[RedlandsBonnie]

Do the small windscreens/fly screens work well at deflecting air? A buddy of mine said it would be great for really long rides, but I hate the look of them and I am hesitant to try one on my bike if it doesn't make that much difference...

I'm still young and willing to sacrifice comfort for style hahaha

How have they worked for you all? Any thoughts? Advice?

 

[Ventura]

Do the small windscreens/fly screens work well at deflecting air? ....

How have they worked for you all? Any thoughts? Advice?

RLB,
You might want to try an advance search of the Twins section using the word "Dart" or "screen"

This will bring up a great deal of info and past comment on this much discussed subject.
A lot of useful info will be there (and a lot of sometimes conflicting opinion!!)

V.

 

[teachnsurf]

I've got a Dart and I'm using it for my cross country trip. You'll probably like it. It cuts some of the air but it's still a bit uncomfortable

 

[Aussie_T100]

Do the small windscreens/fly screens work well at deflecting air?.... I hate the look of them and I am hesitant to try one on my bike if it doesn't make that much difference...

I too dislike the look of screens on Bonnies but I relented and fitted a Dart screen 6 months ago. There's no doubt they are a compromise but they do offer some wind protection without being too obtrusive, you will still get buffeting around the helmet at highway speeds but buffeting around the chest area is considerably reduced. Mine's still fitted 6 months down the track so I must be happy with the compromise.

 

[pete_melbourne]

Dart screen

Just bought mine this week -- fitting it tomorrow morning in time for a long Easter ride along the westcoast of Victoria.

As Ventura says, check out the Forum's comments - you'll find the vast majority are positive.

May I add, however that it only took 3 business days for the Dart screen to get to me in Australia from the UK - cheers to the good people at Dart.

 

[FrankW]

Hey Pete, I am also looking at putting a screen on my Speedmaster.

Did you get it direct from dart? I have tried a web search but came up zero for dart. Have you got a link to their website? I must have not been putting the right information in Google.

FrankW

 

[TerryK]

I found less wind drag on my XR400 @ 90 to 100 kph than my Scrambler, so I ordered a Dart flyscreen last weekend. $169 delivered to Australia...much cheaper than the Triumph item.

 

[TerryK]

Hey Pete, I am also looking at putting a screen on my Speedmaster.

Did you get it direct from dart? I have tried a web search but came up zero for dart. Have you got a link to their website? I must have not been putting the right information in Google.

FrankW

Try this link.... http://www.dartflyscreens.com/en/scrambler.html

cheers Terry

 

[robnobrakes]

I'm also not a fan of the looks Triumph screen, so I fabricated my own using alloy sheet. Thgis was a no cost improvement, as I already had the alloy.

The small screen works very effectively on the Thruxton, and I'm hardly short at 6'1".

 

[Aussie_T100]

Try this link.... http://www.dartflyscreens.com/en/scrambler.html

cheers Terry

Actually this would be the correct link for the Dart flyscreen for a Speedmaster:-

http://www.dartflyscreens.com/en/speedmaster.html

 

[FrankW]

Thanks Aussie that's just what I was looking for.

FrankW

 

[RedlandsBonnie]

not bad

Aussie,
Your dart screen doesn't look that bad or obnoxious in that pic you posted. I can totally handle something like that...

How easy is it to take on and off? Don't want it to be a permanent fixture on my bike

 

[pete_melbourne]

Thumbs up to the Dart!

Took my first ride with the Dart on today - friggin brilliant! At 115kmh I could hardly feel any wind on my chest or helmet.

I took it off when I got home just to test how long it would take -- result: less than 5 minutes.

Totally rapt - thanks to all those who posted reviews on the Dart, esp. Ventura.

cheers - Pete

 

[Aussie_T100]

Aussie,
Your dart screen doesn't look that bad or obnoxious in that pic you posted. I can totally handle something like that...

How easy is it to take on and off? Don't want it to be a permanent fixture on my bike

I can't really offer any hands on experience on how easy it is to remove as I've never removed it. I would imagine that it is fairly quick / easy as you just have to remove one headlight securing bolt, move the flyscreen bracket out of the way on that side, refit the headlight bolt and then repeat the process for the other side.

Initial fitting was a little more complex as the brackets had to be fitted first then the screen attached to the brackets. Some bending of the brackets was necessary to get the mounting holes on the screen to line up with the mounting holes on the brackets.

A couple of points on fitting the flyscreen. Don't overtighten the screws that hold the screen to the brackets, just lightly tighten them otherwise stress fractures will appear around the mounting holes in the screen over time. Maybe use a little Locktite on the screws to make sure they don't come loose.

