Ztechnik shield update & pics

[eisen]

After a quick jump to London, I returned home with a few new toys for the R12R:

1) MV Verholen bar risers (Two thumbs up)
2) Ztechnik Windshield
3) BMW GPS holder (I can finally find my way home )
4) MV Verholen lowered passenger footpegs (not installed yet…)
5) Sheepskin seat cover (Really comfy)
6) Airhawk seat pad (thanks Chitown!)

The Ztechnik is well made, feels sturdy and has an excellent chassis (very, very strong). Now comes the “however”…..It was absolutely UNBEARABLE. I rode home and immediately felt the buffeting on my helmet. Also, the noise almost made my ears bleed.

So I went out for a longer ride – during which I tried all sorts of body positions, sitting on my airhawk, sitting on the sheepskin, bobbing my head, crouching down. But nothing helped. And my ears still hurt (yes, even with earplugs)

I am 1.89m (around 6’2) and I use a tall seat. I would recommend the Ztechnik to anyone under 1.72m using a low seat. Then the windblast would be directly OVER the helmet and create a lovely calm “bubble” for the driver. Ztechnik made a great product – unfortunately it is not suitable for me.

This morning I replaced the Ztechnik with the original BMW “high” shield and my ears and head are once again happy

Word of warning: THE ZTECHNIK WINDSHIELD CANNOT BE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BAR RISERS UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO PHYSICALLY CUT DOWN THE RISERS (like I did).

Also, the bar risers cannot be used with the standard brake line (despite Verholen stating that you CAN). I used a replacement line from a GS and it fits perfectly. Consequently, i sent an e-mail to MV verholen complaining that they are misleading their customers AND putting them in danger by stating that their product does not need a longer brake line. I'm sure i'll get a response

Here are some pictures of the Ztechnik:

Looks amazing & fits the lines of the bike perfectly










Bar risers are effective and well made


The GPS holder is a nice addition too






Overall, i am really happy with my new farkles.
Buying 3rd party products in order to "personalise" the bike are always going to result in a bit of trial and error - but then that is half the fun of owning a bike.

Regards,

E

[Lost Rider]

Glad you like the AirHawk Eisen. It's great if you actually take the time to get it adjusted right.
Good lookin' bike you have there...

Too bad you don't like the wind shield, you are a few inches taller than me, so..... I always thought it was loud on naked motorcycle, but the Z screen does amplify the noise compared to a smaller screen, it's a trade off. Protection vs. noise. Maybe the taller Z shield is what you need?
Either way, glad someone in the world is enjoying their 1200R, I'm still snowed in....

[NCGS]

I'm sure i'll get a response

Please let us know if you do. On more than one occasion I've come very close to buying a pair of their bar-backs. You're the first guy I've heard say that they don't fit. I'll be interested to hear what they have to say.

How much longer is the GS brake line?

[bmwk100]

Great looking windshield. How long did it take to install? How long does it take to remove?

[qgaex]

Hi Eisen

I can somehow confirm your observations:

1) I use the GIVI screen now for winter riding. That looks rather very much like the Ztechnik screen and yes, at 175 cm height I have this "lovely bubble" if I let myself sag on the seat sufficiently.

2) I use the same type of MV risers. Looking at your pictures it seems like the fixing frame of the screen slightly lengthens the path for the brake line. But even without that the line is used to the limit and it seems MV trust in the riders judgement not to tilt the handlebar backwards too much. So very carefully I chose a handlebar position where the brake line is not stretched overmuch even when turning full left. (In Germany these alterations have to be accepted by the technical surveillance (TUV) and my setup passed without comment...)

Cheers

qgaex
*farklingverycarefullysinceafterallthebikeissupposedtobelightweight*

[Handsome Jim]

I too have the Verholen bar backs. Before I mounted my Ztechnik w/s the stock brake line was ok (barely). When I added the windshield I had to swap out the brake line with one from an R1200GS. One other problem I encountered was that the mounting bracket for the Ztechnik did not fit around the Verholen bar backs. I solved this problen by grinding a larger opening on the the mounting bracket so that it fit around the bar backs.

[jacksgp]

I installed a lamier lip, which is a extension that added to your windshield will stop all the buffering. Of course we are all different as far as size and riding positions are concerned but in my case the "lip" worked wonders. Just A thought !

[Handsome Jim]

Jack, which Laminar Lip did you use. Their website doesn't list one for eithe the R1200R or the Ztechnik w/s?

[jacksgp]

Handsome Jim...Perhaps the r1200r is so new that a lamier lip has not yet been produced! I have a 1996 r850r that has a bmw windshield and am very satisfied with the result. I thought that the "lamier" people made lips for all windshields but am not sure. Call or e-mail them might be a good idea. Good Luck!

[deilenberger]

Handsome Jim...Perhaps the r1200r is so new that a lamier lip has not yet been produced! I have a 1996 r850r that has a bmw windshield and am very satisfied with the result. I thought that the "lamier" people made lips for all windshields but am not sure. Call or e-mail them might be a good idea. Good Luck!

