. The music is clearest with this combination, but it's still not anywhere near audiophile quality. It does not feel any different around the trucks than the naked tall Honda screen.
Adding the topbox to the blue bike has made a big difference. The bike feels just a little bit lighter in the front at speed. I feel a little bit of rocking around the trucks. The tires still feel planted and the rocking does not seem to create any steering input for the bike.
All of my experiences with these bikes have been as a solo rider. I'm sure the addition of a passenger would change all of this.
Summary:
Honda Shorty - meh
Honda Tall - Good
MadStad 15" - Better
Honda Tall with Laminar Lip - Best
TopBox - Noticeable Rocking around trucks
Photos of these shields at CTX1300D - TennesseeSmith
I rode my blue CTX1300 a couple of thousand miles before switching to the tall Honda shield. Then I rode it like that for a few thousand miles before adding the Laminar Lip. I've ridden another thousand miles with the Laminar Lip.
I only rode about 800 miles on my red CTX1300 before replacing the Honda shorty with the MadStad 15" screen. I've only done a hundred miles or so with the new shield.
I'm 5'10" with a long torso. I generally find that my windshield experiences line up with guys who are about 6'0".
The shorty is OK for riding around town and short trips on the highway as long as I have a helmet with a face shield that doesn't fog too bad. The air hits me at the shoulders and above. It is very smooth. The bike totally ignores wind gusts and the vortexes around the trucks. My head gets pushed around a bit. Noise is not too bad if I wear earplugs, but I can't use the audio system and I don't hear much of the exhaust or engine gear whine. I've done 400 mile days with the shorty and it was OK, but I did not feel like I was truly enjoying the ride.
When I ride in the sunshine I normally wear prescription polarized glasses. These are awesome for removing glare from horizontal surfaces like the road. However, looking through these glasses and another piece of plastic like a face shield or windshield makes for some very disturbing effects. I can not tell the slick road surfaces from the merely shiny surfaces. That means I end up riding without my sunglasses when I ride with the shorty shield and use a face shield on my helmet.
The Honda tall shield is good. It leaves just a slight bit of turbulence at the top of my helmet. I can look over the shield so I don't have any odd polarization going on. The Honda tall shield does not seem to hurt my fuel economy. Some of my results may indicate that it's actually better. The trucks don't seem to be an issue with this screen. The bike gets "touched" a little bit more, but my head gets moved a lot less.
The MadStad shield is better. It is much wider. It is adjustable so that I can set the height and angle for my shape and size. I've got it tuned in pretty well now. It leaves just a hint of turbulence at the top of my helmet. I can look over the shield. I suspect that it will negatively affect fuel economy. I can feel the bike pushing the shield through the air. There is a hint of resistance when I accelerate now. I got the medium tint on this screen. That seems to show the bugs a bit less. I can see the shield flex and wobble a bit around the trucks, but I don't feel any significant steering input.
The Honda tall screen with the Laminar Lip is best. This combination lifts the turbulence just above my head. I can still look over the shield. The bike does not feel like it's working too hard to push the screen. The music is clearest with this combination, but it's still not anywhere near audiophile quality. It does not feel any different around the trucks than the naked tall Honda screen.
Adding the topbox to the blue bike has made a big difference. The bike feels just a little bit lighter in the front at speed. I feel a little bit of rocking around the trucks. The tires still feel planted and the rocking does not seem to create any steering input for the bike.
All of my experiences with these bikes have been as a solo rider. I'm sure the addition of a passenger would change all of this.
Summary:
Honda Shorty - meh
Honda Tall - Good
MadStad 15" - Better
Honda Tall with Laminar Lip - Best
TopBox - Noticeable Rocking around trucks
Photos of these shields at CTX1300D - TennesseeSmith