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Madstad Windshield

7K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  rayj 
#1 ·
I've finally decided to think about replaciing the stock windshield on my 2018 Versys650 LT. On my previous Vstrom DL1000 I fitted a Madstad unit which of course has the up & down adjustment & tilt adjustment.
I've seen a few posts here about fitting Givi & Puig windshields on the Versys but nothing on Madstads. Just wondered if anyone had any experience with this upgrade.
 
#2 ·
I know someone here has installed the Madstad and loves it. Not sure who. But sure they will chime in soon...
 
#3 · (Edited)
I'm one of them.
Madstad is in top 3 of best comfort updates (with hw pegs and throttle lock).

Only one small fixable negative: the adjustment and pivot nuts (M6 x too short) can unscrew completely and fall off under vibration.
So find 2 longer bolts (by M6 x maybe 25-30 mm I don't recall well) and add nylocs at the ends. You don't want to loose the weird nut they have in there, it's hard to make one spare...

DON'T BUY these longer bolts on ebay or whatever. These are made of crappy soft metal and the threads will wear when the slack windshield frame will hammer the bolt.

To fix (when you feel like it, no hurry), "simply":

-buy good hard M6 bolts (go measure the length for certainty, though a 40mm is certainly enough)
-buy washers with one rubber side (this absorb some vibration before it's completely loose) to put on the single hole frame side where the star knob will press.
-take a toilet paper roll, cut 2 circle mold about 5/16" thick.
-crease corners to give it a shape that approaches a square or knobby star, whatever you want to grip the bolt head later.
-put them on a waxed paper
-mix and pour JB weld in them
-dip and rest the bolt centered on its head (assuming std hex head)
-let cure 24h
-sand with dremmel in the shape you want, removing all the stuck roll and rounding the edges (not too much!).
-liquid die in your favorite color.
 
#5 ·
I bought my '15 used, it came with a Puig. A lot of buffeting. It hurt my ears even with foam ear plugs, it was literally painful

I ordered up a Givi 4112(IIRC) on my first road trip cuz the Puig was that bad. This was better , but still not "there".

I bought a used Madstad off of this forum. Better still, though not quite "there".

I purchased a deflector similar to this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Motorcycle...4921&sprefix=windshield+deflec,aps,183&sr=8-5



I mounted it upside down after trying it as shown. Now, I'm "there". No more buffeting, much quieter.

HTH.
 
#6 ·
Curious if anyone has simply added wings to the side of the stocker, along with a spoiler? Worked great on my old WeeStrom's stock screen. I kept the spoiler and already put it on the Versys, so thinking of adding lexan wings to widen the stock shield.(if needed) It's new to me, and haven't actually ridden it yet,(cold & snow) so the spoiler may be enough, but extra width is usually a good thing. I've used spoilers for years, on many different bikes. They are THEE fix for buffeting.
 
#13 ·
Took me a long time to get my 1st Gen sorted above 50mph. I started with a Givi 405? and the original Madstad bracket based on his Vstrom model.

Final solution was adding a lightly use Laminar Lip I found on fleabay... made all the difference in the world with a nice calm pocket of air up past 70mph.
 
#14 ·
thats so odd to me that some hate the puig shield. it came with the 16lt i purchased recently and at 5"9" it works just fine for me. I can ride with the faceshield up on my C3pro and not have any issues. at any speed below 40 or so i can ride with the chinbar flipped up with no issues. gets a little windy above that tho so i have to drop it in place.

just adds to my contention that windshields (and seats also) are such a personal preference thing that recommendations for either can be made in only the most general of terms.

even across riders of the same height/weight what works for one may be horrible for another, thats why many us have multiple iterations of shields/seats stashed in the garage.
as a prime example of this I went thru 3 shields and 4 seats on my concours 14 till I found what worked for me. luckily the puig that came on the versys is good to me. when i start modifying the seat that may change.
 
#15 ·
Gen 3 (2015) with Madstad. I love it. The size they recommended for my height was correct, but then I installed an aftermarket seat which raised me up just a bit. So I wish I had the next size up, but not enough to spend the money now!

As an aside, the buffeting depends on the angle and height adjustment on the windshield. I have found a more upright setting reduces buffeting.

For the physicists and aerodynamicists here, I have discovered a significant source of the buffet is the space between the windshield and the instrument cluster. The frequency doesn't change with speed but the intensity does. Changing the angle does change the intensity. Also, water droplets on the back side of the windshield move downward through that gap. I had expected it to be like a slotted flap with air moving upward.

Some kind of diffuser or slat may prove helpful in killing the buffet.
 
#17 ·
Just like fairings. Water soaking. Hose showering. Then when all hardshell bugs are gone now you can think of rubbing with microfibre cloth.

I coat the surface like fairings, with shine'n'go which is a bit greasy-silicony so that bugs stick a bit less. Could be in my mind because it is really not making much difference when they splat at 100kph, cook in the sun and dry in the wind...

As for scratches, they can be removed with usual plastic finishing polish compound (I used Quixx).
 
#18 ·
To get the heavy bugs off I soak an old towel and hang it on the shield for a while. When traveling if there is morning dew the bugs will have been softened from soaking in the dew.

Honda aerosol spray polish also gets involved with the above scenarios.

I can and sometimes have to do the soak with the spray polish.
 
#20 ·
For my Madstad with the spoiler, I've found that lifting the top pegs over the bracket slots and resting them on the top of the bracket for the windshield, gave me 1 more inch height, and eliminated my buffering.
 
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#22 ·
I love mine that I have on my Gen 1 and use it with a smaller MRA Vario screen that has the top adjustable screen. I have been an idiot for the last 4 years not knowing that it adjusts up and down not just the small amount of "lean" back and forth. The hex end to the bolts that affix to the nuts for the height adjustment are not accessible due to the brackets, so i thought all of this time that the height was fixed. I will be taking the screen off later today and mess around with the height adjustment.
 
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