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How is the performance of the OEM touring windscreen ? Does the wind hit you in the chest, neck or does it clear your helmet ?

Bradkap wrote:How is the performance of the OEM touring windscreen ? Does the wind hit you in the chest, neck or does it clear your helmet ?

The performance can best be described as mediocre, bordering on awful. The noisy wind hits you mid nipple and the turbulence above it will rattle your fillings.

It does look nice though. I still have one on a shelf somewhere - dunno why actually..

I'm 6' 1" and use the high comfort seat and with the touring windscreen the airflow seems to be deflected to just below my chin. The airflow is noisier and more turbulent with the windscreen than without, but it takes the pressure off the chest. The noise and turbulence are only an issue near highway speeds and above, but of course that is when you need protection the most. I also find the windscreen degrades the smooth damped feel of the handlebars slightly.

I can't decide if I prefer the bike with or without the windscreen and have taken it on and off enough times that I've damaged the threads for the bracket mounting bolts (I use anti seize compound now).

Raising myself up off the seat on the naked bike gives the smoothest and quietest airflow by far

Whatever answer you get it may be correct for the person answering, but it will very likely not helpful for you. There are too many factors at play here:

1) Your height and body shape
2) Your riding position
3) Whether you have a pre 2011 or 2011+ (the windshield is raked back much more on the newer model, making it better)
4) Your helmet
5) Whether you prefer "clean air flow" (no shield) or no air flow with wind deflected above the helmet

What works for one person might or might not work for the next. What one person prefers can be unacceptable for the other. So, therefore, asking this question will not give you the answers you'll like to hear.

Well put.

I like the OEM touring screen. Keeps pressure off the chest, diverts air to the sides not over the top of the screen. I get relatively clean air on the helmet, I use a full face Shoei. YMMV

cug wrote:Whatever answer you get it may be correct for the person answering, but it will very likely not helpful for you. There are too many factors at play here:

1) Your height and body shape
2) Your riding position
3) Whether you have a pre 2011 or 2011+ (the windshield is raked back much more on the newer model, making it better)

Actually - side by side my '07 and a friends '12 - about the same angle (taking into account that mine is tilted back a bit.) Not a huge difference. The ability to tilt the new one back more is greater due to the new instrument pod design, but more difficult to do because of how the bottom of the bracket mounts to the bike. Can't understand exactly why BMW changed that.

4) Your helmet
5) Whether you prefer "clean air flow" (no shield) or no air flow with wind deflected above the helmet

What works for one person might or might not work for the next. What one person prefers can be unacceptable for the other. So, therefore, asking this question will not give you the answers you'll like to hear.

Correct, it probably won't give him a definitive answer - but I know of very few people who have the stock touring windshield still on their bikes, despite having paid for one. It seems the appearance of the shield was of more importance then the performance. BMW has a wind tunnel or two or three - they could certainly have done a bit better, but I suspect marketing dictated the look, not so much performance (gotta SELL those bikes 'ya know..)

I'd add another point to your list:
6) How fast you ride and how much. A faster rider will become more tired and annoyed by buffeting, and one who rides a lot (I try..) will be annoyed enough to try something else. That's how I ended up with 7 windshields in my garage.. So far my favorite is the 18" original Cee Bailey tipped back a bit. Tried the new CB design and it wasn't for me (the side wings added turbulence in my shoulder area that I found quite annoying at NJ highway speeds - 80MPH or so..)

Very much a case of YMMV - which I guess was your point. My point is - having 7 windshields in my garage (and having owned several more that I gave away or sold) - the stock touring shield is likely the last one I'd put back on.

deilenberger wrote: The performance can best be described as mediocre, bordering on awful. The noisy wind hits you mid nipple and the turbulence above it will rattle your fillings.

It does look nice though...

Ditto on that Don.

I've got the Wunderlich Trophy Fairing now and it looks great, performs pretty well and has almost none of the turbulence I had with the OEM Touring Windscreen. Every screen is a compromise of qualities and for me, it's the best I've had. I'd prefer more coverage, it blocks about as much wind as the touring screen, but in my experience that usually leads to more of the helmet-rattling buffeting.

