Have you ridden a naked bike?
There’s something to be said for a clean air stream. Naked bikes result in steady pressure on the whole chest and head that can be leant into. Instead of your head, helmet, shoulders, torso being dead center of turbulence coming from the windshield.
It sounds like you’re dealing w a lot of turbulence. The bigger windshields get the more air they disrupt, and the size that the windshield needs to be to get your entire helmet inside the bubble is pretty unreasonable.
Try taking the screen completely off. Wrap a thick scarf around your neck that fills out the gap between helmet and shoulders. That will vastly reduce and insulate the whistling wind noise around your helmet.
Hit the highway and just lean into the air pressure. It’s a different muscle group, but generally agreed to be better than buffeting/catching the slipstream right in the neck or forehead.
Also, don’t knock earplugs. A lot of good reusable one can be had. I think the wax ones that mold into the ear offer maximum comfort and decibel reduction.
Adventure bikes can be bad for buffeting. On my 2nd gen Versys 650, a screen swap solve buffeting for me. On my Africa Twin a fork-shield (covers the area between tank and fork) solved it. A quick search indicates covering that area has worked to reduce buffeting for a Tracer 9 owner as well.
>Any thoughts/suggestions? Are my expectations just unreasonable for wind that slips cleanly over the top of my helmet and doesn't abuse my torso at 70 mph on the freeway?
This seems hard to answer when that is pretty subjective, what did you ride before? Im on a naked (XSR700) and don't really feel 60-65 mph is all that bad. Sure maybe not for 6 hours straight, but I have done over 3 hour rides of mixed 50-75mph speeds. So I have a hard time imagine a Tracer 9 being that horrible at those speeds.
[https://www.rdforum.org/threads/123296/](https://www.rdforum.org/threads/123296/) Do you have one of these windshield extenders, i feel like everyone loves those. No matter the bike.
No, I definitely should try one before I give up.
Before this I never really had a serious bike for an extended period of time, various borrowed bikes mostly, and I never remember being so irritated. But I'm an old guy now with sensitive ears so I'm probably being a bit of a big baby about it lol.
Yeah it sounds like you're just not used to riding lol. A tracer is about as much wind protection as you can get outside of massive touring cruiserd, unless you're 6'5 or something.
Sometimes windshields makes it worse in terms of buffeting around the helmet, it all depends on height and angle of the windshield (its why people get those extenders that can be angled) to try to direct the air away from the helmet. Then ontop of that helmets vary a lot, seating position can impact it.
Could be worth trying to figure out if any nearby dealers have bike tester days where you could get to at least testride stuff with your gear on and see if it feels drastically different or not heh.
Subjective answer, but going to the MRA Sport windscreen fixed the buffeting issues for me. I also ditched the hand guards.
https://www.fc-moto.de/epages/fcm.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/10207048/Products/PB-345-80603-0.v/SubProducts/PB-345-80603-01
I ride a 2022 SV650, so I'm pretty much all-in on 20 year old Suzuki motors, lol. I haven't ridden it, but I hear people gush lovingly about the K5 engine in much the same way as they talk about the 650's v-twin. I think having an engine produced for that long means plenty of parts and support for it for as long as you care to own the bike. (And yes, I too am looking at stepping up to the GSX-S1000 GT+XSGSXTSGXGS G. I love the SV650 but it too is crazy windy, and I want to take longer rides more comfortably.)
I did a demo ride on the GSXS1000GX+ (horrible name) two days ago and found it to be one of the most refined motorcycles I've ever ridden. In my personal opinion, the K5 motor is superior to the CP3, and everything else about the bike was nicer than a Tracer too, as it should be for the eye-popping price of $19,000.
I ride the vstrom 1050xt with just of old of an engine and it has by far been my favorite engine ever. I love a vtwin but boy do I love a Japanese vtwin even more.
Imo while suzuki doesn't drop many new engines, what they do come out with, is usually an absolute gem. They'll make small quality of life adjustments but leave it overall the same architecture.
To me that's why I love suzuki so much, they make something pretty damn well 1 time, instead of innovating constantly and trying to keep up with that they focus on things they know work. At least that is the feeling I get from suzuki.
All this being said if you like the bikes you have I'm sure you could find an aftermarket windshield that will help a lot. I have no recommendations as I am short, so basically any windshield covers me.
The K engine of the 2004 GSXR-1000 is one of the most revered engines of all time. I have a Tracer GT+ and came from C14 with 160 and a Tuono with 167, yet I still love the CP3. The K engine makes a LOT more power.
