Cee Bailey's or Keep OEM?

Hey All,

Thanks for any info up front.

Bought the wife the Cee Bailey's sport windshield for her '15 1200RT. She likes it, and seems to work for her...she's shorter than I, and I don't think I want the sport for my '15 RT.

But, I think I do want to invest in a new windshield. Seems I get a bit more buffeting than I would like, and the wife has said the same when she's ridden mine. Cee Bailey's makes a 25.5" replacement winshield for the new RT.

http://www.ceebaileys.com/bmw/bmwr1200rt2014ws.htm

Question: does anyone have experience with this one? Also, seems the OEM offers more protection...is that the case or does it just seem that way? Also, will the Cee Bailey's reduce buffeting and better high wind stability?

For that matter, do aftermarket windshields, in general, offer more stabilty than the OEM or did BMW get the windshield right?

Thanks!

Skippy

skippy1997 said:

Hey All, ... For that matter, do aftermarket windshields, in general, offer more stabilty than the OEM or did BMW get the windshield right?
Thanks!
Skippy

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Skippy, welcome to the forum (in case you haven't already been welcomed). I don't ride an RT but I've got lots of years and lots of miles on several different brands and types of motorcycles. Here's my bottom line up front: motorcycle manufacturers do a lot of wind tunnel design research on all their bikes and I believe they get it about right with their original windshields. I have tried lots of aftermarket windshields on several types of bikes and I have always ended up going back to the original shield. Sometimes the aftermarket shield ends up lessening some perceived buffeting, but it always creates a different issue that I don't like, such as not enough wind flow in hot temps. I have tried taller shields in the winter and shorter shields in the summer. Again, the original shield has always been the one I return to for most comfort under most conditions. I don't claim this approach is best for anyone else, but I'm about average sized (5'9" and 175) and all my measurements (arms and legs) are sorta average. If you're well over or under the "average size rider" then you might benefit from a special fitment, but I've wasted a fair amount of money and time on aftermarket windshields and, well, it's all been wasted. Good luck.

Suggest you read this:
http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=942571#Post942571

For a number of reasons, I sold my 2014 RT.

However, I had it long enough to get a good sampling.

IMO, and for my tastes, the OEM screen was not the ticket.
Too much wind noise. The screen was flat viewed from side-on.
And scooped in the middle to boot.
Air flow came off the top of the screen straight into my helmet face shield area (which I keep in the open position).
Good body protection, too much wind noise.

A Laminar Lip really helped quiet things down, but the LL for the RT LC didn't fit very well.
Much better performance that stock alone (IMO).

I had looked at Cee Bailey and Aeroflow...Those 2 manufactuteres used to feature a flip at the top of thier screens that I found to be very useful in lifting air flow up and over my helmet without having to raise the screen into my line of sight.

They don't really do the flip any more... basically flat from what I saw.
I passed.

That brings me to the Werks Screen that was highlighted in the prior post here in this thread.
Looks like that Company is associated with a member over at BMWST maybe here at MOA too.

Anyway...
If I still had my RT... I'd give one of those a try.
Like the old Aeroflows and Cee Baileys for earlier Boxers, they have a small flip at the top as you can see from the pics in the post.
I think maybe that they got it right.
Priced right too.

I'm not affiliated in any way with them.

Good luck

d'milan

I'm 6'3" and have a '15 1200RT. The original windscreen didn't quite provide enough protection for me. I switched to the OEM comfort windscreen and it works perfectly.

Firstly, I no longer have an RT. But I was surprised to see that BMW offers a "Comfort Windshield" for it, and so I looked it up in the Accessories tab of BMW's RT web page. When I did have RT's I did change windshields from time to time without dealer assistance. Yet I see that BMW says their Comfort Windshield requires installation by a dealer. I'd bet the total parts and labor charge would would make this an expensive experiment.

On my '09 RT the stock screen is good but not great. At 6'2" I need the seat in the high position, and still get a decent amount of buffeting with the screen in most any position. I tried the ZTechnik Z2403 VStream, and thought it would be the cure, but it hit my auxiliary GS mirrors I added turning lock-to-lock. I then tried the K1200RS mirrors and found the same thing. I sold the VStream and the K1200RS mirrors, and am still seeking a solution...a screen that's not so big it looks like a sail, and one that doesn't hit my auxiliary mirrors.

Comfort screen

I priced Bmw comfort screen. $400 and some dollars ouch! I was in Florida and dealer had one in stock so I held it up to bike and declined for the money!!!

