Lower Windshield Bracket Snapped! '05 R1200RT

Just got back from a 7-day ride out to the Black Hills area of South Dakota. Beautiful scenery (Badlands, Rushmore, Custer State Park - even wiggled over the WY border for Devil's Tower).

However, they've got winds out in SD that give me nightmares. Perhaps because my RT was literally blown off the road and into a ditch on the way to the Gillette Rally some years back!

Long story short - plowing westward into some respectable headwinds (35+ MPH, or what SD natives call "a slight breeze"), a vehicle passed me close on my left, set up a sudden and disturbing vortex and my shield instantly collapsed near the headlight assembly.

I immediately lowered it and when I tried raising it again, it simulated the collapsing action once more. Luckily I was at a Sturgis exit, so off to Sturgis BMW for an evaluation.

Turns out the lower left bracket that helps to raise and lower the windshield on my R1200RT snapped in two. I had already replaced the two upper pieces of 'pot metal' after having snapped one of them - a chronic problem with the RT's - but hadn't given the lowers a second thought.

Unfortunately, the lower brackets are not modular like the upper ones are - a careful check of schematics revealed that these brackets and the motor/carriage assembly that operates our windshields are all one unit - to the tune of $350+ with labor.

On my way next day by noon - great service by Dick and his crew at Sturgis BMW.

Disclaimer: Yes, I tour with an over-sized shield, and in hindsight, may have had it raised a bit too far. Have had it up that far before in greater winds than this, but I'll accept some blame for not locking it down and sucking up the helmet buffeting in such winds. Shame on me.

Just annoyed that once again, BMW doesn't engineer more components to be modular and thus, more service-friendly, keeping costs down as well.

If my big shield cracked or got badly scratched, I'd still go out and get a similar-sized product tomorrow. But in heavy winds, now a bit more conservative in my selected height.

Sounds like you ought to be the factory tester for screen and bracket combos.

Can't say I've read or heard of a failure of a lower bracket previously but then not many get to do much riding in such high winds with a large screen,

Like you I'm using the West Tool uppers but with a std Z Technik screen that may not be as hard on brackets as something like the big CeeBailey or Aeroflow

I agree it would be nice if the lowers were also repairable at reasonable cost but fortuneately this type of failure is apparently rare...

I was in the local BMW shop the other day to test a CeeB windshield. The tech warned me about the breakage of both upper and lower brackets. Seems as if either is possible, the upper being more likely.

Kevin,

As useful as your post is - it would be more useful if it had model/year in the thread title. I'm adding it. Please do so yourself in future posts to the tech forums. Thanks for your cooperation.

As we all know and are mostly happy about, BMW is not in the iron motorycle business. Lots of expensive effort to achieve lightness.

Zero reason to expect, then, that windshield bracketry be engineered to accomodate the extra stresses imposed by larger than OE windshields. Also zero reason to expect it a cheap fix if you do overstress things. There's nothing to complain about in this regard.

Wear earplugs.

my $.02

I too wish that BMW would break their newer bike items down to smaller pieces as was, in most cases, with the airheads. I about choked when I first priced out that lower bracket assy. on my RT.
Your lucky that it didn't cause the other brackets to snap and the windscreen take off your head.

It's mostly a cost issue

It is more cost effective from an inventory perspective to carry one part that is a sub-assembly than to carry 5 with varying degrees of consumption based on replacement history

racer7 said:

Sounds like you ought to be the factory tester for screen and bracket combos.

Can't say I've read or heard of a failure of a lower bracket previously but then not many get to do much riding in such high winds with a large screen,

Like you I'm using the West Tool uppers but with a std Z Technik screen that may not be as hard on brackets as something like the big CeeBailey or Aeroflow

I agree it would be nice if the lowers were also repairable at reasonable cost but fortuneately this type of failure is apparently rare...

Click to expand...

Couldn't agree with you more.

Like I said originally, I lay most of the blame at my door step - big screen up too high.

deilenberger said:

Kevin,

As useful as your post is - it would be more useful if it had model/year in the thread title. I'm adding it. Please do so yourself in future posts to the tech forums. Thanks for your cooperation.

