Another windshield question

[dlemisch]

Hello, I am a very happy new owner of a R1200R. I'm enjoying the look of the sport windshield and also the resulting air in the face. However, for longer rides I think I'll need something to keep that wind a little more at bay. I'm looking at the tallest versions of either the Cee Bailey or the ZTechnik products. Has anyone had any experience with either of these, either good or bad. Any others that I should be considering?
Many thanks.

[Cosmic-Rider]

I use a Parabellum tall shield on mine. I'm very happy with it. Though I've never used a Cee Bailey or ZTechnik, so I can't give a comparison. Right from the get go, I never liked the stock sport shield.
www.parabellum.com

[dd]

hi.
i don't have experience with either of those two brands you mentioned.
however, i can highly recommend the parabellum windshields.
i had a touring shield on my R1150R and now have a scout on my R1200R and they were both excellent, in my opinion.
-daniel.

[deilenberger]

The general concensus has been - there is (yet) no perfect answer. Lots of us are running the Cee-Bailey shields (I have 3 different sizes for different weather - they're fast to change). I have noticed a lot of people who put on the Z-Technic are later found selling them, so.. if you want to try one, I believe there was one on the marketplace here for $120 last week.

[xprof]

I'm running an XL CalSci with the bottom mount spaced out 1/2". Ran it 200+ miles today, and the more I run it the more I like it. With earplugs in it's like riding in a big Mercedes saloon car!

[dlemisch]

Thanks for the replies. Any thoughts on the necessity of having openings to allow air in on hot days? Does the Cee-Bailey and the Parabellum have them? I notice the Cee-Bailey has a lip at the top to direct air away from the rider. Looks like a good idea.

[BigSmile]

Mike in SB,

I was wondering the same questions re: your set-up? What is the airflow like?

I am 5'8' and have removed even my sport screen - so far this is my most comfortable option. (Note: With and without Sport Screen are the ONLY two options I've tried)

thanks,
BigSmile

[xprof]

BigSmile,

We're real different, since I'm 6'1", and I ride an open-face helmet exclusively. The XL CalSci, with bottom mount spaced out 1/2" and some SAENG swirl edging, shoots the airflow up and over my visor, with dead air around my glasses with me looking 3"-4" over the top of the screen, which is exactly what I want. Your requirements may be quite different!

[LumpyCam]

A bit of a different road to take, but i kept the sport windscreen and upgraded my big HJC helmet for a more svelte Arai (RX-7 Corsair). With a proper fit I actually take a small and the drag isn't too noticeable anymore. I've done several 1,000km days without too much issue - the shoulder muscles do get a bit stiff around 800km. This weekend i did a 750km day and was fine.

[Trout]

Any thoughts on the necessity of having openings to allow air in on hot days? Does the Cee-Bailey and the Parabellum have them?

Those openings are not "to allow air in on hot days."

Well designed shields try to account for the pressure difference between the front of the shield and the rear of the shield. When you put a shield in the airstream at high speeds, there is a high pressure area on the front of the shield and a low pressure area behind the shield. This situation is more pronounced on larger shields. Fast moving air coming around the edges to fill the low pressure void creates all kinds of turbulence and noise. Designers try to equalize the pressure somewhat by cutting strategically placed openings on the shield. Some are effective, some are not. The worst situation is when any part of your helmet is directly in this turbulence and noise.

Having tried a jillion shields on various bikes, I agree with the author of one of the latest long distance touring books (forgot the book name and the author). He points out that the best shields either cause the air to hit you mid-chest, or direct the air completely over your head. Anything in-between will cause a certain amount of excessive noise, buffeting, and other undesirable effects (like headaches). We all have different tolerance levels and different definitions of "excessive noise", but the fact remains... really short or really tall is best.

My current "compromise" is from Aeroflow.

[AmostThere]

Now if we could just get Aeroflow to make a screen for the R1200R...

