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Puig Screen For Kawasaki Z250SL Review
Review Date 7 August 2019
When I first dreamed of a owning a motorcycle it was the fully faired bikes that appealed to me, especially the likes of the Kawasaki Ninja. However my first bike was a naked Keeway RKS and I fell in love with the less is more. So once I passed my full licence my next bike was another naked, the Kawasaki Z250SL.
Despite being told by some, certainly not all, a bike of this size was too small for touring the Kawasaki has served as my touring bike very well, albeit with some issues. Not being a popular big selling model the Z250SL can be problematic in the aftermarket parts departments.
Regular readers will know my struggles with a luggage solution for this bike...
Kawasaki Z 250 SL Luggage...All Packed Up...But...
Z250SL Luggage Solution - Kriega US Drypack
Loading A Kawasaki Z 250 SL For Camping
So although I had toyed with the idea of a screen initially for the Kawasaki I could never find a specific model made for it. I never liked the generic "attach to your handle bar" screens so I gave up looking.
However recently Ren has reattached his screen to his Honda and with some adjustment has been most happy with it. He told me how much it helped reduce buffeting from the wind. I even felt this improvement myself as a pillion on his bike.
In addition I recently talked to a guy with a naked Kawasaki Z900 who had recently got a screen for his bike and he said it had helped a lot with the wind blast.
Hmmm wind blast on motorways is becoming a bit bothersome to me I have to admit. As well as some glorious sunshine this year we have some windy days and fighting to keep your head still as you are blasted by gusts on a long journey can get tiring. Maybe one does not have to accept it as part and parcel of the naked bikes so it seems time to revisit the idea of a screen for my own bike.
Now you all know unlike Ren I like things to be more aesthetically pleasing. First mention of my thinking of a screen had a delighted Ren offering to make me something out of a bit of plastic and and and... STOP Ren just NO ok! It seems that by letting Ren make me Tour-A-Plank he is under the mistaken impression my whole bike is up for bodging. Now don't get me wrong I am very grateful for Ren's efforts with Tour-A-Plank. So far it is proving a good prototype and extremely useful. So ok some bodging is a good thing but as always with bikes balance is important.
After some searching I found a Givi screen made specifically for the new Kawasaki Z125. Being practically the same bike I believed it should fit mine. But with further research I was absolutely delighted to find that the Kawasaki Z250SL now had model specific screens made for it by Puig. Wow! I was amazed because not only was there one but but two possible screens for it. I had a choice. That's great! Ohhh, maybe not, now I didn't know which to get. Haaa.
The Puig is taller than the Givi and as such Ren recommended it as he believed it would be more effective. I however was stuck on the aesthetic. I wanted a screen yes but I also still wanted the bike to look nice to me. The Givi being smaller was less obvious and was I not a believer in less is more? Not being used to a choice when it comes to parts for my Kawasaki I was stuck.
OK Sharon now be sensible in this case more is surely better right? After all the whole point of the screen is to deflect the wind. This could indeed be a case of bigger is better, plus the Puig is model specific to my bike so it would definitely fit. Right ok Puig it is sorted. Oh no, it comes in a choice of colours. Oh nooo I am stuck again.
I end up narrowing my choice eventually to the light smoke err no the dark smoke err but what about visibility oh then maybe clear? Urghhh. OK I know you don't look through the screen as such but it bothered me in case say a little mouse ran in front of my wheels and I needed to avoided it. Or a pothole or... Hmmm but clear is not as nice as the smoke is it? Oh my goodness dear reader are you bored yet because I am bored of my own self. OK sod the aesthetic I'm going practical. Taller, clear Puig it is then. Quick buy it now before I change my mind.
My chosen supplier calls me most apologetically to say that though they stock over 750 screens for next day delivery, mine is not one of them. I will have to wait a couple of weeks. Haa no problem I have rode this bike for 3 years without a screen so a couple of weeks is no cause for concern. I mean I am only going to worry what it will look like, if it will actually fit, if it will actually work for let's see 20160 minutes.
1,209,600 seconds later my screen arrives. You see I wasn't counting down the minutes just the seconds ok. You all do the same right???
The screen is well packaged and I am surprised to find it actually looks smaller than I anticipated.
Just as well I went for the larger screen then.
The instructions tell me it will take just 15 minutes to install the screen. Hmm we shall see, things usually take much longer than the instructions say. So motorbike out of the shed, check the time and begin.
It really is quite simple to fit the screen and exactly 15 minutes later - dah dah! The Puig screen is fitted to the Kawasaki Z250SL by my own fair hands with no supervision from anyone.
