Zero Gravity Double Bubble

[pbureau69]

Let us know how it works out Pb.
I'm 5'7" and it would be great for winter commuting if I could find something to send the air over my head.
Especially if it doesn't increase the wind noise.
BeSafe.

okay.. two word I LOVE IT.. okay that was three

yeah took the air right from my chest  to about mid crown of helmet ( 2" top of windsheild upwards)

took it for a spin.. humm humm.... 90MPH without thinking about it..... (okay now I will have to watch the spedometer again)..
before 8-0mpH was easy to figure out, whipping winds on chest.. now.. easy to reach...

if you 5'7-9 I would buy it without blinking...

Pictures I took real quick before riding for 1 hour....

[galahs]

looks good indeed! 

[PuddleJumper]

Cool, thanks PB.
I take it the wind noise isn't too bad?
I'll be ordering one soon.
BeSafe

[pbureau69]

Ill try to not use my mp3 player next time
I havent noticed any real differences... but the scorpion helmet are really good about noise

[bval]

Hey . . . looks great!

Question . . . I've ordered the ZG "sport touring" version hoping it might get the airstream over my head. (I hate hearing the rumble) From the photos, this one looks a little more similar to the sport touring model than the "double bubble" model ZG advertises. Some online reviews I've read used the term "double bubble" loosely to refer to any model of ZG windscreen, (the ZG website indicates is as a specific model).

Just want to confirm for sure which model you have? (DB or ST)

Still anxiously waiting on delivery, but when I finally get the sport-touring model installed, I'll update this post with my findings on any changes to the airstream, turbulance, noise, etc. Also, I'm going to see what can be done about the decaling at the bottom for any other's who are interested in the clear screen.

Cheers   

[rangerbrown]

what do you mean, as in not able to keep battery alive ? or somethign else ?

(please read this, as informative calculations, not trying to be a prick, and the reason why I went with the 100w bulb instead of 65w)

as per ohmns laws;
55w consumes on a 12 volt circuit 4.6 amps
65w consumes on a 12 volt circuit 5.4 amps
100w consumes on a 12 volt circuit 8.3 amps
130w consumes on a 12 volt circuit 10.8 amps

now that said I realize it is drawing more power but;
I removed the 2 x 15w rear bulbs tailight bulbs and replace it with an LED setup) I approximatively have gains 2.5amps of power (led only consumes negligable amperage.)

Fact I never had a probelm runnign high beams all the time I ride (80% highway speeds btw)

So taking the 5.4+2.5 = I have 7.9amps, the new bulbs at 100w is only an additional drain of 0.4amps on the system.

I havent checked the load on the turn signals I have removed either so I think even counting 0.6 amps additonal drain, i don't beleive suzuki engineers designed the GS500 alternatorwith such a low differential tolerance failure range (probably in the line of 2-3 amps to play with.)

yes runnign the 130w bulb will be taxing, but I dont need to use it much...

hope I made sence.


its okay to disagree with me, I could be missing something.. I am only human.

matter of fact i have been able to run 2 100w lights some time with no problems yet, however this is only at night longest time was 7 hours.

[pbureau69]

Hey . . . looks great!
Just want to confirm for sure which model you have? (DB or ST)

It is a Zg Touring I have.

[bval]

Thanks. While I was awaiting your reply, I scrolled back a few pages and found more info. (doh!) Appreciate all the photos and observations on wind, noise, etc. Still waiting on my ZG sport touring screen, but glad to hear it's better for those "average-ally height challenged"  I'm 5 foot  7 1/2 inches (I'll take whatever I can get!) so hopefully the wind and noise will be lessened enough. Also just ordered a Schuberth C2 which is supposed to be one of the quietest modulars. (I ordered for more reasons than that though) Hopefully the combination of the C2 and the ZG will allow me to use good quality helment mounted headphones with my mp3 instead of earplug-style earbuds. (although I have to say they do work very well)

I realize using mp3 players is a contentious topic, but it's legal where I live and have a long (but most excellent) commute every day - most of it back country - low traffic. I love enjoying tunes on most rides but unfortunately, if you have to crank it to hear it, lets face it, you're probably causing just as much hearing damage as not wearing earplugs. Maybe more. So I'm on a quest to find a reasonable balance. (no pun intended)

Logistically, dealing with audio players can be a pain, so I wanted to pass along one of my findings. After some deliberation, I got an iPod Shuffle to replace my Rio mp3 and use velcro to fasten it to my helmet positioned near my left ear (in good weather of course). Mostly bought it for its small size, rechargeable battery and the ability to pause it at will with a gloved hand. (very important!) I used to let my old Rio mp3 go and never fussed with it for safety reasons; I just made sure all the songs were ones I wanted to listen to.  But it was a hassle getting it out of a pocket when I needed to pause or stop it.  However, to my surprise on the iPod Shuffle I can also adjust the volume and skip forward/back through the shuffle with the touch of a non-insulated, leather-gloved hand! Easy to do and safe if you do it sensibly.  But I still think it's better to set it and leave it as much as possible, so I'll make sure I have all songs I like to hear to resist the temptation to "mess" with it and focus on the important thing - riding safely. Now if I can just get rid of dealing with the f*%$#! wires . . . 