[redwing]

I don't have a windshield but I am looking into buying one. One manufacture I have seen here is Wunderlich. Wunderlich sells 2 and one has three hieghts. Also it's made of polycarbon. http://www.Calsci.com has an article on different windshield materials

What does a windshield do to gas mileage?

[Trout]

What does a windshield do to gas mileage?

It can change it... either way.

There's nothing less aerodynamic than a big dude with a touring jacket flapping in the wind. The wind sees every single feature of your profile... all those cargo pockets, snap flaps, velcro tabs, etc.

On the other hand, a barn door isn't very sleek either.

The taller shield I use now has improved mileage over the short shield it replaced by about 1 mpg, carefully calculated over approximately 2500 miles on each shield.

[papasong]

I'd like to put a small windscreen up more for protecting the instrument cluster than anything else.

For those who have it, what think you of the OEM sport windscreen, or the OEM tall windscreen?

[TT RDHS]

I'd like to put a small windscreen up more for protecting the instrument cluster than anything else.

For those who have it, what think you of the OEM sport windscreen, or the OEM tall windscreen?

I have both...
The tall offers pretty good protection from the elements, But it's terribly noisy.
I'd recommend the "sport" screen.

[famousperson]

I'd like to put a small windscreen up more for protecting the instrument cluster than anything else.

For those who have it, what think you of the OEM sport windscreen, or the OEM tall windscreen?

I have the tall and like it. It looks fine (to my eyes). Wind hits me in the chest (6', 30" inseam), no turbulence. As far as noise goes, it's no noisier than any other windscreen I've had, but maybe I've always had noisy windscreens. ymmv.

[hjsbmw]

I have the tall and like it. It looks fine (to my eyes). Wind hits me in the chest (6', 30" inseam), no turbulence. As far as noise goes, it's no noisier than any other windscreen I've had, but maybe I've always had noisy windscreens. ymmv.

I have the sport and tall touring BMW windshields. The tall one protects better but is a bit turbulent and therefore noisy. It works fine with ear plugs. I like it.
The sport shield's main purpose lies in protecting the instruments imho. Neither of the two gives the protection of a real fairing, nor are they intended to do so. By the way, I am 6' with a 32" inseam.

As other people have pointed out, I think an angled windshield that guides the air aerodynamically and in a constant flow over the rider is the ticket, regardless what size. There will always be some wind noise, but the variations in pressure are what create the unpleasant experiences.

[TPE3B]

Hello, I am a very happy new owner of a R1200R. I'm enjoying the look of the sport windshield and also the resulting air in the face. However, for longer rides I think I'll need something to keep that wind a little more at bay. I'm looking at the tallest versions of either the Cee Bailey or the ZTechnik products. Has anyone had any experience with either of these, either good or bad. Any others that I should be considering?
Many thanks.

I have a VStream (ZTech) tall 22" screen. Just returned from a trip to Nova Scotia (over 3K miles), a lot of fast riding on interstates, a lot of rain and wind - and the windshield worked very well for me: no wind buffeting (well, relative... but that's a R bike, not an LT), kept most bugs off, and was good in rain (i was surprised). I'm 5'10", inseam 32". But that's me - I also find the stock seat quite comfortable....:-)

The downside - it's not an easy job to take this windshield off for short trips when you want wind into your face. I know that many here are not happy with ZTech, i guess there's simply no ideal windshield for this bike yet. After all, R1200R is classified as a street bike, not a tourer.

[papasong]

The ZTechnik video comparison of acrylic vs polycarbonate is pretty eye opening:

http://www.ztechnik.com/ztechNews/index.html#watchMovie

[dlemisch]

I decided to go with the Parabellum sport shield, tall, which arrived last weekend. Super easy installation. This has changed my riding dramatically. I can cruise on the interstate with no problem. Not that I'm a speed junkie, but 80-90 (for test purposes) was no problem. I'm 6' 0" with a 32" inseam and the wind hits me at about the top third of the helmet. But I don't get the sense of being buffeted too much at all. I'm not sure how this works, but there seems to be much less buffeting than with the original BMW sport shield. So all in all I'm really pleased with the product.