K1200GT ('08) screen suggestions?

[hcmiller52]

I bought this bike new 3 years ago, have put 9,000 miles on it and am still trying to "be one" with the bike. It's the 12th, or so, BMW I've owned and, perhaps, the most totally unexciting one I've ever owned. I know others love it but I find it so boring to ride, I only use it for highway trips. I think it's really a 4-cylinder RT built for Autobahn speeds, rendering it totally boring at legal speeds. I loved my K1200R but it wasn't nearly so good for long distance touring. This bike is the last one in my garage I choose to take for a ride, preferring my '02 K1200RS, or even my X-Challenge.

While everything so far is subjective commentary, I did take the bike on a long ride this past weekend and realized how pronounced the buffeting is from the stock (tall version) windscreen. Regardless of the screen position, my head gets batted around. I'm 6'2", so this is the proper size screen for me but clearly there must be something that will eliminate the buffeting. I'm thinking this might make for a more pleasurable experience with this bike. I am considering the Aeroflow with the additional wings for more hand protection. Any experience or better choices?

Thanks,
Curt

 

[MCMXCIVRS]

I have the standard height stock screen on mine and find that in the lowest position the airflow is nice and smooth. I'm 5'11" and have the seat in the high position. It comes across at mid helmet level with no turbulence. I don't really mind having the wind at that level as long as its smooth, the visor on my Schuberth keeps the wind and bugs off my face just fine.

I do find that even a slight increase in the height of the screen and the air starts to get a bit more turbulent. At full up, its annoying to me, it feels like I'm in a negative pressure bubble and is much less smooth and noisier.

I'm not a fan of gigantic screens to try to keep the wind from hitting me when I ride. I just want a decent level of protection and good smooth airflow. For that reason, I'm quite content with the stock screen.

 

[hcmiller52]

I agree, Ed, that when the screen is in the lowest position that the air is smoother than when elevated but the air pressure is not what I expect or want from a touring bike (maybe my expectation is wrong!). When in the lowest position, the air stream is like I get when riding my Sportster or my X-Challenge, neither of which has a windshield at all. When I'm riding 500 mile days, I really want better air management than this stock shield provides.

 

[ajtrama]

California Scientific windscreen

I went with the Large shield from Cal Sci and love it. Buffeting is ok in the low position for local speeds but with the screen raised on the highway it's quiet as a tomb. For the record, I also use Etymotic ER-6i Isolators.

 

[hcmiller52]

I went with the Large shield from Cal Sci and love it. Buffeting is ok in the low position for local speeds but with the screen raised on the highway it's quiet as a tomb. For the record, I also use Etymotic ER-6i Isolators.

Tony -

thanks a lot for the recommendation. I went to the Calsci website and read their info and checked out the links. This looks like a great windshield, designed by people who really understand the science of air management, so I'm going to order one today. I, too, most always wear ear protection, either the foam plugs or my custom silicone ones with speakers in them.

Curt

 

[hcmiller52]

I've ordered a Calsci XL for my bike. will let the group know what I find. From Tony's recommendation and all the others I've found, it appears to be a winner.

Thanks, again, Tony, for the suggestion. I'll be riding it to the national in 2 weeks.

Curt

 

[ajtrama]

I've ordered a Calsci XL for my bike. will let the group know what I find. From Tony's recommendation and all the others I've found, it appears to be a winner.

Thanks, again, Tony, for the suggestion. I'll be riding it to the national in 2 weeks.

Curt

Good luck with it Curt. See you in PA !

 

[hcmiller52]

I received this screen via UPS and put it on the bike in 10 minutes. The screen was well packaged and came with a bottle of spray cleaner and a big microfiber rag. Very nice presentation, overall.

The screen appeared beautiful and did show rough edges around the cutout, as one other individual had mentioned in another post somewhere. It is a non-issue, period.

I rode the bike a couple of hundred miles on interstates and found it to be a HUGE improvement over the stock shield. Nothing is perfect, however, and in order to get good protection, you do see the top of the shield in your line of sight...at least I do. For total protection, you need to raise it and then you are looking right through it. It isn't possible, except standing on the pegs, to see over it. But the ride is comfortable and quiet in that high position. I guess we'd all love to have a tiny shield that protected us from wind, made everything quiet and eliminated wind blast. This shield does two out of three really well. I don't think it's possible to do better.

Curt