Wind protection

[swissrob]

Never add winglets to a GS!!! On the GSA there is a metal bracket they bolt onto. On the GS it's only the plastic fairing. At about 140km/h plus say bye, bye to the winlets and a big hole in your fairing.

bullshit!!! i added winglets to a 2006 model and have done well over 160kmh with no probs at all - you have to use common sense and put a small packer block between the fairing and the windscreen bar, the fairing then doesnt vibrate or flex, and as you use large washers on the mounting bolts i suspect to have them rip out of the fairing u have to be going far faster than the bike is capable of.

the New GS also has the brackets on the frame also.

 

[drjohn]

Screen Height

Well this is interesting and at 6ft 4in and new to GS - I have recently bought an 1150, which is marvellous except for the buffeting. What are winglets - are they the feeble bits a of plastic I have seen on some 1200s ? How can they help ? Any other options than Wunderlich to look at _ I really need to get this sorted asap.

 

[deaninkl]

dr John,

you will find a lot of info. on this subject here, but in general its all down to personal preferences and what works for you. I have an 06 GS, I'm 5'9" and don't have a physical buffeting problem, I have the noise problem associated with buffeting. I have done the following.

1. Fitted a Laminar lip
2. Chnaged helmet from a flip up to full face (Nolan N84)
3. Fitted Winglets
4. Put a 6mm spacer between the screen lower securing screws (allows more air under the screen decreesing the negative pressure behind it)
5. Use 3M foam ear plugs

By far the biggest reduction in noise for me is with the ear plugs, all other things have helped, but good earplugs fitted correctly is the best and by far the cheapest solution.

For noise the cause is basically a vacuum caused between the screen and rider. Tourbinators in theory cure this problem, but I've not found them in Malaysia, where I live. This vacuum means that air flowing around the screen is sucked into the space at very high speed causing a lot of wind noise.

You being 6'4" may also suffer from wind blast, so for you maybe a higher screen will be enough.

First thing to do is take off the existing screen and go for a ride, compare the noise and blast to what you had before, then start playing with all the reccomendations you can find on here.. good luck.

Ps. the Schubesch S1 helmet is also said to make a lot of difference as its the best designed for sound damping out there.. again I can't get then here.

 

[robfin]

I have a Vario Sport Screen fitted to my 07 GS, in the Wunderlich catologue but cheeper at N.N's. It has reduced the buffeting and wind noise on M'ways, is better looking that the standard item and compared with the higher screen I had fitted to my 1150GS is a vast improvement as my tank bag cover no longer takes on the life of a parachute ( I think that is something to do with presure high/low created behind the screen.....?)
I am 6.3 and have the high seat option........sounds like a dating agency...!!!

robfin

 

[swissrob]

i fitted th NN super high wide screen - not much of a difference in width, in fact it looks a bit narrow at the top - a touch wider would be nice.

Its also very tall so you are looking over the top/thru it most of the time... the highwide may be better as its a bit smaller.

however i only get wind blast on the shoulders and can have the visor open at 130 - 140 kmh

 

[Owen Snell]

I tried a Laminar Lip on my GS and found that it did deflect the wind higher. Unfortunately, not high enough for me. A smaller rider (I am 6'4") may be OK with this, but not if you are tall. Also, the Lip seemed to increase the air turbulence a bit, so the air stream hitting the top of my helmet was not very comfortable.

I picked up a used Cee Baileys screen from a fellow Tosser, for whom it was too tall. I think it is not tall enough for me, but the airflow hitting my helmet is now pretty smooth compared to any position on the standard screen with or without Laminar Lip.

I still have to try the Lip with the Cee Baileys and also a home made extension, to make it higher but without the spoiler effect, to see what works best.

The Cee Baileys is a nicely made screen and IMHO looks better than the stock screen. They do custom heights / widths so you can tailor to suit your height, but it looks like an expensive option, which is why I started with the Lip.

Problem is, it is a lot of money to spend on an experiment that may not work. The recommendation would be, if possible, to try before you buy to see which option works best.

 

[Greybeard]

I have a Touratech extension which does make a difference although you can't disguise nthe fact that is a bolt on extra! I only use it for longer journeys, and because I've got a Garmin 2610 with Touratech lockable mounting bracket the up and down movement of the screen is limited - without the GPS I might experiment more with screen height to see what effect that has....

 

[Gabby]

Get one of these:

 

[Dreamer]

Never add winglets to a GS!!! On the GSA there is a metal bracket they bolt onto. On the GS it's only the plastic fairing. At about 140km/h plus say bye, bye to the winlets and a big hole in your fairing.

With respect... BOLLOCKS!

I've had winglets on my GS for >18 months - great at all speeds, make a big difference and my plastic is all still intact!

 

[Opti]

I have a Touratech extension which does make a difference although you can't disguise nthe fact that is a bolt on extra! I only use it for longer journeys, and because I've got a Garmin 2610 with Touratech lockable mounting bracket the up and down movement of the screen is limited - without the GPS I might experiment more with screen height to see what effect that has....

