Good things are worth waiting for.
Yesterday the Clearview shield that I'd ordered in June to replace the stock Burgman 650 Executive shield arrived. (Orders have been so heavy, the wait time was long.)
Soon I had the old shield off and the Clearview installed. Which testifies to the product's quality and the clarity of the instructions, because in no way can I be called a mechanically proficient guy.
I got both of the Burgman 650 Clearview options: light grey tint and adjustable vent. In the photo you can see that the tint is pretty minor -- mild darkening of the grass and pavement is all.
After riding in bright Oregon sunshine yesterday (yes, it happens; July-September usually is reliably warm and clear) I was happy that I chose the tint. It takes the edge off of glare, while adding a touch of Harley'esque darkness to my safe and stylish Burgman vibe.
The vent looks like it will be a cool (literally) addition to my scooter come 90 degree plus riding days, which are forecast for early next week. It's adjustable to direct air upwards, to helmet, or straight on, to chest.
In the top photo you can see that the Clearview shield extends out to the edge of the hand grips, more or less. So when colder weather hits, this will be an advantage over the six inch narrower stock shield.
When ordering the shield, I pondered height choices.
The Burgman 650 Exec has an adjustable windshield with 2.5 inches of difference between "low" and "high." At "high," the eyes on my six foot body could just look over the stock windshield, which I liked (dark glasses, plus helmet visor, plus windshield is three things to look through).
But I do a good share of my scootering in town. We live about six miles from the city limits, so have a nice blend of 35-55 mph rural riding and 25-45 mph city riding when I head into Salem.
At lower speeds, for sight distance purposes I like the Burgman shield lower than the stock "high" setting. So if I'd gotten the large (2.5" taller) Clearview, the new "low" would have been the old "high." Which seemed too high.
I'm happy with my medium (1.5" taller) choice.
Now I look through the Clearview shield at the high setting, and have a nice view over it at the low setting. Wind buffeting at 50-70 mph or so, a common problem with the stock shield that bothered me, is much reduced now.
It isn't gone entirely. However, most things in life involve trade offs.
I'm willing to trade some wind noise for more unobstructed visibility over the shield. Reading rider reviews on the Clearview site, it's a "different strokes for different folks" thing. If I was doing a lot of freeway riding, I can see that a taller screen might have been a better choice. But so far in 900 Burgman miles I haven't set a tire on a freeway.
Bottom line: you won't go wrong with a Clearview shield. I've gotten quick answers to my emailed and telephoned questions. These guys have great customer service. And good quality control.
They told me that my order was about to be shipped. Then they said it'd be a couple of days delayed, because the shield didn't pass inspection. They made another one, which appears flawless.
Installation-wise, my only real questioning moment came when I couldn't follow the instructions to only turn the mounting screws 4.5 revolutions, to avoid over-tightening. It seemed like once the screw started to "take," it was still loose 4.5 turns later. So I just tightened until the screw felt snug.
Still, I worried that I'd taken up too much give in the mount and emailed Clearview today, getting this response:
Hello Brian, I think you will be OK......I usually tighten them by feel also and there does get to be a good amount of resistance.....as long as you did not really crank on them to try to get them extremely tight.
Nice reassurance. I'll be riding to my Tai Chi class later today with no worries. Well, about my Clearview shield, at least.
I always enjoy your tale of scooter life. I had always dreamed of traveling on a motorcycle but never happened. Your sharing is a nice vicarious experience
Posted by: Pam | August 15, 2009 at 02:08 PM