I got my laminar lip yesterday. Here is a quick review:
Construction: Nice thick plastic, not cheap and flimsy like zero gravity.
Shipping: Fast
Service: Good, someone picked up the phone both times I called.
Mounting: Industrial strength velcro with industrial strength sticky stuff. I think it'll stay on, no worries.
Use: Well, I mounted the lip and went for a quick ride. Although it did work as advertised bringing the airflow over my helmet there was a major issue. I got the lip really to reduce wind noise from the airstream hitting dead center in my face. However the lip created a roaring noise that was probably 50% louder than the wind. Also the air coming under the lip from the mounted screen now was deflected by the lip right at my neck.
Note that this might be different for other people. Its just that with my height (5'11") and riding position it was unuseable. I did try riding with earplugs and even tried sitting up using my fingertips to grip the bars and it seemed clean and quiet. Obviously I can't ride like that all the time. :D
The gentleman at laminar was happy to give me an RMA and a refund assuming no damage. (And there was none from my 15 minute ride) Again, good customer service.
Anyhow, I guess I'll probably try to find a DB. A guy at work has a falco with a puig db that looks sturdy and a good shape to possibly do what I need.
Try an MRA vario touring screen. It's permanently mounted wing is adjustable. I use mine with Convertibars set at the highest position and it's makes an improvement over the stock screen. I also added Stealth Edging on the screen as well as the lip. The combination is very smooth and quiet up to about 70 mph. As speeds increase though it gets rougher and rougher...Although it's still good at highway speeds of 80-85 and makes trips much nicer. I'm 5-11" BTW.
I'm 6'4", so that's 5 inches more, but I have found on the 5th gen that the Givi Sport-Touring screen (if I recall rightly the D200S model) does the trick for me. As you well know, what works for one...
The Givi is nice and thick, not at all flimsy. Actually, I've got another one whose top corner cracked when the bike tipped over once, and I held onto it thinking to experiment with having it professionally cut where the crack is, to create a customized Givi screen and see what it does to the air flow... must get around to it...
The crack reaches the edge here (OEM on the right to compare):
Gotta find someone who knows what they're doing with cutting plastics... although the aesthetics of the full Givi ST pleases me less than I would like. One day I'll try out the DB, especially if I take her on a track day!! Can't go to a track day with the Givi ST on!!! 'Twould be sacrilege
[image: View Post]Auspa�ol, on Feb 8 2008, 08:18 AM, said:
I held onto it thinking to experiment with having it professionally cut where the crack is, to create a customized Givi screen and see what it does to the air flow.
Actually, cutting it (to any height) should make for very smooth airflow. Really, the only thing wrong with the stock windscreen is that beaded lip around the top edge. Yes, it makes it strong, but it also creates a little turbulence to wind flowing over the screen and striking it. I noticed that the windscreen on the Suzuki Bandit has the bead on the lower edge only, so there's only a smooth, undisturbed path for the airflow.
I *know* this works, as I experimented with taking the rubber beading off the edge of my VF500's screen, after reading that Alan Catchcart found when test-riding John Kozinski's RC45 that it had noticeably less turbulent airflow than Aaron Slight's one. (Aaron had put beading on the lip so he could see the edge and not hit his helmet on it when tucking in). It worked!
That Vario looks really nice.
I have a similar situation with my stock screen. I am about 5'10". If I stretch and hold my head high, my entire helmet gets into the quiet smooth slipstream. But I cannot maintain that posture; sit normally, and its right at the split in the air between the bubble and the wind, and I get turbulence.
But before I resort to an expensive windscreen I am going to try raising the handlebars first. I have lowered the front down on the fork tubes a bit, and probably have an inch or so that I can raise the clip-ons. Might be just enough to get me out of the turbulent air.
So Enzed, what about taking a dremel or such to the stock screen (carefully) and getting rid of the top side lip? Has anyone tried this? The ground down edge might not look too hot, but it could be polished down with the dremel too...
Hmmm, a winter project!! Just a couple nights ago I was wandering about the garage thinking... My dremel case was sitting on the bench too... Heck I am going to break it out and do the rear fender bob while I am at it.
[image: View Post]enzed_viffer, on Feb 7 2008, 08:42 PM, said:
[image: View Post]Auspa�ol, on Feb 8 2008, 08:18 AM, said:
I held onto it thinking to experiment with having it professionally cut where the crack is, to create a customized Givi screen and see what it does to the air flow.
Actually, cutting it (to any height) should make for very smooth airflow. Really, the only thing wrong with the stock windscreen is that beaded lip around the top edge. Yes, it makes it strong, but it also creates a little turbulence to wind flowing over the screen and striking it. I noticed that the windscreen on the Suzuki Bandit has the bead on the lower edge only, so there's only a smooth, undisturbed path for the airflow.
I *know* this works, as I experimented with taking the rubber beading off the edge of my VF500's screen, after reading that Alan Catchcart found when test-riding John Kozinski's RC45 that it had noticeably less turbulent airflow than Aaron Slight's one. (Aaron had put beading on the lip so he could see the edge and not hit his helmet on it when tucking in). It worked!
Yes I have heard this argument and it makes sense. As you can see the Givi screen has the black rubber tubing along the top edge. On cutting the screen I was thinkig of testing the difference by seeing if I can't work it off (suppose it's well glued on) the original edge and apply it to the custom cut edge to see the diff.
Still, I like the DB way more aesthetically, and it should be more appropriate on the race track... the plot thickens. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Big slacker, I put about 500 miles on both the toruing lip and the standard lip. your right about the noise increase, with standard lip brings noisey arflow up to ear level, another thing it buffets the hell out of ya being behind another vehicle.
The touring model, gave me googley eye and made me sick
got refund on both
stock shiled is fine, if ya increase you seat height 1 and 1/2 inch , gets even quiter and the legs luv the room
End of thread · 8 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 12 Apr 2010