Yes, a workable windshield is dependant on many parameters. But examples of others approach can be useful in ways to explore your needs. I always wear ear plugs so noise so to speak, is not on my screen. I have BMWs' "Touring Screen". Wind off the chest is great but I found the buffeting zone near my chin to neck. I'm 6'1" and have a custom seat by Riches, which raised me up and back. For a reference I remove the screen and rode for awhile with out it. Beautiful clean air and not as much pressure on the chest as I would have thought. I liked the look of the sport screen until the price came up. Since I had the touring screen already what would I loose trying to alter it? I cut 2" off the top. Very easy to do as many woodworking tools shape lexan as they do wood. A coping saw and a very sharp small hand plane worked so well, it looks close to factory. The buffeting was now near my lower neck. So off came another inch and at the same time I remove 3/4" off each side. That was for proportions, just aesthetics, and mimicking the sport shield with less coverage. I also cut the upper points on the bracket down to the first joint. Now the buffeting is across the top of my shoulders and my head is in clean air. For me a big improvement! Just did a 1100k ride over 2 days, a good part at highway speed, and will happily stick with this. Took the opportunity to paint the lower part of the screen. This is an 09 and that instrument cluster is butt ugly. The paint wraps around not letting my eye get tangled in that mess. Just my taste……..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/100825568@N05/

I've been reading all the windscreen posts I could find since I bought my R1200R in May or early June.
Some pretty lengthlly reviews, but as mentioned above, the only way you'll know if it works for you is to try them all!
Personally, I don't think a non touring bike will ever be perfect with any of the add-on screens.
I would think the best windshield would be the one used on the RT, but here, in Canada, the mounting bracket is about $23,000.00!

duplicate.

scarecrow wrote:I cut 2" off the top. Very easy to do as many woodworking tools shape lexan as they do wood. A coping saw and a very sharp small hand plane worked so well, it looks close to factory. The buffeting was now near my lower neck. So off came another inch and at the same time I remove 3/4" off each side. That was for proportions, just aesthetics, and mimicking the sport shield with less coverage. I also cut the upper points on the bracket down to the first joint. Took the opportunity to paint the lower part of the screen. This is an 09 and that instrument cluster is butt ugly. The paint wraps around not letting my eye get tangled in that mess. Just my taste……..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/100825568@N05/

Looks great, like a factory windscreen option.

For 2007 until model change, Dan "C" block to tilt back and tallest Cal Science. Best combo I've found. Although on recent 4500 mile run I used, at the last minute, a Parabellum tallest, as it was in better shape and wider gave me some additional shoulder protection.

I have a touring screen on my 07 bike (from new). I have been quite happy with it, I'm not sure where it sends the air but it does allow me to ride a couple of hours at 90mph without much discomfort. I am a 5ft6in shortass and the bike has the factory low seat option so the wind probably whistles over my head . I love the bike and can't think of anything I want to change it for.

Phil

I'm using it as well and I'm 6'4" with a high seat. Its at the size limit of what I consider acceptable on a naked bike. If you think you need more wind protection you don't need a bigger screen, you need a bike that's not naked

Woland wrote:I'm using it as well and I'm 6'4" with a high seat. Its at the size limit of what I consider acceptable on a naked bike. If you think you need more wind protection you don't need a bigger screen, you need a bike that's not naked

I agree, and like I posted before I'm quite happy with the OEM screen. The screen is almost vertical so it parts the air off to the sides not so much over the top so "clean" air is delivered to the helmet, same as you would get with no screen. It does it's job to relieve air pressure off the chest.

I'm with Don on the first C Bailey 18" screen. I bought my bike with the OE touring screen, I think that was noisiest windshield I've been behind.

After 4 other shields, the best was no shield at all, the 18" C Bailey with a 3/4" tilt seemed to be tolerable. Yah there is still some wind noise but the buffeting was reduced a great deal.

I sit on the regular height BMW comfort seat, I'm 5"9 and look over the shield by about 3". I normaly wear ear plugs if I go very far.