Beautiful Blue 2010 R1200R

[AncientMariner]

So on Wed 10/28 my dealer called to tell me that my bike's production schedule had to be pushed back from Thanksgiving week to make additional capacity to build more S1000RR's. That was the bad news.

The good news was a bike exactly meeting my specifications (ABS, heated grips, OBC, luggage rack, and saddle bags, plus the rest of the Touring Package) had become available due to the intended dealer not having sufficient open to buy to take delivery. So my bike arrived on Tuesday, Nov 3, followed by the paperwork which arrived Thursday afternoon. I took delivery around 6:00 pm.

What a wonderful bike. Oh my! Due to a combination of previous commitments and break-in limitations, I was only able to put on about 120 miles on Friday afternoon (4 hours at an average 31 mph).

Today I left at 6:30 to join some fellow Yankee Beemers for breakfast. The temp ranged from 24.6 to 33.4. I was the only one who showed up on two wheels. (My 15 year old BMW Electric Vest works just fine with the CANBUS system.) Still managed to put on another 110 miles, and then got the yard raked to appease SWMPO.

My major concern at this point is the windshield. My bike came with the BMW Sport Shield. Even with this morning's sub-freezing weather, I have found this shield to be totally, well nearly, sufficient at speeds anywhere up about 45-50 mph. I think that factory Sport Shield is just there to protect the instruments while you are figuring out what you're going to do about a real shield.

If anyone out there has come to a satisfactory windshield solution, please chime in. Although I have searched all the threads, but I think people stop adding as they near windshield nirvana.

As soon as I can stop playing with my bike long enough to play with my camera, I will learn how to and then post some pix. The you will see that my R12 is a "10"

Meanwhile, I can join Don in saying "I love this bike."

Bruce Ferguson

10 R1200R Biarritz Blue
95 K75 Mystic Red

[AllanCook]

Congratulations, Bruce! The last time I saw you, you were riding that K bike. You will have a lot more fun on the R. Promise.

I have found the sport screen to work fine. But I'm in Texas.

[Kieran R1200R]

Congratulations on the new bike.
I have had many BMW and have loved every one of them, but this one is the best.
The screen is the biggest topic of this bike.
I read as much as I could on the subject and bought the BMW bracket and went with the Cee Bailey 16' screen. What a disappointment. The whole thing cost short of $500 and was a waste. It's the noisyest thing I have experianced on a motorcycle. Directed the air flow right at my helmet, also it slowed the steering dramaticaly.
After everything I have read, apart from having a screen resemballing the RT, the sport screen seems to be the best deal.
At present I have none and it's not bad.
I'm thinking of having the screen cut down to see if it can make a difference.

[celticus]

"If anyone out there has come to a satisfactory windshield solution, please chime in."
Everyone here is pretty happy with what BMW offers as far as windshields go....................
Just kidding. I don't think there IS a perfect windshield set up. Mostly I use my Sport Shield and find most bigger ones too unsighly for my tastes.
Good luck.

Mark

[ka5ysy]

I use the "Tall" CalSci screen with the 1.5" spacer installed on the bottom of the screen and it is QUIET !!. I can actually open the face shield on my helmet and enjoy the breeze without a beating

I will add some photos to this post after I unpack from a trip.

[deilenberger]

I'm close to Nirvana now.. but there are always a few "excepts"..

Summer - 16" Cee-Bailey on the BMW mount. Allows enough air to me so I'm comfortable and keeps the bigger bugs off me. Turbulence isn't bad. It's a bit noisy.

Fall - 18" Cee-Bailey on the "modified" BMW mount. The modified mount pushes the bottom edge of the shield out about 1.5" and tilts the entire shield back toward me more. Much smoother than the standard angle. The angle also means the 18" CB is actually about the same height as a 16" in the stock mount.

Winter - 20" Cee-Bailey, modified mount. Works well. Not noisy, and turbulence seems well over my head. Too big for summer (I like air..) but fine for cold weather.

Nice thing on the Cee-Bailey - it only takes a minute or two to swap, so I've been known to swap them just for a few hour ride if the weather changes.

Any of them - as they get larger they tend to have more "sail" effect - ie - you'll feel truck wakes more and side winds. They tend to slow the steering a bit, but not enough to bother me. That's the tradeoff for being more comfortable in cold weather.

ALL of the above is based on me. I'm short (5'7"), shorter inseam (27"), low seat, large gut, and I run a tankbag on the bike. And no barbacks. ALL of these will change how well a shield works for you - which is why people get frustrated. One member tried the scientific method to determine what works, but I can't recall any specific shield sticking out as a winner.

Your expectations and use of the bike will make a big difference. If you're using it for a lot of highway cruising at 80MPH in cold temps - you'll want bigger. If you're using it as a canyon carver (and there are some great roads for that in New England) - you'll want minimalist.

That's probably why I own 6 or 7 shields and 3 or 4 brackets...

Good luck finding one.. and feed us some specifics on your size, riding style, etc. and we might have more specific suggestions. At least on what we know won't work for you (the BMW "Touring" shield seems to work for no one, and the Z-Techic shield for very few people, you can skip those..)

[websterize]

Glad it worked out for you, Bruce. We're in a deep buyer's market, and it's a great time to buy. I stopped by the local dealer on Friday to try on some gloves, and they had a 2010 Biarritz blue for sale on the floor. Beauty!