The question they'd have is - for what windshield? If you look at the shields people have on their R1200Rs - it ranges from the stock sport one to the stock touring to one of 3 sizes of Cee-Bailey, and then Z-technik and Wudo or others. There are probably 6-7 different windscreens for the R12R (and I've had/tried most of them..) so expecting LaminarLip to make "an R1200R" one is a bit unreasonable.

Hoping to try the Wunderlich VarioScreen in a few days.. that will make windshield #6 for me.. I'm hoping the VarioScreen can be adapted to the BMW Touring mount (just a hope at this point - won't know until I get it..)

[Handsome Jim]

I took my first extended ride with the Ztechnik w/s today, about 400 miles. This is one noisy sucker. I'm going to have to shorten it by 2 or 3 inches in order to get my head out of the maelstrom. Do any of you fella have any experience trimming polycarbonate?

[tobes]

I also got the ZTechnik shield and have been riding with it for several weeks. I'm on the fence about it now. I really like the look of it and it provides good protection. Downside is at speeds above 75 it is noisy and put some turbulence on the helmet. While it's not totally unacceptable for me, I'm 5' 9.5", I'd like to find a way to reduce the noise and turbulence. I've emailed Laminar to see if a lip is available. But while riding I've tried pulling the shield down toward me a couple of inches. That seems to cut the noise. So I'm interested to see if it can be cut down some and what the effect is.

[OlyVR]

...Also, the bar risers cannot be used with the standard brake line (despite Verholen stating that you CAN). I used a replacement line from a GS and it fits perfectly. E

Eisen,

Thanks for the review, it'll make me not get the Z-Technik.

Sorry it didn't work for you - it worked fine for me.
Can you tell me the part number for the GS brake line and how much slack you now have?

I have a set of HP2 bars that I would like to fit, but the brake line is too short, so I'm hoping "yours" will work.

Thanks,
Oliver

[eisen]

Eisen,

Thanks for the review, it'll make me not get the Z-Technik.

Sorry it didn't work for you - it worked fine for me.
Can you tell me the part number for the GS brake line and how much slack you now have?

I have a set of HP2 bars that I would like to fit, but the brake line is too short, so I'm hoping "yours" will work.

Thanks,
Oliver

I will be at the BM garage on Wednesday or Thursday - so i'll get the part number for you.
The GS brake line gives me another 3cm or so of slack to play with!
Remember that once you replace the line, you will have to bleed the brakes and replace the copper rings which sit in the hose (can't think of the english translation right now )
All the other hoses (throttle cable, clutch cable, etc..) seem to be fine with the MV risers in place.

I will be selling my Ztechnik soon, as i am MUCH happier with the stock BMW "high" touring shield.
BTW, i tried the "sport" shield, but found it to be far too violent (on my upper body) at speeds over 120kph. So thats also going to collect dust in the closet...

Regards,

E

[eisen]

Great looking windshield. How long did it take to install? How long does it take to remove?

It does not take long - nor does it take any amount of skill/knowledge.
The main concern is removing the handle-bar and getting a friend to hold it while you put the frame/chassis in place.

Once the screen is in place - it is REALLY strong.
As you can see from my pics, it looks really good (well, i think it does ) and the frame goes unnoticed, even from a birds eye view.

[OlyVR]

Eisen,

Boy am I glad you're good at reading minds.

I just read my post again and have to say that I'm not good at multi-tasking.
My second paragraph was supposed to refer to the MV's and not the Windshield, so thanks for reading things I meant to say but not wrote down.

Thanks for the feedback on slack, I think 3cm is going to be enough. And thanks in advance for getting the part number.
As far as the copper rings, I think that that is an accurate description and I know exactly what you're talking about.
I think the officially they are called crush washers, but since English is my second language, I don't want to give vocabulary lessons.

[Handsome Jim]

The part number for the GS brakeline is 34327666805
The part number for the washers (seal rings) is : 07119963072 - 4 needed

I paid $86.48 for the line and .32 each for the seals plus 9.00 s&h from BMW of Daytona

[OlyVR]

The part number for the GS brakeline is 34327666805
The part number for the washers (seal rings) is : 07119963072 - 4 needed

I paid $86.48 for the line and .32 each for the seals plus 9.00 s&h from BMW of Daytona

Thanks Jim.

Looks like you decided to keep the R12, good!

[Handsome Jim]

I have just made a deal to trade my R1200R in on an R1200GS. I have a Ztechnik w/s that I would like to sell. I had the w/s cut down by 3" in order to eliminate the helmet buffeting. In addition I modified the mounting bracket to be able to use it with Verholen barbacks. If anyone is intereested contact my off list. I should be able to get some pics later this afternoon or tomorrow.

[Thinman]

Looks like the new taller Ztechnik (Z2406) is out http://shop.ztechnik.com/cgi-bin/ztech/ ... l=bm%2d050