[VW2010]

The bike stands at about 550 km, and I haven't crossed 7k even once, but rarely I do make the 0-7k RPM climb quickly

The day you see this bike climb from 7 to 10K is when you will release the potential of this bike. Not joking, but the last few degrees of throttle will unleash this beast to the truest potential and hitting 3 digits will be so fast and you can actually bypass the wind barrier before the wind becomes a barrier .


I have taken the bike to over 7k quite frequently but havent let it load at that rpm quite yet. Its a pleasure to ride this bike and with the right gears the wind disturbance is quite reduced.

[Freewheelin_KD]

Originally Posted by VW2010

The day you see this bike climb from 7 to 10K is when you will release the potential of this bike. Not joking, but the last few degrees of throttle will unleash this beast to the truest potential and hitting 3 digits will be so fast and you can actually bypass the wind barrier before the wind becomes a barrier .

Totally agree with this. The 7k to 9k rpm climb in 6th gear too is to be ridden to be believed and that too on an incline. The way the last two digits on the speedo move with the rpm

[VW2010]

The 7k to 9k rpm climb in 6th gear too is to be ridden to be believed and that too on an incline

Hit this range in your 2nd, 3rd and 4th and you will be really thinking where this bike was hiding for so long.

If you thought you have seen it all, you can see a new version spring out post 7k. I am just over exaggerating because i love this band of RPM.

[sridhu]

MRA V-Flow Z-Type Windshield - Installation & review

Why a windshield?
I am using the bike, whatever the designer intended usage, as a tourer largely. However the Duchess becomes very canine when you cross 120kmph. The wind buffeting makes it a pain to ride & downright dangerous. So, if you are going to use her as a tourer, a windshield is a must. The dinky standard issue one is a joke!

The alternatives
The KTM thread on T-BHP has a couple of low cost options where windshields from other bikes are being re-purposed for the Duke 390 with varying degrees of success. The Fazer windshield seems to be the front-runner - being cheap & easy to mount and being fairly effective. The CBR250 windshield has found favour with a few.

In my opinion, the installs are very kludgy by their nature, despite the obvious expertise of the people who have done it. The angle of the borrowed windshields are are too steep to be aesthetically pleasing, at least to my eye.

So, I decided on getting a 'proper' windshield. Considered MRA V-Flow C type, Z-type, RNB and the Givi windshield. The Givi I dropped because it was expensive, a pain to cart from Malaysia and clear. I did not like the RNB. It was a toss up between the C-type & Z-type. I plumped for the Z-type because it was 'for the Duke 125' - bad choice!

In retrospect, the C-type is the correct alternative. The Z-type is not an eyesore but is certainly not for the Duke!

I sourced it from JV Promoto & Vikas Malhotra there is thoroughly professional to deal with. Recommend the man & the company wholeheartedly!

Installation

Everything needed for installation comes in the box. Even though you might think otherwise, trust me, it is ALL there! I thought the shim for the clamp & one bolt was missing but the buggers were just hiding in plain sight!

The things for attaching the windshield


The windshield itself


While the installation is simple, it is fiddly.

Kit
You need a complete set of hex or Allen keys, a screw driver, a cutter, a decent box spanner set & your own selection of choice swear words.

Process

To start with, remove the existing dinky screen. Remove the 4 bolts & the screen comes away easy. But if you decide, like me, to put back the bolts in the same place (sans screen), beware that the rubber flange is actually the bolt also. If you press too hard, it will fall in & you will have to open the head light assembly to fish it out. (I learnt this the hard way!)

Also, do the process in a well lit area with sufficient space. Murphy works overtime when you put this on - one bolt escaped and dropped into the sump protection plastic shroud. Had to open all six bolts to take it out!

The first problem was finding the space on the handle bar to fit the clamps! If you like the hand guard, like I do, there is precious little space. I have also installed a phone holder - a very useful device on the move. So that ate up real estate as well. So, the first problem was creating the space. I undid the bar-end side of the hand guard so that I can put the shims on. I also had to remove the tie-rap that holds the cables from the lever together.

