Laminar LIP on ZeroGravity Touring Windscreen w/Photos

[Electrojake]

At this point in life, I don't need to go fast, I need to be comfortable. MY last bike had a full tombstone windshield. A 65 MPH jaunt down the expressway was rather uneventful. Not so with the GS500F. That sexy looking front fairing limits the availability of any large wind protection.

Fortunately the GStwin.com forum members pointed me to the ZeroGravity Sport Touring windscreen, P/N  23-161.


The ZeroGravity windscreen made my bike look great and it did indeed lift the edge of the wind-blast area from my lower chest up to my throat. Now if I could just get the bottom edge of that wind blast up another 3 or 4 inches all would be perfect.

Enter the Laminar LIP.
The LIP I chose was the 10 inch Universal in clear. Like most things I have purchased for my GS500F, fitment was a blind guess. (Buy it and hope you can make it fit).
NOTE: The LIP looks a lot nicer in person than it does in the photographs. It form fits the contours of the ZeroGravity windscreen rather well.



Please be aware that I have mounted the LIP significantly higher than Laminar directions recommend. The LIP would look and function better if is was mounted an inch or two lower.
It's a long story on my choice of the "too high" position.
(Dear Laminar, Consider this too-high position experimental, I'll lower it per your instructions in the very near future)





Another interesting thing I should mention is the Laminar mounting system. . .



These round sticky Velcro dots look like they will fail but they work very well. Laminar gives you 8 but you will only need 4 unless you decide to move the LIP as I eventually did.



These little round self-stick dots have incredible strength. If you follow Laminar's instructions, they can be trusted to hold.
Also note that if you ever change your mind, they can be removed from your stock windscreen. They are difficult to remove but they come off clean if you take your time.

I am very happy with this product. The LIP effectively raised the lower edge of the wind blast well above my neck. I have been at unmentionable high speeds and the LIP has been rock solid. The mounting system works great.
No complaints at all!



Links to the products are listed below. . .
http://www.laminarlip.com/

http://www.zerogravity-racing.com/sportbikes/suzuki_sptbks/161.htm

Thanks GStwin.com for a great forum community and providing a place to post!
-Ej-

[scratch]

Awesome review!

[Ingersoll]

Im looking in to one also.  I was wondering how tall are you? Im about 5'9" and the stock screen puts the wind right at my chin....no fun. lol

[Electrojake]

I was wondering how tall are you? Im about 5'9" and the stock screen puts the wind right at my chin....no fun. lol

.
.
I'm 6'3" tall and I sit on one of these which adds another inch to the height problem. . .


The AirHawk seat cushion is ugly but after 3 hours in the saddle, it pays for itself tenfold. I have two different models and will be posting a review on both of them in the future.

As for the Laminar Universal 10 inch LIP. . .
If it was 2 inches taller, it would be perfect. I am working with Laminar (trying to work with Laminar) to get a fitment for a similar unit but taller. The 10" LIP is a great product and I'm glad I have it but a bit taller would be Nirvana!

Soon as I hear from Laminar I'll post.
If they can recommend a similar unit but a bit taller, I'll buy it and do a comparison.
Regards,
-Ej-

[Paulcet]

Nice writeup!  Might I suggest you put it in the Wiki?

[Eklipse]

What are those gauges in your fairing? They look very clean.

[Electrojake]

Nice writeup! 
Might I suggest you put it in the Wiki?

.
Ya know. . .
I'm way overdue on contributing to the GS500 Wiki.
Perhaps my foot peg review should be in there too.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=51846.msg586522#msg586522

I never used a Wiki but now would be a good time for me to learn.
Thanks!

[Electrojake]

What are those gauges in your fairing? They look very clean.

.
The gauges are standard VDO, 52mm analogs. They are the "Vision" series and have so far held up quite well but should really be replaced with VDO "Marine" series gauges. Since marine gauges are about 3 time the price, they will have to wait.

On the left side of the fairing is Cylinder Head Temperature and Voltmeter.
On the right side of the fairing is Clock and Ambient air temperature.

I ride in the dead of winter so the air temp is great in the winter but rather useless in the summer.
Considering the amount of electrical junk I run, the voltmeter is a must-have item.
The clock is self explanatory, and the cylinder head temp is neat but may soon be replaced by oil pressure, or perhaps oil temp.

