Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

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Xdot
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Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

Post by Xdot »

So, I took an hour this morning and bolted up the 21" Parabellum Super Tour to my 2002 R1150R. For the record, I'm 5'8" and have a medium height seat and have AeroFlow Tank Wings installed.

The screen itself is amazingly clear. Much clearer than a Cee Bailey's or even the stock BMW screen. Fit and finish is good. The mounting system is excellent. Extremely rigid. Though there should be some warning prior to purchase that the shrouds can not be used. It wound up looking fine, but it bothered me that I didn't find out until I pulled everything out of the box.

Installation was a snap. Took about thirty minutes which included pulling the turn signal indicators to remove the shrouds and getting them back on. Other than that it was almost ridiculously easy. I did one side at a time so as to not change the headlight adjustment. This should probably be in the directions.

Installed on the bike it looks good. A bit tallish but the lines are clean. From most angles it virtually disappears. I did wind up pulling off the heavy black weatherstripping around the bottom edge. I guess it's supposed to seal against the headlight but I didn't care for the look. Fortunately it came right off.

Performance is good. All signs of buffetting are gone but there is still some wind noise. I can crouch down just a tad and get almost complete silence. Makes me wonder if I should have gone with the 23". But two more inches - yuck. I also find than I'm looking through the edge of the windshield much of the time. It is a bit of a nuisance so I'm waiting to see if I get used to it. I'm assuming that my brain will filter it out pretty quickly. If not I'll decide what to do then. But all in all it is much, much better than the Cee Bailey's I was running or the BMW sport screen IF your point is to reduce wind noise and wind blast. I actually found that I missed the wind blast a little since it is on the warm side here today. But it'll be back to cold next week and getting colder so I'm happy with it overall. I do plan to pull off the tank wings and see if it changes anything. I'll file a report when I do that and maybe post a few pictures.

John
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Re: Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

Post by Xdot »

After riding with it for a few days I'm quickly growing to love the windscreen. Almost quiet enough to ride without earplugs. Wind blast is significantly reduced. High speed riding is much more comfortable. I also find that I'm not much noticing the edge of the windshield anymore. In fact, I think it is improving my riding. I tend to look too close in front of the bike from years of off road, trials, and bicycling no doubt. This is forcing me to look a little farther ahead where the action on the street happens. And with it cooler this morning, I can tell that it is going to be a big help come winter.

Just had to get used to it I suppose, though I still prefer the completely stripped, naked look...
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Re: Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

Post by sjbmw »

They are incredibly well made.

I had the 19" on my R1150R for about 18 months.
I loved the thing, especially in the colder months.
But when I tried long mileage runs at 75-80mph on the highway, I suffered from shaking paint can head to the point I had blurred vision.

I just think I ordered one too small though. I'd bet the 21" or 23" would not have done it.
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Re: Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

Post by snave »

I'd love to see a pic of that shield. I have an 02 1150r with a 23" parabellum tinted shield. I think I'd prefer clear and the 23 is a little tall for me.
Thanks,
Paul
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Re: Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

Post by Xdot »

I'll get you some pics but I can't promise the bike will be clean - :mrgreen:
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Re: Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

Post by fallingpines »

I had a 23" Parabellum on my 1150, (I'm 6' with high seat that I shaped flat, lost about .75" at the high point) super performance at speed, the wind protection at 65 mph was as almost just as good at 110 mph. An odd thing however was that I also had a Nissan Signal Minder and at night the turn indicators lit up the perimeter of the screen to the point that it was distracting. I eventually black painted out areas of the front lenses to eliminate most of the light piping effect.
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Re: Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

Post by Ric »

Huntsville Ala.....Huh..... I live in Madison.
Only motorcycle riders I see around here are going back & forth to the HD dealership.

Are there others that ride around here ?
Or do I need to get a tat, kick the BMW to the curb and get an HD.
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Re: Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

Post by Xdot »

Ric wrote:Huntsville Ala.....Huh..... I live in Madison.
Only motorcycle riders I see around here are going back & forth to the HD dealership.
LOL. Ain't it the truth!
Ric wrote:Are there others that ride around here ?
Or do I need to get a tat, kick the BMW to the curb and get an HD.
I know there are some GS's. I occasionally see a guy riding in to work from Dug Hull Rd. on a GS. (I'm out in OwensXRds) And I've seen a few GS's out in Research Park. There's also a BMW club that meets at West End Grill on Friday evenings - though I can't remember which Friday evening that is. I hear they usually drive cars because they partake. I hear they also put a LOT of miles on their bikes. I mostly use mine for commuting since my weekends are filled with kid's activities and trying to keep my house from falling down around me. PM me if you want to meet somewhere for lunch some time.
fallingpines wrote:I had a 23" Parabellum on my 1150, (I'm 6' with high seat that I shaped flat, lost about .75" at the high point) super performance at speed, the wind protection at 65 mph was as almost just as good at 110 mph. An odd thing however was that I also had a Nissan Signal Minder and at night the turn indicators lit up the perimeter of the screen to the point that it was distracting. I eventually black painted out areas of the front lenses to eliminate most of the light piping effect.
I noticed this same light-pipe effect just the other night and was wondering what to do about it. This glowing orange rim. Ugh. I thought about going with some micro-LED indicators with baffles but it seems like your solution is hundreds of dollars cheaper. =D>
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Re: Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

Post by Xdot »

snave wrote:I'd love to see a pic of that shield. I have an 02 1150r with a 23" parabellum tinted shield. I think I'd prefer clear and the 23 is a little tall for me.
Thanks,
Paul
Image

More pics on Photobucket at http://s390.photobucket.com/albums/oo34 ... 0R%202002/ including one with me on it so you can reference it to a 5'8" rider using a medium seat. You might also notice the AeroFlow Tank Wings just over the oil coolers. I haven't tried the Parabellum with them off yet. I'll do that this weekend and see if there's a significant difference.
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Re: Parabellum Installed - First Impressions

Post by TicTac50 »

Ric wrote:Huntsville Ala.....Huh..... I live in Madison.
Only motorcycle riders I see around here are going back & forth to the HD dealership.
They have to replace those parts that fell off the bike. :)

Start serving more often that tasty chicken, at the Ditto Landing, and you will see more BMW's going back & forth for a beer. :idea:
So, I took an hour this morning and bolted up the 21" Parabellum Super Tour to my 2002 R1150R. For the record, I'm 5'8" and have a medium height seat and have AeroFlow Tank Wings installed.
Taking Tank Wings off will increase buffering, for sure.
I take them off in the summer time, too much heat.
But the AeroFlow screen is my top choice for a pleasant ride.
Good Luck.
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