Hi Greybeard

I have just bought an '04 1200 and the buffeting is fairly bad even at my less than stella height of 5 7". I have tried moving the windscreen into its different settings but now considering an aftermarket solution.

My choices appear to be the laminar lip (but on their website they state this is for '05 models onwards? http://www.laminarlip.com/r1200gs.php)

or the Touratech spoiler. Would you say the TT parr makes a very big difference or only slight?

Thanks

Opti

 

[swissrob]

Never add winglets to a GS!!! On the GSA there is a metal bracket they bolt onto. On the GS it's only the plastic fairing. At about 140km/h plus say bye, bye to the winlets and a big hole in your fairing.

complete feckin shite......

 

[Opti]

My choices appear to be the laminar lip (but on their website they state this is for '05 models onwards? http://www.laminarlip.com/r1200gs.php)



Opti

Leo at Laminar has advised me that the reason the website refers to 05 models onwards is simply because the US didn't get the GS until 2005. Assuming the shield was unchanged between the '04 and '05 models then the lip should fit fine.

Opti

 

[its all poo]

very big screens

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134622

I can ride at 80mph with my helmet flipped up no glasses I am 6 feet 1

 

[Thorium]

Laminar Lip

Just back from 160km trip up the motorway and I'm battered and frozen from the wind buffeting....

I installed a Laminar Lip on my 2008 1200 GSA two days ago. It works.

• I did some testing without earplugs, and for the first time I was able to go down the motorway and hear the sound of the engine over the sound of the wind. Wow! Is that what it's supposed to sound like??!! I still use earplugs for 70MPH+ riding though.
• The lip needs to be mounted low, lower than you think, in order to work. Mine is about 12 mm from the lowest possible position, and if I need to remove it, I might try to move it a few mm further down.
• It works best in non-windy conditions. If you have strong side wind, you will have turbulence and buffeting no matter what you do.
• It will make the screen a bit more top heavy, and my screen resonates a fair bit on idle. On 1500+ RPMs it goes out of resonance, and remains completely steady.
• One drawback is that it raised the airflow to the point where the air intake on my helmet does not get much of a breeze. Not a big problem, but I have to lift my head up into the wind zone if I want to cool my lid. (I am 6'5", so this works ok for me.) I also find myself riding more with the visor partially open, which gives me a bit of air.

I would be surprised if it was not possible to gain some positive effect with a laminar lip on a GS also, but as the standard GS screen is lower, the lip might not be enough if you are a tall guy. Might be worth a try, though.

 

[Nemo]

Listen to the Dark Side..

......and cut your screen DOWN. Reduce the height of your screen and your shoulders, neck and head are now in clear air. (Lookes better than a perspex barn door on the front of your bike too). If you don't want to cut it, Nippy Normans sells a Black small screen. I've done thousands of miles like this in all weathers and I think it's great. I'm 6'4" and use an Arai Tour-X. Go on - you know you want to!

 

[ts2]

Question for Thorium

I'm interested in how you've fitted the laminar lip. I've tried the Touratech clip on thing, and now I have a laminar lip fitted. The touratech thing helped a bit, and I think there is a change with the lip, but its still pretty bad. I fitted mine with half the main part sticking up above the ADV screen. I'm wondering what you mean by "about 12 mm from the lowest possible position" Also when moving it down, are you thinking of leaving the strange tabs in place and just clicking them together slightly lower?

Sorry to people who haven't seen a laminar lip. Its not complicated, but I don't have the vocabulary to accurately describe it.

I have to admit I've not played with tilting the main screen, with the lip fitted, yet. Should probably take some time to play with the settings.


Oh and does anyone know what sort of glue would be good for re-ataching sticky tabs if I decide I've fitted mine too high?

Thanks

TobyS

Oh and there is some logic to the cut down screen too, as you'll be in the wind, but you wont get the buffeting that the screen causes. TS

 

[Thorium]

I'm interested in how you've fitted the laminar lip. I've tried the Touratech clip on thing, and now I have a laminar lip fitted. The touratech thing helped a bit, and I think there is a change with the lip, but its still pretty bad. I fitted mine with half the main part sticking up above the ADV screen. I'm wondering what you mean by "about 12 mm from the lowest possible position" Also when moving it down, are you thinking of leaving the strange tabs in place and just clicking them together slightly lower?

On an adventure, there is a limit to how far down it can be fitted, or the dual lock will end up in thin air. My LL is slightly less than "half way" above the edge, sounds similar to yours.

If I moved mine, I would apply a new set of dual locks on the wind screen(came with a spare set), and remove the old pads when I am confident about the location.

When I was out riding yesterday, I reflected over the fact that the lip worked very well in laminar air (duh...) but in turbulent air, passing vehicles or side wind, its efficiency is diminished in terms of buffeting. Although I think you need a pretty big screen to account for these things. Overall, noise level has improved considerably for me.

Oh and does anyone know what sort of glue would be good for re-ataching sticky tabs if I decide I've fitted mine too high?

Don't bother. Get a new 3M dual lock pad. Or drill and use nylon screws and nylon spacers.