Before and after shots of the screen
I am pleasantly surprised by the fact I actually like how it looks. It is clear that it was made for this specific bike as the aesthetics match my bike very well. The screen mirrors the sharp angular lines of the Z250SL.
I even think I made the right choice with choosing a clear screen. So far fit and looks wise the Puig screen is great. Next thing will be the test ride to see if it performs as well as it looks.
Looks good to me
So test ride day. In true BAT style the test day is conducted in torrential rain. All week as I worked the sun shone and the temperatures are in the high 20s. Come Sunday the rain cometh in deluge proportions. Dear readers the things I do for you, I hope you appreciate it. Into the torrent I go dragging poor Ren along, I need my Ren Sat Nav as I am heading to Shropshire. I saw a dry spot there on the satellite weather map. Suffice to say the screen got a good road test of about 200 miles in both wet and dry. It was indeed dry in Shropshire. It was very, very wet getting there, it was very, very, very wet coming home.
So how did the Puig perform?
On the plus side I was very happy to find that visually I didn't hardly notice the screen. It certainly didn't interference with my view at all. Another big plus was I immediately felt the effect of less wind pressure, especially on the motorway. I usually feel the wind pushing against my chest and head and I have to push back against that pressure. Now with the screen attached all the push by the wind is gone, leaving me much more relaxed and therefore creating less fatigue because I was not having to tense my body against the wind pressure.
On the minus side it may have increased the wind noise within my helmet. So I may be in the screen's vacuum zone and therefore be subject to buffeting. I say maybe because my current helmet is the least quiet one I have ever owned so I am not sure if the main fault is the helmet. Therefore more experiments will need to be conducted. If these conclude it is the screen creating more wind noise then I will have to play around with adjustments to its height.
Despite the possible buffeting issue I am overall on first impressions very happy with the Givi screen. It was simple to fit, it looks good and it's improved the comfort level of my ride. So far so very good.
If you'd like to share your wind prevention tips click here.
Reader's Comments
Upt'North said :-
That looks very sharp. Snazzie even.
Upt'North.
09/08/2019 16:12:55 UTC
CrazyFrog said :-
I must admit that these days I generally fit all my bikes with a screen as I find that they definitely reduce fatigue on longer rides. I've never noticed any increased wind noise personally, but if it's a problem then maybe you could buy one of those snazzy universal screen extenders to increase the height a bit, or get Ren to make you one....
10/08/2019 08:16:40 UTC
Marv said :-
Suits the bike quite nicely ??
10/08/2019 11:02:45 UTC
Marv said :-
That was meant to be a thumbs up, not double question marks!
10/08/2019 11:03:38 UTC
Ian Soady said :-
That screen looks good and matches the angular lines of the bike. Interestingly, it looks a bit odd without it! I've had mixed experiences with handlebar mounted screens - I had a Givi one on my SLR650 for a while but found it reacted quite badly to cross winds etc. It was especially bad when coming up behind car transporters and the like, so I dispensed with it. But yours is much better integrated so should be fine.
Screen extensions can be good - I had one of the aerofoil extensions on the Tiger and it helped to cut down the buffeting.
10/08/2019 11:50:59 UTC
Borsuk said :-
Looks the business Sharon.
I fitted one I had doing nothing to the Interceptor, I think it improves buffeting up to about 70 ish. I`m going to fit one of those extenders to it to see if it improves even more.
Tensing came with a high one as standard and it works perfectly for me. The insects smack the top of my lid instead of the center of my visor so the airflow must be just skimming the top of my head. I read reviews where they were complaining it was causing helmet buffeting but they were all tall reviewers. The same ones who complain about the cramped riding positions on some bikes that I find perfect.
10/08/2019 14:48:49 UTC
Pocketpete said :-
I added a £ 15.00 cheapo wind deflector to my bike it worked really well when adjusted properly.
Seemed to work stopped the wind noise and made travelling so much easier. Didnt look to be either.
11/08/2019 06:53:03 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
So I dared to suggest let me play around with bits of plastic and gaffer tape to achieve aerodynamic turbulence free nirvana. Please send help!
12/08/2019 08:55:17 UTC
Ross said :-
Looking good, Sharon...very similar to the Puig screen I've got fitted to my Inazuma, just a different mounting method. After fitting the screen I noticed, for the first couple of weeks, I was generally travelling about 5mph faster on main roads than I was before!
12/08/2019 14:27:52 UTC
Henrik said :-
Congrats Sharon, looks very good, fits tasty, your bike is till your bike :-)
Been thinking about the Zuma also, I have only bad experience with windscreens, help maybe, but also bring new probs,..
