First Tour

[MotoJB]

My first tour on the TS660 at the end of its running-in period. Covered 330 miles in three days riding through the Heart of Wales and the Welsh Marches.

Generally, the bike went well. I was glad to have the low first gear climbing a 25% switchback. Steering was precise and stock suspension worked well on all road surfaces, inspiring confidence. Sufficient power/torque on country and mountain roads. Good range between refuelling.

The rider (80kg, 1.76m, 73) didn't fair so well: pain in the upper inside thigh/hip region after riding 30 minutes. Caused by cramped leg room but rider age is also a factor. Discomfort on the rider's seat after an hour due to seat hardness. Excessive noise generated by air flow from the Puig sport screen at the lowest position. These factors contributed to considerable rider fatigue after 100 miles, six hours of riding with stops every hour or so.

Potential ways to resolve/address the issues above: an air cushion for the seat providing increased legroom and seat comfort, completely remove screen providing a relatively 'clean' air flow. Is there an after market fly screen available to provide a cosmetic feature at the front end?

Conclusion: great bike for short tours; better still for this rider with some minor adjustments for comfort.

[DeepBlue]

I often ride with the screen in the lowest position on local roads but in highest at interstate speeds for anything over a few minutes.  It's much more pleasant that way though I prefer a tucked position even then. 

[MotoJB]

Originally Posted by DeepBlue

I often ride with the screen in the lowest position on local roads but in highest at interstate speeds for anything over a few minutes.  It's much more pleasant that way though I prefer a tucked position even then.

Excellent! But do you have the factory wind screen or an aftermarket low sport screen? Do you experience much air flow noise through your helmet or any wind buffeting? And at what speed are you riding on the Interstate and remain comfortable with noise?

[DeepBlue]

It's the factory screen; I've considered upgrading to a taller one but it's easier to tuck a bit at high speeds (speed limit in my area is 70 mph for what that's worth).   If fatigue is a concern, for me a full tuck behind a sport screen would be very uncomfortable for my legs after half an hour or less while sitting upright with minimal protection would be more generally wearing after a similar period.  A moderate tuck with a raised screen seems my best option though everyone's different. 

I use filtered ear plugs and have no noise issues.  It's a bit louder now that I've taken out the chin curtain for warmer weather but not a concern.  Buffeting is only an issue when fully upright at high speed, hence the mild tuck.  I'm roughly 20 cm taller. 

[MotoJB]

  Interesting  I need to do more testing with both the factory and the aftermarket low sport screen, perhaps at different heights and tucked in behind the screen. Although, I have always found that with a forward lean, the weight of my head and the weight of the helmet causes a sharp pain in the middle of the spine after an hour or so. That was one reason I chose the TS660: for its more upright riding position.

I use the same type of ear protectors but the noise is still too loud for my comfort. The Bell Star helmet might not be the quietest but I'm sure the noise is a lot less when riding the naked Yamaha.

I'm going to test the noise issue with the TS screen removed completely. 

[Penakoshi]

Hello, new in this forum. I will get my TS660 in a couple of weeks.
I noticed the problems with the windscreen dujring my test ride, but I decided to buy it anyways hoping that I would get around them with use or with aftermarket solutions.
I would be very interested in hearing from your experiences and ready to share mine as soon as I get get my hands on it :-)

[MotoJB]

  I'm pretty sure you will enjoy the bike despite any buffeting and wind noise from the screen. For me, that has been one of the most disappointing features. A low sport screen hasn't helped much either. I suppose the problem is quite variable and depends on the rider's anatomy or physical profile when on the bike. I think I am fortunate to be medium size in most dimensions, as the bike, like most bikes, is possibly designed with my profile in mind. Most design features, for example, the non-adjustable suspension, suit me well. However for me, there's something wrong when it comes to the windscreen. Most owner's who have commented on the windscreen here seem to have found it either acceptable or have found a working modification. I'm concerned I must be malformed is some peculiar way to be so disturbed by the airflow. My next experiment is to remove the windscreen altogether rather than go the other way with a sort of multi-storey solution which some owners have adopted.

[fred_jb]

Yes screens are a perennial problem, and variability in anatomy and bike usage all come into play. I couldn't cope with a naked bike for much of my riding, it would just be too tiring fighting the wind blast on high speed long distance dashes to touring destinations.

I have arrived at a solution which works for me by fitting a tall Givi screen set at the highest position and fitting a Givi AirFlow secondary screen on to that.  The AirFlow is independently  height adjustable for when I want a bit more breeze, but in its highest position I get very little noise and no buffeting, while still being able to see over the screen. I usually ride with my visor open but have glasses to protect my eyes from the odd insect which doesn't get fully deflected over my head. Not ideal aesthetically but riding comfort is more important to me.

I did try an add-on visor which clamps to the top of the screen and which is a lot easier to fit. This was an improvement but not quite as good as the AirFlow, though might work better for people not quite so tall.

[Billb]

I have just had a couple of runs on my 660 and find the noise over the standard screen pretty bad.  I was thinking about  Givi touring screen.  I am 6'2" tall.  How tall are you? How did you get on without the Airflow and does it make a big difference?
Had Madstad adjustable screen on Tiger 800, but they want over £490 for one now!

[fred_jb]

Originally Posted by Billb

I have just had a couple of runs on my 660 and find the noise over the standard screen pretty bad.  I was thinking about  Givi touring screen.  I am 6'2" tall.  How tall are you? How did you get on without the Airflow and does it make a big difference?
Had Madstad adjustable screen on Tiger 800, but they want over £490 for one now!

I am about 6'1" but have a long back and only an average 31 and a bit inside leg measurement, so my head is quite high compared to someone of more normal proportions.  It is difficult to say without knowing your proportions but it seems likely that your head will be at a similar height or possibly even a bit lower than mine.

I had previously tried the PowerBronze 690mm screen with an add-on visor and that was a good improvement, no buffeting but still a bit noisier than I was happy with.  It also worked best at maximum height but that meant the top of the visor was in my line of vision which I didn't like. However, I only sold the PowerBronze and replaced it with the Givi which is not so tall (660mm I think) because I had it in mind to try the AirFlow option at some stage, but the AirFlow screens are clear whereas the PowerBronze screen was tinted, so there would have a been a colour mismatch.

I did use the Givi screen initially with an add-on visor and found that pretty good.  Unlike the PowerBronze the Givi has a slot in it like the OEM screen and I think maybe that helps smooth out the airflow.  Eventually I couldn't resist adding the AirFlow as I have used these on several bikes in the past and been very pleased with the results.  I think it gives a small further improvement over the visor with the added advantage that its height is easily adjusted while riding so allows me to drop it down for more cooling airflow in hot conditions.

One thing to bear in mind with any aftermarket screen on the TS660 is that being bigger and heavier they put more strain on the OEM screen mounts and height adjustment mechanism, and as a result they tend to vibrate a lot more and self lower when hitting bumpy stretches of road.  I don't think the standard arrangements are really fit for purpose as the panel which takes all three of the screen mounting points is not very rigidly attached to the bike, so I have added some reinforcing brackets inside the fairing and also some locking devices in the adjustment slots to stop the screen dropping.