Givi Airflow vs Honda Tall Windshield
Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 8:52 am
Well everyone I have installed the new Givi Airflow and have taken the Forza on a test ride so I will give you my initial impressions of it and the differences between it and the Honda Tall windshield in case anyone out there has the same questions that I had concerning these two windshields. Remember, this is only an initial testing and impressions are only after a test ride. I am 5'7" tall and weight roughly 145 lbs. I don't know what that is in metric but you all that use that system can calculate what that is to you. I have been riding various motorcycles and scooters since 1984.
I installed the Givi AF1123 on my 2014 Honda Forza so if you have a PCX this probably won't apply to your bike. I removed the Honda Tall screen and installed the Givi then I rode the Forza on a 10 mile test circuit including city streets, 55mph roads and on the interstate (freeways, motorway). I will not be comparing these two windshields to the standard Honda short windshield that comes standard on the Forza in the USA as I have never ridden with this windshield installed. I had the Honda tall windshield installed on the Forza before I took delivery of it.
Honda Tall Windshield: looks good on the bike like it's supposed to be on there, make of very good plastic, has good airflow to the sides of the rider, easy to place bike cover on bike with this windshield installed. Pretty easy to install. Does not distort when you look through it.
The bad: this windshield is about two inches too short for me, I imagine that you can always install a lip on the top of it if you so desire. The wind blast strikes the top of the helmet and bit along the sides so it is quite a bit noisier than the Givi. IMHO you need a quieter helmet to ride with this windscreen. Does nothing to protect you hands from the wind blast.
Givi AF1123: much quieter than the Honda Tall, protects you from the wind blast much, much better than the Honda Tall, it's adjustable so you can find the sweet spot that you like, fairly easy to install like the Honda Tall, pretty easy to fit a bike cover over it although not as easy as the Honda Tall, made from good plastic although I think that the Honda Tall may be somewhat better (I'm not a plastic expert so I could be wrong on this but the Honda one feels a bit higher quality to me), protects your hands from the wind (outstanding quality of this windshield, one of its really strong points), much taller than the Honda Tall (easily a couple to three inches taller with the upper screen in the fully extended up position so I don't have any sort of problems looking through it), reflects the turn signal indicators in a really cool way at night so it gives you a sort of heads up display thingy. I have not found this windshield to distort although some have complained about that with the Givi.
The bad: well I'm gonna go ahead a say it...it looks well....different. Some would say downright goofy but it looks somewhat better on the bike than it does in the pictures of it that I have seen. I'm a older guy and quite frankly don't really care what people think so I'm ok with it. The beauty of this thing is in its function not its looks. You will be able the hear the scooters engine with this windshield that could be a good thing or bad depending upon your perspective. Be careful with your speed with this windshield as it is easily to speed and not really tell how fast you are going. The upper shield could stand to be somewhat wider as the is some slight wind blast coming along your ears but that could just be my helmet I will try different ones and see what I can determine here.
The verdict: well.... first of all let me say that motorcycles/scooters and their windshields are a very personal thing what works for one may not work for another. Motorcycles/scooters are not cars where one size can fit all. Having said that, I like the Givi AF1123. Yeah, it looks kinda quirky and the upper shield could stand to be slightly wider but overall it works really well and frankly I don't think that you can do much better on the Forza if max wind protection is your goal. The design of the Forza places you pretty far from the windscreen so there is only so much wind blast that you can be shielded from on this bike. I do think that the Honda Tall windscreen will probably work for most people and the way that they like to ride and it looks better too! I had eye surgery a couple of years ago so I find it difficult to be exposed to the wind like I used to be so tend to like larger windshields.
Hope this helps answer some questions and I'm sure I'll have some updates as I use the Givi more.
I installed the Givi AF1123 on my 2014 Honda Forza so if you have a PCX this probably won't apply to your bike. I removed the Honda Tall screen and installed the Givi then I rode the Forza on a 10 mile test circuit including city streets, 55mph roads and on the interstate (freeways, motorway). I will not be comparing these two windshields to the standard Honda short windshield that comes standard on the Forza in the USA as I have never ridden with this windshield installed. I had the Honda tall windshield installed on the Forza before I took delivery of it.
Honda Tall Windshield: looks good on the bike like it's supposed to be on there, make of very good plastic, has good airflow to the sides of the rider, easy to place bike cover on bike with this windshield installed. Pretty easy to install. Does not distort when you look through it.
The bad: this windshield is about two inches too short for me, I imagine that you can always install a lip on the top of it if you so desire. The wind blast strikes the top of the helmet and bit along the sides so it is quite a bit noisier than the Givi. IMHO you need a quieter helmet to ride with this windscreen. Does nothing to protect you hands from the wind blast.
Givi AF1123: much quieter than the Honda Tall, protects you from the wind blast much, much better than the Honda Tall, it's adjustable so you can find the sweet spot that you like, fairly easy to install like the Honda Tall, pretty easy to fit a bike cover over it although not as easy as the Honda Tall, made from good plastic although I think that the Honda Tall may be somewhat better (I'm not a plastic expert so I could be wrong on this but the Honda one feels a bit higher quality to me), protects your hands from the wind (outstanding quality of this windshield, one of its really strong points), much taller than the Honda Tall (easily a couple to three inches taller with the upper screen in the fully extended up position so I don't have any sort of problems looking through it), reflects the turn signal indicators in a really cool way at night so it gives you a sort of heads up display thingy. I have not found this windshield to distort although some have complained about that with the Givi.
The bad: well I'm gonna go ahead a say it...it looks well....different. Some would say downright goofy but it looks somewhat better on the bike than it does in the pictures of it that I have seen. I'm a older guy and quite frankly don't really care what people think so I'm ok with it. The beauty of this thing is in its function not its looks. You will be able the hear the scooters engine with this windshield that could be a good thing or bad depending upon your perspective. Be careful with your speed with this windshield as it is easily to speed and not really tell how fast you are going. The upper shield could stand to be somewhat wider as the is some slight wind blast coming along your ears but that could just be my helmet I will try different ones and see what I can determine here.
The verdict: well.... first of all let me say that motorcycles/scooters and their windshields are a very personal thing what works for one may not work for another. Motorcycles/scooters are not cars where one size can fit all. Having said that, I like the Givi AF1123. Yeah, it looks kinda quirky and the upper shield could stand to be slightly wider but overall it works really well and frankly I don't think that you can do much better on the Forza if max wind protection is your goal. The design of the Forza places you pretty far from the windscreen so there is only so much wind blast that you can be shielded from on this bike. I do think that the Honda Tall windscreen will probably work for most people and the way that they like to ride and it looks better too! I had eye surgery a couple of years ago so I find it difficult to be exposed to the wind like I used to be so tend to like larger windshields.
Hope this helps answer some questions and I'm sure I'll have some updates as I use the Givi more.