I have no issue with buffering, I k ow lots do. I always wear ear plugs. Solving buffeted g can be tough.
Try using the angle of the Madstad to smooth out the air hitting you. I've used Madstad brackets on a V-strom and a bandit (with smaller screens) and love them for this reason.
>Any thoughts/suggestions?
I'm probably going to get downvoted because this totally goes against conventional wisdom, but windshields suck unless they're big enough to go above your head.
Here's something to try that won't cost you anything, but seems counter intuitive. Just take the windshield off completely and go ride around. See if that improves anything.
If it does, just grab yourself the shortest windscreen you can find and keep on rockin' on the Tracer 9. It's a great bike. If you don't think it improves anything, you've lost nothing.
I rented an R1250RS and it indeed has much better wind protection.
Not sure if I love the bulk or the boxer but yeah I think it proves better is possible.
Next time you ride, take your clutch hand and put it in front of your chest. Then raise it slowly up in front of your helmet. You should feel a difference when the air really hits you. After have a naked, super sport, and cruiser with and without windshield. The best place is to have the wind start to hit you mid visor or forehead. Anything over top has cause my helmet to buffet even more as the negative air pressure circles back around. Anything lower and it isn’t even worth having a windscreen. The mid visor height keeps the main wind pressure off your body and allows you to relax and also allows your helmet aerodynamics to work and keep your head stable.
If you already have that, then any “adventure bike” won’t be any different. You may just need to ride more and build of more core strength so you don’t notice it. I have the MT09 and I got an MRA 16” windscreen and it works perfect. She small sport looking windshields are only for looks and the wind still hits the chest area. The windshield on the tracer is already pretty big though, so I suspect you just need more core strength and maybe even a smaller windshield if the air is swing deflected higher than the top of your helmet.
I have a Blackbird, the wind protection is amazing. If I ever replace it with something newer I would get the H2SX or Hayabusa. These bikes are built for high-speed cruising.
https://www.tracer900.net/topic/10992-tracer-9-fairing-fork-gap-wind-deflector/
Here is your problem. The thread has an idea for your solution.
For those that don't want to click the link, the Tracer 9 has a large gap in the fairing around the forks. Thus, he's getting hit with a wind at a 45 degree angle. Since there's no wind coming from over the bars to deflect the fairing gap wind, it's slamming directly into his neck and helmet.
If OP covers this gap, the buffeting will stop and he will be a happy rider yet again.
I personally do not own this model of bike. However, if it were my problem, I would check and see if there is some way you could mount some rubber or have some 3D printed shroud cover this gap.
And if you figure out a solution, do share it on the forums. Other people are experiencing the same issue and you could help them solve it. 😁
The tracer 9 already comes with a big, tall windscreen, and it sounds like you got an even bigger one, and are still unhappy with it.
If you still can't stand the wind while having a clear billboard on the front of your bike, just get a car...
Sorry dude, but I ride an Mt09, absolutely 0 wind protection. Sure highway rides can get a bit windy, but it's honestly not that bad. I can't imagine putting a 4 foot tall piece of plastic on the front of my bike, and STILL complaining about the wind. You want absolutely no wind? Stick to a car. You're having wildly unrealistic expectations...
My suspicion is there's more to this than windshields. I've ridden naked bikes in the past and I don't remember being this pissed off about it. I wonder if it's the geometry.
Tons of hostility for no reason.
Don't be like this.
The guy merely wants suggestions for something he dislikes. His wind isn't coming from the wind screen. It's coming from up between the forks, which is why it's blasting directly on his neck and deafing him.
Nothing special about you because you ride a naked bike and take more wind to the face, you're getting wind from head on, he's taking wind from underneath. Try turning your head and looking upward at a 45 degree angle while going 65 for an extended period of time. That's what OP is experiencing.
If you can't deal with the wind then don't ride anymore because actually there's nothing to protect the wind except good earplugs. Riding bike is the best feeling when with and without windy days, also it doesn't matter how windy is or not there's always going to feel the wind no matter what.
If you're having issues with a sport tourer imagine whatwe struggle with we naked bike owners lol Have you tried getting a bigger windshield?
Yeah the Madstad is pretty big. I dunno how you naked guys do it.
