I notice that you've got a 360 camera on the bike, have you got any vids of your travels?

 

Yes. I bought it just before we went to Spain. I thought it would be nice to have a few memories but I can't be bothered with actually pointing cameras or setting up shots while I'm riding so I just set it away each day knowing I could forget it was there but that it was recording everything for while the battery lasted.

 

Interesting post and also a good comparison with my Norden.
I am getting clank when even just dropping off a kerb or sleeping policeman but can’t find anything loose. Chain looks very slack, even at only my measly 432 miles, but I have only just bought an Abba stand so I can check it. Gearchange, including quickshift, is spot on since I tweaked the lever position so that might knock that thought on the head.
For some inexplicable reason, I didn’t gel with the 890 on my test ride compared to immediately loving the Norden as it was getting tricky to decide. To be fair, my test bike was a pre-adjustable forks version and that was a compulsory requirement.

No off road for me (my 690 for that) but very interested in the Puig screen as I get quite annoying wind noise from the standard one but no buffeting. At a continuous 70+, it started getting on my nerves quite quickly. Not a problem with quick overtakes though.

 

The chains do run very slack. I run mine just a touch tighter than the recommended (only 1 or 2mm) and that seems to remove the slap.

I have sat on Nordens since getting mine and the seat is much wider. Feels like a nicer sat-down bike but maybe (stress maybe as I haven't ridden one) less so standing up?

I screwed a 100mm extension (from a cheap deflector) to the top of my screen and with earplugs in (which also makes the engine sound like it might make it to the end of the ride) it's fine but looks heath robinson.

 

That reminds me about the huge difference in the seat comfort.
I am not reknowned for my daily mileage but four hours riding and just one 45 minute stop half way and I was still pretty comfy. It seems to start the ride on the hard side but get more comfortable after half an hour.

Interesting idea to tape something across the top to see what the screen change might be like.
I can’t wear ear plugs as my lugholes are very small and they quickly become really painful.
I’ve managed 50 years without so maybe too late to bother now.

 

I must be a little younger than you, then, because I've only been riding for 40 years but I too haven't worn ear plugs. Again, my ear canals are very small and I struggle to get foam ones in. I decided to give it a more serious go earlier this year and to begin with I hated it. However, it only took a couple of rides before hearing less, as part of my riding, stopped feeling so alien. The discomfort was still an issue after an hour, so I just took them out and rode on, but slowly one hour because two, three, etc. Four hours is probably still my limit before I need a break from them but 4 hours of peace, and 4 hours less exposure to noise is welcome.

These are what I use. Alpine Motor earplugs for motorcyclists – Alpine Hearing Protection They fit small ears, they are short so they don't contact your helmet (which increases the pressure on the earplug and worsens the discomfort) so they come with a little plastic tube to help push them home which you pop back into the pouch once you've fitted them. I wouldn't go back.

 

Re exhaust: before shelling out on a can have a look for link pipes, they're dirt cheap on the 890 platform (~30 quid for a stainless ~50-60 for a titanium). Fozzy posted some on another forum with optional high flow cat for a bit quieter engine.

 

I am getting the suggestion from the ABR Forum that the noise could be the mirrors and googling seems to confirm that.
Thinking about it, if I am not getting buffeting, why am I concluding it is the screen that is causing the noise.

 

Depends how the air is hitting your lid. I have also read about mirrors being the cause (on my 1190 and my Vstrom) but haven't yet found it to be so, for me it was always the screen.
Easy way to test is to take the mirrors off and go for a quick ride.

One thing I have found is that getting longer fixed screws and then spacing the screen off/out is a good start to making most screens better, as it lets some air in under the screen to stop it forming a vacuum bubble between you and the screen. Then adding an adjustable spoiler on the top of the screen helps to optimism it.

 

Just been out without the mirrors and there is no improvement BUT, the wind pressure on my chest was really noticeable. They must contribute to the airflow protection somehow.

Mirrors to go straight back on and I’ll tape some plastic to the top of the screen and see what happens.
I can’t space the screen out as there are side fixings.

I can’t justify keep chucking £100+ on trying different screens.

 

I can’t space the screen out as there are side fixings.

It looks like it would just need a couple of small alloy link plates to make up two brackets, and a couple of extra nuts & bolts.

 

Have a few different hole settings for the side/bottom brackets as that will allow you to change the angle too.

 

I’ve been reading a US based Norden forum and, basically, there is no one obvious solution or even one obvious reason.
The weird bit is that it’s noise but no buffeting.
The general thoughts are that the screen is too narrow, which is just causing the noise or the need for a slot to balance the pressure but that seems to only be at higher speed but it’s worth trying your method first.
Although I have worn my relatively quiet Arai Tour X4 with peak and my already disappointingly noisy Nolan N87 and both are noiser, removing the peak on the Arai has been suggested.

one question = 3000 answers.

