Question for Silverwing/Givi AF214 owners

[smeghead]

I've got a pair of large chrome mirrors from a 'Guzzi lurking around in the garage. I'll compare them when I get it. Cheers Meldrew.

[Sylar]

Right again Meldrew,first thing I did (well, one of them) was replace the standard mirrors with the extra set i got for my 400 Burgman. I took pics of my new bike now I have all my goodies fitted but,thought them only of interest to me.

First New Silverwing Pics 001.JPG

First New Silverwing Pics 003.JPG

First New Silverwing Pics 005.JPG

[smeghead]

The scoot looks great Sylar, mines a black un too.

[Gerard C]

Do those laminar lip things work? The accessory screens are so good and the originals so bad it's surely so lazy of the manufacturers not to get the designs right in the first place. It would vastly improve their product at a very low, if any, cost.

[maxiscoot nz]

The scoot looks great Sylar, mines a black un too.

So you have bitten the bullet .
Good choice mate they are a quality ride.
So was the 400 i had mine just right but i changed only because i got the bargin on the tmax with abs

[anonstarter]

That is one fab looking black Silverwing Mister Sylar!
Have you noticed any obvious differences between your new Silverwing and the Silverwing you traded in?

[Bluebottle]

Do laminar lips work? they can work very well, but each case is individual and it depends what you want to achieve.

Do those laminar lip things work? The accessory screens are so good and the originals so bad it's surely so lazy of the manufacturers not to get the designs right in the first place. It would vastly improve their product at a very low, if any, cost.

It isn't a low cost, its expensive because its R&D by skilled people and most bikers won't pay what it costs to do it right.

I agree some manufacturers are lazy but it is also a problem of balancing conflicting needs.
What you want from a screen may compromise what the screen already does, so choices have to be made.

For example, most of us want a screen that we can just see over (to deflect weather, bugs and stone chips without reducing our view). The problem is that this height is the noisiest possible (it directs accelerated, turbulent flow at your helmet - this flow is the biggest cause of noise). Curing one problem creates another.

Manufacturers are concerned about cost but they also need to make a screen that keeps drag down and deflects weather/debris. On top of that it must not produce lift or create handling problems and work with any rider wearing any helmet.

This last bit is important. Using the noisy screen example again- some helmets are noisier if the flow hits them at the top, some at the bottom. That means the riders height, the screen height and the type of helmet all make a difference. What works for me might not work for you. If that isn't bad enough, it all changes with speed and angle of headwind

So the designer has a problem, what priority does he choose and who does he tailor it for? Short rider/Shoei/low drag mor tall rider/HJC/wind noise? He can't, he has to try and make something that works for the widest range. And doesn't make the bike dangerous.

So it isn't as simple as "the screen is crap, it doesn't work". It might work very well at its intended job but the designer was trying to achieve something different to you. Just like binoculars aren't very good for eating your dinner with.

When you are dealing with aerodynamics, seemingly my small changes can make a huge difference and you can't take one element on its own, every factor effects everything else.

Another part of the balancing act is how it looks, bikers don't always buy what works best

When somebody like BMW spends a lot of time working on the aerodynamics most buyers scream "overpriced" because the results are invisible compared to adding metal or gadgets.
On lower cost bikes they just don't bother, they sell more by adding a paint job

[Bluebottle]

Personally I don't give a shit about what all these manufacturers with their skilled R&D may be trying to achieve...

and that is exactly why they don't bother
One customer says "I don't give a shit about handling"
One customer says "I don't give a shit about weather protection"
One customer says "I don't give a shit about blocking the wind, it keeps me cool in this heat"
Etc etc
There is no advantage to be gained by spending time and money on it

[ollie]

Nice photos Sylar, I had the option of black or blue with mine and went for blue as my experience with a black car which showed every mark put me off, but I do think the wing looks good in black.
With regards to the screen I have stayed with stock and fitted a wunderlich deflector which I find has transformed the ride for me, no doubt as bluebottle and others have said it depends on the individual. Being tall and thin I sit high in the saddle and with just the screen I found at any sort of speed my head was being pushed around, I fitted the deflector and can now ride with the visor up if I want to. What I found with the deflector is that the angle at which it is most effective is not what my logic told me would be the best setting, I get the best airflow from directing it slightly towards me.

[Bluebottle]

What I found with the deflector is that the angle at which it is most effective is not what my logic told me would be the best setting, I get the best airflow from directing it slightly towards me.

Its more logical if you don't think of it as a deflector. Some of them operate by squeezing the air flow into a flat blade. This blade or jet of air acts as an extra piece of screen and also flows a bit cleaner than the normal break away.
Sometimes the extra bits just give the air an excuse to make a clean break.