I had a strange problem - I could put the clamps on the shim on the RHS. On the LHS, I could not close the clamps, come what may! Must have been due to the curve of the handle. Got hold of a couple of rubber shims from bicycle mounting gear & put it on. (You need to put the clamp with the depression end down, put the bit that holds the bar that holds the windshield on it, put in the long bolt & place the nut on the bottom clamp locator. Then, you need to kind of force the bolt into alignment with the nut. The description is involved but in practice, it is quite easy. But on the LHS, it would not align at all with the given shims but did with the rubber shims).

The rod connecting the screen to the clamp has a ball jointed flange which takes a couple of Allen key bolts for tightening the ball joint. The holes on the flange for these are of specific orientation.





Then the screen is then attached to the flange with 2 allen keys each. It is fairly simple to do this but take care to :

• - Centre the screen. The rods should be roughly equal
• - Ensure that the screen is NOT touching the instrument cluster.

. I found, on usage, about 1 cm clearance is required. Avoid the temptation to mount it close to or touching the pod. This rattles pretty badly, being cantilevered, whenever you hit any unevenness on the road.[/list]
After mounting & tightening all the bolts, add on the caps provided for a clean finish. Viola, you are done! (Took about 90 minutes including fishing for various parts which went AWOL!)

Images after installation:
From the side


Front:


Profile


Usage
Other than the rattle issue, the windscreen works as designed. On the test run this morning, I hit 140kmph+ a couple of times. The wind blast was absent.

Personally, I felt the noise had increased as the wind is directed towards the helmet. I think with a few minor tweaks, this should get addressed. If you are so inclined, I think you can easily crouch behind it for greater speed.

At night, the instrument cluster reflects back into the screen - could be distracting for some. It did not bother me.

Conclusion

The MRA screen is certainly better than the OEM screen & serves the purpose. Is 9000 worth it? In my honest opinion, no. One should be able to source something equally good at around 3000-4500. My thought process in going with a 9k option was that it is not bike specific. Therefore, if you are a hardcore biker, it is worth the money. If you are more casual, may be not be.

Is it better than cobbled up Fazer/ CBR windscreens? Certainly. But cant beat the price!

I believe it is safer. But dont want to find out!

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by sridhu

MRA V-Flow Z-Type Windshield - Installation & review

Why a windshield?
I am using the bike, whatever the designer intended usage, as a tourer largely. However the Duchess becomes very canine when you cross 120kmph. The wind buffeting makes it a pain to ride & downright dangerous. So, if you are going to use her as a tourer, a windshield is a must. The dinky standard issue one is a joke!

In retrospect, the C-type is the correct alternative. The Z-type is not an eyesore but is certainly not for the Duke!

I sourced it from JV Promoto & Vikas Malhotra there is thoroughly professional to deal with. Recommend the man & the company wholeheartedly!

At night, the instrument cluster reflects back into the screen - could be distracting for some. It did not bother me.

Conclusion

The MRA screen is certainly better than the OEM screen & serves the purpose. Is 9000 worth it? In my honest opinion, no. One should be able to source something equally good at around 3000-4500. My thought process in going with a 9k option was that it is not bike specific. Therefore, if you are a hardcore biker, it is worth the money. If you are more casual, may be not be.

Is it better than cobbled up Fazer/ CBR windscreens? Certainly. But cant beat the price!

I believe it is safer. But dont want to find out!

Hi Sridhu, I am just battling similar thoughts since some time. I am in touch with Mr. Vikas of JV Promoto and for some reason I was recommended the RNB, SPS and VTNB and I specifically asked for the V Flow C type, he said it has to be sourced as it is not in readily available.