Click to expand...

I did mention that it was an R1200RT, and my model year appears in my Sig Line.

However, I see your point - will post model in thread title whenever applicable,

Thanks.

lkchris said:

As we all know and are mostly happy about, BMW is not in the iron motorycle business. Lots of expensive effort to achieve lightness.

Zero reason to expect, then, that windshield bracketry be engineered to accomodate the extra stresses imposed by larger than OE windshields. Also zero reason to expect it a cheap fix if you do overstress things. There's nothing to complain about in this regard.

Wear earplugs.

Click to expand...

Well, though I wasn't trolling for sympathy, you're just a half-glass empty kind of guy, huh?!

Semper_Fi said:

It's mostly a cost issue

It is more cost effective from an inventory perspective to carry one part that is a sub-assembly than to carry 5 with varying degrees of consumption based on replacement history

Click to expand...

Nothing to do with "inventory."

It's cheaper to have the supplier build the entire part than it is to have BMW's own assembly line workers put them together on the line.

What goes into spare parts is the same thing that's used in assembly.

Greenwald said:

Well, though I wasn't trolling for sympathy, you're just a half-glass empty kind of guy, huh?!

Click to expand...

No, I just don't much tolerate unwarranted/uninformed criticism of BMW.

Windshield Brackets

I have not had to replace any brackets but did switch back to OEM after riding NM winds with a Cal Sci that made my RT feel squirrly. Now I tolerate the wind knowing OEM is ultimately the safe way to go. Just my 2 cents..

I am 6.2' but slim.
I am more then happy with the original screen, so not sure why other would go and fit anything bigger then the OEM screen.
Maybe users expect too much? After all, it's still a motorbike..not a car.

Greenwald said:

Just got back from a 7-day ride out to the Black Hills area of South Dakota. Beautiful scenery (Badlands, Rushmore, Custer State Park - even wiggled over the WY border for Devil's Tower).

However, they've got winds out in SD that give me nightmares. Perhaps because my RT was literally blown off the road and into a ditch on the way to the Gillette Rally some years back!

Long story short - plowing westward into some respectable headwinds (35+ MPH, or what SD natives call "a slight breeze"), a vehicle passed me close on my left, set up a sudden and disturbing vortex and my shield instantly collapsed near the headlight assembly.

I immediately lowered it and when I tried raising it again, it simulated the collapsing action once more. Luckily I was at a Sturgis exit, so off to Sturgis BMW for an evaluation.

Turns out the lower left bracket that helps to raise and lower the windshield on my R1200RT snapped in two. I had already replaced the two upper pieces of 'pot metal' after having snapped one of them - a chronic problem with the RT's - but hadn't given the lowers a second thought.

Unfortunately, the lower brackets are not modular like the upper ones are - a careful check of schematics revealed that these brackets and the motor/carriage assembly that operates our windshields are all one unit - to the tune of $350+ with labor.

On my way next day by noon - great service by Dick and his crew at Sturgis BMW.

Disclaimer: Yes, I tour with an over-sized shield, and in hindsight, may have had it raised a bit too far. Have had it up that far before in greater winds than this, but I'll accept some blame for not locking it down and sucking up the helmet buffeting in such winds. Shame on me.

Just annoyed that once again, BMW doesn't engineer more components to be modular and thus, more service-friendly, keeping costs down as well.

If my big shield cracked or got badly scratched, I'd still go out and get a similar-sized product tomorrow. But in heavy winds, now a bit more conservative in my selected height.

Click to expand...

Kevin:

The same thing happened to me at about the same time. I just took a trip to Colorado on my grey, '05 RT. All was well until the end of the first long day back...about 100 or so miles west of Lincoln, NE on I-80, the lower left windscreen arm broke right under the top ring of the arm.

