Trying to figure out my wind noise issue

[lastparrot]

So I have 200 miles on the tenere. I must say that I love the bike, handles better than my old vstar, very pleased. My only issue at this point is deafening noise at around 55 mph. I have done several searches on the issue and can't seem to understand the consensus on what might help the issue. I am 6'3 with 34 inch inseam and haven't replaced the windshield. From my searching on the site it looks like the Wind Guards/Wings or a larger windshield could help as both say they offer relief. Make no mistake I understand that there will be wind noise, but the amount is just horrible. I am just wondering which tactic would provide the most possible solution to the issue. I look forward to your advice and guidance.

 

[squarebore]

The winglets and a larger screen certainly helped but more with the buffeting than the noise. I won't ride any distance longer than a few miles without ear plugs. The type of helmet seems to play a pretty big role in the noise equation. I don't think the wind noise actually related to the bike as I get it on every bike. BTW I am the same height.

 

[rushfan]

Drop the screen to its lowest height or take it off. Just to get your helmet & torso in clean air. If you're still getting the noise & the buffeting went away its probably the helmet. I noticed I get a fair amount of buffeting from the sides. The air seems to roll around the screen & the turbulence hits the sides of my helmet. I've ridden worse, not that big of a deal.

 

[oldbear]

The winglets and a larger screen certainly helped but more with the buffeting than the noise. I won't ride any distance longer than a few miles without ear plugs. The type of helmet seems to play a pretty big role in the noise equation. I don't think the wind noise actually related to the bike as I get it on every bike. BTW I am the same height.

What he said! Consider a Madstad bracket and tall(er) shield I run winglets, madstad and 24" Parabellum shield.. Works great and eliminates turbulence. I also wear ear plugs when on a ride of any distance-hearing is precious and once lost, it's gone forever. Also your lid will make a world of difference-I've found a Shoie Neotech works best for me
YRMV...

 

[lastparrot]

I wear custom ear plugs I had made for shooting on every ride. The noise is still loud for me. My helmet is a hjc IS-17 if that helps. How tall is the standard tenere windshield? I am going to do some research on the vstream windshield as well as a few others.

 

[autoteach]

I have a madstad bracket with a Parabellum tall (24" I think) and the yamaha wind deflectors. I always wear earplugs because the noise just wears me down, but I will say that I cant just lock the windscreen down and rock. If I am going to be traveling 55mph or 75mph, the height and angle need to be different.

 

[lastparrot]

I went with the CalSci large screen. I have heard good things about this. Once I get it and test it out I will try to post up a review.

 

[DanP]

I also have a Madstad bracket along with the Yamaha touring shield and wind deflectors. These along with foam earplugs and an Arai RX-Q helmet give a smooth, quiet ride.

 

[bmac]

I am 6'2" and could not handle the wind noise on my 2012 with the stock shield. I tried a couple before I settled on a Madstad bracket with a Powerbronze shield. Those two changes allowed me to ride without earplugs. To say it was a dramatic improvement might be a slight understatement. No winglets needed.

 

[lastparrot]

My plan is to try the screen by itself, if I get enough of a difference and just feel like some modification is in order I will get the madstad bracket.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Drop the screen to its lowest height or take it off. Just to get your helmet & torso in clean air.
. . .

::026::

First try the simple approach and try a ride without the screen to move the air break down from your helmet.
Then you can duct tape a tall piece of cardboard or plastic to the screen to see how much of an extension is needed to move the airbreak higher on your helmet.

Those 2 steps ought to guide you on which way to go.

 

[bnschroder]

I would start with ear plugs. I am 6'5" with 36" inseam and changed to a 27" Parabellum on the highest setting and guess what - no more wind noise but I heard the engine and not my Sena S20. But with earplugs i feel like wearing my Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones - no noise but decent music volume - pure bliss. I use standard foam plugs

 

[lastparrot]

I would start with ear plugs. I am 6'5" with 36" inseam and changed to a 27" Parabellum on the highest setting and guess what - no more wind noise but I heard the engine and not my Sena S20. But with earplugs i feel like wearing my Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones - no noise but decent music volume - pure bliss. I use standard foam plugs

I do wear plugs now, custom molded plus I got for shooting.