Further I had some chat with Doc (ebonho) and was convinced that a Rs. 250 fazer ws should do the job instead of the Rs. 9000 one ( i.e. almost 36 times the Fazer ws price), in fact I was thinking of using the fazer ws and support it with 2 rear view mirror stems (sans the mirror). The rvm come with proper clamps which could fit the bike handle and all I needed is to find some way to fit it to the windshield. I even went checking out the RVM's of most bikes in parking lots just to see which one's are longest with max angle and trying to gauge some manner of fitment to the ws. the idea is the fz-ws is so cheap that if I don't like the whole thing I can just chuck it away and go for the MRA ones. I reckoned I could do the whole thing under Rs. 500-700.

and then I saw Cyrus post his bike with the V Flow ws installed and then saw your installation now. While I agree the price is steep ( of course because it is imported ( what ever duties / taxes) and the dealer margin as these are some exclusive products, the actual price should be around 5-6K.

I saw the clear ws of Cyrus and the grey ws installed by you. I was inclined towards the grey ws earlier but after having seen both the bikes, I am now more inclined towards the clear ws. (just a personal choice). so I too will be going for one soon as I am unable to hold on to the bike longer after 110 kmph

You have painted the reg. No on the mudguard. Is it acceptable as per the RTO/Police. It is not acceptable in Goa as they contend that it is not visible clearly. many have been fined here for this as a violation.

[sridhu]

Originally Posted by ashkamath

Hi Sridhu, I am just battling similar thoughts since some time. I am in touch with Mr. Vikas of JV Promoto and for some reason I was recommended the RNB, SPS and VTNB and I specifically asked for the V Flow C type, he said it has to be sourced as it is not in readily available.

and then I saw Cyrus post his bike with the V Flow ws installed and then saw your installation now. While I agree the price is steep ( of course because it is imported ( what ever duties / taxes) and the dealer margin as these are some exclusive products, the actual price should be around 5-6K.

I saw the clear ws of Cyrus and the grey ws installed by you. I was inclined towards the grey ws earlier but after having seen both the bikes, I am now more inclined towards the clear ws. (just a personal choice). so I too will be going for one soon as I am unable to hold on to the bike longer after 110 kmph

The invoice charges around 5.6k for the screen itself, 750 for shipping & the rest for the mounting hardware. The quality is undeniable.

Grey vs clear: it was a tough choice! I still like the grey over the clear. Like you say, YMMV!

Originally Posted by ashkamath

You have painted the reg. No on the mudguard. Is it acceptable as per the RTO/Police. It is not acceptable in Goa as they contend that it is not visible clearly. many have been fined here for this as a violation.

Dont know if it is legal; but hated the topi-mount OEM number plate enough to take the chance! Also, since I knew that I was going for the windscreen, did not want to put it on the OEM windscreen.

[ashkamath]

Sridhu, I forgot to ask you. How tall are you? Could you please post some pics from front / rear / side ( all) angles with you sitting on the bike with your helmet ON, I just want to see where exactly the top of the ws is in reference to the rider in actual riding position.
If you crouch, could you still see over the ws or through the ws? The reason I am asking is, if you are seeing through the windshield while riding in crouching style, then the grey ws may not be a good idea in night riding.
Of course no one in his right sense will be racing at 120+ during night. But still it is a hypothetical situation I am posing. (I have always enjoyed whole night riding more than day riding, a personal choice though I no longer do that often)

[ebonho]

Ashok, regardless of windshield, be it a 215 buck one or a 9000 buck one, crouching properly on a Duke (so that you look throught the windshield) is out of the question for any normal Indian male. Yes if you are less than 5 feet tall and/or have an unusually short torso, then maybe .....

[VW2010]

Yes if you are less than 5 feet tall and/or have an unusually short torso, then maybe ...

May be you don't have to crouch at all for the wind is already over your head. These windshields are good to divert air for someone say 6 feet to their face. So the more shorter one is the more effective these windshields are.

