Givi Airflow max speed

[sm]

I fitted an MRA screen to my '17 beak wee last year which the ride, but as things turned out I also ended up with a Givi airflow as well. The Givi has been in its box for the last year, so I thought I may as well try it out for the forthcoming trip across the water. As I'm fitting it, I notice a sticker which says 130km max speed. Anyone got comment on how the bike behaves at these speeds when fitted with the Givi?   

I had to use the French autoroutes last year to get home swiftly, and found that the bike became a bit unstable up around those speeds - MRA screen, one-up, Suzuki panniers, no top box, small strapped to rear rack. Just a wee bit of snaking when backing off from overtakes at high speed. I don't want to make things worse.

For this year, I've fitted a 46 litre Givi top box (hate the things but practicality has trumped taste), and am hoping that isn't going to make things any worse.

thanks
Sean

[Barbel Mick]

I did quite a few miles at those speeds on the French motorways last year, two up, panniers and 52ltr. top box with a Givi Airflow and didn't notice any problems. 

[sm]

Thanks Mick. I suspect the wobble I experienced was related to the air flow over my body and the bag on the rack. I should have experimented.

[wurzel]

I have the givi airflow on my 1000,had the bike maxed out for long periods no worries in another country, with soft panniers
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[Joe Rocket]

I've had a Givi Airflow on my AL5 for the past 4 years. Not done lots of motorway but what I have done, 110/120kph, has never been a problem. That's two up with panniers and topbox. More weight though....more stable....? Perhaps.   

 

[bosnjo]

I have Air Flow on my DL1000. First I've had it on DL650 2012, then on DL1000 2014 and now on DL1000 2017. I've driven all of the bikes top speed with no problems. All of them had Aprilia mirrors, hand guards and top box. No side boxes on any of them.

[BigAldo]

I had my Airflow screen come off in France this year. However I discovered it was due to poor quality well nuts from Ebay. The rubber used used was too soft and one eventually split and pulled apart, allowing the lower retaining bolt to break free. This then put additional pressure on the second lower bolt which then also broke free.
The screen then just folded back towards me since it was still held by the two top bolts, until they too  split under the pressure.
I wasn't going fast at this point, so I assume it was just vibration after about 2000 miles.
An additional inconvenience was that the satnav mounting is held by the same bolts and well nuts, but I managed to bungee that to the tank bag to get me the last 1000 miles home.
The replacement well nuts were of a much stiffer (More dense) rubber, and no problems since fitting.
I now carry spare well nuts in my toolkit, because there is no way to bodge the screen back on in the middle of nowhere. Believe me, I tried.
What's French for well nuts...?

[sm]

Thanks BigAldo, I'll get some of those bolts and nuts and put in tool kit. I used the OE bolts and well nuts (and associated rubber insert/washer things for the screen) to attach the Givi, and the bolts screw into the bracket before the well nuts get added. Maybe a bit of locktite would be worth adding.
Sean

[Joe Rocket]

What's French for well nuts...?

Not easy to translate. The nearest I can get is 'vis et chevilles', vis being a screw and cheville is a (rawl) plug. Not precice enough but used in context it would describe a well nut.

It assumes those using the term are sufficiently knowledgeable or 'bien informé' to know what's being talked about. An example: an overflow is described as a 'trop plein' or literally too full; that's as close as you get.

Hope that helps............ 

[Megashorts]

I had the Suzuki touring screen on my DL1000A L4 for a few years. I found it better than the standard one but still a bit noisy and I suffered from buffeting. I changed that for a Givi Airflow about 18 months ago. Much quieter and more comfortable due to the reduction in wind blast and buffeting BUT at speed the bike feels less stable and is prone to getting wagged about by the slipstream from vans and lorries etc. If I take the big Givi topbox off this effect disappears. It depends on wind direction and strength but can be quite noticeable. It doesn't seem to happen two up but my pillion is such a fidget I've not spotted it.

[sillyboy]

I had an aerflow on my gs and found that although it gave good wind protection it was a bit like a sail in headwinds especially coming from an angle.

[STORMY]

I’ve seen just over 100 mph (on that private section of the A31  ) no problems at all. I did lazily adjust the up and down’ness of the screen whilst doing around 60 mph, flip the latches and pulled the top section clean off the bottom section - didn’t drop it or scratch it, but it must have looked hilarious to the following cars. Keep an eye on the tightness of the nuts slightly recessed in the latches.

[Brockett]

Everything you put on a bike , including you and pillion, will affect it's  aerodynamics / handling  The one thing most overlooked when loading the bike is the rear suspension preload adjustment. if the rear spring is left set up for a solo rider then the more weight that is added behind the rider the more unbalanced the bike will be and the front end will feel light and unstable especially with a larger screen. So wind up the rear suspension to suit the added load. Also put bulky and light things into the top box and keep it within the maximum weight limit. This is because the top box mounting plate is hanging off the back of the bike and each inch rearwards past the final fixing point multiplies the loading force that is trying to lift the front wheel.

[Ambergnat]

Brockett makes some very good points, and where you sit on the bike can be equally important -  I shift back and forth up to 4 or 5 inches on different journeys and being 1/3 the weight of the whole, that definitely shifts the balance a bit.  Do I do anything about it? do I F***! but it's worth noting if balance and steering lightness are an issue.

As for the OP - I've had a Givi Airflow on the Glee for 40,000+ miles and for me (at 5'10 and ~100kg) it's been the best alteration I've made.  Like Stormy, I've hit 3 figures on that bit of private road  and still had the visor up - admittedly there is a little bit of side buffeting from my mirrors at those speeds, but nothing unmanageable.   

Sat Nav placement can be an issue for the Airflow though.  I have noticed that if I set it too far back (I.e. closer to the screen) it disrupts the lower of the 3 airstreams, lowering the passover height to the top of my helmet (fnarr) negating most of it's advantages.

[Joe Rocket]

I have to add something to Brockett's post about weight.

There are two weight limits to consider. Firstly those where the additional luggage has a max. load. For example, a top box. That is a manufacturer's limit often very low because they can't be liable for silly charges inserted into their goods, hence it could be a large capacity box but with a maximum load of 10 or 12kg. For that reason Brockett is right about putting light/bulky items in it. I put bedding or my tent in mine (the tent is 5.5kg and sleeping bags maybe 2kg).

Engine bars, centre stand, racks and empty luggage all add considerable weight to the bike. Even a Givi Airflow is heavier than the standard screen, obviously.

The second limit is greatly over looked and that is the max. legal load for the bike. It's usually around twice the dry weight of the bike. It's not normally a problem for solo riding but two up on a long trip I think most come near to exceeding this figure. On my 650 I can put about 200kg on it, 85kg for me and 65kg for my wife. Then if you put 12kg's in two panniers and topbox each you don't have enough 'spare' to fill the tank up to the brim!

OK, I accept that there's a degree of safety built into the figures and that it's hardly the subject of serious law enforcement but should you get into difficulties and have an unfortunate incident would your insurance company pay up if you were grossly over the limit? Over here they do put vehicles on weighbridges, especially cars going off on holiday, at major Motorway toll points.

Sorry, it's a bit off the main theme but it does add consideration of additions and bike behaviour.

[Dee Dub]

I suspect that the Airflow's maximum speed is related to the strength of the screen and fittings, not potential effects on stability. When riding into a headwind, the air speed may be well over 130 kph, possibly gusting or blustery or eddying around, so there should be a margin of safety in that figure.

Poor stability is usually related more to luggage than screens, after all, the Airflow merely replaces an existing screen but the luggage is a complete extra.