R 1200R Newbie - Windshield Question

[AmostThere]

Cross your fingers for me, the CeeBailey 18" just came yesterday & I'm going to mount it up this weekend. OEM small sport shield was fine 'til about 70 mph but freeways around here travel faster than that and the wind blast was too much. No buffet, no buffet, no buffet...

[vodka]

Well, just finished scouring the internet re screens for to to be loved R1200R... now I'm really confused. (normally very confused about everything) . Perhaps it would be useful if people just called out height and graded touring screens out of 10 for noise/wind protection. I guess most have a good idea why they want a screen..really for the long distance cruising. Quick removal seems to be an advantage. The Casci screen seems to have promise... I will not go across the Nullarbor at high speed with out touring screen. Adelaide -Perth ..2,700km, Adelaide to Cairns 2,900 km the other way. Live in Perth to go to Cairns...5,400 km...with out a screen....ahhhh!! Thats the same as Miami to Seattle. Hence my zeal to get a screen that works.
Almostthere, how'd the ceebaileys go?

[ka5ysy]

Well, just finished scouring the internet re screens for to to be loved R1200R... now I'm really confused. (normally very confused about everything) . Perhaps it would be useful if people just called out height and graded touring screens out of 10 for noise/wind protection. I guess most have a good idea why they want a screen..really for the long distance cruising. Quick removal seems to be an advantage. The Casci screen seems to have promise... I will not go across the Nullarbor at high speed with out touring screen. Adelaide -Perth ..2,700km, Adelaide to Cairns 2,900 km the other way. Live in Perth to go to Cairns...5,400 km...with out a screen....ahhhh!! Thats the same as Miami to Seattle. Hence my zeal to get a screen that works.
Almostthere, how'd the ceebaileys go?

I have settled on the CalSci tall screen and on your scale, I would say probably 9 out of 10. I have had both BMW screens, the 18 and 20 inch CeeBailey's and the medium and tall CalSci. In order, the BMW sport screen was slightly too tall, placing the buffet on my chin bar and making a lot of noise. The BMW tall screen raised the buffet into my faceplate and just above, and had a lot of noise in the helmet. Next I went over to the CeeBailey 18. That put the buffet on the top of my helmet which is ok as it loads the intake ports of the helmet for cooling in the heat, but still a lot of helmet noise. Still not quite there. I went to the 20 CeeBailey trying to get the buffet off, and it worked for me except that my shoulders were still getting the buffet. After a minor crash that broke the CeeBailey, I decided to try the CalSci and started with the Medium height... buffet was about the same as the CeeBailey 20, but got the buffet off my shoulders as it is slightly wider at the bottom. I swapped them for the Tall screen, and it is perfect for me at speed. No helmet buffet, shoulders in clear air, and reasonably quiet without the rumble of the others. I still have the BMW and 18" CeeBailey screens and swap them out in the hot weather of south Louisiana. They make life in the heat and high humidity much easier. FYI I am 5'11" 29" inseam and have been riding the standard BMW seat.

[AmostThere]

Hey Vodka, how do the dimensions of the CalSci tall screen compare with the size of the CeeBailey's 20 inch screen?

[AmostThere]

The 18 inch CB was pretty good but REALLY loud so I've got the 20 inch version that I'll mount up today. The 18 inch Cee Baileys is probably for sale.

[deilenberger]

I've had almost all the common ones.. and at the moment - I'm running the 20" CB for winter and the 16" CB for summer. I also own the 18", but I skipped right past it from summer to winter a few weeks ago. I also have a CalSci, it didn't work for me, I've had the BMW sport shield (nice actually except had to hold on too much at speeds over 60, but I liked the clear air around my helmet), had the BMW Touring shield (not that great - moved the wind blast up to neck level and added turbulence. Have tried the VarioShield, looks nice, nice idea, too bad it didn't work. My inseam is short (27", 5'7" on a tall day), sitting on a Sargent Low Seat (between low and regular BMW seat height.)

Scale of 1-10, none of them are a 10, best I'd say is:

16" CB - a 6 or 7 in hot weather. A bit of noise, not too bad on turbulence
20" CB - a 6 or 7 in cold weather. Quieter, not much turbulence, but not enough air in hot weather
CalSci - a 5. Hoped for better. Didn't work for me. Mark is great to work with, but we couldn't solve what troubled me.
BMW Sport Shield - an 8 for clean air around the helmet, a 4 for not doing well with wind blast on chest
BMW Touring Shield - a 4 for everything but looks (which are an . Noisy, turbulent, shook my head way too much.
VarioShield - a 4. Didn't do much of anything well. Adjusted up or down it was noisy and turbulent.