But nothing protects you from cross winds which we experienced big time while returning this saturday. One could maintain around 100 in those winds. Over that even overtaking a slow moving kutti yaanai had its effect on the bike but not so bad. The windshield did help a bit if you crouched which i did. But riding upright meant the cross winds are heavy on you. Remember, it applies to any bikes for even in my bull the cross winds at say 80kmph was not really pleasant to deal with.

The gear is super slick and smooth which you will realise the more you do these highways.

The windshield is a must if you are doing long distance. Two things it does is, on a hot day there is gush of wind to your face where you can slightly open your visor and get yourself "cooled".

Secondly when you tuck in a bit the wind resistance is reduced. Me and Aks_Karthik exchanged bikes on the way back and his impression was he was able to do 10kms more than what he was doing without the windshield. He can add some pointers here.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by VW2010

May be you don't have to crouch at all for the wind is already over your head. These windshields are good to divert air for someone say 6 feet to their face. So the more shorter one is the more effective these windshields are.

I meant crouching more for hitting the max top speed, than for simply getting out of the windblast. Even the Fazer windshield diverts the air to mid helmet for me. But I cannot crouch because then my helmet hit the top edge of the windshield and I canot go further down lower beyond that point.

[VW2010]

I meant crouching more for hitting the max top speed, than for simply getting out of the windblast. Even the Fazer windshield diverts the air to mid helmet for me. But I cannot crouch because then my helmet hit the top edge of the windshield and I canot go further down lower beyond that point.

If it helps, in my CBR250 windshield i can clearly feel where the air is hitting the helmet. Or should i say in my helmet i can clearly feel where the CBR is diverting.

I will share a video of the amount of crouch i had to make to ensure the wind is hitting the Topmost endge of the helmet and the helmet aero took over. I am not joking and talking nonsense, i could easilly feel the extra millimeter of movement changing the wind profile and clearly the helmet was diverting it beautifully which meant my head was super stead, my vision was right on the road and it helped me hit 160 which was not possible in the other bike without the visor.

My top end of the helmet visor was basically aligned to the top of the visor and my hands were almost pointing downwards, shrugged shoulders and tucked in legs. I could lean for those curves even at that speed at that position(not so much for leaning like scrapping but the mild lean to let the bike knows its next direction).

Neck was slightly lifted and not suitable for riding in that position for like over a long distance but for a quick little fun speed test.

The same reason why i will try out all three windshields, from Yamaha, CBR250 and ZMR to find the best one that suits me.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by VW2010

If it helps, in my CBR250 windshield i can clearly feel where the air is hitting the helmet. Or should i say in my helmet i can clearly feel where the CBR is diverting.

I will share a video of the amount of crouch i had to make to ensure the wind is hitting the Topmost endge of the helmet and the helmet aero took over. I am not joking and talking nonsense, i could easilly feel the extra millimeter of movement changing the wind profile and clearly the helmet was diverting it beautifully which meant my head was super stead, my vision was right on the road and it helped me hit 160 which was not possible in the other bike without the visor.

My top end of the helmet visor was basically aligned to the top of the visor and my hands were almost pointing downwards, shrugged shoulders and tucked in legs. I could lean for those curves even at that speed at that position(not so much for leaning like scrapping but the mild lean to let the bike knows its next direction).

Neck was slightly lifted and not suitable for riding in that position for like over a long distance but for a quick little fun speed test.

The same reason why i will try out all three windshields, from Yamaha, CBR250 and ZMR to find the best one that suits me.

Bro I think we are talking past one another. I do not deny what you are saying. I experienced the same with the Fazer windshield, where a slight crouch brings the helmet under the plane of turbulent air flow.

What I meant by my earlier post to Ashok was that unlike with a Duke with OE small windshield, where you can crouch with belly on tank, you cannot do the same with any of these large windshields installed. There just isn't enough space.

In fact this is probably the reason why the official KTM Power Parts windshield for 2,500/- odd is much smaller than all these after market alternatives.



