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Brief It's true, each of us pride ourselves on personalizing our rides. Whether you're riding a chrome covered cruiser or zipping through the hills on a canyon carving sportbike, there is an endless supply of aftermarket gizmos and gadgets to fill most every rider's desires. Well, when you're talking sportbikes, there are surely a few early modifications that most riders checked off their list first and that plain, clear, blah stock windscreen is usually one of the first things to go. Overview For years we've settled for the standard, smoke, dark smoke and a few color plastic options that until now seemed pretty cool in their own right. Leave it to Sportech to take it to the next level with their new line of chrome windscreens. Their site says, "The windscreen is the primary focal point on a sportbike, it's the first thing people see when checking out your bike". Well, they've definitely proven their point with this line of bright, shiny color chrome windscreens, as your bike will never look the same again. The idea really isn't new, but any of you who have tried previous products like iridium colored windscreens or helmet visors, know first hand how one bug could ruin the entire surface. It seemed that products like these all failed during real world use and we were again forced to replace them with the standard smoked versions we've used in the past. Sportech claims to manufacture their screens with a new process which bonds the chrome like finish, making the screen much more durable against whatever elements it comes into contact with. Sure, we've heard it all before and unfortunately have found that terms like "Scratch resistant" really didn't mean anything. So why would Sportech's screens be any different? Details The first thing you will notice when you remove the screen from the bag, is that it is very thick. Possibly even thinker than my stock screen and definitely thicker that any other aftermarket screens I've tried. Fit is as good as stock and I like the black plastic lip around the top which finishes off the new look. The screen comes with a protective plastic cover which I recommend leaving on until after installation is complete. It will keep you sane as you'll have your fingers and tools very close to the mirrored surface. Any worries I had about damaging the screen during installation ended when I removed the plastic wrap to reveal for the first time the true beauty of the screen. Sportech recommends cleaning the screen with simple soap and water and I did so very carefully after installation. Since then I have not been so caring when cleaning the screen. Most of the time it's lucky so see just water and a towel, as soap is not always readily available. The finish has proven to be very tough as many bugs have decorated the shield on many occasions and have been easily removed with no problems. After every cleaning the screen shines just as bright as the day it was installed. Probably still a little too early to say for sure but so far the screen seems to be holding up very well. )
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Sure, these screens might not be for everybody and to tell you the truth, I was a little skeptical about how the screen would look on my bike. Well, after seeing it installed my concerns quickly diminished and I am very happy with the new look. These screens are not see-trough and have a flat black coating underneath the shield. This wasn't a problem on my 98RR as I can barely tuck low enough to actually see through the thing anyway. A nice side effect is that it does a great job of keeping the sun's glare off the gauges during our bright sunny California days. The screens are marketed for use on show bikes and not legal for street use… but come on, how many of us really care about that. Basic rule of motorcycling; if there is a doubt, throw it on and if need be claim ignorance later; a motto that has served me quite well in the past. Sportech has begun production of a new see-through model that may be DOT legal. We hope to have one of these screens very soon and we'll update this review to reflect our comments on the new line. At a suggested retail price of 79.95, I feel these screens are well worth the money. If you're looking for that little something to make you bike shine, I would definitely recommend checking out Sportech's chrome windscreens.
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