 

[giorgionefat]

I do wear a 100$ custom molded ear plugs and they do a good job,but a standard(3M or similar) foam plugs are much better.So,don`t think worth to spend a lot of money for plugs. Btw,I got a HJC RPHA Max helmet which declare a 84db noise but still getting a lot of wind noise. An OEM higher screen is fitted,tried to put it on the highest level and it was even worst. Never tried to put it on lowest,but look like it worth a try. FYi I`m 6`4"

 

[Rockhopper]

Based on my experience on my previous bike, I would highly recommend the Madstad bracket and screen. I would ride my Tiger on the highway at 70 mph with the shield open on hot days

I haven't really found the urgent need to replace the windshield on the S10 yet, but if I did, I'd get a Madstad hands down.

Pair a Madstad with custom molded ear plugs and you're golden.

 

[lastparrot]

I received the calsci screen today and got it mounted (as well as mounted the universal joint guard). I will try to take some pictures and give a before and after review if I an get out and ride tomorrow. I did try the different height positions of the original screen and did those with the seat in both low and high position. I found that my biggest issue was wind wrapping around the stock screen and making contact with my helmet around my ear. the calsci screen is a little wider so we will see the results tomorrow.

 

[steve68steve]

I haven't had my S10 long, but I already have a tall Yamaha screen and the winglets and had them on for a 750+ mile weekend in Romney. I noticed a big difference with the tall screen and winglets vs. stock but it's still loud (earplugs fix that).

The one surprise: at some point I looked down at the tank and the noise stopped entirely. For the first time on any ADV bike I've had, all I could hear was engine and tire noise - zero wind blast.
This makes me think the vast percentage of noise is from either the face shield, coming in under the chin, or from the stuff sticking up off the helmet to catch air for venting (HJC CSR-1). The effect is consistent but less dramatic with my HJC CSR-2.

I was shocked how dramatic the difference was. When people say the helmet contributes a lot to wind noise, they aren't kidding.

 

[lastparrot]

So I road into work today using the new CalSci screen in the low position with my seat in the low position as well. Wind noise was still present but greatly reduced. Remember last time I was wearing plugs and had a ringing in my ear. So after 1 hour at and slightly above interstate speed limits (70) I am very pleased so far. I may mess with the height a little in a few days just to see what the difference is, but for now I am content I made the correct choice.

Stock Screen

CalSci Large Screen

 

[EricV]

I hope the larger screen you orders works well for you. I run a Med CalSci, but their site chart would have had me order a large size, which would have been very quiet. I prefer some wind though, thus the Med size.

One note on the custom earmolds. With some helmets, the earmold will touch the helmet in such a way that you get conductive noise. A tap on the helmet will sound amplified and no screen will help that. This seems more common with riders that have less hair or are bald, (partially or completely). If any of this sounds familiar, try going for a ride with foam plugs instead of your earmolds. I used custom earmold monitors for a while, and while the music quality was excellent, in the end I went back to an industrial NNR33 rated foam earplug to simply have a quiet ride. The earmolds were never as quiet as good foam plugs.

In regards to helmets, your HJC is known to be a relatively loud helmet. On the Vstar with a larger screen, it likely made no difference. On the Super Ten, I would expect you to notice more wind noise, as the wind protection is much less.

Currently I'm running the CalSci Med screen with Yamaha side wings and wearing an LS2 FF386 modular helmet, which is a very good helmet at a low price and pretty quiet for a modular. I had a Shoei MultiTech before and an Arai before that. Oval head shape here, so the LS2 fits nicely for that head shape.

 

[squarebore]

X2 for ear moulds not being as good as the foamies. They are great anywhere for except under a helmet.