In search of quiet air

For my first few riding decades (Yes, it’s been that long.) I rode naked, so to speak, with no windscreen blocking the wind and rain. I did have a 1/2 fairing on my RD350LC, but that hardly counts as a windshield as it was definitely more cosmetic than functional. But on all my other bikes it was just me, meeting the wind and bugs head-on.

Then, 10 years ago, my first Harley came with a windscreen and I finally realized what I had been missing all that time. Long rides weren’t nearly as exhausting, fewer bugs met their fates on my face, and a sore neck and shoulders weren’t the automatic result of a day in the saddle. But it also had a downside. The wind flowing around/over/under the windshield created a turbulence resulting in helmet buffeting which, in the extreme, created its own issues like blurred vision and headaches from the constant shaking. This condition is certainly not unknown to riders and so we are always looking for solutions to minimize, or at least reduce, the effects.

One option, which reportedly does work, is to have a reverse curve at the top lip of the shield, thus lifting the turbulent air up and over the rider’s helmet. That’s the theory anyway; the physics involved are beyond my understanding. But I’ve read enough reviews to at least give it a try, so my Klock Werks Flare Billboard Windshield arrived today in the post. Twenty minutes later it was installed and ready for a test run. Just about the same time as the rain hit, so that will have to wait until tomorrow.



I have high expectations that this windshield will give me a bubble of quiet air, so I hope I’m not to be disappointed.

And time goes by….

We all make fun of the weatherman’s accuracy (or lack of same) but then get pissed when he’s right. Especially when he’s right about crappy weather. Like today. Predicted as being “October’ish”, it’s currently 13C, raining, and windy with gusts up to 40kph. And it’s men’s night today at the golf club. Figures.

At any rate, that’s all apropos of the fact that I haven’t posted anything for a while and there’s nothing enticing about being out of doors at the moment. So here I am. Blogging.

Aside from all the yard work and winter cleanup tasks that are an annual occurrence, my project this spring has been to build a shed to relieve some of the space pressure caused by having too many motorcycles in the garage.

I know that’s a problem a lot of folks would like to have but it does get tedious moving stuff around all the time. Especially stuff that isn’t currently being worked on. So a shed was called for.



This is, for the most part, a build it with what’s lying around project. Cedar post framing, recycled lumber, left-over shingles… you get the idea. There’s still quite a bit of work to finish it but slow and steady will get the job done.

There were no snakes harmed in the creation of this shed, but they were quite perturbed at the destruction of the lumber pile, which had become their adopted home. I hope they find new digs nearby because they are great to have around the garden.



But it hasn’t all been snakes, bad weather and serfdom. On Tuesday I downed tools and took a short, 2-hour ride around the ‘hood to get a coffee at a not-quite-local Tim Hortons. It was one of those perfect riding days where the sun’s out, it’s not too hot, and most of the idiots one usually encounters on the road were at home watching the soaps.

 

One of those days a rider lives for.