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The best aerodynamic windshield for highway use?

I agree with you, Paul, and it's a point well taken. Everyone is different, and likes different things in both bikes and windshields. But it still seems like it would be an interesting, and possibly educational comparison story for the same person to take one bike, put one fairing after another on it, test ride it, same route, and express their view using the same criteria that is always talked about on the forums: general air protection, helmet buffeting, affects on handling, wind on arms/ shoulders, etc. Three riders, they all do the same thing, and give their impressions, using a 1-10 scale for each variable. There's only a small handful of aftermarket shield companies out there to test, and I think we would all find it interesting. I know I would. The in-depth oil comparison that Owner's News ran a while back was very eye opening. They seem to do this same experiment on various bike makes/models all the time. I believe that is also how Consumer Reports handles their widely seen car reviews. Yes, I know I am dreaming.
I was interested to see that you liked the Vtechnik shield.

Perhaps you could call the ON editor and suggest such a story for the ON and have them see if they could get you some windshields to test and then you could share it all with us???? Just sayn.......................
 
The problem with windshields, as I have experienced it, is that what works perfectly for one rider fails miserably for another rider. We are shaped differently and sit differently. And that sometimes puts our heads and shoulders in different places relative to the windshield.

I had the OEM "International Shield" on my '86 K75T. The wind over the top of the shield hit me right at eye/eye brow level. Thus my extension on the top of the shield. I have the same shield on my '94 K75. It is perfect without the extension because it is a low seat model.

A one or two inch difference in head position can make all the difference.

Then there are those personal preferences and compromises. How much air on the helmet/head - where? How about on the shoulders (underarm jacket vents)? How about wrists/sleeves.

My message is that what works perfectly for me may fail for you!

When I bought a ZTechnik shield for my F650 Dakar the dealer told me to put it on the bike and go ride. If I didn't like it I could take it off and we would try something else. I liked it and kept it, but could have given it back.

That is part of their "Ride and Buy" program which is really fantastic as you aren't stuck with something that doesn't work for you.
 
I like my Cee Baileys shield very well. I have the four inch over stock height with the Eurocut edge. I can raise it about an inch and put the air over my helmet quite nicely and I can see over it very well at this height. I have had my 04 RT up close to 100 MPH and no ill effects on handling. I put it down all the way and get air without buffeting on a hot day. This is my sixth summer with it, I am happy.

+1 on the Cee Bailey. I really like mine.
 
A friend has both a Parabellum and Cee Bailey windshield for his R1100RT. He has no preference between the two. However he rides with the Parabellum because his wife/passenger finds it to be a quieter ride for her, perched behind him.
 
I have tried to do a lot of reading on the windshield topic, and seen many opinions, but I thought I would ask everyone's current thoughts on this. I believe I have a Aeroflow screen on my R1100rt. Maybe someone can confirm/refute that from the picture. All screens would seem to do a good job at medium/slow speeds. The real test, as far as I'm concerned, is at the 75 mph mark that we all have to ride at on the expressway these days. The Aeroflow is big, and offers good protection. But when you get it up, sub-eye level, I think it's like having a large flat panel, mounted almost straight up, at the top of the bike. It actually has several reverse curves in it also, to catch the air flow even more. It just doesn't cut through the wind like I think a good shield should at those speeds. And it almost makes the bike somewhat unstable. At this point I have to choose between having the wind blasting at me, or fighting the high turbulence. I haven't read of hardly anyone who thinks the stock shields are any good, and I assume all the aftermarket ones will do well keeping the wind off you. But does anyone have any experience with which one has the best aerodynamics, especially at high speeds? The 1100 is not a heavy bike. It can't just bull through 75 mph wind resistance like a heavy Goldwing or Harley. I think it needs good airflow over the fairing. What's everyone's opinion on the best one? Thanks.

Cee Bailey; +4 flip shield with euro cut. Excellent.
 
I have a factory short or sport screen on my 03 R1150R. It puts the wind right at eye level at most speeds. I took it off and it was near silent smooth running.

I'm going to try to find a damaged one to cut down to protect the instrument cluster, but let me have the wind nice and smooth.

I find it way more comfortable than a concentrated blast, and better cooling in summer to boot. It will reduce the bikes drag as well, by putting the drag onto the operator. It wasn't bad at all on an hour loop on the freeway. Almost hated putting the screen back on.