By the way, I also use a bigger windscreen. Mines a Cee Bailey's non-Euro type with the flip-up. It's narrower than some and lets some air in on my arms. It's perfect. I agree that changing back to stock would be a big mistake even if I have to keep replacing these pivot assemblies every 60,000 to so miles. I bought some beefy upper arms and installed them. They haven't broken for about 20,000 miles. Hoping for the best because these will likely be hard to replace.

Small world, eh?

Not very nice to know that the assembly costs $350 plus labor to replace. Yipes! Maybe I'll try aluminum brazing or something before giving in.

I didn't really do anything to cause my problem. No crazy strong winds at the time of breakage. Winds were mostly from behind on the way back. I think I was just hitting 600 miles for the day when it broke. Maybe just too many repetitions. Temp was around 85-90 degrees.

Alfred02 said:

I am 6.2' but slim.
I am more then happy with the original screen, so not sure why other would go and fit anything bigger then the OEM screen.
Maybe users expect too much? After all, it's still a motorbike..not a car.

Click to expand...

Alfred:

When you put more miles on a bike in a day, having a good pocket of still air to sit inside of is really a plus. It's not that the stock windscreen won't give you that pocket, but when it's high enough to do that, the wind hits you in the back. With my screen, I can keep the screen lower and still have much better still air with no wind pressure on my back.

Like I said, worth it for me and for anyone who's used one for a while.

Anyone:

Have newer RTs changed their windscreen holder design or are they all still wimpy like my '05???

Hoping I can upgrade the strength some way when I change mine. The aluminum castings they use for these arms are not strong enough. I predict even people with standard screens will eventually have problems with them. I suppose they are a safety item...that the screen "breaks away" in a crash or something? Either that or they're just trying to save cost...bad place to do it.

rtwiz said:

Alfred:

When you put more miles on a bike in a day, having a good pocket of still air to sit inside of is really a plus. It's not that the stock windscreen won't give you that pocket, but when it's high enough to do that, the wind hits you in the back. With my screen, I can keep the screen lower and still have much better still air with no wind pressure on my back.

Click to expand...

Time to elaborate.
Previous bike: 04 1150RT, original screen

Had the same problem as you, turbulence or back pressure.
Replaced with a CeeBaily +1 and sweepback. Less turbulence, but the back pressure was straight back when the screen was raised high enough to take me out of the front airflow.

2005 1200RT, original OE screen.
Some very mild turbulence when the screen is raised, but just in a very narrow window of elevation.
Zero back pressure.
As other riders with the same bike and screen seem to have different experience (which I do not doubt), it seems obvious that body shape and size has a large effect on each rider's experience.

As such it's clear to me that it simply is not possible for the manufacturer to make a screen that fits "all" riders.

Now if you look at Cee Bailey's windscreens for our model, they make them up to four inches taller.
Include the sweep back and it's no wonder that the brackets are failing.
All the manufacturer can do is design the brackets for their own screens as that is the only one fully tested.

Alfred02 said:

Time to elaborate.
Previous bike: 04 1150RT, original screen

Had the same problem as you, turbulence or back pressure.
Replaced with a CeeBaily +1 and sweepback. Less turbulence, but the back pressure was straight back when the screen was raised high enough to take me out of the front airflow.

2005 1200RT, original OE screen.
Some very mild turbulence when the screen is raised, but just in a very narrow window of elevation.
Zero back pressure.
As other riders with the same bike and screen seem to have different experience (which I do not doubt), it seems obvious that body shape and size has a large effect on each rider's experience.

As such it's clear to me that it simply is not possible for the manufacturer to make a screen that fits "all" riders.

Now if you look at Cee Bailey's windscreens for our model, they make them up to four inches taller.
Include the sweep back and it's no wonder that the brackets are failing.
All the manufacturer can do is design the brackets for their own screens as that is the only one fully tested.

Click to expand...

Al:

I think it's because the wind travels in the opposite direction on your side of the universe?

I think mine is +1 or +2 but the width is maybe +1 only or maybe +0? It doesn't need to be much more than 2" up from all the way down to completely protect me. I can see way over the top of it with no wind and no back pressure. I'm 5' 11" with a long waist. Sitting at a desk or table, I'm usually the tallest guy in the room.