I do not deny how useful these would be in making touring easier. I however have not yet seen or heard of any data based on actual on road behavior of their effects on -

1) mileage (greater effort for same effect - more fuel needed)

2) performance (accleration; and top end - before and after)

Remember, all these windshields, expensive or cheap Indian alternatives, are wind deflectors. They help the rider. As against proper aerodynamic fairings, which help both the bike as well as the rider.

[sridhu]

I tried aligning the WS 'as designed' for Duke 125. See below:



Think it certainly looks streamlined, IMO. Not sure about how it affects headlight throw.

Nasirkaka has done similar to his bike with the Fazer windscreen & seems to be fine for him.

Originally Posted by ashkamath

Sridhu, I forgot to ask you. How tall are you? Could you please post some pics from front / rear / side ( all) angles with you sitting on the bike with your helmet ON, I just want to see where exactly the top of the ws is in reference to the rider in actual riding position.
If you crouch, could you still see over the ws or through the ws? The reason I am asking is, if you are seeing through the windshield while riding in crouching style, then the grey ws may not be a good idea in night riding.
Of course no one in his right sense will be racing at 120+ during night. But still it is a hypothetical situation I am posing. (I have always enjoyed whole night riding more than day riding, a personal choice though I no longer do that often)

I am 5'9" - so about average height. Will post the other pics you have asked tonight. I dont think you can do a full race crouch but getting out of the wind, surely yes. I meant crouching enough to peer over the top of the WS.

Originally Posted by ebonho

Ashok, regardless of windshield, be it a 215 buck one or a 9000 buck one, crouching properly on a Duke (so that you look throught the windshield) is out of the question for any normal Indian male. Yes if you are less than 5 feet tall and/or have an unusually short torso, then maybe .....

+1 on that, doc.

Originally Posted by VW2010

May be you don't have to crouch at all for the wind is already over your head. These windshields are good to divert air for someone say 6 feet to their face. So the more shorter one is the more effective these windshields are.

But nothing protects you from cross winds which we experienced big time while returning this saturday. One could maintain around 100 in those winds. Over that even overtaking a slow moving kutti yaanai had its effect on the bike but not so bad. The windshield did help a bit if you crouched which i did. But riding upright meant the cross winds are heavy on you. Remember, it applies to any bikes for even in my bull the cross winds at say 80kmph was not really pleasant to deal with.

The gear is super slick and smooth which you will realise the more you do these highways.

The windshield is a must if you are doing long distance. Two things it does is, on a hot day there is gush of wind to your face where you can slightly open your visor and get yourself "cooled".

Secondly when you tuck in a bit the wind resistance is reduced. Me and Aks_Karthik exchanged bikes on the way back and his impression was he was able to do 10kms more than what he was doing without the windshield. He can add some pointers here.

I can attest to the cross wind issue - the windshield was no use (in fact actively contributed to the front end weighting up significantly) yesterday morning. But the WS actively stops you from "hanging on for dear life".

Originally Posted by ebonho

I meant crouching more for hitting the max top speed, than for simply getting out of the windblast. Even the Fazer windshield diverts the air to mid helmet for me. But I cannot crouch because then my helmet hit the top edge of the windshield and I canot go further down lower beyond that point.

I did not go into a full fledged race crouch but I dont think my helmet will be touching the WS top before my paunch prevents any further crouching!

[VW2010]

1) mileage (greater effort for same effect - more fuel needed)

2) performance (accleration; and top end - before and after)

A quantitative measure is what we need. I think i am more interested now to test these two parameters. I know there is a difference in rider comfort, but performance say i am not sure i can add any value .

I think i want to try this out sometime next week on a long road stretch to see if there is a difference in top speed. Need to find a road that is pretty much empty and will provide a safe place where i dont disturb public traffic.

I do understand what you meant now. Getting old you see

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by sridhu

I can attest to the cross wind issue - the windshield was no use (in fact actively contributed to the front end weighting up significantly) yesterday morning. But the WS actively stops you from "hanging on for dear life".

So Sridhu, even the MRA with top support was also messing up with the handlebar stability in heavy crosswinds?