Initial impressions / Review Zero Gravity Sport Touring Windscreen
I just took a 1500-mile trip with the stock windscreen and a Laminar Lip. I liked the performance of the Laminar Lip a lot, but I didn't like the adhesive/"Velcro" attachment system (it always seems on the verge of popping off)...so I decided to just spring for a "real" Sport Touring windscreen from Zero Gravity. Below are my initial impressions / review of the product.
Packaging. The windscreen came packed inside a heavy, sealed plastic bag. The windscreen is much smaller than I anticipated. There are no protective adhesive liners on each side to prevent damage during install, so be careful. My unit has a minor optical fault in the Plexiglas. The ZG logo stickers are ugly and sucked to remove; I wish they had simply thrown them in the bag for those that want them...don't make the rest of us pick them off bit by bit, risking scratches to the new windscreen. Speaking of scratches, I found two tiny scratches on the inside surface - not enough to warrant a return but bothersome to my OCD side nonetheless. Overall, I was not all that impressed with the presentation.
Installation. It was a bear to install this windscreen! Not completely their fault; the fairings on the CBR250R are basically a nightmare. On the other hand, the ZG instructions are pretty bad. The photos are too small and it's hard to tell in what order the steps are to be taken. For example, I wasted quite some time trying to remove some small screws that attach the upper fairing to the headlight assembly (1/4 turn at a time), when I suddenly discovered that the whole upper front fairing/headlight assembly can be easily removed and carried indoors to a table to work on. Once inside, I simply took the whole thing apart to get down the just the front painted nose piece that actually supports the windscreen. A hell of a lot of work just to gain internal access to that one component.
Appearance. I chose the clear, and I think it looks spectacular. As good as or better than the OEM windscreen in my opinion. The curves and flare of the ZGST more or less mirrors the curves and flare of the side fairings to my eye, rendering a pleasing profile view.
Ergo stats. I am a short 5'5" with a 29" inseam and wear a full-face Arai Vector-2 helmet. Helibars are installed which yield +1.50" higher / +1.25" pull back. According to
cycle-ergo.com, these handlebars reduce my forward lean angle from 23 degrees (stock) to 16 degrees (Helibars). So I am riding a bit more upright than with stock handlebars.
Road performance. At first I was pretty disappointed, because the wind was definitely louder around the sides of my helmet. It gives you the impression that the windscreen doesn't work at all. Yet the more I rode, the more I realized that the windscreen does a good job deflecting wind away from my upper chest and throat/chin area. In fact, I felt warmer than I usually do in the wind...I actually felt a little hot. I think I will really appreciate that functionality when it gets colder. The wind stream seems to hit me around eye level or slightly higher.
On the downside as I said, there is a lot more wind speed/turbulence around the sides of my helmet, increasing noise substantially. Even though I always wear foam earplugs when riding, they could not block the low-frequency booming element mixed in with the fairly loud high-frequency wind noise. Better/custom earplugs may or may not help subdue it. Leaning forward more into a "stock" riding position did nothing to reduce the noise level, so this noise thing is not an artifact of the Helibars. I have to say: I really hate the increased noise level; not at all what I expected. To me, this is the worst aspect of this windscreen for my riding conditions.
On the positive side, I noticed that the bike simply "runs" faster, for example whereas I might have taken some curves on my local state highway at 55 mph, with this windscreen the bike seems to like them at 62 mph. Generally it felt like the bike wanted to go 7-10 mph faster on the open road at any given throttle setting...like the bike is more slippery in the air.
In conclusion (based on one hour and a half ride): the Laminar Lip seemed to work a lot better at doing what I want from a windscreen, namely deflecting the wind stream higher and providing a smoother and more comfortable ride. In the meantime I will live with the ZG for a while and see if my impression improves. I may also get some better earplugs...if I can cut the noise level I may be able to live with the ZG. If not, I am thinking about - gasp - drilling holes in the OEM windscreen and permanently attaching the Laminar Lip to it with stainless steel bolts and rubber or plastic washers.