Windshield Questions

I am looking for wisdom on windshields. I have windshield on my bike that was installed by the previous owner and does not work for me. When riding at highway speeds I get lots of buffeting around my head. As far as I can tell the wind is hitting the top of my helmet and I also get some from behind. What are the effects of making it

Taller?

Shorter?

Lean it back further?

Stand it up straighter?

Adding a lip of some kind?

Just trying to figure out what to buy or modify. Bike is a '09 R1200 R with a Cee Baileys windshield. It is 20 inches from the headlight shell to the top. No adjustments in the screen or bracket. Here are pics of the current windshield.

I don't know but I love your signature by Grace Hopper.

Can only tell you my experience. I have an R1200RT and I got it primarily due to it's superb wind protection. The stock windshield was very good, but I wanted/needed better. I got the Werks Quiet Ride shield and it is superb! It has a curved top, so I'm looking over the shield and the wind is going over my head. Can't say enough good things about it. However, I really wish I had gotten it in clear vs tinted! Good luck with whatever you get.

I am looking for wisdom on windshields. I have windshield on my bike that was installed by the previous owner and does not work for me. When riding at highway speeds I get lots of buffeting around my head. As far as I can tell the wind is hitting the top of my helmet and I also get some from behind. What are the effects of making it

Taller?

Shorter?

Lean it back further?

Stand it up straighter?

Adding a lip of some kind?

Just trying to figure out what to buy or modify. Bike is a '09 R1200 R with a Cee Baileys windshield. It is 20 inches from the headlight shell to the top. No adjustments in the screen or bracket. Here are pics of the current windshield.

 

Evening ltljohn

Short answer is__ just remove windshield if you want clean air. Works good, but frontal air pressure at high speeds will wear you out.

Long answer is__ Try laminar lips, different windshield shapes, lower air deflectors & diffusers, different windscreen angles, letting more air in under the bottom.

You might try spacers & longer bolts so you can play with the windscreen angle (tilt).

A lot of that buffeting that you are getting is not coming over the top but up from the bottom & around the sides.

You will either need to find a way to get a totally dead air pocket behind the screen (about impossible), or get enough smooth air around behind the screen to smooth out & prevent the buffeting.

Based on that second picture I would try tilting it back first. If you have the option try various increments but I'm going to guess that at least 15 degrees would improve things a lot.

A wing "ducts" air by letting it flow both over and under; the directional vanes on a vent do the same thing. What you have is so nearly vertical the that the air is trying to fill that void in the concave space behind it from all sides, and how it does so will vary from moment to moment based on things like wind direction, steering and lean angle and just random environment effects, resulting in the buffeting you're experiencing. Tilting it back should result in air mainly coming in the bottom which should result in a much smoother flow. (Whether that flow hits where you would like it to is another matter.)

This is all half-informed guesswork based on a picture of something I can't measure in any useful way, but again, from what I see there it's the first thing I'd try.

Windscreens are a *very* subjective and personal item. Five different riders will give you six different answers. That said, I'm currently using a Madstat screen on my '10 R1200R.. https://madstad.com

What I like about is, it has some adjustability up/down and fore/back to fine tune it.

Some folks like the 'clean air' of no screen, I don't and need a bit more protection.

Bear in mind getting a smooth airflow and stopping the buffeting is one thing; getting it to flow completely over your head is another.

Stopping the buffeting should -- one hopes -- just be a matter of adjusting / altering so that air flows smoothly in to fill that dead space in the concavity immediately inside the windshield. Like I said, a bit of backward tilt is an easy thing to try first and might be all you need.

But once the air is flowing smoothly, unless the top is pretty high it's still going to hit you in the helmet. Personally I like it -- mine is set up so that when my (two-position adjustable) windshield is in the raised position I can have my visor open a couple of clicks and the air still hits above it and doesn't slam it shut.

If you want no air at all, you may not have the right style of bike; that's a tall order to fill with a plain windshield on a naked machine. If you want relatively still air on the middle of your body and smooth air to the shoulders and upper part of your helmet, a few tweaks might actually do it.

Hi ltljohn, hope all is well. Sent you a PM.

Terry

Parabellum Scout

This is 20" screen, comes in multiple options.

Looks great, IMO.

That style/mounting setup stands rather straight up. Which means it pushes a wall of air in all directions around it. Angling it back can smooth airflow as well as direct it higher. If this were mine, I would try cutting a vent hole in the lower half similar to what the CalSci and some others have. This relieves back pressure and can smooth airflow around your head. Then I would try one of the MRA Vario Touring X-creens. That should get the airflow off the top of your helmet and fooling with adjustments can clean up the air you are getting.

Parabellum Scout

This is 20" screen, comes in multiple options.

Looks great, IMO.

Tallman that looks great, but at $700 for a painted one I am not in that market.

Your current windshield looks very vertical. There is a good chance you're sitting too far back relative to the pocket of air that thing is making. Tilt it back some so that the air just goes over your helmet.

edit:

I assume your looking through it, not over it?

