The F800 Windshield Roundup

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The F800 Windshield Roundup

Postby Aether » Sat Aug 25, 2007 8:01 pm

From Left to Right: California Scientific 22" - ZTechnic V-Stream 16" - Skidmarx Double Bubble - Stock ST Screen - (not pictured Cee Bailey 22" - see addendum below)

Image

First off some disclaimers to point out the obvious:
1) Not every person is the same height
2) Even if two people are the same height, some people have longer legs while others have longer torsos
3) Different seats, rider posture and riser heights effect where a rider's head is positioned in the windstream
4) Different helmets cause different "sound effects"

Ok, so let me give you some specs on myself and my bike to put things in perspective... I'm 5'9", I weigh 170 and have a 30" inseam. My F800ST is equiped with a low seat (which I believe is 1" lower than stock) and the SW Motech risers (increasing handlebar height by 25mm (1.0") and move them back 25mm (1.0"), producing an overall handelbar displacement of 35.4mm (1.4") at a 45 degree angle from the original position.) I typically wear an HJC CL-33 3/4 open face helmet with flip down face shield and on sunny days, Spy Optics Meteor sunglasses.

First off, I'll start off with the stock ST shield. I found it not too loud, but suffered a fair amount of buffeting. I could not ride off above 20mph with the face shield up due to the amount of wind hitting me in the face, getting under my sunglasses, bouncing them around and causing my eyes to tear up.

Next I tried the V-Technic shield - which was on the demo bike that I rode at the dealer. A big drop in the buffeting, but converse to the stock shield, much noisier. If I stood a little on the pegs, it quieted down significantly. Alas, even though buffeting was lessened, the wind was hitting me in just the right way that I was suffering the same issues with trying to ride at speed with the face shield up. With it down, it would sometimes cause loud whistling noises, so I kept it partially cracked.

I won the CalSci screen on EBay for a whopping $26 from A&S Cycles in CA. It arrived yesterday. Lookswise, this makes the bike look like a real tourer. No buffeting at all since it sends the windstream up at my forehead. I was a bit skeptical about what wind would be coming through the two big holes near the bottom, but I can't really feel anything, however I fully expect bug splatter on the back of the controls. I definitely get windnoise where the windstream hits at almost exactly where the helmet and face shield meet, but it's slightly better than stock. If I duck my head down slightly, the noise is almost entirely gone, because at that point, it's going up over the helmet. Obviously with the wind hitting this high up, I can keep my face shield up without my glasses bouncing around or getting teary-eyed. Not much of any wind hits my body which makes this a good cooler weather screen, but fairly stifling with today's 98 degree F and 80% humidity. Coming from a cruiser background, standar wisdom is that a windshield should be about level with your nose and you shouldn't have to look through it. For me, this screen is perfect in that regards.

Today I received the tinted Skidmarx double bubble screen and I was amazed to find that even though it's about the same height in the middle as the stock ST screen, I get less buffeting, about the same noise level, and strangely, I can keep my face shield open and no sunglass wobble or teary-eyes. Not to say that I didn't have a bug or two disintegrate on my face, but that was the only discomfort. Nice airflow for a hot and humid day - especially when you take into account the option for open face shield riding - and it looks great on the bike.

In conclusion, choosing the shields with the least buffeting and noise with the option for open face shield riding, I believe I will be sticking with the Skidmarx screen for hot weather riding and the CalSci screen for cooler weather. Again, YMMV based on your own physical stats and bike setup.

-------
Addendum 9/8/2007:

As mentioned in my review, I liked the Cal Sci screen as my choice for cooler weather in that it was exactly the right height for me eliminating buffeting and most noise. My only concern was the fact that the slots near the bottom of the shield would allow bugs and other stuff to flow through and accumulate on the back of the instrument panel.

I received the 22" Cee Bailey's windshield today. When measured from bottom to top, it's the same height as the Cal Sci screen. However, due to the curvature of the screen (it bubbles in over the controls and then flares back upward), the relative height when mounted is significantly lower. Additionally, as warned on the company's web site, you need to be careful when used in conjunction with risers. When first mounted I found that when my bars were in full lock to the left, the brake lever contacted the screen. I slipped a couple of rubber washers as spacers under the screen on each of the side bolts and slightly adjusted the orientation of the brake lever downward to get the needed clearance.

Off I went for a ride and it quickly became apparent that due to the lower relative height, that this screen wasn't what I was hoping for. As I cranked it up to 20mph with my visor open, the noise started and my sunglasses started to wobble. Waving my hand in front of my face I determined that the wind blast was hitting me directly at eye level.

For now it looks like the winners are still the Cal Sci for cool weather and the Skidmarx Double Bubble for warm weather. I am considering contacting Cal Sci to see if they will make me a custom screen without the slots.


