2007Fizzer
Senior rider
I've had problems for several years with too much wind turbulence around the bottom and sides of my helmet. The combination of my Cycle Gear modular helmet and Yamaha's extended height "touring windshield" just created so much wind noise that I couldn't hear my iphone GPS instructions, which get routed via Bluetooth to my Sena communicator - at least above 35 or 40 mph. And slowing down to hear the GPS instructions isn't often an option.
So I responded to an ad on this FZ6 web site for a lightly used Madstad windscreen. You know, the kind that's manually adjustable for height and has a large opening at the bottom of the windscreen to admit a portion of the wind blast under and behind the windscreen. The Madstad windscreen I purchased from a forum member is perfectly clear and measures about 19.5" high (at the longest) and about 17.5" wide (at the widest). I believe Madstad originally termed it the "Sport CR Shield 20" Clear" for the FZ6 (there were several other models). I also believe Madstad doesn't make the specific FZ6 model windscreens any more, although they do make a similar screen available that's DIY - you have to drill the holes in the screen and mount it yourself. At least a few of the new, original FZ6 screens offered by Madstad are still available through a dealer in England (Google that site). Occasionally they also pop up on ebay.
I installed the used Madstad windscreen, and initially set it to the highest possible height, thinking I needed the "full Monte". I soon learned that I was protecting an area from wind blast far above my helmet (I'm about 5' 7"), and was probably using far too much horsepower to push my way through the wind. So for the next test ride I reduced the windscreen height by about 3", so the top of the windscreen was about eye level, in normal riding. Even at that lowered setting, on a fairly lengthy test ride on a major highway, I had no appreciable wind blast on my helmet, and I could stick my head up a good ways and still be out of the wind blast and buffeting.
So WOW! What a difference. Don't ask me how I know, but now I'm able to hear and understand my GPS directions, up to at least 90 miles an hour. And I'll continue to fine-tune the windscreen height setting, since the lower the windscreen is the less horsepower I need to "break wind" (pun intended).
If you have a similar problem with wind buffeting, and need a reasonable cost solution, a Madstad windscreen may certainly be a good mod to consider. Their windscreens are thick and free from imperfections, and their hardware and accessories are well-engineered for the specific purpose utilized. Even if you have to pay shipping from England, or customize one of the available DIY models, so it fits your FZ6, it would still be worth the effort. And you might get lucky and find one on ebay from time to time.
For me, I'll be riding with the new-to-me Madstad windscreen until my FZ6 dies. And if it looks like I'm "bogeying to the music" as I go rolling down the road, it's usually Al Bundy’s favorite "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf, which I can now hear as I ride.
So I responded to an ad on this FZ6 web site for a lightly used Madstad windscreen. You know, the kind that's manually adjustable for height and has a large opening at the bottom of the windscreen to admit a portion of the wind blast under and behind the windscreen. The Madstad windscreen I purchased from a forum member is perfectly clear and measures about 19.5" high (at the longest) and about 17.5" wide (at the widest). I believe Madstad originally termed it the "Sport CR Shield 20" Clear" for the FZ6 (there were several other models). I also believe Madstad doesn't make the specific FZ6 model windscreens any more, although they do make a similar screen available that's DIY - you have to drill the holes in the screen and mount it yourself. At least a few of the new, original FZ6 screens offered by Madstad are still available through a dealer in England (Google that site). Occasionally they also pop up on ebay.
I installed the used Madstad windscreen, and initially set it to the highest possible height, thinking I needed the "full Monte". I soon learned that I was protecting an area from wind blast far above my helmet (I'm about 5' 7"), and was probably using far too much horsepower to push my way through the wind. So for the next test ride I reduced the windscreen height by about 3", so the top of the windscreen was about eye level, in normal riding. Even at that lowered setting, on a fairly lengthy test ride on a major highway, I had no appreciable wind blast on my helmet, and I could stick my head up a good ways and still be out of the wind blast and buffeting.
So WOW! What a difference. Don't ask me how I know, but now I'm able to hear and understand my GPS directions, up to at least 90 miles an hour. And I'll continue to fine-tune the windscreen height setting, since the lower the windscreen is the less horsepower I need to "break wind" (pun intended).
If you have a similar problem with wind buffeting, and need a reasonable cost solution, a Madstad windscreen may certainly be a good mod to consider. Their windscreens are thick and free from imperfections, and their hardware and accessories are well-engineered for the specific purpose utilized. Even if you have to pay shipping from England, or customize one of the available DIY models, so it fits your FZ6, it would still be worth the effort. And you might get lucky and find one on ebay from time to time.
For me, I'll be riding with the new-to-me Madstad windscreen until my FZ6 dies. And if it looks like I'm "bogeying to the music" as I go rolling down the road, it's usually Al Bundy’s favorite "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf, which I can now hear as I ride.
