Modern Vespa

Hi guys - I intend to put this on the P200, obviously, but I don't think this is a not-so-modern question...

http://www.scooterwest.com/item_detail/PX-Stella-Small-Flyscreen-CLEAR/2376/

My issue is this - I find that wind buffeting can be pretty impressive over 40 mph. Ducking helps a lot, but I can't do that for a long distance ride.

After all I've read here, I think a large windscreen would not be appropriate for prolonged riding at 50+ mph lest it act as a sail and slow me against headwinds.

1. Am I on the ball that for a multiple hour ride at 50+ mph I should go for a smaller screen?

2. What are your opinions on a windscreen of these dimensions? Think they will fit the bill?

Thanks guys for sharing the wisdom of your experience!

I am very curious about this too. A windscreen will be my 1st project on my Vespa as well.

bumperoo?

I have a full size windshield on my scooter
and it let's me go fast, If you olny wiegh a
pound or so then it will seem like a sail, Even
while I pass BIG RIGS on the freeway I don't
feel any wind from dsaid rig. THAT'S RIGHT 8)

I haven't noticed a lot of speed degredation from different size windscreens. I have a 13" windscreen that directs the air flow into my chin. Sometimes I think no windscreen is a better bet. A lot depends on how tall you are, how you sit and what kind of helmet you use.

I'm 5'6"

I'm planning a long inter-state ride on it after I get the new cylinder broken in, and am concerned by the buffeting from wind hitting my chest after I top 40 mph. The P-series front is lower than that on modern vespas... doesn't offer much deflection in itself. I feel that without an appropriate windscreen I will become too fatigued to go on after too long at 55 mph.

I guess I should sit on it in a comfortable position and just see how high a screen I need to direct wind at my face-shield and go with that height?

I had a long and in-depth reply all typed in as to the non-sense of a tall windscreen acting like a sail... and it took me too long to type it all in (with other distractions here.) so all that typing is gone...
The myth about the windscreen slowing you down is bull____ plain and simple.. The wind has a lot less problem being forced aside by the windscreen than it does by hitting you. In windy conditions it is easier to ride, and a lot more comfortable... Just ask Trafficjammer, she lives on a windy island in the Western Carribian. aka windy all the time. And she loves riding again even in the wind. A tall wind screen is the way to go on a long trip just as getting an Airhawk seat pad, to prevent monkey butt. The ride will be more stable, not less, it will be much quieter, you will have a lot less stress and tension, and you will enjoy the ride a lot more.
Those who say it is bad, have not ridden with one on their scoots at all or very little, yes wind will push against it, yes there are bad point about a tall screen, but it's function is to create a low air movement pocket for you to ride upright it. period, it is not designed to look good, it can let the wind push your parked scoot over, it can pull your scoot forward off the center stand, with a tail wind. But these are all just some of the things you will have to decide if they are worth it or if you can eliminate them with a cover, or parking in a wind protected area or by parking into the wind.
I ride year round, rain, wind or cold, every day, not just when it is pretty out. (hardly never snows or freezes here so no snow or ice)... So if your going to ride across several states with unknown weather, get the tall screen, mount it well and enjoy the ride!!! I use a tall screen on both scoots, during the cold and rainy parts of the year, and put a short or no windscreen on for the summer to be a little cooled off by the wind. If I lived in a cool place year round I would leave the tall windscreen on, just for the lack of wind noise alone...

Hope this helps, wish I had not lost the full reply..

Thank you Copper, I know for me this is a very good information in the type of windscreen to get. I have some Things to think about but more than likely I will be going with a tall one, just worries me about wind being able to knock the scooter off its center stand, would hate to leave work to find her laying on her side. This would make me sad.

Thanks to advice from the forum I just put the big OEM Vespa windscreen on my GTV.

It's great. Yes it does look like a shower door, but man what a difference when riding at speed.

