Parabellum

["Tom Brown" <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Pete:

I'm 5" with a 30" inseam...so short legs, long torso.   My windscreen 
experience is with bikes other than yours, but there are some general 
observations that will probably help you decide.

I've tried a lot of windscreens on RTs.  Because RTs have adjustable screen 
angle, it's easier to make a screen work for you well, but some are better 
than others.

 I've found that if they're too low, (stock) you've got to have them nearly 
vertical for them to work and then they look sillly and push you in the back 
with air pressure.  My first alternative screen was an Aeroflow.  It was the 
older thin kind.   This screen was great and I used it for 4 years and about 
60K miles then traded it in with my old bike.  It still worked great after 
all those miles.

My first priority after buying the 1150 was replacing the screen.   I 
decided to try Cee Bailey this time.   The first Cee Bailey screen was a 
"Type 2" European version in a +6" height.  The profile of this screen is 
much like the Parabellums, that is, curved about like the stock BMW screen 
with extra height added.  I've found that too tall screens will buffet quite 
a bit and have to be aimed very low.  They have a very wide"sweet spot" as 
far as the angle is concerned.  The sweet spot, however, is mearly tolerable 
and no angle is really quiet.  I sent this first screen back.  They were 
very nice about it.   Great service from them.  I exchanged for a +4 / +4 
"Type 3" screen.   It's shaped like an Aeroflow.   I like it the best for 
general riding...not quite as nice as the old Aeroflow but, if you set it 
right, it has a sweet spot that's very quiet and turbulance free....but a 
lot of tire noise from the front wheel is reflected at the screen angle you 
need for the turbulence.   Still, it's a good screen and the one I use most 
of the year.

I do some winter survival riding, going on long trips around Thanksgiving 
from Chicago and coming back in early December.   Sometimes, it get's very 
cold.  I went out on a recent sunny Saturday...dry roads and 10F 
temps....not for sissies!   The +2" width was not keeping my arms and 
shoulder protected.   This is no problem in weather that sane people ride 
in, but in extreme cold, I needed more.   I bought another screen just like 
the above "Type 3, but with +4" in width.   It does a good job keeping me 
warm, but is more prone to buffeting and never is really quiet.

The stock RT screen is a cruel joke in my opinion.  Once you've tried a well 
designed larger screen, you won't be tempted to go back....at least on the 
RT.

Before all this, I had an Aeroflow screen.  I think it was better than 
either of my two.  It is my experience that Aeroflow really specializes in 
BMW screens and does a lot of riding with them to test the screen designs. 
They really seem to work.  Cee Bailey is an aircraft windshield maker who 
saw a new market for their products.   They make good quality stuff and they 
offer a huge variety, but I don't get the feel that they really go out and 
perfect their designs, they just copy things and throw them on the website. 
What you get is a lot of trial and error until you find something you like. 
My best advice is to talk to the Aeroflow people about your particular bike 
and ask them what you need.   Trying to save a few bucks on a windscreen 
that you'll be intimate with for the next 4 or 5 years of riding is no 
bargain.   I've got two acceptable shields for my bike and on unacceptable 
one (the stock one).   I wish I'd bought Aeroflow again.

Although I don't have direct experience with your "R", I do know that the GS 
windscreen system from Aeroflow is also very well designed and effective. 
I have no attachments with any of the windscreen makers.  I'm just of the 
mind that the right screen can make a huge difference in your riding 
experience and one really well designed screen is worth more than two almost 
right ones.

Further experience with a Ducati ST gave me another lesson.   The stock 
screen was just high enough to push air into the bottom of my helmet making 
it very loud.   I tried a taller "double-bubble" design, and it raised the 
airflow about 2 inches, still aiming the blast straight into my helmet, so I 
went with a low "sport" shield, which put the breeze down on my arms and 
chest.   No more buffeting or extra noise.   It was no louder than riding a 
naked bike.    This is the one I kept.   I had to clean bugs off my helmet, 
but the noise was much more tolerable than with the stock screen and the 
extra air served to support my torso during highway riding.

- -TB

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End of oilheads-digest V2 #21
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