New rider advice: Finding the balance between comfort and feel

Q. I’m a newish biker with a pleasant 50 mile commute. My BMW R1100RT is supremely comfortable with the screen in the touring position.

With the screen down the riding feel improves noticeably. But I can’t get both at the same time. Is there any bike on which I can?

Matthew Hudson, Epsom

A. A bike with an electric screen, like the BMW R1200RT or Honda Pan European lets you experiment between screen positions on the move – if you play about enough with it you should just about get the best of both worlds: wind protection and ‘feel’.

There isn’t anything that’s really going to give you both. With big touring screens at their fully-up position you do feel a bit remote from what’s going on, but a low sportsbike screen isn’t going to protect you from wind blast unless you duck right down underneath it out of the way.

Further reading:
Find your ideal motorcycle