I rode up the freeway to Columbus the other day and it's so much quieter that I didn't realize I was doing over 70 until I looked at the speedo.

It's also nice on these cooler mornings. I can wear a lighter jacket than usual and no gloves.

Ideally, you want to look over the screen, not through it. There's a thread on this site that discusses cutting down a tall screen to a height that works for you. You definitely don't want to scrunch down behind the screen. Perhaps your dealer can let you try out a few different screens. Good luck.

i think it depends on a few variables: the size and strength of the rider, and the weight and configuration of the scooter. I'm about 5' 7" and not very strong in the upper body, and i had very different experiences with mid-sized screens at higher speeds depending on which scooter i was riding. oddly enough, i found the mid-sized screen more of a problem on the GT than on the ET4 - i rode regularly at speeds around 60mph with the mid-sized screen on the ET4, and only had trouble when severe crosswinds were present. on the GT, i feel the screen pulling the front of the scooter around under much calmer conditions. i'd have thought the extra weight of the GT would have made it handle better with the taller screen, but that hasn't been the case. i'd never ride at highway speeds with a tall screen on anything - but that's just me, clearly other riders have had no trouble with it. my suspicion is that a tall screen will work better at highway speeds for taller riders with a bit more body mass.

all of this is a roundabout way of saying exactly what others have already said i.e. that you'd be best off testing a few different screens

I can highly recommend the Vespa tall wind screen, cut down to just about eye level. I have had my scooter flat out (top speed on the police gun was 63) with a tail wind and 58 with a side on headwind. I have absolutely NO control issues and the screen makes riding in a very windy place a pleasure.

I am frequently the only scooter on the road on windy days. None of the guys around here think screens look cool! So yeah, I give up some of the cool factor for usability. Works for me!

I can also tell you NOT to get the GIVI screen. Waaaay too flexible. So much so that it kept hitting my scooter in front of the handle grips! Not good at all.

I always cover my scooters with a Vespa cover. The wind at my place frequently gusts to 50 knots. I do worry about them being knocked over by the wind and am currently trying to design a chalk system that will ensure that doesn't happen. In the meantime, I tie them up to posts, trees, etc. using the seat rails and anything else I can secure them to ... if I know if is going to be gusty. If the winds are going to be over 50 knots, I put them in my living room.

Sorry to disagree here, but your statement is not true.

I've had a tall Faco windscreen installed all last winter. While it was nice and protected behind it, I could never get faster than 75 indicated, while with my Vespa flyscreen, I can reach 87 indicated, on the same roads, under the same conditions (just warmer, which doesn't even help).

So, speed loss is an issue by my account. I don't know why your mileage varies, but don't call it bull when someone experiences the opposite of you.

Hi Honu
Why? I look through the tall screen and ride in the rain, even at night. Granted viability suffers a little but not as much as it does if the rain gets on my helmet visor? Most of the rain rolls up and off or off to the sides of the windscreen so it stays pretty clear. I do keep it clean and polished, so that might have something to do with it not being a problem. And when there is no rain, I have no problems with viability, from sun or anything else. Is there some special rule/law, that says you can't look through the windscreen?? The tall screens are a lot more prevalent over in England, from what I have seen in pictures of the scoots over there. They are all looking through them... Just want to know if there is a specific reason, not to, so I can factor that in.

The idea is to find just the right height that allows you to look over the screen, not having to deal with the amount of interference it creates, and still be behind the wind cover it also creates, not getting wind or rain on your helmet visor.

What would be wrong with that?

My understanding is that you want the air deflection bubble to go over you and push around you from behind. At lower speeds, you need a taller screen to make the bubble go over your body, while at higher speeds a shorter screen is sufficient to create the same deflection.

If this is the case, wouldn't a small screen offer little benefit / direct the wind lower into your chin at low speeds, but shine at highway speeds, while a tall screen offers maximal benefit at lower speeds while behave more like a wall at high speeds?