Sorry I don't have any good shots of the instrument cluster. I've been hell-bent on figuring out a clever (better)  mount for my EZ-Pass device and GPS and I'm starting to run out of real-estate on the fairing. Soon as I lock-in on a final configuration I plan to post a few shots of the front of the bike with power outlets, idiot lights, indicators, gauges, GPS mount, etc...
And yes, I even installed an illuminated power switch below the left gauge cluster for one of these gadgets:


I guess it works, I haven't hit a deer yet.
Thanks for asking!
-Ej-

[Eklipse]

That's pretty sweet. I hadn't thought about putting gauges in the fairings, but I probably will now when I put them in. I imagine if I switched all my bulbs to LEDs I'd have plenty of power. I may have switched my instruments to LEDs already, but I'm not sure. I remember I made them red, but I don't remember if I rigged up LEDs or painted the bulbs. I like the red a LOT better than the white though; helps my night vision.

[Paulcet]

I guess it works, I haven't hit a deer yet.

I hope it works, but seriously doubt it.  The website says it's endorsed by insurance companies, but doesn't mention any of them by name.  It says it is "proven" to work, but doesn't cite any such studies.  The "how does it work" page rambles on with a bunch of scientific sounding bullshit, none of it means anything.  There are "logos" from Highway Safety Animal Research Group, which does not exist. 

[Eklipse]

I've heard those deer whistles for vehicles don't really work. I bet you can google both products and find stuff on em. I prolly will later.

[jp]

Nice writeup but I would like to see a couple of pics that show the whole bike to give a little better perspective to the Laminar Lip on the bike.

As for running out of real estate for mounting things; I recently added an LED voltmeter to my 97. I utulized one of the mirror mounts that were freed up when I went to bar-end mirrors.

[Electrojake]

The Hornet deer avoidance gadget has been reviewed by numerous motorcycle & automotive publications.
Most recently in my favorite magazine: Motorcycle Consumer News.
(MCN-February 2010, Innovation of the Month article)
Look at it this way; Harley riders have these ridiculous good-luck bells... 
(see link)
http://www.rudedogleather.com/id174.html

So I have my good-luck dear whistle.
But does it work???
I live in a high dear area. I literally rode up to within 30 feet of two large deer on a guys front lawn. Slowed to about 10 MPH, flipped on the "Hornet" and the animals immediately looked at me. But other than that it was kind of uneventful so I just drove away.
I guess the good thing is that at least they didn't charge the bike when I turned it on!

As for better pictures of the bike. . .
You are right. I need to get out of the garage. Too much project junk and no room to photograph. All my bike photos are old stock. Unfortunately, it hasn't stopped raining since it stopped snowing.

And Speaking of Photos. . .
How about posting a photo of that voltmeter on the 1997 GS500 mirror mount?
I'm always looking for a fresh idea.
Thanks,
-Ej-

[jp]

Here's the voltmeter pic. I got it at a place that specializes in Goldwing accessories near where I work. http://www.cyclemaxohio.com/1200_electrical
I hooked up the battery tender right after taking this; now I have to figure out if the battery isn't holding a charge, or if there's a drain even when the bike is off.

[gmanaed]

The laminar lip works equally well on a 1250 Bandit.  However, I would recommend any user consider permanently mounting it rather than relying on the adhesive.  I took a 3000 mile trip out west after installing the lip a couple of years ago.  It worked great, but each time I dismounted I tried to press on the adhesive sections to ensure they were still attached properly.  On my way home after about 2700 miles of riding, I neglected to check the lip after one stop, and it parted ways from my bike at about 75 mph on Interstate 64.  The laminar lip comes with instructions about mounting it by drilling into the existing windscreen, and I would highly suggest anyone expecting sustained high speed use to consider this option--especially if using an aftermarket windscreen (which is not as expensive should the drilling go awry).

[Electrojake]

Here's the voltmeter pic. I got it at a place that specializes in Goldwing accessories near where I work. http://www.cyclemaxohio.com/1200_electrical
I hooked up the battery tender right after taking this; now I have to figure out if the battery isn't holding a charge, or if there's a drain even when the bike is off.

That voltmeter looks like a nice clean mount.
I was pondering the idea of a wideband fuel ratio meter, (too costly for now). But your voltmeter mount might be a great place to hang it.
Thanks for posting the pic!
-Ej-

[Electrojake]

 On my way home after about 2700 miles of riding, I neglected to check the LIP after one stop, and it parted ways from my bike at about 75 mph on Interstate 64.  The laminar lip comes with instructions about mounting it by drilling into the existing windscreen, and I would highly suggest anyone expecting sustained high speed use to consider this option--especially if using an aftermarket windscreen.

Wow, an adhesive failure. 
I would imagine that the constant high speed "pull" on the adhesive took it's toll.
I'll be sure to keep an eye on my mounts. If I see any separation anxiety I'll consider drilling it.
What/How did you drill & mount?
Thanks