Side comparison of Cee Bailey and Cal Sci:
Image

Front comparison:
Image

Cee Bailey mounted:
Image

Cal Sci mounted:
Image

Skidmarx Double Bubble mounted:
Image
Last edited by Aether on Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-Adam

2014 Triumph Street Triple R (3 Cylinder LandJet)
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1966 BMW R60/2 - R75 Conversion w/ Sidecar (2 cylinder/3 wheel fun)
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Postby Ben_Ricci » Sat Aug 25, 2007 8:38 pm

Nice summary. Great approach to finding the optimal screen for warm/cool riding. I found the stock screen on my wife's F800ST to be brutle with regards to buffeting. It is very similar (for my wife and I) to the stock R12ST windscreen: it directs the airflow directly into our face shields, which is (1) buggy; and (2) too turbulent. We ordered a Cee Bailey's Convex Euro Cut so that the airflow hits just above the face shield. I have a Cee Bailey's on my R12ST and it works perfectly (although not too stylish) for providing a nice stream of air through my Shoei X-11. Hopefully the CB F800 application will work as well. But this truly is an inexact science and every rider faces a unique situation (no pun intended) in selecting a suitable windscreen.
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Postby Donkes » Mon Sep 03, 2007 4:26 pm

I've come to love my F800ST more than my R1200RT. Thanks for the info.
Donkes
 

Postby moneill » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:09 pm

Thanks for the info and hope to see some photos of the screens on the bike too when you get a chance.
moneill
 

Postby Aether » Wed Sep 05, 2007 7:35 pm

I'll try to do an update in the next week or two with more pictures. After Ben's post I went to the Cee Bailey site and ordered the big 22" screen they offer. I want to compare it with the similarly sized Cal Sci screen. As I mentioned above, my only misgivings about the Cal Sci are the big cutouts which I think are going to let too much bug guts and other stuff through onto the back of the instrument panel.

-A
-Adam

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Bump for updated article at top

Postby Aether » Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:04 pm

I have added an addendum including more pictures and an additional review of the 22" Cee Bailey's screen
-Adam

2014 Triumph Street Triple R (3 Cylinder LandJet)
1976 BMW R75/6 (2 cylinder/2 wheel fun)
1966 BMW R60/2 - R75 Conversion w/ Sidecar (2 cylinder/3 wheel fun)
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Postby Unity » Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:18 pm

Wow, you can see the difference in optical quality between the Cee Bailey and Cal Sci (the edge going decisively to the aircraft plastics specialists).

--John 8)
2002 R1150RT, Silver
Silver, the "cool and aloof" color.
(Road & Track Vol. 56, No.2, p. 19)

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Postby marklawrence » Sun Sep 23, 2007 7:34 pm

Cee Baileys doesn't make aircraft windshields. They sold that portion of their business several years ago.

Optics must be judged from behind the shield, not from the side. With all those compound curves, I assure you the CB is nothing like optically correct.
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Postby moneill » Sun Sep 23, 2007 7:44 pm

I found two Cee Baileys on ebay and bought both of them. I got the 19in euro commuter and the 22in touring for $38 and $40. Both are grey tint and used but for that price I thought I would buy both and see which one worked for me. Will post something once I get them and try them out for a while.
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Postby Unity » Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:53 pm

marklawrence wrote:Cee Baileys doesn't make aircraft windshields. They sold that portion of their business several years ago.

Hi, marklawrence, welcome to the BMWBMW boards. I believe "Cee Bailey's Aircraft Plastics" is still the name of the company. We were only chatting about motorcycle windscreens, not aircraft windshields.

marklawrence wrote:Optics must be judged from behind the shield, not from the side. With all those compound curves, I assure you the CB is nothing like optically correct.

Looking at the front, in the photos, the CB example appears crisper and clearer, which seems like optical quality to me. "Optically correct" is something else entirely, and I know from my own (AeroFlow) compound-curved screen that these things distort, but who looks through a windscreen? I think you mistook my use of "edge" to mean the side of the screen. It means about the same as "small advantage."

--John 8)
2002 R1150RT, Silver
Silver, the "cool and aloof" color.
(Road & Track Vol. 56, No.2, p. 19)

1971 Triumph Bonneville, Gold
Gold, the "paying the restorer" color.
(Trust me.)
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Postby marklawrence » Sun Nov 18, 2007 6:00 pm

We've just released a new touring windshield for the F800ST:

Image

It's available now in three sizes.

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/F800prod.html

mark@calsci.com
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Re: The F800 Windshield Roundup

Postby amady » Fri Oct 21, 2011 8:16 am

Great review!!! I've been doing some research myself, but only with stock windshield. My noise problem is gone if I avoid air to enter below my helmet (Nolan N102), but still trying to figure out how to!. cialis online
amady
 


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