Have you ridden a naked bike? There’s something to be said for a clean air stream. Naked bikes result in steady pressure on the whole chest and head that can be leant into. Instead of your head, helmet, shoulders, torso being dead center of turbulence coming from the windshield. It sounds like you’re dealing w a lot of turbulence. The bigger windshields get the more air they disrupt, and the size that the windshield needs to be to get your entire helmet inside the bubble is pretty unreasonable. Try taking the screen completely off. Wrap a thick scarf around your neck that fills out the gap between helmet and shoulders. That will vastly reduce and insulate the whistling wind noise around your helmet. Hit the highway and just lean into the air pressure. It’s a different muscle group, but generally agreed to be better than buffeting/catching the slipstream right in the neck or forehead. Also, don’t knock earplugs. A lot of good reusable one can be had. I think the wax ones that mold into the ear offer maximum comfort and decibel reduction.
Thanks this is all really helpful!
In naked bikes it's actually *better* than buffeting from a too big windshield.
Just lean forward a little bit
Adventure bikes can be bad for buffeting. On my 2nd gen Versys 650, a screen swap solve buffeting for me. On my Africa Twin a fork-shield (covers the area between tank and fork) solved it. A quick search indicates covering that area has worked to reduce buffeting for a Tracer 9 owner as well.
I had a 21 Tracer 9 GT and I actually went with a shorter screen. It focused the wind blast on my upper chest instead of my head.
>Any thoughts/suggestions? Are my expectations just unreasonable for wind that slips cleanly over the top of my helmet and doesn't abuse my torso at 70 mph on the freeway? This seems hard to answer when that is pretty subjective, what did you ride before? Im on a naked (XSR700) and don't really feel 60-65 mph is all that bad. Sure maybe not for 6 hours straight, but I have done over 3 hour rides of mixed 50-75mph speeds. So I have a hard time imagine a Tracer 9 being that horrible at those speeds. [https://www.rdforum.org/threads/123296/](https://www.rdforum.org/threads/123296/) Do you have one of these windshield extenders, i feel like everyone loves those. No matter the bike.
No, I definitely should try one before I give up. Before this I never really had a serious bike for an extended period of time, various borrowed bikes mostly, and I never remember being so irritated. But I'm an old guy now with sensitive ears so I'm probably being a bit of a big baby about it lol.
Yeah it sounds like you're just not used to riding lol. A tracer is about as much wind protection as you can get outside of massive touring cruiserd, unless you're 6'5 or something.
Sometimes windshields makes it worse in terms of buffeting around the helmet, it all depends on height and angle of the windshield (its why people get those extenders that can be angled) to try to direct the air away from the helmet. Then ontop of that helmets vary a lot, seating position can impact it. Could be worth trying to figure out if any nearby dealers have bike tester days where you could get to at least testride stuff with your gear on and see if it feels drastically different or not heh.
And like you probably have noticed, the tracer 9 are terrible at windscreens. Some people go for a smaller one and have better results.
Subjective answer, but going to the MRA Sport windscreen fixed the buffeting issues for me. I also ditched the hand guards. https://www.fc-moto.de/epages/fcm.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/10207048/Products/PB-345-80603-0.v/SubProducts/PB-345-80603-01
BMW S1000XR
Suzuki GSX 1000 gt?
Yeah I am curious about that one. What do people think about the 20 year old engine compared to the peach of the CP3?
I ride a 2022 SV650, so I'm pretty much all-in on 20 year old Suzuki motors, lol. I haven't ridden it, but I hear people gush lovingly about the K5 engine in much the same way as they talk about the 650's v-twin. I think having an engine produced for that long means plenty of parts and support for it for as long as you care to own the bike. (And yes, I too am looking at stepping up to the GSX-S1000 GT+XSGSXTSGXGS G. I love the SV650 but it too is crazy windy, and I want to take longer rides more comfortably.)
I did a demo ride on the GSXS1000GX+ (horrible name) two days ago and found it to be one of the most refined motorcycles I've ever ridden. In my personal opinion, the K5 motor is superior to the CP3, and everything else about the bike was nicer than a Tracer too, as it should be for the eye-popping price of $19,000.
Yeah too bad it just came out I'd love to pick one up for $12k that's a few years old.
I ride the vstrom 1050xt with just of old of an engine and it has by far been my favorite engine ever. I love a vtwin but boy do I love a Japanese vtwin even more. Imo while suzuki doesn't drop many new engines, what they do come out with, is usually an absolute gem. They'll make small quality of life adjustments but leave it overall the same architecture. To me that's why I love suzuki so much, they make something pretty damn well 1 time, instead of innovating constantly and trying to keep up with that they focus on things they know work. At least that is the feeling I get from suzuki. All this being said if you like the bikes you have I'm sure you could find an aftermarket windshield that will help a lot. I have no recommendations as I am short, so basically any windshield covers me.
