New Windshield

[jrsdad98]

I have a 1996 R1100RT with the OEM 18 yo windshield. I am considering upgrading. I am 5'8", wear a full face helmet with headphones and ride most days to work and back 30 miles each way through a rural farming area loaded with bugs.

Would a short European windshield, short standard windshield or a laminar lip on my current windshield be the best choice? Or maybe even something else that I have not yet considered?

[RTinNC]

Cee Baileys

http://www.ceebaileys.com/bmw/1100-1150rtsel.html

[Tri750]

There are several brands of screen for the RT. For several years I sold the Cee Bailey. Very good quality.

Then the Z Technik V Stream came out. I was sent one as a sample for my RT, tried it, bought it, and gave away my Cee Bailey.

 

Here's the difference:

The V Stream is the only screen I've found that actually gets wider at the top. The stock screen and the other aftermarkets get narrower. Wider means better protection for your shoulders.

At the top, there's a very subtle flip that kicks the wind up higher like a taller screen would without the taller screen hassles.

V Stream also has a hard coating.

Check out the website for the dimensions of the 3 heights available for the R1100RT.

They also have a "try and ride" policy where you order from a dealer or direct and test ride the screen. Of you aren't happy with its performance, you can send it back .

Most people order a screen too tall. I'm 6' 4" with a 30" inseam and the standard 17" screen is about perfect. I tried the tall screen (19") for a week or two but it was an inch too tall so I went back. Also, the V Stream looks darn sexy! Nice lines and a very slight tint. It works and looks great!

Here's the link.

http://shop.nationalcycle.com/perl/cycle/results2.html?search_model=bm-052

 

 

[OoPEZoO]

Cee Baileys

http://www.ceebaileys.com/bmw/1100-1150rtsel.html

 

+1 I had the euro cut version on my RT......after ditching a stock shield, stock short shield, and Aeroflow. I loved it.

 

I have one on my GS now as well and it works very well. Definitely a quality product

[Oldironken]

I put a Cee Bailey Euro cut on my '04 RT last fall that is 2" taller than stock. I am very impressed with how much the noise level and turbulence has been reduced over the stock screen. I'm 5'10" and can still see over it when it's all of the way up. I wear a full face helmet but like to ride with sunglasses and the visor up.

[Bologna]

6'2" +4.5. Euro cut. Light gray.

 

[Selden]

jrsdad98: I'm about an inch shorter than you, and have a standard cut +4.5" It was just a little bit too tall, so I cut it down about a half inch, mostly out of the middle, so it's now between the standard and Euro cut. I can see over the top with a considerable margin in the down position, and on highway I ride with it about 1" up, but can still see over the top. I suspect that a Euro cut 4.5" would work for you. If it's too tall, Lucite is a fairly soft plastic, very easy to cut and polish. After making a cut, I start with a coarse grit wet or dry sandpaper, wet sanding, then move progressively up to 600 or 1500 grit, finally using plastic polish to get a mirror finish on the edge.

 

The only drawback with the Cee Bailey design is that the complex curve introduces some optical distortion; after a while, I just tuned it out.

[lkraus]

jrsdad98: If it's too tall, Lucite is a fairly soft plastic, very easy to cut and polish. After making a cut, I start with a coarse grit wet or dry sandpaper, wet sanding, then move progressively up to 600 or 1500 grit, finally using plastic polish to get a mirror finish on the edge.

 

Cautionary tale here: I had a Plexifairing on my Yamaha Seca 650 that I modified to fit from my even older Honda CB400T. I went through all the steps you listed, including polishing the edge to crystal clear, instead of the stock matte edge. A short while later I started having problems with my instruments showing heat damage. The first time I thought the instrument bulbs were loose in their housings. The second time I realized that while I was parked at work, the sun was shining through the shield edge, which was acting like a magnifying glass, leaving molten plastic across the instrument faces, housings, and the odometer numbers. I refinished the edges with some 400 grit paper and had no more trouble.

[Tri750]

The 1200GS has that very phenomenon. Never saw it on an RT. BMW denied a number of warranty claims of warped instrument panels when owners showed up with heat damaged speedos. Weird small, 1" area all melted and sunken in. They begin to think it was a short inside the inst panel but it was indeed the sun coming thru the screen at just the right angle like a magnifying glass and melting the panel.

We had just PDI'd a new bike as a demo and parked the bike out front. A few minutes later customer came in and asked what was up with the melted dash.

 

Somewhere in the timeline BMW had introduced an instrument panel "repair kit" consisting of a new dash bezel.

Never saw a bulletin on it, the Service Manager was aware of it but as a rule they tend to have a don't ask, don't tell thing regarding BMW faults. Us parts monkeys usually had the freedom to call a black striped cat a skunk.