Review of CalSci windscreen
So I got the perfect gift for Hanukah...one that I wanted but would not spend the money on it myself. My sister bought me the CalSci windscreen for my 2010 Z1000. I ride year round in Connecticut and it has been getting very cold to ride the Z, even though I have the Power Bronze windscreen on it. The PB works great in almost all weather, but with temps hitting the low 30's, the windflow onto my chest was chilling my core pretty quickly. Enter my great sis in law and the CalSci windscreen. The site (CalSci.com) gives the specs. It is about 6 inches taller than my PB and wider at the top. As you can see on the site, the screen is pretty flat and follows the line of the bike nicely. Most of the reviews I read of the windscreen say its is ugly, but on the bike, it looks OK, especially as it balances out the large saddle bags I have on the back. The Z is now an all temp sport tourer.
The material of the screen is cut pretty cleanly. You can see the cutting tool marks on the edge of the plastic, but it is not an issue. The screen is dark smoke, but not as dark as my PB. I think it would look better darker.
I got the screen last night and today in Connecticut, it was 57 degrees. I installed the windscreen (just remove and replace the 4 bolts--5 minutes). I then headed for my favorite back roads to see if I could feel the effect of the new screen. As a caveat, I am 5'9" with a 30" inseam, I have handle bar risers so I sit up pretty straight. I wear a helmet (Nexx XR1R Carbon) and earplugs when I ride. I have noticed that based on the weather, humidity, how stable the air is and where I am riding all impact the noise level and buffeting of my helmet.
I noticed that at speeds under 50mph, there seemed to be a noticeable improvement in how much air was impacting my upper torso. The windscreen does move around alot, which makes sense considering it is only held by 4 screws, the bottom two of which are mounted to the flexible plastic on the bike. The screen is moving a lot of air. The PB windscreen has more bends in it which seems to give it greater rigidity. However, the movement of the CalSci screen was not distracting. I had read a review which said that the screen comes in contact with the front brake reservoir. I found that when the screen was flexing, it came within about 1/4 inch of the reservoir, but never made contact. So under 50mph, it is a winner.
I then hopped on my favorite stretch of seldom used highway and ran the bike into the low triple digits. Again, there was a noticeable improvement, even more so at the higher speeds. With the PB, I have to concentrate to hold my head level as the speeds exceed 90mph. Into the triple digits, the buffeting was much less which added to my surprise when I looked down and saw the spedo with a 1 as the first number.
Again, the primary purpose of wanting the CalSci was to reduce the cold wind impacting my torso. The CalSci does an excellent job of shifting the airflow from my chest to the face shield on my helmet while reducing the overall buffeting. Overall, the Calsci is not cheap ($125 plus shipping), but it means I can extend my riding season on the Z. I would recommend this to a friend.
As an aside, the CalSci guys ship it quickly and it comes well protected, along with a tire pressure guage and micro fiber cloth.
I will post pics when I figure out how to.
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