I fitted my screen just before heading off on a 2,000Klm trip and by the time the trip was completed the screws protruding from the back of the screen had rubbed holes in the plastic gauge covers. The flyscreen brackets have a couple of little tangs that sit on the headlight brackets and establish the limit of backward lean of the screen so to speak and on my initial setup the screen would rest against the gauges when travelling at speed. I have since bent the brackets a little to prevent this happening but the damage was already done.

I too thought that the screen would removed and refitted as required depending on the type of riding I was doing but I have found that, in practice, the screen has remained as a permanent fixture. This is mainly because I become accustomed to the look of the bike with it on and the benefits of having it on apply to most of the riding I do anyway. That is, most trips I do on the bike involve speeds above 50Mph for part of the trip at least.

 

[TerryK]

Took my first ride with the Dart on today - friggin brilliant! At 115kmh I could hardly feel any wind on my chest or helmet.

I took it off when I got home just to test how long it would take -- result: less than 5 minutes.

Totally rapt - thanks to all those who posted reviews on the Dart, esp. Ventura.

cheers - Pete

That's great news...I found hanging on at 110 kph with the wind was a pain & my XR was better....hope to get mine next week, then out for a test run.

 

[Billbikes]

I know everyone here Hates the Triumph flyscreen and loves the Dart...Count me in the opposite camp!....I just wish the Triumph part wasn't se costly, but isn't everything with their name on it??
BTW, it diverts all the air off my chest....what I wanted...and offers the right look!

 

[biker7]

I am considering a fly screen for my new Bonny. Why do you write that Bill? Yes the factory screen is pricey but why is the Dart screen preferred?

Aussie...that bolt rub issue is something I hadn't heard. Can the screen be adjusted initially to prevent this from ever happening? Did the rub issue occur because you didn't anticipate how much the wind deflects the screen against the gauge bodies at speed?

Thanks for any further advice,
George

 

[Ventura]

Here's something written a while back on another thread.
Its in relation to the Dart Scrambler screen but just as relevent to the other Bonnie derivatives when it comes to positioning and fitting......


I modified a Dart screen to fit my Scrambler a while back.
I immediately found a great reduction in wind buffeting of the body at higher speeds, a reduction of wind noise in my helmet and no sign of turbulence-induced head buffeting as is the case with other larger screens.
All this is well documented in various past threads.

Ive since helped Dart to develop the OEM Scrambler brackets which are now on sale.
The important issue, and maybe the only slight disadvantage, is that the tab-stop must rest against the top of the headlight bracket to stop it moving and rotating the headlamp.
There is no adjustment in this, without carrying out your own modifications.
With mine they are in exactly the correct position to allow minimal air-blast toward the helmet and also a good angle of attack when on the move.
Ive even found that, when travelling at speed, all I need is to duck my head very slightly to allow total shelter from the wind.

An excellent product and Dart certainly provide a great service here in UK

V.

 

[Aussie_T100]

Aussie...that bolt rub issue is something I hadn't heard. Can the screen be adjusted initially to prevent this from ever happening? Did the rub issue occur because you didn't anticipate how much the wind deflects the screen against the gauge bodies at speed?

Thanks for any further advice,
George

Yes George the screen brackets can be "adjusted" to prevent this from happening. My initial fitment of the screen was done with a certain pre trip urgency and I must confess I didn't pay sufficient attention to detail. When the screen is fitted you must ensure that little or no part of the attachment screw protrudes through the bracket, this relates to my earlier comment about not over tightening the screws that attach the screen to the brackets.

There are rubber grommets fitted to the screen through which the attachment screws pass so there is a certain amount of compression happening as you tighten the screws, if you over tighten these screws they protrude from the rear of the brackets and it is this protrusion that rubbed the holes in my gauge covers.

Additionally you must ensure that when the tangs on the flyscreen brackets are resting against the headlight brackets, that is the screen is leaning back as far as it will go, no part of the flyscreen bracket or protruding screw(s) is touching the gauge pods. Some tweaking / bending of the flyscreen brackets / tangs may be necessary to achieve this. Allow some clearance as wind pressure over time seems to push the screen back further than anticipated, maybe it even deforms the brackets as they are only of light construction, I am not sure. Another thing to consider while you are juggling all of this is that you also have to aim the headlight correctly before tightening everything up.

In my humble opinion the design of the Dart flyscreen brackets needs to be revised (larger locating tangs) and the attachment bolts replaced with shouldered bolts to prevent this from happening. It is a shame to see such poor design quality / lack of R & D on such an expensive and otherwise good quality component.

 

[davidc]

Hmmm...I do like the look of that dart screen. Never tried one, but I suppose I could and sell it if it proved unsatisfactory.