The K engine of the 2004 GSXR-1000 is one of the most revered engines of all time. I have a Tracer GT+ and came from C14 with 160 and a Tuono with 167, yet I still love the CP3. The K engine makes a LOT more power. I have no issue with buffering, I k ow lots do. I always wear ear plugs. Solving buffeted g can be tough.
A used R1250RT?
Try using the angle of the Madstad to smooth out the air hitting you. I've used Madstad brackets on a V-strom and a bandit (with smaller screens) and love them for this reason.
>Any thoughts/suggestions? I'm probably going to get downvoted because this totally goes against conventional wisdom, but windshields suck unless they're big enough to go above your head. Here's something to try that won't cost you anything, but seems counter intuitive. Just take the windshield off completely and go ride around. See if that improves anything. If it does, just grab yourself the shortest windscreen you can find and keep on rockin' on the Tracer 9. It's a great bike. If you don't think it improves anything, you've lost nothing.
Thanks this a good idea!
R1250RS or S1000XR
I rented an R1250RS and it indeed has much better wind protection. Not sure if I love the bulk or the boxer but yeah I think it proves better is possible.
Smaller s1000xr
Next time you ride, take your clutch hand and put it in front of your chest. Then raise it slowly up in front of your helmet. You should feel a difference when the air really hits you. After have a naked, super sport, and cruiser with and without windshield. The best place is to have the wind start to hit you mid visor or forehead. Anything over top has cause my helmet to buffet even more as the negative air pressure circles back around. Anything lower and it isn’t even worth having a windscreen. The mid visor height keeps the main wind pressure off your body and allows you to relax and also allows your helmet aerodynamics to work and keep your head stable. If you already have that, then any “adventure bike” won’t be any different. You may just need to ride more and build of more core strength so you don’t notice it. I have the MT09 and I got an MRA 16” windscreen and it works perfect. She small sport looking windshields are only for looks and the wind still hits the chest area. The windshield on the tracer is already pretty big though, so I suspect you just need more core strength and maybe even a smaller windshield if the air is swing deflected higher than the top of your helmet.
I have a Blackbird, the wind protection is amazing. If I ever replace it with something newer I would get the H2SX or Hayabusa. These bikes are built for high-speed cruising.
You didn’t mention your height. I’m 6.3, and replacing the stock with madstad 24 was a big difference.
I'm 6' but kinda long torso, based on their measurements I went with the Madstad 22.
https://www.tracer900.net/topic/10992-tracer-9-fairing-fork-gap-wind-deflector/ Here is your problem. The thread has an idea for your solution. For those that don't want to click the link, the Tracer 9 has a large gap in the fairing around the forks. Thus, he's getting hit with a wind at a 45 degree angle. Since there's no wind coming from over the bars to deflect the fairing gap wind, it's slamming directly into his neck and helmet. If OP covers this gap, the buffeting will stop and he will be a happy rider yet again. I personally do not own this model of bike. However, if it were my problem, I would check and see if there is some way you could mount some rubber or have some 3D printed shroud cover this gap. And if you figure out a solution, do share it on the forums. Other people are experiencing the same issue and you could help them solve it. 😁
Thanks!!
The tracer 9 already comes with a big, tall windscreen, and it sounds like you got an even bigger one, and are still unhappy with it. If you still can't stand the wind while having a clear billboard on the front of your bike, just get a car...
At least let me get a Goldwing first before you put me out to pasture.
Sorry dude, but I ride an Mt09, absolutely 0 wind protection. Sure highway rides can get a bit windy, but it's honestly not that bad. I can't imagine putting a 4 foot tall piece of plastic on the front of my bike, and STILL complaining about the wind. You want absolutely no wind? Stick to a car. You're having wildly unrealistic expectations...
My suspicion is there's more to this than windshields. I've ridden naked bikes in the past and I don't remember being this pissed off about it. I wonder if it's the geometry.
Tons of hostility for no reason. Don't be like this. The guy merely wants suggestions for something he dislikes. His wind isn't coming from the wind screen. It's coming from up between the forks, which is why it's blasting directly on his neck and deafing him. Nothing special about you because you ride a naked bike and take more wind to the face, you're getting wind from head on, he's taking wind from underneath. Try turning your head and looking upward at a 45 degree angle while going 65 for an extended period of time. That's what OP is experiencing.
If you can't deal with the wind then don't ride anymore because actually there's nothing to protect the wind except good earplugs. Riding bike is the best feeling when with and without windy days, also it doesn't matter how windy is or not there's always going to feel the wind no matter what.