Excessive wind noise/buffeting on the CB500X?

Thump

Thump

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
Location
Nakhon Si, Thailand
Bikes
'14 CBR500R; '13 CRF250M; '14 MXS125; '09 Nouvo 135
There's a discussion going on on the CB500 site about excessive wind noise and buffeting on the CB500X and I read that lots of adventure-style bike riders have these complaints, more than riders of any other kind of bike.
Does any of the CB500X owners here have a comment?
Are you happy with the wind shield on your X or do you experience major problems?
 
Thump, I don't own one but I frequently see 500Xs in at Big Wing with various size/shape screens.
Seems to be a popular after-market option.

I can recall when testing the bike when it first became available that buffeting was an issue (I'm 183cm).
 
Non native English speakers think: "buffeting" is attending a buffet, eating at a buffet restaurant?
A Google search shows it means wind forces slapping the driver around........

I was already thinking how you would get the bike into the buffet place.:D
 
The excessive wind noise on both the NC 700X and CB 500X put me off of them and was one of the reasons why I bought the 500F.

The 700X had a higher aftermarket screen on it and was even worse, if I bought one the screen would just be taken right off
 
Interesting. I wondered why you got the F since you are doing a lot of touring, I thought the X would be perfect for that.
 
I understand that this post is a bit old, but I just joined the forum! I have a CB500x and I have a similar problem regarding the buffeting. I'm 179cm tall, and still seem to get blown around a lot. Did you find a suitable solution for this issue?
 
Hi Jonny, thanks for your post! Yes, this post is five months old but sometimes it takes time to get some comments.
I'm exactly the same height as you so I wonder if I would have the same problem as you do.
I had bikes with fairings, like the K100RS, but most bikes had no plastic up front and I never had a problem with buffeting.
I mean, if you sit on a bike, go faster than 120 km/h, you'd have to expect some wind in your face!
But it seems that the X has a fairing that is not comfortable for some. I was wondering how many other X owners have the same problem.
Sometimes a few riders have a certain issue and it gets blown out of proportion by a few others chiming in while the majority of owners are having no problems at all.
 
I've got a 500x and don't have a problem at all (1.8m) Mind you I'm a fairly sedate rider, especially with the better half on the back!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thump said:
Hi Jonny, thanks for your post! Yes, this post is five months old but sometimes it takes time to get some comments.
I'm exactly the same height as you so I wonder if I would have the same problem as you do.
I had bikes with fairings, like the K100RS, but most bikes had no plastic up front and I never had a problem with buffeting.
I mean, if you sit on a bike, go faster than 120 km/h, you'd have to expect some wind in your face!
But it seems that the X has a fairing that is not comfortable for some. I was wondering how many other X owners have the same problem.
Sometimes a few riders have a certain issue and it gets blown out of proportion by a few others chiming in while the majority of owners are having no problems at all.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replies Thump & Kiwiphil,

The wind starts to get really uncomfortable after 120km/hr, but I can feel a sudden increase in the buffeting after about 80km/hr. I'm generally not a fast rider, so don't usually go over 120km/hr - I prefer to cruise and take in the surroundings, rather than race around.

I have quite broad shoulders, so I'm wondering whether I stick out too much behind the windscreen - the wind seems to be hitting my body more than my helmet . . .
 
I own a CB500X and I upgraded to a higher windshield, actually it made everything worse, I think the shorter one is better, but it is not a big deal for me I got used to it and it doesn't disturb me that much. At the moment I like the look of the highere shield, but for sure one day I will switch back to the original, just wished they had a colored version of it
 
esspressolungo said:
I own a CB500X and I upgraded to a higher windshield, actually it made everything worse, I think the shorter one is better, but it is not a big deal for me I got used to it and it doesn't disturb me that much. At the moment I like the look of the highere shield, but for sure one day I will switch back to the original, just wished they had a colored version of it
Click to expand...

Interesting to hear that the higher shield made it worse, what size did you get? and how tall are you?

Regarding the color, I think you could just get a film or semi transparent sticker to change it . . .
 
Try taking the windshield off and riding it, I test rode the X and F models before buying and was annoyed with the buffeting from the screen on the X.

I ended up buying the F which was cheaper anyway and have never regretted my decision
 
Captain_Slash said:
Try taking the windshield off and riding it, I test rode the X and F models before buying and was annoyed with the buffeting from the screen on the X.

I ended up buying the F which was cheaper anyway and have never regretted my decision
Click to expand...

I'll try it out this weekend to see how it rides, cheers.
 
jonnyf said:
I'll try it out this weekend to see how it rides, cheers.
Click to expand...

A quick update . . . I took the bike out last weekend without the windshield, but unfortunately it didn't really solve the issue, I think i may try a larger shield to see if that improves it.
 
A shield will minimize air flow in a certain area but also bundles the air and sends it somewhere else.

I once put a small fairing on my VTR250 because it was getting rough above 120 km/h; it improved it but now I experienced a bit more turbulence at city speeds.

But I got used to it!
 
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