So there 'ya go.

[AmostThere]

Don, where is the 10??? Am I asking too much? It sounds like you've tried 'em all. I just returned from my first ride with the CB 20". No good for me. Not as loud but some turbulence. Makes me wonder about cutting down the 18" a little bit or even trying the 16". Seat height is certainly also a factor...

[deilenberger]

Don, where is the 10??? Am I asking too much? It sounds like you've tried 'em all. I just returned from my first ride with the CB 20". No good for me. Not as loud but some turbulence. Makes me wonder about cutting down the 18" a little bit or even trying the 16". Seat height is certainly also a factor...

I haven't found a 10. A 10 would be: (1) Quiet (2) No Turbulence (3) Warm in the winter and cool in the summer (or easy to change to match conditions).

I had hopes for the VarioShield since the height was adjustable, and I may play with it a bit more (have some ideas since playing with things on the CalSci) - but so far, no 10 exists I know of. I've even played with my own LaminarLip ideas, and no joy.

It's a quandary since I like fresh air hitting the helmet and at the same time don't like noise or especially turbulence (noise is annoying even with my earplugs in..) I'd love to have access to a good wind tunnel. That would at least show what doesn't work.

[deilenberger]

Oh - I should mention.. your height in relation to the shield makes a HUGE difference on some. The CalSci didn't work for me.. but if I leaned forwards a few inches, which also lowered me about 1" - it became quite good. Quieter and non-turbulent. I just couldn't ride any distance in that position.

Moving the top edge away from me didn't help (tried this), moving the top edge towards me did, and if I increased the angle of the shield to about 20-25 degrees inclined (I have the exact number somewhere) - it became really wonderful. Quiet, non-turbulent air hit my helmet. No head shake. No noise. Problem was - mounting it that way. The bottom edge was sticking out past the headlight by several inches, and the mounting using the BMW factory touring shield mount and spacers just wasn't gonna work long-term.

I'm giving some thought to playing with it some more next spring (and the VarioShield) and using a different mount that allows adjusting the angle easily. See if that works better. I want to try that mount also with the VarioShield (that it came with.)

[vodka]

Thanks for the great posts here. Top bunch of mates. Perhaps this thread should be emailed to the manufacturers especially the comment re slope of screen and making good the bottom over light etc. This would be up to admin out of respect. I suspect R1200R lovers world wide would quickly focus onto someone keen enough to make a difference. Seriously who wouldnt spend the extra for ,sloped, variable height ,successful screen. I'd spend 2-3x current prices for something with a good look and excellent function.

[AmostThere]

Anybody use the V-Stream? I recall seeing some pics (Chitown?) that showed an R12R with a windscreen that looked like that. Parabellum anyone?

[deilenberger]

Anybody use the V-Stream? I recall seeing some pics (Chitown?) that showed an R12R with a windscreen that looked like that. Parabellum anyone?

I haven't. I had one in my hands to look at.. and decided mounting it was too big a PITA so I skipped it.. It receives mixed reviews. A few people love it. A lot of people have complained of turbulence with it. ZTechnic has changed the mount design once, and I believe the shield itself once.. dunno how the latest version works (or doesn't.)

[gibbo111]

I have the v-stream and I am not happy with the amount of noise and turbulance. I'm 5ft 8in with 32in inseam and am using the smaller screen. Its great if i crouch down a couple of inches!! As there doesnt seem to be a screen that is perfect Iwill put up with it till I can find something that works. It seems the larger vstream screen is not much better and not suitable for my climate. I will change my helmet soon currently have an arai and am told a shoei maybe quieter. Anyone know what helmets are quieter than others?

[tobes]

I have the shorter vstream and am quite happy with it now, though at first I was a little put off by what turbulence and noise it does impart. For me it was just adapting to it. Seems the only way you’ll know which screen works for you is to try them. Opinions vary so widely. Because the vstream is such a PITA to install/remove I generally put in on in the fall and remove in the spring. I’m thinking about getting another vstream shield and cutting it down to a ‘sport’ screen size for summer use like this rider did.

[deilenberger]

Sigh.. I won another Ebay auction.. actually several, but one that pretains to this thread. Fred H convinced me that I'd never need the sport shield my bike came with and I should sell it to him.. so I did. And I sorta regretted it since I like to have everything still around to return the bike to absolutely positively stock if I ever get bored with it. And I kinda liked the sport shield, even though it didn't provide enough protection.