So, why not remove what you have and see what you think?
 
for R1100R

I bought the R1100R to have a non-faired bike unlike my R80RT which was quiet, dry, and warm. BUT... I wanted a wind in-the-face (full faced helmet w/o shield most of the time) experience. For a longer ride to an event I put the origional shield back on and rode for hours with my head buffeted by the air on and over it. What to do? I cut 1.5 inches off of the shield with a jigsaw protected by masking tape, sanded the edge and applied a bit of black marker ink to make it look JUST like the origional edge and now I ride happy. Nice wind down to my chin, no buffeting, no cost, and EASY. If anyone thinks their shield is too tall try before buying another. It worked for me.
 
I'm starting to get the picture. I'm 6' 2" and find the buffeting of the stock windshield to be tough in the up and down position. I'm going to see what happens with the shield off.

I test drove a R1200GSW last month with its postage stamp of a windshield. It was so much smoother.

They don't look like much on the web site, style-wise, anyone tried one of these? http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/R1150RTprod.html
 
I did a two day ride earlier this week and moved the seat from my usual low position to the middle spot. Just by changing the seat position, it made the same windshield and helmet much quieter. :dunno
 
I'm starting to get the picture. I'm 6' 2" and find the buffeting of the stock windshield to be tough in the up and down position. I'm going to see what happens with the shield off.

I test drove a R1200GSW last month with its postage stamp of a windshield. It was so much smoother.

They don't look like much on the web site, style-wise, anyone tried one of these? http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/R1150RTprod.html

I have a friend who had one on a R 1200 RT and loved it.
 
I am examining the pictures of both the Cee Bailey Eurocut and the Parabellum. Unfortunately, the Parabellum picture is an old black and white photo. It's hard to see the details. But it appears to me that the Cee Bailey has a distinctive taper towards the center, going from bottom to top, while the Parabellum seems to be pretty straight going up . I would assume that would mean that the Parabellum would give better upper torso protection around the shoulders and arms. Anyone seen both of these screens close up and confirm the shape difference? And would that feature make that kind of a difference? The Eurocut looks stylish, but so did the BMW original, and no one seems to be able to stand them. The Parabellum also appears to be the flatter of the two screens, with no reverse curves in it, giving it maybe the smoothest air flow. Is that possibly better for the passenger? Reverse curves would seem to swirl the air at some spot/distance, although not at the drivers location.
 
Parabellum feedback

Not too pleased with the Parabellum. It is much thinner than the factory shield and flexes too much with the wind at speed. I will go back to an Aeroflow Shield in the not too distant future. Hope this is useful

Regards,

Will
 
Apologies for resurrecting a dead thread, but:

That's an Aeroflow Shield you have there. I have nothing but good things to say about Aeroflow products and I would be supprised if you had high speed stability problems.

Lots of people seem really happy with the Aeroflow shields, but it didn't work for me, and high-speed stability was one of the reasons.

I'm trying to get my R1200RT to a point where I'm happy slabbing it, because slabbing it for at least a few hours is necessary for me to get anywhere I want to ride! I just did a 3,000 mile round trip, and highway wind is now my worst enemy.

The stock screen with Wunderlich Vario extender is great on sheltered back roads up to ~75mph, but as soon as I get on the highway, I get noise and/or turbulence, and I find myself crouching and moving around trying to find shelter. Occasionally the surrounding air will be dead still, with no vehicles ahead, and then the stock screen feels blissful. Then I'll get stuck behind a milk tanker, and for half an hour I'll be contemplating renting a U-Haul.

I tried a medium size CalSci, at Mark's recommendation based on my height and inseam. At 65mph without heavy crosswinds I found turbulence tugging my head from side to side, more air flow at low speeds than stock, a draft down the back of my neck, and more noise than stock, with some torn air hitting me right in the nose. I pretty much felt that this was no better than the stock screen, so why waste the $185?

Mark kindly accepted it back for a refund -- he's brusque and uncommunicative, but I have to give him credit for the no-hassle refund!

I tried a tall Aeroflow, at Paige's recommendation based on my height and inseam, ordered in haste after a hellish 8 hours on the Interstate in Nevada. (The wind noise was bad enough and prolonged enough that it has permanently worsened my tinnitus.)

Props to Aeroflow for rushing the screen to me, and for great fit and finish.

But here's the reason I'm replying to the above quote: the Aeroflow was noisier than stock, adding dirty air when lowered and full-on buffeting when raised, with jets of turbulence at my armpits and a really annoying curl of turbulence that banged straight down on top my helmet (actually painful after a few minutes!).

But the real deal breaker: in my testing on 101 in California, the Aeroflow noticeably affected handling, particularly if I tried raising it to find still air, and particularly at higher speeds. It felt like I had a chain looped through my front axle and attached to a swerving tow truck in front of me -- very unnerving.