Anyway a medium sized solution covering my hands from the worst rain and wind, combined with heated grips, and on the inside making a covered base for high placed, sun-shielded, GPS/navigation,... is now on the wishlist
Puig City Touring Universal will be likely the base that I build on, with some extension sidewerts for covering grips, and perhaps a little top-extension. It got this arrowed nose like yours to fit the head-lamp that is same shape
It will protect upper legs and body a little from the rain I guess also, remember destination is Norway :-)
Wind was never realy a problem to me ,.. not even when driving 10-12 hours a day
But there is other reasons for a shield as mentioned
12/08/2019 15:20:27 UTC
Upt'North said :-
The whole no screen/screen, big screen/small screen is quite an interesting debate.
Obviously little Shazza at 5 ft and a fag end is not going to find the same effect with a screen as I would at 6'4". It's a real problem getting trousers, but we'll leave the clothing debate for another day.
Now my last bike, a CBF1000 had the standard Honda set up which I found just about right for sunny day riding and the occasional longer quest. The CBF took us to Tuscany and the screen was fine and at daft Italian temperatures the wind was welcome. Not that sort of wind.
Now on my Pan I have an adjustable MRA jobbie that keeps a lot more blast off you but it can be darn hot at 40 degrees c when you're lost in a foreign city. The screen is handy though when you have an off weather day and hundreds of miles of Auto routes to cover in sideways rain. The beauty of the MRA is you can remove the top section altogether although you've got to find somewhere to put it.
We are all different too with regards how much draft we want to feel, I have seen some ST1300's fitted with barn doors that you have to look through even on the low setting, that would drive me nuts, if I wasn't nuts already.
I suppose it's horses for courses.
Upt'North.
Picture of CBF posted for no other reason than I wished I still had it.
12/08/2019 16:40:15 UTC
Borsuk said :-
Up`t, you make me laugh mate, your not bad for a southerner.
If your looking for a riding partner give me a shout, any time just about when I´m in the UK.
12/08/2019 18:05:16 UTC
Jim said :-
Upt'North - a perfect example of horses for courses. You might remember I was seriously considering a CBF1000, but I found the turbulence absolutely intolerable, even at 40mph, no matter what screeen position I tried. On the other hand, the Bandit's non adjustable screen is just right. Lord knows how or why.
Just like Borsuk, next time you're heading North give me a shout.
12/08/2019 21:12:27 UTC
Upt'North said :-
I'll give you Southerner. Southerner!
Jim I think you were looking at the later model CBF where the screen was altered but I've never ridden one so can't give any relevant information on that. It may be relevant that I went to the CBF after riding an unfaired bike, it may be very different if I went back to one from a Pan.
Still miss the free revving 4 cylinder buzz though.
Maybe if I did buy one at sometime in the future I would soon be reaching for the MRA, Givi, Puig brochures.
Upt'North.
12/08/2019 22:48:34 UTC
Borsuk said :-
Your south of where I was spawned. ;-)
13/08/2019 01:42:03 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Now now chilblains!! It's not a competition to see who is most northerly. It is of course a competition to see who lives in the grimmest place and therefore must be the most rough'n'tough. That'll be me then. You bunch of southern/northern softies all have nice houses and garages and countryside and all that. I have cloth caps, whippets down us trousers, dialects no-one can understand, cobbled streets, terraced houses and toilets in the yard. Times wer ard but we wur appy. No actually, it's really miserable here.
As I've covered elsewhere and as Upt' points out. We're all different shapes and sizes and we like different things. It's good to share experience and learn but we just got to experiment to see what works for us.
13/08/2019 09:27:53 UTC
Stuart said :-
Ren I think you are doing it wrong. I think it's meant to be ferrets?
13/08/2019 15:52:10 UTC
Upt'North said :-
Ed's pants are his business and if he wants to shove skinny dogs down there who are we to argue.
And please, no more references to Ed's pants, I have a weak constitution.
Upt'North.
13/08/2019 16:06:57 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
No, tis whippets. We're too poor fert ferret daan us pant and a dog fert chase rabbits. We has fert double up ont duties.
13/08/2019 22:24:41 UTC
Bill said :-
Ren just don't try it with a squirrel as they eat nuts ??
15/08/2019 11:49:04 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Ooooofff... Note to self - don't try it with squirrels. Thanks Bill.
15/08/2019 13:48:11 UTC
Ewan Stevenson said :-
That's an excellent screen! Makes my Ninja Supersport 250SL screen look very inadequate. Fortunately my fairings help make it smoother on the motorway, compared to my previous naked Hornet. However doing 80 on it last weekend made me feel like I was about to be airborne! :)
Btw Sharon, I just bought a new end can. I know the purring effect is quite nice but some colleagues were laughing at it. Thought I'd give it more of an aggressive sound to match it's looks..
22/08/2019 18:20:03 UTC
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