I never really understood the front fairing on the Honda Stunner (CBF125). Undoubtedly it improves the looks of the bike, but functionally it added nothing and is just something else you need to remove during maintenance.
Then on a French website I saw the Ermax screens. Available in two heights they replace the mini standard screen on the fairing and claim to deflect some of the wind blast. I chose the higher of the the two screens and placed my order.
Delivery by international airmail took a few days. The service was good and the screen was well packed. Fitting took 10 minutes but it would have been less if the instructions had been better. I needed to loosen the handlebar fixings and tilt the bars back by 5 degrees, but otherwise the steering lock was unaffected. The quality of the screen is excellent (as it should be for 60 Euros) and I was immediately impressed with how it enhanced the looks of the bike.
Perhaps the real revelation was in riding the bike with the new screen. I had always suspected that the upright riding position impaired the top end performance and the screen confirmed this. With the air being lifted over the rider's chest I was using noticeably less throttle to hold a cruising speed and headwinds no longer chopped 10kmh off the top speed. A quick dash down the motorway showed I could hold a steady 72 mph (115kmh) without lying on the tank albeit using full throttle.
Doing my daily commute showed that a steady 60mph (96 kmh) was no problem and I definitely had the impression that I was using less throttle. The next time I filled the tank this was confirmed when I managed 110 miles per gallon instead of the usual 102.
So is it all good news? Nearly. On the downside, the bike is affected more by crosswinds. Gusty winds can make the bike move sideways more than before the screen was fitted. There is also an increase in wind noise as the air is deflected up to head height by the screen. However these are a small price to pay for the better performance and improved appearance.
