What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

Fast Eddie said:
I so strongly agree with this discussion !

Feeling the wind is a huge part of the fun / character of riding a motorcycle (on the road) for me.

I think folk often do lose sight of this. I’ve got a mate who’s obsessed with fitting screens to everything he buys. More often than not they actually make things worse as the wind noises and buffeting is worse than simply riding through the ‘clean air’ without a screen.

Of course fairings and screens have a place, but so does riding without !
Click to expand...
It's a constant quandary for me
I don't like fairings or screens unless it's a classic race fairing
But with a neck injury I find it very hard to maintain high speeds without a screen
So both my trident and commando have fly screens but not my BMW bobber or my A10 and no plans to fit one as yet
 
+ 1 on all above sentiments. I had a Honda ST 1300 for seventeen years and sold it a year ago . Amazing motorcycle just made for eating up miles . I sold it because I just wasn’t riding it much .
It wasn’t a Commando.
 
I think fairings and screens are overplayed. I've toured on unfaired bikes. However, on 2 trips last year, I did Spain, Andorra, France, Germany, Austria and Italy. About 7,500 miles, on a GS 1250 with a touring screen, 200 to 300 miles is a breeze, literally. On one trip I had a mate on his Z900RS. Although he was sore after the motorway sections, he was fine otherwise. 90 minutes at 80mph+ without a fairing is enough for me, but we rarely needed to do that. Maybe once.

Now proper luggage, that's a game changer. Especially when hot and tired at the end of each day. Just one key turn and out with the overnight bag, helmet and gloves into the now empty case and then an easy stroll to the bar before check-in.

That first beer is one of life's great pleasures!
 
In 2006 I bought a new R1200RT when I was living in various locations across the western states.In what seemed like no time it had over 110,000 miles.When I finally had a mailbox and could ride my Norton the BMW just sat.The enjoyment it brings as just a basic motorcycle is priceless.

Mike
RT now has a sidecar for when the wife wants to go out!
 
I got scared off windscreens years ago when I was following a rider up the Oregon coast. He was a big guy on a big Honda with a Windjammer fairing. A wind gust caught him and his front wheel came off the ground. Luckily he kept it together and didn't crash. I have done a lot of touring with sidewinds for miles. With no fairing it was manageable. I think with a fairing it would have been dangerous. I am a small person and can tuck in low on the tank.
 
nortonmargie said:
I got scared off windscreens years ago when I was following a rider up the Oregon coast. He was a big guy on a big Honda with a Windjammer fairing. A wind gust caught him and his front wheel came off the ground. Luckily he kept it together and didn't crash. I have done a lot of touring with sidewinds for miles. With no fairing it was manageable. I think with a fairing it would have been dangerous. I am a small person and can tuck in low on the tank.
Click to expand...
Blimey
I've never affected yet on my bikes by a sidewind
 
I don’t ride huge or even high mileages but the difference between riding the FJR with the adjustable touring screen at highish speeds and one of the other bikes is really noticeable nowadays, though riding them is no less enjoyable. A couple of caveats being that one has a bikini type fairing and one doesn’t do highish speeds!!
 
YING said:
Bob,
What did you do with those shoes?Did you get to rework them so they fit?
Mike
Click to expand...
Just found them again, in my pile of "ready for the next owner" stuff.
Glad to see someone use them if you're interested.
What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
The fully faired bikes with big windscreens are nice until you experience very high crosswinds.
A friend that I tour with, Ian, uses a 2012 BMW RT1200r. He loves to point out the luxury features of his BMW vs lessor bikes, like my old bikes, or the Thruxton r. On most trips those features must be nice.
On one long trip we encountered high head winds and cross winds while heading north on highway 97 through Washington State. This was about a 150 mile stretch of wide open area and the winds were really gusting hard.
The Thruxton r has a tiny windscreen and bullet fairing plus the bike has some holes for cross winds to flow thru.
The BMW has a giant power windscreen and full fairings, so it is at the other end of that spectrum.
I tucked down low behind the little windscreen and the bike tracked really well. You could definitely feel the blasts of wind hitting but that didn't move the bike much at all.
Ian was having a hell of a time. The strongest gusts would push him into the other lane, which iirc was the oncoming lane for most of that!
We stopped for breakfast after about 50 miles riding in the high winds.
He was white as a sheet from the ordeal. He was unsure if he wanted to continue or if it was safe for him to continue as he was already exhausted.
I was not tired at all, but I wasnt having to wrestle an elephant thru the wind, as he had done.
In the end he did agree to continue on and we were lucky that the wind gusts dropped a bit in their intensity.
It taught us both something about touring, that is a bike that is shaped like a little bullet is a heck of a lot better in crosswinds and headwinds than a bike that is built like a small Winnebago.
The heated seat and power windscreen aren't too important when you are literally hanging on for dear life!

Glen
 
My Commando was an Interplod when I bought it, complete with Avon (?) fairing. The first time I rode it, I found myself going at a very naughty speed very quickly. No wind in my face took away one of the 'sensations' of riding. Removing the fairing was job #1.