I have tried a lot of screens and Cee Bailey just works.......for me anyway. One of the first things I did was the windshield and the headlight protector. I love it. Very quite and I can find the sweet spot with virtually no buffeting. If I want more air I just lower the shield. Best dollars I spent IMHO

I replaced the OEM with the Vstream Touring screen from ZTechnik. Great improvement.

I had a Cee Bailey on my R1100RT with the "flipped" edge, and I loved it. One of the first farkles on my '15RT was a CB light grey mid-height windshield, as I didn't like the stock shield's protection. At first I was disappointed that it didn't have the flip edge. Since I live in SoCal, I removed the stock shield and rode to the factory in Montebello with tools to install it. The designer of the shield was there, and was nice enough to lend a hand. I asked him about the missing flip option, and he said due to the greater distance between shield and rider, the flip created too much turbulence. I find it to be just right, and my wife does too.

At 6'-4" (1.93 m) I need Cee Bailey's tallest shield - 27.5" H (18" W) - "for most riders 6'2" and over." The OEM shield does not cut it.

Werks

I just installed a Werks quiet ride windshield on my 15 R200RT, and it made a big difference, see the review in the latest MOA magazine, it looks great (I have the 26 inch one) and its very quiet with almost no buffeting.
Dave

I have the Cee Bailey on my 2014 RT and like it better than the OEM but don't find it a huge difference. I do like the look of the Cee Bailey better. One of these days when I'm bored I need to switch back and forth, go ride the same route, and see how much difference there is.

To put this in context, though, I'm somewhere between 5'9" and 5'10" so taller riders might not get the same results.

rockbottom said:

I have the Cee Bailey on my 2014 RT and like it better than the OEM but don't find it a huge difference. I do like the look of the Cee Bailey better. One of these days when I'm bored I need to switch back and forth, go ride the same route, and see how much difference there is.

To put this in context, though, I'm somewhere between 5'9" and 5'10" so taller riders might not get the same results.

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Honestly, you have given us very little context. Like seats, our standing height has little to do with screens. I'm somewhere between 5'9" and 5'10", yet my inseam is that of someone 5'4" on average, and my torso that of someone 6'4". Working in the industry, I find this degree of imbalance, in each direction, somewhat common. If you have a 31" inseam, you sit a full 3" lower than I... how do I know?

That said, at somewhere between 5'9" and 5'10" and sitting as tall as an 'average' 6'1"-2"er, I find the stock screen on the '14+ RT quite good. I run a Cee Baily Tinted SMALL Sport about 9 months a year (it's still on) and can get a very quiet pocket with it at open road (and well above) speeds while keeping it below my eye line where I prefer it. I also wear noise reduction, FWIW.

RYD1WD said:

Honestly, you have given us very little context.

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Terribly sorry to disappoint. I'll try harder to meet your standards henceforth.

And for what it's worth, after doing a side by side comparison over the weekend, I went back to the stock. I liked the looks of the Cee Bailey more but found the stock quieter and the dip in the top was easier to see over at full extension.

rockbottom said:

Terribly sorry to disappoint. I'll try harder to meet your standards henceforth.

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Purely objective facts... equate them as you see fit... telling someone you're 5'10" still doesn't tell them how that equates to their 5'10". Period.

Windshields & Height

I am 6'4" tall with a 34" inseam. I felt as if the stock 'shield on my 2008 RT was not great in terms of buffeting, especially after I installed a Russell Day-Long seat. I looked at the alternatives, including Cal-Sci, Cee Bailey's, Aeroflow and V-Stream. Based purely on the V-Stream demonstration video, I then used their calculator to attempt to determine the best height for me. Oddly enough, the lower version seemed the right one. I found a used one, and it was great.

I traded the 2008 for a 2015 RT and I find the the stock 'shield is fine for me. With it fully raised I am not getting any buffeting of the head, and am looking over the 'shield, and not through it. I did see that BMW makes the "Comfort Windshield" but the price is close to $600 now, and of course installation is required to be performed by the dealer. I bet they're not selling a lot of those...

dwanamaker said:

I just installed a Werks quiet ride windshield on my 15 R200RT, and it made a big difference, see the review in the latest MOA magazine, it looks great (I have the 26 inch one) and its very quiet with almost no buffeting.
Dave

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WERKS quiet ride gets a thumbs up
I have the 24" version on my 15Rt, after riding 400 miles in a downpour with stock windshield, I was ready for a change
WERKS does everything it says it will
And no I have no affiliation with the company