I couldn't wait to get back to my hotel and wrap it up for a return. I had high hopes, sadly dashed.

My next ports of call will be to try to find a way to try a large VStream, and to start sticking streamers to my bike to find out the source of the problems.

My suspicions are firstly that the gap between the bottom of the windshield and the mirror housings is introducing some dirty air, and secondly that the narrow euro cut top (even with the ears) just doesn't give a big enough air pocket to resist side winds or ambient turbulence. My guess is that right now I'm riding in the shadow of the Vario extender, which is a pretty small pocket!

Advice most welcome.
 
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Ten fifteen years experience here with experimenting with windshields on different motorcycles. For my money, the stock shields end up being the best compromise for most riders--certainly for me. I have tried taller, lower, wider, narrower, curved, straight up, virtually all of 'em. I always go back to the stocker and decide it was the best fit for me to begin with. I guess that manufacturer wind tunnel testing works. However, each rider is a different size and shape, so it is certainly likely that some will find a better fit with an aftermarket shield. I did not. BTW, I am about 5-10 with pretty normal length arms and I do not change my bike's ergos any: stock seat, stock bars, stock pegs, etc.
 
...the stock shields end up being the best compromise for most riders...

I'm going to agree with Royce insofar as windscreens tend to be a compromise. As Holygoat has found, what works well at some speeds for some people and conditions doesn't work at other speeds and conditions. Like my doctor says to me when I tell him my shoulder hurts when I move it a certain way, "Don't move it that way" :D i.e. pick the condition under which you ride most of the time and tune to that situation.

I had the factory "touring" windscreen on my "S" which gave decent protection but also buffeted the heck out of my head. Changed to the shorter, stock windscreen and while I get more wind from the top of my shoulders up, I suffer no buffeting. Much more pleasurable at the speeds I ride.
 
I agree with Royce - I find the stock (2010 and later) stock shield on the R1200RT to be the best overall for performance, with decent coverage. Had a couple others, one with reverse curvature, that I felt compromised stability at higher speeds when getting into quartering winds or truck wake. I am also of average height.

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk
 
[QUOTE
Lots of people seem really happy with the Aeroflow shields, but it didn't work for me, and high-speed stability was one of the reasons.

I'm trying to get my R1200RT to a point where I'm happy slabbing it, because slabbing it for at least a few hours is necessary for me to get anywhere I want to ride!
....But the real deal breaker: in my testing on 101 in California, the Aeroflow noticeably affected handling, particularly if I tried raising it to find still air, and particularly at higher speeds. It felt like I had a chain looped through my front axle and attached to a swerving tow truck in front of me -- very unnerving..[/QUOTE]

As the original poster of this thread, I am really happy to see some new information added to it. Very informative. Last summer I was doing a lot of research on the "best" windshield for my R1100RT, for exactly the same reason as Holygoat:to get the smoothest slab riding stability. Excellent review of your experiences with a couple of these screens, Holygoat. Thank you! It saves me,, and maybe many others, a lot of headaches. As I said in my earlier postings, for me, the Aeroflow screen does seem to affect the high speed stability when it is up enough to block the wind well, exactly as Holygoat says. I'm still riding with it at the moment, but only because I couldn't really decipher a better one up till now. I think that will change. I also want to thank Will3hawks for your mention of the relative thinness of the Parabellum screen. That's great to know. I always wondered how you liked the screen. Now I, and the rest of us, know. I notice the Aeroflow fluttering a bit on the expressway. Sounds like the Parabellum could be the same. I know everyone likes something different in screens, but at this point I am leaning more and more towards the, of course, most expensive, and most unsusal of them, the Z-Technic with the weird waist bends. If I get put one on, I will write a review. Thanks to all.
 
Excellent review of your experiences with a couple of these screens, Holygoat. Thank you! It saves me,, and maybe many others, a lot of headaches.

My pleasure; it cost more than a little money (in return shipping alone!) and time, so it would be wasteful not to share the experience.


the Z-Technic with the weird waist bends. If I get put one on, I will write a review. Thanks to all.

Please do ? I'm not near one of their Ride & Buy locations, so the more reviews I can read the less likely I'll waste my money!
 
the Z-Technic with the weird waist bends. If I get put one on, I will write a review. Thanks to all.

Oh, hey, weird Z-Technic fan here again.

Did I mention the V-Stream is made out of polycarbonate? They have demo videos of people trying to break them with baseball bats.
 
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