Windshield review Givi A603 Airstar universal

[fredintoon]

Yes, just went to the garage. My bars are solid on the ends. Stock or did somebody fill them ?

Hi Time Machine,
some stock 'bars had slugged ends while others didn't and unless you bought the bike new you dunno if a PO swapped in different bars or if they are factory-slugged or DIY.
One of my bar swaps away from the ergonomically disastrous rototillers was to CB750 bars which I filled with a slurry of #7 lead shot & 2-part cold-set liquid rubber. Works great to damp vibrations but leave enough room to fit bar-end mirrors; it's a right swine to drill the stuff out once it's set.

 

[aldo5468]

Really?

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these bikes do shake their booties sumthin fierce

 

[TimeMachine]

Standard stock bar weights seem to have been one of those hit or miss variables then. Whether your bike came with internal bar weights or not it seems to be very helpful in reducing handlebar vibration. Which translates to better rear view mirror vision !
Now the tail light wiggle that fatigue cracks license plates ? Thats just funny , we have to use our noggins a little when even bolting on a license plate for sure .

 

[Mailman]

Bob, I have to say that I really enjoy reading your posts. It shows that you put a lot of thought and effort into your writings. Your posts are always easy to read and flow really well, and you accompany with pictures posted in the appropriate places. You could/should be a column writer for a magazine somewhere. Anywho.... just thought I would share my appreciation of your contributions to this forum!

Thanks so much for saying that, I do put some thought into what I write and I appreciate the comment!

 

[Jim]

Your posts are always easy to read and flow really well, and you accompany with pictures posted in the appropriate places.

I'll agree with Willis, I always enjoy your postings Bob. Good write-up on the windshield. I'm leaning towards getting one for the SG.

 

[Mailman]

Thanks Jim, I appreciate it!
Re: the windshield , I just returned from a 35 mile ride, and my initial impressions were confirmed. It works really well to relieve wind pressure from your upper body, and knock off some of the cold. ( It was 34 degrees when I left my house.) it makes traveling at 50-55 mph feel very relaxed. And I continue to be impressed that I’m not getting any buffeting at helmet level. I’ve had much larger universal windshields on other bikes that created so much turbulence around your helmet it would blur your vision. So far I’m really impressed.

 

[robinc]

Ontario bike plate layout is number/letters/number.
Has it always been that way or does it get swapped about every so often?

Not really sure how it has worked Fred. The original plate I had on this bike starting in 1990 was 3 numbers followed by 2 letters. That plate has mysteriously disappeared from it's nail hanger, hence I was forced to buy another. Maybe Maxpete will see this and chime in. He has been riding several different bikes over the years in Ontario since the mid 70's.

But no, the glue won't hold. I'd say attach the licence plate to the backing plate with pop rivets.
My avatar shows the strip of truck mud-flap that was bolted to the bike's plate bracket with the plate bolted onto the bottom part of the strip.
My current methodology uses 2 plain washers and 3 flat rubber washers each side, lined up like this:-
Plain washer/rubber washer/PLATE/rubber washer/BRACKET/rubber washer/plain washer.
Then put a fastener and Nylok nut through the lot.
And for your inner cheapskate, I found the truck mud-flap laying in the street and a 6-pack of flat rubber tap washers costs $5 at a plumber's store.

Will give your setup a go Fred, thanks. And will be keeping an eye on the roadside for donor mud-flaps.

 

[MaxPete]

Bob, I have to say that I really enjoy reading your posts. It shows that you put a lot of thought and effort into your writings. Your posts are always easy to read and flow really well, and you accompany with pictures posted in the appropriate places. You could/should be a column writer for a magazine somewhere. Anywho.... just thought I would share my appreciation of your contributions to this forum!

I absolutely agree Willis - Bob’s contributions are invariably literate, well considered, helpful and polite. Class act.

On the matter of Ontario licence plates....hmmmmm. I recall that when I got my brand new (leftover) 1979 Suzuki GS850G in 1981, the licence plate was 48500 (which I thought was cool: four cylinder 850 with zero miles) so in 1981, at least, Ontario had plates with only numbers. My earlier bikes were a 1975 Honda CB360T (bought used in 1976) and a 1975 Yamaha XS650B (bought used in 1978) but I’m afraid I can’t recall what the plate letters/numbers were. My recent bikes all have an alphabet soup of letters and numbers which I find nearly impossible to recall.

One thing I do recall from my earlier bikes is that the XS650B licence plate broke in a manner nearly identical to Robin’s upper left corner crack. I think I fixed it by bonding the plate to a fairly thick piece of hard plywood or something like that.