IMO what most folks who are replying here miss is that the OP's windscreen appears to be a R1200R BMW touring screen mount with the Cee Bailey screen bolted on. Cee Bailey does not provide the mount, just the screen. AFAIK the BMW touring screen mount is *not* adjustable. Of course that doesn't mean you can't try to tweak it, just that the results might not be worth it nor easy to achieve.

I strongly suggest that if you want/need an adjustable windscreen then get one designed as such. Ahem, like a *cough* Madstat *cough*. Again, just my $0.02...... Boy, I really need to see a doc about that cough.

IMO what most folks who are replying here miss is that the OP's windscreen appears to be a R1200R BMW touring screen mount with the Cee Bailey screen bolted on. Cee Bailey does not provide the mount, just the screen. AFAIK the BMW touring screen mount is *not* adjustable. Of course that doesn't mean you can't try to tweak it, just that the results might not be worth it nor easy to achieve.

 

I strongly suggest that if you want/need an adjustable windscreen then get one designed as such. Ahem, like a *cough* Madstat *cough*. Again, just my $0.02...... Boy, I really need to see a doc about that cough.

I looked at Madstad they do not make one for the 2009 1200R

Your current windshield looks very vertical. There is a good chance you're sitting too far back relative to the pocket of air that thing is making. Tilt it back some so that the air just goes over your helmet.

 

edit:

I assume your looking through it, not over it?

I am looking over it. My current plan is to make some shims and tilt it back and see what happens.

IMO what most folks who are replying here miss is that the OP's windscreen appears to be a R1200R BMW touring screen mount with the Cee Bailey screen bolted on. Cee Bailey does not provide the mount, just the screen. AFAIK the BMW touring screen mount is *not* adjustable. Of course that doesn't mean you can't try to tweak it, just that the results might not be worth it nor easy to achieve.

 

I strongly suggest that if you want/need an adjustable windscreen then get one designed as such. Ahem, like a *cough* Madstat *cough*. Again, just my $0.02...... Boy, I really need to see a doc about that cough.

 

I looked at Madstad they do not make one for the 2009 1200R

They do, your '09 is the same as my '10 R1200R. Madstat recently redid their web site and appear to have missed a few bikes. Just shoot them an email or *gasp* phone call. They are very responsive. When I called to order mine I spoke with the owner.

I purchased my Madstat just this past May (bought my R back in March). I'm sure they can make one up. Full disclosure: I'm on my 2nd Madstat screen. 1st one is on my F800GT, 2nd is on the R1200R. They're not pretty but they do work.

Shuber, thanks for the info. I will look in to the Madstad.

 

I looked at Madstad they do not make one for the 2009 1200R

Morning ltljohn

You might call Madstad he will work with you as much as needed. (at least talk to them)

The Madstad (adjustable) is the ONLY windscreen that I have been able to get to fully work on the BMW 800GS.

You might start out with some spacers & longer bolts to see if you can change the working angle of your present screen. Tilting the bottom out (forward) usually helps on most screens similar to your present screen as that allows more frontal air under the screen & that can help smooth out the air pocket behind it.

Taping some yarn threads to the back of your windscreen can help you envision air flow direction & turbulence areas.

Don't try to stop the air flow just behind the screen (larger screen, etc) you need some (non turbulent) air flowing behind the screen to prevent the buffeting.

Also keep in mind that sometimes just adding little air deflectors or even changing mirror position can effect or significantly reduce helmet buffeting. Even changing leg or arm position can influence air flow & therfore buffeting.

DR, thanks for confirming my thoughts about shimming to change angle and airflow. The yarn on the inside is a thought I had. My very limited experience with sailing gave me the idea of telltales like on a sail to get the trim right.

I am getting lots of information here thanks everyone!

When I added a Laminr LIp to the OEM Gt screen I taped

tell tales on the screen, set a big fan up at front fairing nose level and move the LL around, smallish changes, until outcome visible you like.

Yes, the Scout isn't cheap.

But, if you ever see it with an R 90S, R 100S,

at the same time...

We set up or serviced several bikes with them and owners all

really, really like them.

Calsci also makes a windshield for the R1200R standard mounting bracket, and mitigating turbulence and back pressure is pretty much their stock in trade.

California Scientific BMW R1200R Windshields - there's a button near the top to select your model year range.

It's worth clicking around there to read about their windshield design approach. The About page section on Aerodynamics talks specifically about the issue you're having.

I commuted around 35 miles a day behind one of their windshields on a V-Strom for about 3 years, and have nothing but good things to say about it.

Well after much procrastination over the winter have decided to go with the MRA X screen tour, I will post more after I install it and take it out for a test ride. I bought the clamp on so if it dosen't work I can remove it without holes in the original screen.

Sadly the 1200r bike wasn't made for touring. I gave up trying to make one more comfortable. Great looking bike though

Update to this thread, I installed the MRA X screen and tried many different adjustments. It made things better but still had issues at highway speeds. Well I shelled out the bucks for a V stream. The V stream has more space at the bottom to let air in and winglets around the turn signals. It is about 1 inch taller and quite a bit wider at the top than the Calsci I just installed it so I will post as soon as I get a chance to get out and see how it works.

Finally got a chance to test the V stream on the highway. I still have noise but earplugs take care of that, the buffeting is gone I can ride at highway speeds without rattling my head around.