I don’t want a screen so high I have to look through it - I may as well use the car.
Powerbronze do a lower screen so I am seriously wondering if slightly less wind protection might be offset by a more normal wind noise.

 

It's the same on the 1290 GT, there is good wind protection but god awful noise with the stock screen, but htat is attributed to the sharp turns on the top of the screen and the cutout in the sides in the middle portion. I've tried a puig screen, same sort of shape but the lips dish forward, barn door size, same noise, but when in the top position if I duck down just an inch, noise is all gone, very quiet. I can't ride in that position though, I need something that works in the comfy position. Got a WRS screen sitting in a box for months now waiting to get my GT back, see if it works, the PUIG one was sent back for a refund. If the WRS doesn't work I'll likely pawn it off and get the MRA sporty one, that's a completely different profile.

 

On my 1190 (with standard screen) I stepped the bottom out 20mm and the top by 30mm as it needed the screen to be more upright, but it is quite an angled back screen to start with. The one on the Norden looks very upright so it might actually need to stepped out more at the bottom to scoop in enough air.

Then a full width adjustable spoiler will help to set up a laminar flow over you to push the turbulent air away.

 

Thanks for the info.
I’m not sure how well mine will take being moved asit wraps to fit the bike.

I’m going to try a taped on top that I can reposition but, even with an infra red heater, my bike shed is not the most comfortable place to be working at the moment.
I can’t convince myself about the extension kit - as I had said, I have never had a proper screen on a bike before so I’m really stabbing in the dark. Add in only 432 miles so far, a proper assessment is still needed so I’m not going to jump in with both feet.

if it comes to a scrren change, I’m still thinking about either the short orvtall Powerbronze first and then the Puig. The Expedition screen looks very tall from the photos and there aren’t any within 2 hours to look at.

 

I’m going to try a taped on top that I can reposition but, even with an infra red heater, my bike shed is not the most comfortable place to be working at the moment.
I can’t convince myself about the extension kit - as I had said, I have never had a proper screen on a bike before so I’m really stabbing in the dark.

In my limited experience the answer is not to make the screen bigger, you have to manage the air flow and not just put more screen in front of you. Also you don't want to be looking through the screen as the screen will pick up dirt, rain, bugs etc. so there is a limit to how high it should be.

My requirements I think are higher than what other people might accept. Buffeting is completely unacceptable and dangerous. My 1190 use to do it so bad it would blur your vision above 70.
Increased wind noise also triggers my tinnitus so a bike has to be as quiet (or quieter) than riding a naked bike. Not all naked bikes are good either, my 990SD is great but a CB1000r I rode was really noisy, the headlight seems to move lots of air at your helmet.

I have tried various aftermarket screens on my 1190 and non work well alone, they all needed help by adding an additional spoiler and also spacing them out to let more air around them or to alter their angle. The current set up I have on my 1190 is perfect. I sit in what feels like a stationary bubble of air, I get no fly splats on my helmet and I don't need the visor down (tested up to about 115mph) and I am looking over the screen and not through it... and I only got there through trial and error.

My next project is to make the lower 'sports' screen work on my 1190 for when it's very warm, summer spec.
One thing I have already tried though is running the 1190 with no screen, that was also awful. The front and headlight sends air straight at your head.
A simple test you can do while riding is just to stand up. Sitting down it can be noisy as hell but stand up and suddenly you are in lovely smooth air and the noise level reduces drastically. With my current setup I can put my hand up above my head and can feel that about 3 inches above me all hell is breaking loose, but it's lovely and quiet where my head is.

 

If you have never had a screen on a bike before, I'd be shortening it. Extending screens IMO is futile until the point of sitting behind a massive wall of perspex like some GS rider. Almost every screened adventure bike that I have owned I have ended up shortening the screen to put my head in the airflow like a naked bike, and any buffeting then hits lower down too, where it is not as noticeable. I'm 190cm. Or used to be, I think I've shrunk a bit.

The other option is try one from here:

https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-norden-windscreen.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.search.0

They have a nice shorty screen:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005810420990.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.11.1ddf4c8flKW8sX&algo_pvid=e18d41b1-ce86-4e50-909c-0344e4576d31

 

Thanks for the interesting response.
The Aliexpress is an absolute rip off of the Powerbronze version…or vice versa…but half the price. Even the wording seems the same from a cursory look.

I am really enjoying the lack of wind pressure compared to a naked bike so maybe a 50% reduction will be sufficient.

It’s got me thinking about taking a punt at that price.
I have always had a totally unfounded negativity about Aliexpress, assuming they are a junk Chinese companu flogging tat versions of the real thing. Happy to persuaded otherwise though.