I guess these bikes have a vibration signature which beats up licence plates.

Peter

 

[Mailman]

Thanks Pete, nice of you to say.

 

[5twins]

Broken plate fix/cure/preventive measure - a backer plate 4 bolted to the license plate and made from 1/8" thick aluminum with some sheet rubber sandwiched between it and the plate. All 4 bolts use nylock nuts and rubber/metal washers. The aluminum plate is easy to cut and fabricate, a jigsaw works fine. Then file all the edges smooth and you're good to go .....

Several years ago, they changed our motorcycle plates from the normal stamped steel with extruded letters/numbers to a totally flat aluminum plate with a giant sticker on it. They're terribly fragile now, even more so than the stamped style. I consider a backer plate pretty much a requirement now.

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

As to a solution to the license plate vibration/break off issue, about 25 years ago I started using a backing plate made of 2.5mm sheet Kydex, a particularly durable plastic made by Piedmont Industries and used worldwide in mass transit vehicles to withstand constant daily vibration and abuse by all sorts of disturbed passengers.

....glued to the license plate with Eclectic Industries' Shoo Goo,

which was developed by a long-distance runner to shape the platform of his sneakers in a manner that he had designed.

But this season I plan to mount one of my plates to this cool plastic backing plate that came with the 1967 Yamaha YR1 350 I bought a few years ago.

 

[Jim]

I'm about ready to order one Bob. You still give it good reviews now that you've had it awhile?

 

[Mailman]

Yeah Jim, I would buy it again in a minute. I’ve had windshields that I really wasn’t happy with due to the amount of buffeting at helmet level, I mean I’ve had one in particular that slapped my head around so much it blurred my vision. This windshields smaller size takes the blast off of your body to ease fatigue, but leaves your helmet in a clear flow of air. It’s smaller size will not cocoon you in a pocket of still air, you will still get air flow around your arms and shoulders, but the wind pressure on your torso will be greatly reduced.
Also be aware that it is not made from traditional windshield material, whatever it is , it’s thin and flexible, but has proven to be quite durable.
So...yes I like it.
Like anything else though, Your perception might be different.

 

[Jim]

I just pulled the trigger...

 

[Mailman]

Good I hope you like it as much as I do.

 

[arcticXS]

An XS650 certainly shakes at idle but as you say, it all calms down once you are underway. I recall observing the front wheel on my '75 XS650B literally moving about 1/4" in and out (fore & aft) as it sat there idling while I put on my gloves for a ride. It is amazing how much flex there is in the fork system of these old gals. Oddly, the '76 XS650C that I have now doesn't seem to do that nearly as much.
Pete

The front wheel oscillations would be affected by the engine vibrations, fork rigidity, and combined mass of fork/wheel/fender.
So if engine balance factor and reciprocating mass is unchanged between years, a dual disc front with 34 mm forks would oscillate more than one with sigle disc and 35 mm fork. Personally, I actually like to watch this parelell twin phenomenon
With regards to handlebar vibrations, I went the opposite way than most. I replaced the oem 650D handlebar with a lower and narrower aluminium handlebar from LSL of Germany. The model is called "Superbike Low". I find the vibes to be tolerable up towards 5000 rpm with the stock triples and risers, combined with this lightweight alloy bar.

 

[Jim]

Well Bob, it's as you described... with one exception; mines not really shaking that much at idle. I might have it a tad higher than I want it, but now I'm afraid to lower it 'cause it might shake like yours....
Excellent review buddy. I'm happy.

 

[Mailman]

Well Bob, it's as you described... with one exception; mines not really shaking that much at idle. I might have it a tad higher than I want it, but now I'm afraid to lower it 'cause it might shake like yours....
Excellent review buddy. I'm happy.

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Excellent! I’m so happy you like it, it looks really nice on your bike too! I would imagine that different shaped handlebars and instruments , such as your voltage meter ) would alter the fit a little.
I hope you continue to enjoy yours as much as I do mine!

 

[MaxPete]

Dang - all these photos of bikes out in the sun is makin' me wanna ride again. It was really nice to see RobinC's old posts. I must say that I miss his happy generous spirit on the forum.

Unfortunately, it is -10C (about 18 deg. F outside and the roads are covered with salt....

 

[BACK SHIFT]

Really did enjoy your review on the Givi A603, gonna order one up for my 82 heritage, looking forward to installing it, thanks once again for telling us how well it performed on your machine
back shift