In warm weather I prefer no windscreen — turbulence becomes uncomfortable for me above 50 mph. For extended highway motoring, I ride with a 20-inch Cee Bailey's. I get some buffeting and the sail effect than Don mentioned. I'm 6-1, 33-inch inseam, standard seat.

I guess my windscreen nirvana is no windscreen.

[AncientMariner]

Thanks for your replies everyone. I should have mentioned I got the low seat which has been OK for two 3-4 hour riding days so far. We'll see when the new wears off. Also my specs are 5'8" tall, 29" inseam, 32" sleeve length, (barbacks may be a possibility) 200lbs, centered amidships. Most of my preferred riding (aka Vermont and upstate NY) lies at the end of an hour or more of slabbing, so I'm hoping for a solution for all seasons. I will most likely put on an RKA 19 liter tank bag.

Something kind of cuious, I get nothing but a very gentle (almost imperceptible) breeze up through the tank canyon.

So many farkles, so little cash. I'll just have to ride naked.

Bruce

[dumfounded]

So on Wed 10/28 my dealer called to tell me that my bike's production schedule had to be pushed back from Thanksgiving week to make additional capacity to build more S1000RR's.

I'm glad to hear you received a sensible story from your dealer. I ran into a similar delay in mid-September and all they could tell me was "it is on it's way", with a couple of other odd excuses mixed in there. It was certainly worth the wait though to get exactly what I want!

My major concern at this point is the windshield. My bike came with the BMW Sport Shield. Even with this morning's sub-freezing weather, I have found this shield to be totally, well nearly, sufficient at speeds anywhere up about 45-50 mph. I think that factory Sport Shield is just there to protect the instruments while you are figuring out what you're going to do about a real shield.

Like you, I started out with the BMW Sport Shield. I found the buffeting and resulting noise too much at highway speed. I took off the shield and am very happy with the results. I do notice that I have to wear a much thicker jacket than I did on the RT in the same temps though!

[celticus]

Patrick, So you are happier without any shield than with the sport shield? I may give this a try. I'll keep the Sport Shield with me just in case.
I guess I don't spend as much time on the freeway and at freeway speeds as many others on this forum do.
I avoid the Interstate any time I can and so my time above say 80 mph is limited.
Noth Ga. around Suches and Deals Gap " The Dragon " were fun last week.

Mark

[dumfounded]

Patrick, So you are happier without any shield than with the sport shield?

Great thing is the sport shield takes about a minute to remove! I think the sport shield looks great but the darn thing seemed to be trying to push me off the bike at speed and I though I was going to have a nervous breakdown with the wind noise! I was thinking about the WUDO fairing, but still debating if that is the look I want. I need to just break down and get an R90S for my "sport" bike and be done with it.

[websterize]

. . . So you are happier without any shield than with the sport shield? I may give this a try. I'll keep the Sport Shield with me just in case.

After removing the sport screen, I was struck by the difference, at least under 50 mph — quieter airflow over my helmet, and the bike felt more flickable. You do have to hang on tighter at high speed. Always a trade-off, I reckon.

[TAL2GK]

She's a beauty, no doubt! I am the proud new owner of a 2009 R12R, though the tank, fender, and other colored parts are a 2010!

(I purchased a new '09 on my dealer's lot, but he found a blue one which happened to be a 2010, to swap out the parts to make mine the appropriate color). I've had mine three days and only managed 250 miles so far. Easy to keep the revs below 5k, and yet so hard. The wind is no problem at all, though I would LOVE to have the high seat instead of the standard one I have. A little tight on my 6'1" frame.

[AncientMariner]

The 2010 Blue body parts are no doubt the fastest of all. Congratulations!

I wasn't able to get out yesterday due to a longstanding commitment. But today is supposed to hit 72 and I'm outa heah...

[CGameProgrammer]

Might as well ask this here: are the any differences between 2009 and 2010? Is the switchgear different?

[wabeers]

I bought a 2008 R1200R on eBay last month and it has the BMW Tall windshield. I'm 5'8" with a 29" inseam and I'm very pleased with the shield. At highway speeds I feel the air helping take pressure off my wrists but not
enough pressure that I have to hang on to the handle bars real tight. Also, I'm not looking through plastic to see whats ahead.

Bill in California

[deilenberger]

Might as well ask this here: are the any differences between 2009 and 2010? Is the switchgear different?

Saw a blue '10 R12R at Morton's BMW last week. Switchgear is identical to '09, 08, 07. I looked to see if it had changed.

[Mollygrubber]

the BMW "Touring" shield seems to work for no one

I have to disagree with you there, Don. Well, depending on whether 'work' implies happiness...

I don't have the stable of shields you do to compare between, but my 16" Cee Bailey is collecting dust at the moment, and the 'Touring' screen is my daily defelector. It is much better (for me) than the C.B., which rattled my teeth on the highway.

[dumfounded]

Might as well ask this here: are the any differences between 2009 and 2010? Is the switchgear different?

I haven't noticed any difference in the '10 except an updated engine ECU- had to download a new version of the GS-911 software to access the engine ECU info and reset service reminders.

[dderrig]

I also say the BMW touring screen is very good and even though I switched to the Wudo and sold the touring screen I would reccomend it to somebody my height (6' 32.5" Inseam) with the standard saddle.

Dave