So I bid on one (esniped it actually..) on Ebay. Won it. $41/10 shipping for shield and bracket. The reason I mention it - IIRC, the mount for the sport shield, aside from being smallish - also leaned back further than the Touring shield mount, so.. it might provide a basis for trying a shield (larger shield) leaning back more, and I think that might be a good part of the answer. I'll have to try when I get it - and if it does, I'll be in contact with Mark Lawrence of CalSci to see if he wants to try some designs using that mount.

Still on the quest for the perfect shield (I gotta stop buying these things..)

Don

BTW - the other thing I bought on Ebay was a complete set of the stick coils.. for $50 (from Israel - free shipping..) Considering the coils cost over $100/each, seemed like a good deal. They are from the same guy selling the control switch assemblies... which I also will probably end up buying sooner or later.

Gotta stop - it's a sickness..

[Bill Stevenson]

Don,

It is not a sickness, it is what we do for fun. Going back many years I have to admit to having tried a lot of fairings on BMWs. Starting in the early 70's: Wixom, Vetter, Munson, Hannigan, Parabellum, National Cycle (the same company now making the VTechik), Saeng, BMW RS and RT fairings for R bikes and K bikes, and a few more that I have forgotten. On my 1985 R80 I must have tried a half a dozen over the course of ownership ending with a BMW "S" fairing that I still think was the best fairing I have ever owned, followed by the BMW tall windshield on my R1150R. A couple of lessons that I learned, applicable to myself, are that less is more when it comes to fairings, and a lot depends on what type of riding is coming up. So, your concept of having a bracket that can accept smaller and larger fairings depending on what kind of riding you need it for makes a lot of sense. The most important thing is to have fun.

I am toying with the idea of trying a VTechnik if I can find a stocking dealer within a reasonable distance of my home involved in their try it first program. My BMW tall windshield is OK in the summer and for shorter distance rides, but during the bug season and on longer rides it is too small. And as we discussed a while ago, I am not comfortable putting a significantly larger screen such as the Cee Bailey on that bracket. You want to talk about sickness, being an engineer is a sickness.

Regards,

Bill

[deilenberger]

Don,

It is not a sickness, it is what we do for fun. Going back many years I have to admit to having tried a lot of fairings on BMWs. Starting in the early 70's: Wixom, Vetter, Munson, Hannigan, Parabellum, National Cycle (the same company now making the VTechik), Saeng, BMW RS and RT fairings for R bikes and K bikes, and a few more that I have forgotten. On my 1985 R80 I must have tried a half a dozen over the course of ownership ending with a BMW "S" fairing that I still think was the best fairing I have ever owned, followed by the BMW tall windshield on my R1150R. A couple of lessons that I learned, applicable to myself, are that less is more when it comes to fairings, and a lot depends on what type of riding is coming up. So, your concept of having a bracket that can accept smaller and larger fairings depending on what kind of riding you need it for makes a lot of sense. The most important thing is to have fun.

As long as SWMBO doesn't notice.. it remains fun. Of course she's looking into getting a bathroom gutted and redone - prolly the cost of a 2nd R12R.. so that gives me some leeway on toys for me..

And I agree that generally less is more - I've been swapping the CB screens around and find that's an almost good solution for me. Small in summer, bigger when the temps dip below 35F..

I am toying with the idea of trying a VTechnik if I can find a stocking dealer within a reasonable distance of my home involved in their try it first program. My BMW tall windshield is OK in the summer and for shorter distance rides, but during the bug season and on longer rides it is too small. And as we discussed a while ago, I am not comfortable putting a significantly larger screen such as the Cee Bailey on that bracket. You want to talk about sickness, being an engineer is a sickness.

Regards,
Bill

Unfortunately - ZTechik won't do the try/ride thing on the R12R screen. Apparently since the mounting bracket is a pita to install, they don't want dealers doing it. I tried that route first when I considered them. None of the dealers would offer it - and when I contacted the company they said the VScreen for the R12R was excluded from the program. It became a buy it to try it sort of thing. AFAIK they haven't changed that policy.

I am thinking of designing my own bracket, using the BMW bracket mounting points. I've made this sort of thing in the past from 3/8" (close to 6mm) stainless steel tubing using a tubing bender and some silver-solder, and it's been quite strong. I'd like to include not only a more inclined angle towards the rider, but also a provision for my GPS mounting.. Making one where the angle of the screen is adjustable (sort of like the GS screen) might be really the trick setup.

Ah well - more mid-winter projects.. keeps me amused during the months where I can only get out for a day a week on the bike.. (this afternoon actually looks fairly good - hasn't started raining and the temps are above freezing..)

Have a great holiday..
Don

[celticus]

Don , Keep us informed. Pictures!
Merry Christmas.

Mark