GIVI windshield installed

[fly]

Today the GIVI shield arrived that I had been anxiously awaiting for 10 days from Hornig in Germany. I kicked off work half an hour early to come home, install it and go for a ride before the typical evening thunderstorm arrived.

I also have an 18" CeeBaileys coming that I will compare it to in time but my first impressions of the GIVI are very good. While the shield is relatively narrow across the top I was surprised that the design completely removed the wind from my chest and shoulder area. The shield has a molded in lip at the top to help divert air up and over the helmet and works pretty well. The top of the shield sits about 2 - 3 inches below my line of vision and the wind over the top just catches the top of my Shoei helmet. Wind noise is reduced significantly and there is VERY little buffeting at all of the helmet. Air still reaches the vents at the top of the helmet which is good for ventilation but results in some wind noise still being noticable. Molded into the lower part of the shield is a "V" similar to the "v" on the factory sport shield. I presume this helps in directing the wind outwards. The outer edges at handlebar height are also faired outwards to direct airflow away from your hands. Overall, the shield itself is very well made and molds nicely around the turn signals. The mounting brackets (posts) themselves are made of steel and mount securely at two points where existing bolts are on the bike. The hardware that mounts the shield to the screen are plastic, and though I would have preferred these to be of some sort of metal, they do seem adequate for the purpose for which they were designed. The mounting hardware allows the shield angle to be changed through a ratchet ball mechanism but I think any deviation from the most upright position pictured on GIVI's site would detract from the effectiveness. Installation with the mounting hardware took about 20 minutes.

If you are looking for a shield that is effective, reasonably good looking (a little quirky but goes with the bike) and priced well relative to a factory tall screen or Cee Baileys (considering you have to buy the BMW tall mount hardware) you should really consider the GIVI.

http://www.givi.it/downloadfree.asp?lib ... 29&UT_ID=0

Here is a link to the product page on GIVI's site:

http://www.givi.it/caschi_borse_bauli_a ... O_ID=17750

Here is a link to the shield on Hornig's site:

http://www.motorradzubehoer-hornig.de/? ... bgrp=00237

[deilenberger]

Mark,

Did you order it directly? There are a lot of tempting goodies for the Roadster on that site.. must resist.. must resist. Resistance is futile..

[fly]

Don,
I ordered direct from Hornig in Germany - shipping is pretty cheap (similar to ordering stuff out of the US). This is the second order I've received from them and I am very satisfied with the service. I have a few of the anodized trim pieces, the Remus Powercone exhaust, the oil cooler screen, clear signals (actual BMW part numbers), the shield, and probably some other stuff that I can't think of right now. There are still a number of pieces that I would like but I need to replenish the paypal acct first.

[Skippy]

Hi fly nice screen. I would also be interested to know how the oil cooler screen is mounted and if it was mutch work.Maybe you can also show a pic of it on your bike. Hornig has some great stuf on there site and are probably the ones wright now with the most goodies and they also update there site regularly. I also love the wheels on there site(would look stunning in black with a silver pinstripe on my black R) but the price is puting me off.

[fly]

I haven't mounted the cooler screen yet. Read the instructions and it is held on with a bead of silicone (or similar) around the inside perimeter of the cover. You need to remove the cover of the oil cooler. I'll take some pics one of these days if I ever figure out how to post them here.

[OlyVR]

Mark,
Aren't you concerned that it decreases air flow?
Of course I just realized that you're from Canada, so that may not be an issue, but here in the muggy Southearstern US I wouldn't/couldn't do it.

I tried that on my VRSCA, but had to take those grills back out, as the fans were constantly running in the summer.

[fly]

Mark,
Aren't you concerned that it decreases air flow?
Of course I just realized that you're from Canada, so that may not be an issue, but here in the muggy Southearstern US I wouldn't/couldn't do it.

I tried that on my VRSCA, but had to take those grills back out, as the fans were constantly running in the summer.

Oliver, I don't think it will be an issue on the R12 but on my VRSCR I didn't install the grills for your reason - the fans on the v-rod ran a fair bit without anything additional covering the intakes.

Speaking of v-rods, I was suffering from withdrawl and have both an A and a B coming from California along with a couple of air cooled HDs with low miles. The two v-rods should be here later today or tomorrow. I bought them to resell but in the meantime I'll have some toys to play with.

[Skippy]

Thanks Fly, pictures are welcome. I figured it would be mounted with some adhesive, when winter comes I probably take the cooler housing off and make my own if I can find some nice material.

[fly]

It would be very simple to make one on your own and you can probably get the material at Home Depot or Lowes or similar. The edge (3/8 or 1/2 inch) of the screen is chamfered in about 30 degrees which matches the inside formation of the cooler cover. Other than that just make a cardboard template that fits the inside of the cover. All tallied up you should be able to do it in 1/2 hour for about $3 I figure.

[Skippy]

Thanks for the tips Fly. Those shops you mention are a bit far from home(I live in the Netherlands or Holland as it is also called) Will be keeping my eyes open for material, I would like some mesh screen made of stainless steel.