Screen Set Up - VZ800

Having just fitted a screen to my M800 (the same one as Mr I has I think

LINK

I have been experimenting with height and rake..... but anything I try seems to make very little difference. Height I have set as my nose height when seated on the bike; I have tried the screen angled towards me and also more vertical with little difference I think.. Certainly feel the reduction in wind blast on the chest but it does make my helmet more noisy (although quietr when my visor is open!), but no buffeting.
Does anyone have any recommendations on rake angle etc or is it just trial and error? I guess ear plugs may be the way to go on long journeys.

I have the same screen on my bike and I think it is just trial and error before you get it right. I have mine so I can see over the top about the same as you have said you have yours which seems to be about right, as for angle just try it differant ways until it seems the best position, sorry I can'nt be any more exact, best of luck. You will get there in the end.

Yep, same as mine.
I spent a whole weekend repositioning mine a tiny bit at a time before I got it to the best position. I don't suffer in the same way as you with the helmet noise but I can tell you what it is. The reason you are getting noise when the helmet visor is shut but not when it is open is because of up draft! All you can do is keep playing with it to reduce that but it is an issue a lot of people have with screens. The best solution is to add screen lowers to the forks, they will make the world of difference to your all around comfort as the majority of wind issues come from under the screen not over or around it as you might expect!
Captain Crash found some nice ones a while ago that were not overly expensive that he posted in a thread where he suggested all the aftermarket parts that would make the perfect C800, but I can't think for the life of me which thread it was in, sorry.

Just to add to my post, an idea might be to take an allen key out on the bike so you can stop and do adjustments until you get you best setting. As Mr I says the best answer is lowers, I may be getting some myself, Captain Crash did find a good pair which are somewhere on the site.

Just been searching for you Grob & found the thread intruder-summer-bikes Crash shows pictures of the lowers which are really nice and they are reasonably priced. I must get me some of them for my bike!

I have the same screen (or v similar), and agree entirely. Depends how tall you are too - I have mine set pretty high. I even found it changed the sound of the bike! Maybe resonance?

Really pleased I got it though - partly due to inexperience, but I used to feel I was going to get blown right off at anything above 60!

Thank you for your guidance. Will probably try the fork lowers when I get round to it. Wonder if you could
make some?

Sounds crazy but I made some a while back out of a bit of wood & zip ties to see what difference lowers would make. I was surprised by the difference they do make!
They would be pretty easy to make if you can get hold of the materials that you want it made out of at a reasonable price. I was going to make some by cutting an old screen a mate had in his garage but he had thrown it away

bigmal wrote:

Really pleased I got it though - partly due to inexperience, but I used to feel I was going to get blown right off at anything above 60!

Blown Right Off eh ? ......Ooohh I want a bike like that

I cant remember that far back mate!

The Suzuki OEM screen slopes at the same angle as the forks for aesthetics but will actually provide more protection from the wind if tilted forward more. Some riders do this by removing the two upper windcreen bolts (one on each side), tilting the windscreen forward pivoting on the lower bolts until the bracket clears the upper bolt holes and then re-installing the bolts and letting the windscreen mounting bracket just sit back against the upper bolts. (The windscreen is still fairly secure because now the bottom of the windscreen braces against the fork legs).

When I tried this I was surprised how much improved the wind deflection was so I made a permanent aluminum bracket so I would still be fastened with the upper bolts. I also have a Laminar Lip deflector at the top of my windscreen.

CycleBiker wrote:

The Suzuki OEM screen slopes at the same angle as the forks for aesthetics but will actually provide more protection from the wind if tilted forward more.....

That's very interesting CB. I do not have a screen on my Intruder but have recently been experimenting with screen angles on my V-Strom where I have found the opposite actually applies! With a forward rake I find too much head buffeting but when pushing the top further towards the rider I get a smoother ride. I always thought screen air flow control conformed to the same principles regardless of the motorcycle but perhaps this is not true and it depends on the shape of the front (fairing/naked etc). Interesting! I also see your screen has a spoiler which may react differently than a single piece screen.

Hi John if you look at my screen you will see it agrees with your logic,I like many others on this forum have had many bikes over the years and have always found that the more you tilt from front to back the better the wind passes,regardless of what vehicle you are on CB when you say tilted forward more do you mean tilted towards the back of your bike?.

You can see the angle in this pic:

Just noticed from your picture that I can see the floor above the frame at the front, just behind the engine guards you must have no belly pan!

Well my bike's an '05 - I guess the belly pan must be something they put on later models.

CycleBiker wrote:

Well my bike's an '05 - I guess the belly pan must be something they put on later models.

Mines a 2007 and it has'nt got a belly pan.

I think you need to remember that where bike models are different that will make a difference to what gives the best results. also when a slightly different screen is used it will deflect the wind in a slightly different way yet again. also when you look at CB's bike he would have a result that would be completely different to anyone else due to the unique setup of his bike.

There is no one size fits all formula with screens due to the vast differentials that are involved with the models, screens & riding positions also the size of the rider, the list goes on and on

It would be great to see them in a smoke tunnel, to see how they react.
My screen is tilted in line with the forks which gives me the best result but when you think about it, that pushes most air over the top. When a scree is upright it would push the air out to the side. Now I know that it will only ever push the air up or out a certain amount before it gets pulled back in by the eddie that is behind the screen.
Without a doubt though however you angle the screen, the best thing for results will always be fork lowers.

On the Pan I have electrically adjustable screen. Got a 2 way switch on the handlebars to move it up or down and increase/decrease the angle. If its raining I angle the screen so that it pushes the air up onto my visor, which keeps the rain off it

Now that clever

Any recommendations on where to get a reasonable screen?