R1100S Windscreen Option

[107driver]

Looking for something with better coverage than the stock windscreen, ideally still a bit sporty. Has anyone installed the Wunderlich Vario? Is this made by MRA?

Thanks,
--Matt

[Steve Carlton]

Which one do you have now? Post a pic if you don't know.

[flynford]

The Wunderlich Vario is made by MRA.

[107driver]

Currently have the Wunderlich standard low tinted, but it was cracked by a minivan braille-parking incident. I'd rather have something clear or very lightly tinted.

[Trex]

I have had a number of windscreens on my 2004 1100S. I tried the Vario and loved it. As a distraction, it is right up there with a GPS. You can't keep your hands off it, as you constantly fiddle with it, moving it up and down while on the fly. I loved it and it looked great. But, it did not do what I wanted it to do. I was looking for something bigger and taller (I am 6') for highway speeds of 80mph - 100 mph. The stock screen was allowing too much air to buffet my helmet around.

After buying some screens and borrowing some screens from another 1100s rider, I wound up getting a one-off screen that was made for Nate Kern's 1100S set up for Daytona - it was from the shop, Main Line BMW, that was sponsoring him at the time. Nobody knows for sure, but I think the screen was made by Cee Bailley (it's a truly one-off screen with no production codes molded into the plastic). The screen was considerably taller with a nice lip flipped up at the top. It worked and provided a nice pocket of still air up to about 110-115 mpg. But, on the svelt lines of the 1100S it stood out like an excited lad in a speedo. For vanity's sake I took it off and went back to the stock screen and have stayed with that. I find that I am doing less highway miles (more putt-ing around back roads) and keeping the speeds down.

A couple of points: Cee Bailley makes good screens and the guys are helpful there (I had bought one earlier from them but it was not tall enough). I would suggest you buy a screen slightly larger and try it out. Keep in mind screens can be taller and they can be wider and they can be both. However, it is like trying to find a porridge that's not too hot and not too cold. At $150 - $200 a pop, it is not a fun game. The search for a better 1100S windscreen has come up before on this board. If only there was a National Lend/Lease Program for 1100S windscreens. I suggest you keep an eye on the used parts site and see if anything comes up. Or, buy a larger (longer/taller) screen and if it doesn't work, sell it on the used parts site. Keep in mind that there are minor band-aids you can attach to your screen that might help. Staeng (I think) makes a black rubber molding (is it called microswirl edging?) that goes around the screen edge. I have used it and it works well. But it makes the bike look like you only had $10 to spend at Pep Boys and the microswirl edging is not cheap. Or is it Staeng that makes the add-on clear plastic wing that attaches (how?) to the top of an existing windscreen? I have not used that, but I hear good things about it.

Above all, go back and search the subject here on this board. There has been a lively discussion of the subject in the past. Note that some of the discussion gets to the question of what it is that you really should be looking for in a windscreen. Do you want a screen that will offer full protection? Perhaps it is better to get the blast of wind hitting your chest or just at the top of the helmet. Far wiser 1100S owners than me offer their opinions.

Do a search, articulate as best you can what it is that you are really looking for in a different screen and then try one. Just keep the stock one handy.

[AndrewA]

I tried about 18 different screens on my R1100S, as well as spent some time customizing heights on the stock screens. I finally found this: TwistedThrottle.com : MRA SpoilerScreen Windshield for BMW R1100S - MRA.07.006.S

The design creates a buffet-free tunnel that your mellon sits in. I liked it so much that I got one for my R1200S. I'm 6'0.

[txmxrider]

I put the MRA Touring W/S on my '99 R1100S and I love it. It's about 4" taller than stock and has a turned up lip at the top. It works great and the dark tint looks good too. And it's not overly expensive, about $115 from Twisted Throttle as I recall. I'm 5'9" and it provides a nice, quiet pocket of air at cruising speeds. I guess if I had to look for something to complain about it would be the fact that it's a tad thinner material than stock and consequently it tends to shake a bit at idle but that's not a show stopper for me. If something were to happen to mine I'd buy another one just like it.

[107driver]

@Trex: Dang, that is a lot to consider, and thank you. Surprising that the Vario did not succeed.

@Andrew: That screen definitely has the most aesthetic appeal.

@txmx: so the touring is different than the one referenced by Andrew above, right?

Thanks to all for the help!!!

[Rapid Dog]

...depends on you stature and seat height, for me (after a half dozen screens) it was the stock BMW 'comfort' screen that was best all around.

[txmxrider]

Right. The one Andrew refers to has an adjustable spoiler on the top lip. Check out the Twisted Throttle website. You have several types to choose from and they have photos and good descriptions of each one.

Rapid Dog has a good point. Rider height clearly matters as does whether you run your handlebars above or below the triple clamp.

Originally Posted by 107driver

@Trex: Dang, that is a lot to consider, and thank you. Surprising that the Vario did not succeed.

@Andrew: That screen definitely has the most aesthetic appeal.

@txmx: so the touring is different than the one referenced by Andrew above, right?

Thanks to all for the help!!!

[txmxrider]

PM me if you'd like some photos of the Touring w/s on the bike.

[Drews323i]

I thought i would add to this. My R11S came with the factory touring screen. I really liked the look of the touring screen but the wind noise and buffeting was crazy. I'm 5'7" with a 30" inseam. It just wasn't working. So after some research on this forum i went with the 7jurock.com short screen. I received the screen in no time. Quality is top notch. After the install i went for a ride. No more noise or buffeting at all. I can ride with my visor open at 60mph! The only downsides i see are there's less airflow thru my helmet vents. And the new screen isn't blacked out at the bottom like the factory one. The "light tint" is very light also.

