Long term update: A quick change of screen

I’m getting into the touring spirit. My V-Strom already has heated grips, a fat comfy seat, a pair of panniers and a top box with enough space to move house. There is just one hitch – the screen. It’s good as standard and can be adjusted to three different positions, but you need to undo four screws, move the screen up or down and screw it back in place.

You need a screwdriver and about six minutes of fiddling around, which is not ideal. On its highest setting I get ample protection, but get a bit of buffeting on my forehead at 80mph. So to try and cure it I’ve fitted a higher screen. The £75 Powerbronze Flip screen (www.powerbronze.co.uk) sits 75mm higher than the standard Suzuki one.

Fitting the new screen took six minutes and 38 seconds from start to finish. Unscrew the old one and pop the new one in its place with a few additional spacers. The Powerbronze screen comes with a rubber guard which runs round the outside. It looks far more stylish and purposeful than the standard screen.

On its highest setting I now get worse juddering than I did from the standard screen. On its lowest setting I get a similar level of wind buffeting as I did with the original screen on the high setting, but there’s less noise when cruising at higher speeds.

To me it’s not enough to warrant the £75 price tag of the new screen, but the light tint and stylish shape looks better and that might be enough for some riders.