[pbureau69]

well I use an Iriver Mp3 T30 for riding and use the radio shack Boss headphone, 2 reasons they use foam inserts technology (similar to gun ear plugs) squish tip and insert in ear, which works in 2 ways for me, blocks out wind noise, and permits me to listen to music without having to blast it (which mean I can hear my engine) my heolmet is a scorpion, best for the buck so far for me, and I have had an Icon, quiet but too hot in 90+ temps, and KBC flip-up (pretty noisy), as for the T30 it hangs from my neck under my jacket, I turn it on, let it run, my daily commute one way its 58 miles... its a 2 GB and cost me 25$ on ebay

[bval]

I agree, the earplug style earbuds do a good job - I just get "tired of being wired". The convenience of having everything on-board would be nice. But if the C2 and ZG don't cut the noise enough to use helmet mounted headphones, I'll be sticking with the earplug style. The idea of hanging it around your neck is a good one. I'll have to find a similar spot for mine in inclement weather. It's on the outside of the helmet right now and very accessible. Amazing how they can cram so much technology into such a small package. Soon the duck Tracey video phone wristwatches will be the norm. (did I give away my age?) 

[pbureau69]

. Soon the duck Tracey video phone wristwatches will be the norm. (did I give away my age?) 

they have GPS/MP3 Watches now that sell at local bass pro Shop 359$ wear it like a watch and not much bigger than most sports watches

[bval]

Well, I finally got my ZG Sport Touring screen for my GS500F. No pics at the moment, but here's what I've found.

• It does indeed raise the airstream and makes riding at speeds above 90km more enjoyable for this 5'8" rider.
• It does not decrease wind noise due to turbulance, in fact it increases it! Not whistling sounds, but low rumbling off the helmet along the bottom loud enough to give me a headache on a longish ride.

So I'm both happy and disappointed at the same time. The quality of the screen is fairly good, but a little on the thin side. I'd prefer at least a thick ridge along the trailing edge to stiffen up the edge a bit, but decided to put some black trim on there instead that I got for $3 from an auto supply store. I considered using the Saeng "Microswirl Edging", (http://www.saeng.com/4000.htm) but find it a bit pricey for a short strip of extruded plastic that might not work to reduce the noise to my liking. If it was $12 for the whole piece I'd try it, but for $40 I'd rather put the money toward the Laminar LIP. (http://www.laminarlip.com/gs500f.php)

My only concern is that now the ZG windscreen is on the bike, I'm not sure that the stock windscreen version of the LIP is what should be used. I'm still waiting to hear back from Laminar LLC via an email enquiry. The theory of the LIP seems sound; an inverted airfoil that lifts the air from both in front and underneath the airfoil above and to the side of the rider. How much that will help with turbulance noise, I'm not sure. It did receive some good reviews from independent sources.

So would I recommend the ZG Sport Touring screen for the GS500F?

Well, yes and no. Had I heard about the LIP first, I probably would have gone for that on the stock screen to see how well that worked. However, it's possible that the ZG combined with the LIP could be the best solution. Who knows. If only they could combine both into one product . . . Suzuki - take note . . . if your going to make faired bikes, start making your windscreens aerodynamically efficient to reduce buffeting, drag and turbulence; not just cool looking mounds of plastic that push wind around. Even on a lower priced bike like the GS500F, I for one would be more than happy to pay the extra couple hundred bucks to be able to ride in comfort without losing my hearing. I'm sure many others would agree. Doing the "aftermarket shell game" can be fun at times, but I'd rather be doing other things.

[PuddleJumper]

Thanks for posting your experience with the ZG, Bval.
Sorry it didn't do what you wanted.

I was just getting ready to order one. I'm also 5'7" And I don't want to increase the noise on my ride to work.

So, now I'm back to thinking I should go naked with a Plexistar II or III.
BeSafe.

[galahs]

I was stoked (very happy) at my Double Bubble last night when I had to ride home in the rain. A half tuck and I could keep myself out of the wet compared to a full tuck on the stock screen.

[anthonyd5189]

My double bubble has also proved its self in the rain. just tuck...when visor gets a little too wet just pop up and let the wind blow the water off.

[galahs]

My double bubble has also proved its self in the rain. just tuck...when visor gets a little too wet just pop up and let the wind blow the water off.

Exactly what I was doing last night!

[bval]

Well, I lucked out and found someone with a Laminar Lip for a GS500f sitting around in his junk room and he gave it to me. Nice guy!

Anyway, here's what I discovered. Putting the Laminar Lip on the ZG touring screen seemed to do nothing for it. Maybe a slight reduction in noise, but not much. Then I tried the Laminar Lip on the stock screen and what a difference! Better still air bubble behind the screen, better noise reduction. So that's what I ended up doing, leaving the stock screen on and using a Laminar Lip. Looks good and works great. I'd definitely recommend using a Laminar Lip on this bike.

http://www.laminarlip.com/gs500f.php

Also installed a Whister Cruisader Radar Detector and placed the blue LED indicator on the top middle of the Laminar Lip so it's almost directly in my field of view. The taller lip worked great for that too.

[galahs]

I have just returned from a huge trip around Australia and I have to say I appreciated the double bubble's extra wind protection when cruising at a sustained 130km/h with frequent wind gusts.

Ideally the touring screen would probably have been better, but ZG's Double Bubble kept the majority of wind from catching my jacket.