At any rate, it's way better than stock for me and I'm not giving it up. I've replaced the upper holders and hope something can be done about the lowers. Again, this soft aluminum is really not very strong. I think it might be made to break away in a crash or something.

Note that the K1200GT and K1300GT bikes have power screens and their mechanisms are much more beefy.

Kevin,

There is an aftermarket solution. Super strong brackets. Contact member "flybike", or jkwinchester@sympatico.ca

His work great! Will not break. Made of a material that will bend first (stainless steel), but they have not bent & I just gave them a killer test last week in very high winds, with windshield up.

http://gallery.me.com/jkwinchester1#100335&bgcolor=black&view=grid

There is a company making them as well, but I forget the name. Maybe someone else will come up with it. Whatever you do, do not buy the BMW arms again. They are a pot metal of sorts & just break.

Al & all:

I've had an R1100RT and an R1150RT. I have over 70K miles on my 1200RT. Both the 1100 and the 1150 had aftermarket touring screens and neither of them had screen arms that failed. The 1100 had an Aeroflow and the 1150 had a CeeBaileys and then an Aeroflow and then a wide CeeBaileys for cold weather riding.

lkchris:

Seems that the 1200RT is the only BMW with this windscreen issue currently. The GTs and K1200 S can both handle touring screens without problems. I think, in this case, it's just a vendor using cheesy raw material on the holding arms. This idea that the arms "are designed for the stock screen" just doesn't cut it. I'm certain that people using stock screens will have problems sooner or later with these arms.

The arms are designed quite elegantly. We drew the left and right upper arms out on our CAD system in the shop and it is not a straightforward design. I was entertaining the thought of making my own when someone else came up with them. I decided to support their efforts rather than compete. It's a pretty tiny market.

The screen I use is far superior to the stock one for me. I will not apologize for using it. Makes the bike a far better piece. I also use a Big Mak mid-sized tank bag that's not supposed to work on the 1200RT, but it does. This allows me to fill a tank of gas without even dropping the kickstand. I'm in and out in about two minutes so the next guy can use the pump.

I also use an aftermarket seat because the stock seat is just plain not comfortable for rides over 100 miles. They're an improvement over the old R1100 seats, which used to put my naughty bits to sleep in 50 miles.

I'm using a Sargent seat, their early design for the 1200RT, not the sporty new one. I shim the back posts with metal washers to raise it about 1/4". I think I'd probably prefer their new design over what I have, but mine offers a big flat area to sit on with that terrific foam they use. That allows a lot of movement and different sitting positions on the bike. That's very nice for long haul riding. In the twisties, it'd be nicer to have a little easier movement from side to side, but I make it work.

You guys can tell me I should use stock seats, tank bags suspensions and windscreens, but they don't work as well, so I'm not using them. I use what works.

I think the 1200RT is the best bike BMW makes...weather protection, adjustable screen, cruise, relatively light weight, great hard bags, EZ maintenance, high output alternator for heated gear, great ground clearance and chassis balance. The '05 has servo brakes that work well as opposed to the 1150's grabby over-boosted ones that don't like to stop the bike when it's turned off being pushed around the garage. It has the right amount of power, balance shafts and good fuel economy.


That doesn't make it perfect. The seat is not stellar, the stock windscreen is floppy and has to be almost all the way up to make a good pocket of still air.

FWIW, I have no engine mods on the 1200. I think the engine works fine. That was not the case with the 1100. It surged. I made all kinds of changes on that engine to get it to stop surging and to run smooth.

The 1200 front shock has a too stiff spring. Neither shock damps as well as it should. I put a set of Wilbers on mine. Get them from Beemerwerks in CA because he really knows how to set them up. I never liked mine until he rebuilt them.

I'm not crazy about the look of the 1200RT. I think the 1150 was much better looking, but the 1200 does everything better. If you get it in black or grey, the flat black plastic pieces sort of match and the bike doesn't look like a collection of broken up bits...makes the styling more tolerable in my view.