[Polestar]

MRA Vario: Agree with TREX. I was always adjusting the spoiler. For me, it never provided the pocket of smooth air for which I was looking. However, it does work to a degree. MRA makes a good product.

I wear a Schuberth c3 helmet which is the quietest and most aerodynamic helmet I've ever owned. I say this because my lack of success with windscreens over the years leads me to the minimalist approach. (All I've ever tried create more buffeting around the helmet- unless one goes with a huge screen that you have to look through.)

Anyone have experience with GP500 windscreens?





I've ordered one off ebay for $69.

[bmoore5002]

Im 6ft tall and have a dark parabellum works pretty good I had that seing or sang edging on the top of it for about 4 years with . It seamed to work but one nite screaming down the road it departed and I couldn't find it . That stuff is about 3bucks a inch and it never was replaced

[bradzdotcom]

Originally Posted by Rapid Dog

...depends on you stature and seat height

ah, an experienced voice of reason. us crusty old guys rule!

guess what peeps: we can recommend till our fingers fall off, and even though they're probably all good tips, windscreens are like...um....not chocolates...how about freckles.
yea...freckles. everybody's are different.

you're stabbing a hole in the air. it looks a lot like a horizontal teardrop. most of the teardrop is already determined by the rest of the bike's aerodynamics, but when you toss in a rider and his accessories, everything changes.

a short guy who sits fairly straight up is going to have a totally different experience with the exact same fairing used by a tall guy who bends forward.

do you ride with your elbows tucked in our spread out?
knees against the tank or are they dragging wind in?

saddlebags? travel trunk? extra lights up front?

all those things can significantly change the aeros.

are you getting hit by blowing air (or a sucking vacuum) in the chest? forehead? back of the helmet? are your shoulders being pushed slightly towards the front?
sore neck at ride's end?

there's lot of differences in fairings.
a frequent mistake is to get a taller windshield, then have to deal with back pressure...then they put on the saddlebags....back pressure goes away, but front tire wiggles slightly, causing confusing tire wear indications.
aerodynamics are invisible voodoo magic.

best place to start: take the dang thing off and go ride it for about an hour. FEEL what's going on, where the air pressure is, etc.
then put it back on. feel again.

fun one: sit in your usual spot, then move a few inches back. whole different deal.
or slip to one side, like a road racer.

we don't all wear the same helmet, jackets and boots. we come in a variety of sizes and shapes. so do fairings.
similar to dating women, sometimes it takes a few purchases (and returns) to find what works best for you. (your mileage may vary on the woman thing).

so there ya go, fairings are just like freckles.
everybody has some, and they're all different.

unless, of course, you're a red head with thousands of freckles.
in which case, you're totally screwed.

[ckcarr]

Originally Posted by bradzdotcom

...how about freckles.
yea...freckles. everybody's are different.

Did you say freckles?

[twodear]

Well said Brad. Depending on the variables that Brad mentioned, at best you're going to have a compromise. What is the result you're looking for...most important to you? For me it wasn't noise, I wear ear plugs and don't have any distractions like ipods or talking GPS etc. Buffeting is more annoying than bugs and wind pressure from the front and hate looking through perspex. A tall screen resulted in both buffeting and degraded vision. The standard screen on both the R1100S and R1200S were fine as they were. On the 2003 R1150GS, the screen is removed altogether for the best result on everything short of a genuine tour. On a tour, bugs/rocks/rain and the sorts of expected hazards when travelling on dirt roads were the primary concern so they took precedence over buffeting and vision since I'd be standing up for the rough spots anyway.

[Polestar]

So..no one's had experience with the GP 500 windscreen, I take it?

Just trying to get the opinion of someone who's tried it. No need to lecture on fluid dynamics, back pressure, height of rider. Those are givens. Still, there are oodles of aftermarket windscreens and they don't all do the same job at reducing helmet buffeting. I know, because, like many, I've purchased my share of aftermarket windscreens. I had a V-Strom and the OEM screen was terrible. Purchased a Madstad bracket which allowed tilt at the bottom, providing air and reducing back pressure. Worked great.

Any GP 500 owners out there?

[BumbleBeemer36]

Ah, so the Madstad bracket really works? Ha ha, kidding - not gonna hijack this thread with Strom talk.

I got a cee bailey used here and the buffeting was pretty bad for my height (5' 10" and bars over triple). I experimented while riding and found that lifting out of the seat a bit and stretching my neck gave me cleaner air. I went to a plexiglas place on town with a masking tape line applied to it and they whacked 3" off (lol). I never had them finish the edge in case I wanted to take another inch off. It got a lot better but I went back to stock for short trips and haven't went back.

CB screens are wider which took the wind pressure off my chest - on a bike with a forward lean position for the rider, that increased wrist pressure. It wasn't worth the trade off.

[bradzdotcom]

and just to throw my freckles into the pile:
five foot, seven-eight ish.
i ride somewhat tucked in (elbows, knees) when i pay attention.
i tossed the stock fairing. too much blow back.
got the shorter one. still was sucking me into the instrument panel.
whacked an inch off of that.

in normal air, i get just enough wind hitting the top inch of the helmet to help hold up my head at fwy speeds. if there's a head wind or crosswind, i go home with a slightly sore neck.

if i put on the saddlebags, it all goes to hell.
add a passenger and everything from tach to taillight turns into tornado alley.