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Lower windshield arms

I replaced lower arms at the same time I replaced my broken upper arm. I decided to just do all four.
Excellent quality, perfect replacement.

A Dremel tool makes the job easier.
 
BMW should be ashamed

from the advertisement,

"Replace those easily breakable cheap pot metal OEM BMW lower windshield arms"
 
The upper arms break more frequently than the lowers- which have been reported to break at varying frequency with everything from the stock windscreen to the biggest CeeBailey and Aeroflow stuff. Large windscreens (especially with a flip up), strong wind gusts at speed, and vibrations from either screen design or rough roads seem to be associated with many but not all of the reported breaks of stock arms.

There are two high quality upper arms in the aftermarket- from West Tool and Beemer Boneyard, as well as the lower noted here from Beemer Boneyard, also a high quality part. AKAIK, none of these parts has ever been reported to break- they are far superior in construction to stock.

My take on this is that if you've ever broken an arm, you ought to replace with one of the aftermarket ones which are no more expensive than stock. Also, if you notice screen vibration, ride in gusts or plan to, or have one of the big, flip up shape screens, than you might want to replace the stock upper for insurance before it breaks- I did. Personally, I think replacing the lower for insurance is most likely a bit of overkill but for sure it will get you a bulletproof solution to possible breakage. And of course, if you break a lower, use this one as a replacement.
 
The upper arms break more frequently than the lowers- which have been reported to break at varying frequency with everything from the stock windscreen to the biggest CeeBailey and Aeroflow stuff. Large windscreens (especially with a flip up), strong wind gusts at speed, and vibrations from either screen design or rough roads seem to be associated with many but not all of the reported breaks of stock arms.

There are two high quality upper arms in the aftermarket- from West Tool and Beemer Boneyard, as well as the lower noted here from Beemer Boneyard, also a high quality part. AKAIK, none of these parts has ever been reported to break- they are far superior in construction to stock.

My take on this is that if you've ever broken an arm, you ought to replace with one of the aftermarket ones which are no more expensive than stock. Also, if you notice screen vibration, ride in gusts or plan to, or have one of the big, flip up shape screens, than you might want to replace the stock upper for insurance before it breaks- I did. Personally, I think replacing the lower for insurance is most likely a bit of overkill but for sure it will get you a bulletproof solution to possible breakage. And of course, if you break a lower, use this one as a replacement.

RT folks:

I've broken several of these arms. First and second time, they were uppers and were replaced under warranty. Finally, I located a pair of the upper arms with some made by a forum member. I think he went commercial and sells them under the above mentioned non-bimmer boneyard name. They are not the shiny ones.

Because of this post, I just ordered a set of the Bimmer Boneyard lowers. I broke a lower last year on a trip, came home and replaced with OEM because I didn't know about these aftermarket lowers. When you replace lowers, the only OEM option is to replace the whole carriage mechanism, which is about $250. It's really a no brainer to put the strong ones on for $100 instead. Turns out, I'm doing BOTH...Doh! I'm getting these new lowers just for the security of knowing my CeeBaileys flip-up screen, which I love, will finally be secure on the bike through all kinds of shirt. Both times mine broke, it was in a truck-passing situation where there was a lot of buffeting going on. I didn't have a chance to look at what the windscreen was doing because I was busy, but after getting around the trucks, I noticed that the screen wasn't right.

First time, I used a tennis ball I bought at a mall nearby to hold the screen in place until I got home. You can also tie rags in a knot or use anything about that size to hold the thing. Stuff it between the bike and the screen on the "dash". You can press it in place at speed and it will stay. When you slow down, it will come out again.

You have to remove the nose of the bike to do this replacement. It's a lot of screws, but it's not difficult. Having the BMW maintenance CD really helps you identify the screws and electrical plugs to remove and gives confidence, but it's not impossible to figure this out. You must remove the windscreen first, then some screws under the pull-out side view mirrors. Then there is a big plug that powers all the front lights. Once the cover is off, you can see what needs to be unplugged and unscrewed to change the carriage. It might be easier to replace the arms if you pull the carriage out and do it on a bench...but I haven't done that operation yet, so I can't say.

I think BMWs justification for using these break-away parts is safety. Don't want riders getting killed by skewering on the windscreen when they hit that deer. Might be a lawsuit. Better that they break away and the pavement or the deer be the cause of death.

I still use my Big Mak tank bag with the aluminum flip-up mounting platform. Often wonder what that baby might do to me during an off.

