When The Long White Cloud Breaks, You Better Be Protected

One thing I was not expecting ahead of my trip to New Zealand was the benefits inherent in a good windshield. I have previously written about my inexperience with adventure motorcycles, preferring instead to be on pure enduro machines and road going motorcycles. That said, I did neglect to mention my Yamaha XT500 on which I covered vast areas of the Pilbara whilst working there in the eighties. At that time, BMW were breaking new ground with their R80GS and Yamaha had still to enter the adventure market with their Tenere. The XT500 was a very capable long-distance machine, either on road or off the road, but it was very naked. There were no screens, paniers or comforts associated with modern adventure bikes. I would simply strap on a bag and off I would go.

The bike I chose for the New Zealand ride was a KTM 690. A single-cylinder, beast of a machine - I say that fondly. My early impressions were that it was a very capable road-going motorcycle that would quickly spin to 110 km/h. Hitting the dirt took some getting used to and I found the front end very imprecise. There was a lot of hardware over the front wheel but it still wandered across the gravel in a way that necessitated some adjustments to my ride position. It was suggested this was because the fuel in the 690 is carried under the seat, toward the rear of the bike. Once I became used to the handling of the 690 on loose surfaces I became very comfortable with the machine and 110 km/h off road was quite doable. By the end of day one, we were the best of friends, which was fortunate because day two promised even more challenges.

During dinner at the end of day one, the chatter was just how bad the front bearing down on us was going to be. Estimates for the amount of raid we were heading into on day two ran from a 40 mill dowsing to a 100 mill drenching, turns out it was closer to the latter. Enter the KTM windscreen.

The 690 was KTM’s Rally version which is equipped with a larger fuel tank and fairing. Standing away from the 690, the fairing looks large but, once on the seat, it appears smaller and unobtrusive. For context, I am 190cm (6’ 3”) and high fairings sometimes generate annoying air currents that pitter-patter the top of my head. This being the case, I much prefer a lower screen that offers protection to the torso but free following air over the head. In this regard, the bat- wing fairing on my Harley is perfect, the 690 Rally fairing was a close second.

Bearing in mind, the three main things that will drain your energy when riding are wind, vibration and noise, it stands to reason that a good screen can delay fatigue. Sitting on the 690 I wasn’t convinced the screen was going to help that much. Once I got moving, any doubts I harboured were lost into the ether as we carved up the NZ roads highways. It offered good protection from wind and, providing I crouched down a bit, it protected much of my body from rain. Of course, you can’t spend your entire ride huddled behind a screen but it provides a veneer of comfort, even in the driving rain. The screen was a success, thank you KTM.

One of the reasons KTM screens work is their aerodynamic design and testing. KTM uses a variety of ways to achieve improved aerodynamics, such as wind tunnel and race testing, the hypothesis being: if it works in race conditions, it will work on the road. In the case of the 690, think of something between a motorcycle you would see on endurance racing on the track and off-road, the Dakar, for example. But, of course, not everyone owns a KTM and not every KTM comes standard with a fairing. In those cases, Puig has you covered.

Off-road enthusiasts are encouraged to visit our site and see what Puig offers for your machine. It is noted that a lot of the new range of adventure motorcycles come standard with a low screen that amounts to little more than a head-light cover. These may suit short rides but if you plan on spending long days in the saddle of your adventure bike then you could do a lot worse than upgrading your screen. Puig offer a variety of screens, a lot of the time having three or more variants for the one motorcycle. There are also detachable deflectors should you get the annoying pitter-patter of uncontained air currents swirling in your face.

I have previously mentioned my love of off-road, enduro riding and recently I upgraded from a 350 KTM to a 500 for the new season. In the back of my mind, I justified the purchase by committing to more adventure-style riding. To transition the 500 EXC to adventure riding, I think a Puig Semifairing Rally would do the task nicely. Please excuse me whilst I hit the boss up for a good price.