Words by Nita Breibish // Photography by Nita Breibish

I don’t know why it took me so long to figure this out. I’m actually a bit embarrassed. I must have gone through a bunch of “Like, I’m just so happy to be here” moments. I remember thinking that the wind must be much stronger in the United States. How could I have not noticed this on other trips?

Issa called it to my attention when he mentioned, before shutting off our intercoms, “your helmet is really loud today”. I ducked down and said, “What?” He said back to me, “that’s better what did you just do”. I told him that I just ducked down about 3 inches. Now I felt like Jim Carey in Ace Ventura, you all know the part I’m talking about. I said “how’s this” and bobbed my head up and down while singing a little tune. It finally became clear to even me, the difference that made for wind noise. In fact it was even more shocking when I stood up on my bike and noticed it was quieter than when I was sitting up straight. So either I blame it on the windscreen or gain a body-proportion complex.

While in Carson City at Adventure Moto Stuff, I noticed the Laminar LIP Windscreen extender hanging on the wall. Relief set in as I realized this was a problem most riders seem to experience and not some strange extended torso dismorphia.

Chad from Adventure Moto Stuff mentioned how great the product was and that all you had to do was peel flaps off and stick on the extender. Pardon me, I’m sorry, come again? STICK on the extender? It’s a sticker? I looked at Issa and he was clearly feeling just as I was. Chad mentioned that it is well tested and that as long as you aren’t doing 200 mph on a regular basis, that it was just as strong as anything else.

The LIP system in itself was another reason to try this product. Their site states, “the LIP is an inverted airfoil located above the top edge of the windshield, attached to the front of the shield. As air flows between the windshield and the LIP, it follows the underside airfoil of the LIP and is redirected more vertically. This air eddy then diffuses the oncoming air, in effect, to raise the blast of this oncoming airflow. The end result is that there seem to be three different air speed zones as you ride along at a set speed”.

In addition to that, after being tortured for four days straight by intense easterly winds and wet snowy weather coming from Yosemite National Park and our Canadian Rockies, without a doubt it is safe to say the 3M Dual Lock^TM or 3M VHB tape was more than sufficient. So, an adhesion system that’s worked (so far) in a range of -1 – 30°C (30 – 86°F) and has minimized wind-noise at speeds up to 130 kph (80 mph) I’d definitely give it an early recommendation.

More information can be found here. http://www.laminarlip.com/geninfo.php