GIVI windshield installed
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 8:19 pm
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
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