F650GS Dakar Screen - The Solution

I've noticed quite a few queries and comments on a decent screen for the Dakar.

I have a 2003 model with the 3-screw screen version with the "flip" edge. I'm 188cm tall and the wind buffeting and noise have been my only complaints on the bike. Traveling longer distances becomes tiring, even more so with head and side winds. That stiff neck at the end of the day makes for difficult fluid replenishment....

So I've been on the hunt for a solution since I bought the bike a year ago. EUREKA!!!! I have found it. But let me walk you through it step by step...

I happen to stop by Helderberg Yamaha in the Strand for protective gear. (Great dealership with excellent service. Great gear too.) They stock Aerotrim deflectors. It is a small extension mounted on 2 brackets to extend the top of your screen. You get a larger and smaller one, both in clear and smoked versions.  The large visor I bought was quite pricey (R725), but I was in need so I bought it. Got home to install it and found that brackets doesn't fit the "flip" edge on my screen. (Should work on the 4-screw (late model) screen version.) OK, plan "B": Drilled small holes through my screen and mounted the deflector directly to the "flip" edge. This did the trick and I was quite happy with the result. Took a trip to "Die Hel" and the found that although this was a vast improvement, I was still not comfortable. The top half of my head was still getting plucked around.

Did some internet searching and read on this forum etc, etc and decided to order the Z-Technik screen from "Wild at Heart Adventures". Again, this came at a price (R1520) and I had to wait forever due to the strike of the crane operators in the harbour to get the screen cleared. (Isabeau of Wild at Heart kept me in the loop all along.)

I eventually got my new screen and excitedly fitted it immediately. Went for a quick drive and was quite happy with it. Next trip: Baviaanskloof!!

And again I discovered that only once you're on an extended trip do you get tuned to the different nuances (nuisances) surrounding you. The wind deflection was good, but there was an awful wind noise, almost like a constant wind shudder as if you're sitting in a very turbulent wind tunnel. Ear plugs were my saving grace for the trip.

Back home I was faced with a dilemma on what to do next. This had cost me a pretty penny thus far and I wasn't in a mood to spend more money on it. I was having visions of having to ride with earplugs all the time...

Then I got the brilliant idea of adding the Aerotrim on top of the Z-Tecknik using its original brackets. Voila!!!! It works. I took the bike out for a ride and I could hear the engine purr at 140kph for the first time. I have to admit that I haven't been on an extended trip since installing the double deflector, but I've been riding long enough distances to know that this is heaven compared to anything I've had before.

I can comfortably sit upright with very strong head and side winds without fighting to keep my head still. The bike even feels more stable in these winds.

So, there you have it; The solution to the Dakar wind buffeting issue plaguing us tall guys.

Hope this helps you other tall fellows out there. I will post some pictures later.

Happy riding

Christiaan