National Cycle VStream Sports Windscreen for Honda Africa Twin Review

[MotoNews]

Published in: Gear

There are many ways to improve motorcycle rider comfort, covering everything from bar risers to footpegs. Having done almost all of them, I decided to switch out my stock windscreen to see if it made a difference, especially on long trips.

For purely aesthetic reasons I didn’t want an obnoxiously tall touring windscreen, so I decided to give the VStream Sport Windscreen a try. Installation took only a few minutes, as it attached to the stock mounting points using stock hardware. When fastening the windscreen to the Africa Twin, do not push the bolt back in with much pressure or the nut will drop out of the retainer and fall behind the fairing, resulting in either several hours of work removing/reattaching the fairing, or a trip to your local dealer to find replacement parts. Start the bolts by hand with minimal pressure until you get the threads going, then tighten them up with your Allen wrench.

Much to my pleasure, the windscreen is the exact same height as the stock one, but wider and flared at the bottom and top using National Cycle’s patented “V” shape and dimensional contours. This design pushes more wind away from the rider’s head and chest, making for a quieter ride with less turbulence. When I went for a ride after installation, I could immediately tell the difference. After a long trip I took during the summer, I was noticeably less fatigued at the end of the day. The polycarbonate windscreen has an exclusive Quantum hard coating for better scratch resistance that makes it extremely durable. I wasn’t sure about the smoke color, but after the install I really like the way it naturally blends into the lines of the Africa Twin.

Visit National Cycle’s website to see if they have a windscreen for your model, which is very likely. Windscreens are available in three different heights in either clear or smoke.

NationalCycle.com

MSRP: $149.95 (for the Honda Africa Twin)

PROS:

• Mounts easily with existing hardware.
• Noticeable improvement to riding comfort.
• Different heights available.

CONS:

• Wishing I had made the screen change sooner.

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