I did once have an R100RT as a loan bike when my K75 was in for a service. Learnt a whole lot of respect for the police riders who rode those things fast through traffic etc. Was glad to hand it back to the dealer at the end of the day.
 
worntorn said:
The fully faired bikes with big windscreens are nice until you experience very high crosswinds.
A friend that I tour with, Ian, uses a 2012 BMW RT1200r. He loves to point out the luxury features of his BMW vs lessor bikes, like my old bikes, or the Thruxton r. On most trips those features must be nice.
On one long trip we encountered high head winds and cross winds while heading north on highway 97 through Washington State. This was about a 150 mile stretch of wide open area and the winds were really gusting hard.
The Thruxton r has a tiny windscreen and bullet fairing plus the bike has some holes for cross winds to flow thru.
The BMW has a giant power windscreen and full fairings, so it is at the other end of that spectrum.
I tucked down low behind the little windscreen and the bike tracked really well. You could definitely feel the blasts of wind hitting but that didn't move the bike much at all.
Ian was having a hell of a time. The strongest gusts would push him into the other lane, which iirc was the oncoming lane for most of that!
We stopped for breakfast after about 50 miles riding in the high winds.
He was white as a sheet from the ordeal. He was unsure if he wanted to continue or if it was safe for him to continue as he was already exhausted.
I was not tired at all, but I wasnt having to wrestle an elephant thru the wind, as he had done.
In the end he did agree to continue on and we were lucky that the wind gusts dropped a bit in their intensity.
It taught us both something about touring, that is a bike that is shaped like a little bullet is a heck of a lot better in crosswinds and headwinds than a bike that is built like a small Winnebago.
The heated seat and power windscreen aren't too important when you are literally hanging on for dear life!

Glen
Click to expand...
I have ridden through the Mojave desert in spring. Only 85 degrees (as opposed to 110 Farenheit) but blowing 30, with 45 mph gusts. I had to slow down to 45-50 in some spots, and that was without a fairing. I think fairings are good if you ride through areas with a lot of rain but no high winds.
 
You just got to ride to the conditions whether if you have a fairing or not, I have the same set up as Glen with his Thruxton R except mine is the S model with the fairing kit fitted, but I removed the low clip-ons and put the stock clip-ons on, unless I ride with my chin on the tank the fairing only helps around the chest area but its looks so good on the bike.
I find riding bikes without fairings work ok if set up for yourself with a slight sit forward position is better than sitting straight up, I love the position of the foot pegs on the Thruxton and the 2" higher on the clip-ons compared to the fairing kit 2" lower clip-ons, the standard clip-ons put less strain on the back as well arms and wrist, I have had no problems doing a few 15hr rides in the saddle only stopping for fuel and food and of course pee stops lol.
But I have also done that same run on my old 900 Thruxton with out a fairing kit, 15hrs straight without any problems at all, it all depends how you have your bike set up for your own comfort, I am now 65 years old and have never had wrist or lower back problems while riding all day, my Norton is more a sit up ride and same no problem riding all day but the interstate solo seat is very comfortable on the Norton.

Ashley
20230926_083118.jpg
 
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I'm with Ash,... A moderate size fairing takes the wind off your chest on the highway without being so small that it's useless. Near me, the highway speed limit is 70. That means people do 75 -80mph, and the topography is such that the local B roads were paved over when they built the highways because there's so many choke points in the terrain that the highway replaced those B roads. Much of the time to get around a mountain, river, or lake you end up on a highway for a some miles but there are some great B roads out in the boonies. Going 80mph on a bike with no wind protection and being 6'2" is not a good combination. With my 1/2 fairing, and medium height bars, I get the wind off my chest on the highway. I don't have to hunch over or lay down on the tank like the youngsters on a japanese sport bikes with those tiny bikini fairings to get out of the wind. My fairing is not full coverage, and I did cut the screen back 2" to get more distance between my face and the screen.... It kind of does what I need it to do, but it's not like a full size fairing at all

Here's my 1/2 fairing and removable hard cases... No set up works on both ends of the spectrum. I'd rather have this then have to lay down on the tank on the highway,.... or have my knuckles turn white from holding on to the handlebars at 80mph while sitting up with no fairing. This way, I can haul ass down the highway comfortably and it's still sporty enough to not be buffeted too badly by crosswinds...


What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
nortonmargie said:
I have ridden through the Mojave desert in spring. Only 85 degrees (as opposed to 110 Farenheit) but blowing 30, with 45 mph gusts. I had to slow down to 45-50 in some spots, and that was without a fairing. I think fairings are good if you ride through areas with a lot of rain but no high winds.
Click to expand...
Margie,
I have also ridden the same I 40 across where you are talking about in the spring. I was really glad to get to Barstow!No fun what so ever.
Mike
 
In the early eighties I had a suzuki katana 1000 that had an effective fairing (if you are above 130km/hr - to get your weight off the clip-ons) in terms of frontal wind but had no effect (to me) on cross winds. Did 250,000km on that - mostly long inland highways (Mackay to Melbourne and west to Perth)/
Was a "racing" bike but a great cruiser.
Cheers
 
Fairing is great for any distance. Im small and use low bars but 70 is just too much for more
than an hour. 60 is about right because the air blast keeps the load low on the wrists but not
enough to wear you out.
Oh and today was my first day out. 51 miles on the Commando, full sun, dry roads but too
many incomers who are poor drivers or just plain stupid. Oh well price of living in paradise! :-)
 
On Thursday I went to a funeral on the Commando and it ran poorly turned out to be a sticky float enriching the right hand carb and causing the issues. So today I’ve stripped, cleaned, refitted and set up the cards and normal service is resumed. Sandra and I are off to the Yorkshire Dales on the Commando tomorrow and staying over for a night in the village of Starbotton so it needed sorting today.

Dave
 

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