I guess at some point you just have to accept risks and ride on. I do wear a good helmet and full gear.
 
Thanks for the input,,Would be nice to here how your install goes and what you think of them when you get them,,Tim

Manx:

Since I've already replaced the carriage, I'm not anticipating any problems with the install. Just doing it to avoid future problems with the windscreen anyway. My suspicion is that there will be no perceived difference between stock arms and these new ones...except that the new ones won't ever break. The aftermarket uppers have not broken in 3 years of tough riding.
 
BTW - curious, per: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?46055 - what is the year and model (assume an RT..) of your bike?

I have an '05 RT with 78K miles. It's my 3rd RT. I bought it new. I had an 1100 that I traded after putting 62K on and an 1150 that had about 30K on when I got this one. I will run the wheels off this bike. The other two had some issues that made them not quite fun. The 1100 surged and I did everything available to correct it. The 1150 had those first generation grabby servo brakes. The dual plugs stopped the surging but the extra power made available was used to detune the bike by running it leaner for emissions. It ran hotter than the 1100 and didn't feel as smooth.

This one does everything I want it to. Idles smoothly, runs smoothly enough, easy to service (I do almost everything myself), reliable, handles well, servo brakes are fantastic, comfortable on long trips, great bag system.... I love it! Why change? :groovy
 
Hi Guys, haven't been on the board for awhile now, just noticed this thread regarding replacement arms for the often breaking 'upper' arms. I went thru a couple of sets of uppers before I got fed up and started making my own replacements from stainless steel using the OEM German teflon bushings to complete the unit.

I have been making them for friends on the forum for a few years now, and have a couple of pair sitting on my bench if anyone would like a set. They are lazer cut from stainless steel, hand polished and painted with an industrial semi gloss black to cut down any reflections. These will NEVER break. I charge what it costs me to make them...plus the cost of the OEM bushings, and shipping. $ 70.00 a pair shipped in the US or Canada.

Here is a picture of the finished product...
PS. photography isn't my forte :)
Jim

IMG_3567small.jpg
 
Hi Guys, haven't been on the board for awhile now, just noticed this thread regarding replacement arms for the often breaking 'upper' arms. I went thru a couple of sets of uppers before I got fed up and started making my own replacements from stainless steel using the OEM German teflon bushings to complete the unit.

I have been making them for friends on the forum for a few years now, and have a couple of pair sitting on my bench if anyone would like a set. They are lazer cut from stainless steel, hand polished and painted with an industrial semi gloss black to cut down any reflections. These will NEVER break. I charge what it costs me to make them...plus the cost of the OEM bushings, and shipping. $ 70.00 a pair shipped in the US or Canada.

Here is a picture of the finished product...
PS. photography isn't my forte :)
Jim

View attachment 43039

I bought a set from Jim last summer and they are perfect. Highly recommended.
 
The upper arms break more frequently than the lowers- which have been reported to break at varying frequency with everything from the stock windscreen to the biggest CeeBailey and Aeroflow stuff. Large windscreens (especially with a flip up), strong wind gusts at speed, and vibrations from either screen design or rough roads seem to be associated with many but not all of the reported breaks of stock arms.

There are two high quality upper arms in the aftermarket- from West Tool and Beemer Boneyard, as well as the lower noted here from Beemer Boneyard, also a high quality part. AKAIK, none of these parts has ever been reported to break- they are far superior in construction to stock.

My take on this is that if you've ever broken an arm, you ought to replace with one of the aftermarket ones which are no more expensive than stock. Also, if you notice screen vibration, ride in gusts or plan to, or have one of the big, flip up shape screens, than you might want to replace the stock upper for insurance before it breaks- I did. Personally, I think replacing the lower for insurance is most likely a bit of overkill but for sure it will get you a bulletproof solution to possible breakage. And of course, if you break a lower, use this one as a replacement.

Good advice here. I snapped an upper support and the West Tool replacements went on easy and appear bulletproof. Just be sure to re-use your OEM bushings.

However, when I snapped a lower on a trip to Custer State Park, the BMW dealer in Sturgis had to order the entire motor assembly along with the arms, per BMW. Repairs exceeded $400 !

I'd recommend replacing all four supports as preventive maintenance and junk the BMW pot metal parts. And NO, you can't "blame" the parts supplier if BMW signs off on the bike and ships it from the factory.
 
Wow! I would never have thought about this part breaking. Seems like a good idea to replace these arms before they become a problem, especially if you are using a larger aftermarket shield.
 
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