 

A small screen on a naked makes a big difference to no screen at all but as bigkuri said, keep the buffeting of the helmet, imo there is more to it though, as airflow passes over an object at speed right at the tip of the screen the direction of flow follows the screen, and as it moves further back it flattens out (when looking from the side),so in simple layman terms, the more vertical the screen is, the sooner the flow flattens out, due to this adding an inch in height on a sportbike screen laid down at 45° does more than a vertical ADV screen like on the 901. adding an inch on the 901 literally moves flow up just about 1 inch, so if the turbulence is barely hitting the top of your helmet it might be worth making it bigger, on the other hand if it's in the middle of your helmet you might need 4-5 inches to clear your head, in which case it's futile.

Turbulence though is the reason I got the WRS screen on mine is because it angles down on the sides, tall in the middle, hopefully routing air around my head a bit smoother, not necessarily over or under it.

 

My dilemna is that I get no wind on my sparrows chest and no buffeting of my helmet, just the increase in noise until I hit 70+, when it does start getting a bit rough and blowy. I only did about 3 motorway miles, on at one junction and off two later on the M20 so no chance for a longer trial.
It doesn’t notice particularly on quick overtakes but maybe I’m concentrating on hanging on.

If I did more dual carriageway miles I might be more proactive but 99% of my riding is deliberately on A and B roads.

 

I've just blown 3 grand on a rebel X tower for my 790 no time to fit it works getting in the way , off from the 18th so hopefully get a chance then , anybody do any tower options that don't break the bank

 

All of this has been said already, but if I can summarise.

Airflow causes the rider three problems, laminar (ish) pressure, where you feel it pushing you back consistently, turbulent pressure, where you are buffeted, and helmet noise. I reckon the standard 890/Norden screen does a pretty good job with the first two, with the new hole seeming to solve the turbulence issue as far as I can see from 7500 miles.

In my experience, you will only solve the helmet noise issue with a full dress touring screen - and as Trousersnake says, who wants that on an adventure bike - or £13 ear plugs. Give them a go for two weeks, what have you got to lose?

 

I tried various screens on my 950 all were worse ended up cutting 5 inches off the stock one and it's perfect...790 was a bit buffeting so just got a shorter 790r screen and happy with that

 

If I can just decrease the no-screen chest wind pressure (oooh matron!) without affecting helmet noise or buffeting then I would be more than happy.
Maybe I’m trying to over compensate.

 

Helps me a lot thanks. Considering getting an 890 adv its great to read differing owners opinions. Be interested in whatever can you get as well. Are you going to do a decat pipe as well ? Kind regards. Geoff. NZ.

 

Can't decide on the decat. I don't find a problem with the heat on my legs in normal UK climate but I did in Spain and France, and I also don't like the idea of all that heat ending up around my shock which is trying to shed its own heat. But, I do care about the environment. Can't decide.

 

Had a chat with Powerbronze yesterday about different screens.
Not the most cheerful or helpful.
Low screen = wind blast, higher screen probably = turbulence.
That was it.

I’m looking at some earplugs for small orifices for now but not keen on the idea as anything like that is really uncomfortable.
I’d like to try the Expedition with the OEM higher screen but nothing remotely local available.

 

As I said earlier, I have very small ear canals and these work for me Alpine Motor earplugs for motorcyclists Easy to put in and you don't push them so far in as to cause pressure on the ears. It does take a couple of weeks to get used to them but as someone who has ridden 40 years without earplugs and 9 months with them, I wouldn't go back.

 

I got stuck in heavy traffic on the Canterbury ring road with high 20’s temperatures back in late August.
I only had short summer boots and kevlar lined jeans (no, I was not riding topless ) and my legs were absolutely roasting.
I’ve got a while to check it out but, after the warranty runs out, I might look for an inexpensive mod.

 

You can buy a mini cat £50 Ali express, takes most of the heat away

 

Do you mean a kitten?

 

Just a brief update for anyone interested or thinking of doing the same. I got the suspension upgraded on Friday and used the Tractive fork cartridges and shock designated for the standards Norden 901 as I said in the original post.

I knew the shock would fit, and was fairly sure the cartridges would too, but there's always that niggling doubt. For anyone thinking of doing the same, I can confirm the standard 890 Apex forks have plently spare in their sliders, guides and seals to allow for 220mm of travel so anyone looking to upgrade can either fit aftermarket kit for the 890 to keep 200mm travel, or use the same kit specced for the Norden to uprate the travel to 220mm with the bonus of an additional 20mm of ground clearance but the drawback of 20mm extra on the seat height.

Took it out on Sunday and the roads and tracks were filthy so couldn't push it too hard but the road handling doesn't seem to be spoiled by the extra ride height and the off-road seems much better controlled - probably as much as a result of having it sprung for my weight as anything else.

 

Meow!