CeeBaileys needs our help, there is a big payoff for all

[daveyator]

I think it's pretty close now as this latest email from Joe to me says:
"Dave,

I’ve finally cracked the R 1200 R and I’m satisfied with the results. The president validated what I already know with his road test and he’s a pretty tough customer and much more qualified to speak. I’ve shipped out a couple of unfinished proto types to John McKay to test over the week end and I’m eager to hear is evaluation as I’m confident he’ll be pleased. You see John was really the guy who started the fire and found you so Kudos to both of you. It is some what of a trade off but we did achieve head stability with excellent structural integrity at any speed which is a major accomplishment all in itself.

I also know for a fact that the new design is light years ahead of the existing which is slated to be discontinued and will go into a production halt starting tomorrow. I really do prefer the aesthetics if I do say so myself and it’s nothing like what you saw on your recent visit (had to be killed, sorry). I picked the best of the worst on Monday and was going to go with it which was still much better than the existing but failed to meet the criteria. We ran several versions of that design and just when we were about to call it a day at 4:45 P.M. something hit me? I road tested all day on Tuesday and when I finally road tested the Hail Mary design I was elated with jubilation and true joy. I had to pinch myself because I was not dreaming and this was for real “the thrill of victory”.

I can know add the R1200R to the list of bikes that kick my ass but failure was not an option, it’s really is funny how things work out sometimes. I thought I was dead in the water but it’s just a formality now with a picture shoot and the new release. I’ll be done in another three days or so, give me call so we can get squared away. I’ve sincerely done my very best and hope this meets or exceeds all expectations.

Many Thanks
&
Cheers

[Chumley]

I spoke to Joe for quite a while on Thursday.

Joe is very passionate and energetic and sounds like he takes his job very seriously. He is basically the designer/GM and has been doing this a while. As posted by Daveyator he was about to give up and go with good enough since he was just out of time but he got lucky with his last try. We are lucky and Joe is lucky. It would have haunted him if he didn't get that screen right and we would have been disappointed with anything less than a solution that worked right out of the box.

He was very clear that he made several changes that were not intuitive so did a lot of research and called outside designers to learn more about how things work. He said that due to it's naked design that was not designed for a windscreen the Roadster is more difficult to deal with. It bounced a lot of air off of the front endge of the tank so it made him do things differently. He raised the screen to let airflow come in below and reduce backpressure and also helped negate the air bounced off of the tank. He said that there is more air movement around the body (not a blast) but the head is in "stable" air. I think this is perfect for me since it can get warm where I live and can add layers to keep warm when cold since it is not the full speed blast. The main issue is that the head buffeting is gone and that was my main problem. He said that he couldn't see through his sunglasses since the head turbulence rattled his head over 65 mph with the old screen and now it is stable air at all speeds he tested. Note: Some of this is my interpretation fom a long conversation so I hope I got it all right.

I should have the demo screen Monday but don't know when I will be able to test it. I have some commitments and it looks like we finally get rain after the 3rd driest December on record, no rain in January yet either. Not to mention that my battery died after being off of the BMW Canbus specific charger for only about 2-3 weeks. I am wondering if it will recover or if I have to become a pain to BMW. We'll see.

I am very excited about this screen but now that it is real I am also becoming more reserved in my expectations. We are all so different in size and expectations. From what Joe said he nailed it but no one can say that in complete certainty for all riders.

Good luck to us all.

BTW: Joe loves the Roadster and said it is about the best all around bike he has ridden. It is the combination of the right size, power and light handling. Another convert?

[deilenberger]

Note to everybody: Joe at CeeBailey's has just let me know that he has made what he thinks is a real breakthrough, that he's got a couple pre-production models out beta-testing, and that the new tall screen should be available very, very soon. Good news for all of us!

VERY cool! Just what I need.. another shield for the collection! Mebbe it can be a year-round one rather them my current three that I swap around depending on weather.

[dbrick]

...not to mention that my battery died after being off of the BMW Canbus specific charger for only about 2-3 weeks.

Certainly possible that the battery's defective, but it's much more likely that Joe's several weeks of repetitive very short test rides just flattened or even killed it. Even a big alternator like the R carries can't keep up with that kind of usage.

[Chumley]

This showed up this morning.

As you can see it is quite a bit narrower than the old model and is rounded at the bottom and sits completely above the headlight. Joe is about 5'11" and I am 5'8" but have short legs so figure our torso lengths are close. The comparison screen is an old 22" so it looks like it will be about the same height overall.

I could not get a good profile shot but it has quite a bit more rake and it does have the flare at the top.

I hope to get in a ride this afternoon and will post shots of both screens mounted. It appears that the charger brought the battery back to life but won't know until I try to fire it up. BTW: Daveyator was the one who provided the loaner. My bike has not been ridden as much as I would have liked this year but is typically on the BMW CanBus charger, I took it off a couple weeks ago and did not put it back on and it was dead. I spoke to one of the local shop techs and he said to just get rid of that charger and get a Deltran Battery Tender for AGM batteries and hard wire it to the battery. They have a lot of issues with the BMW charger. I hope that this goes into another thread and doesn't develop here.

[objectuser]

Very cool, Chumley. I'm eager to hear a report. If you don't have time you can send it to me in Dallas.

[daveyator]

Well here is the final product. Joe sent me these pics and you'll probably see these as advertising on CB's website but here they are as a sneak peek. I'll be picking up my bike on Friday and will give an initial 80mi freeway assessment to add to what Chumley has to say if he rides before I do. I spoke to Joe yet again this morning and he swears this is the magic solution for the R12R. He claims a stable head/helmet but still some "air" around the torso (remember he rides open face with just sunglasses). Even with that he claims this is the best "all day ride" solution and he's been through the ringer trying to figure out the best shield for this bike. He thinks like 15 or so molds were used. Tested up to 110mph and claimed totally stable. Its narrower and sits higher than I would have thought but Joe claims it's a necessary design to counteract the wind flow from the tank and limit head turbulence. Anyhow only time and first hand experience will tell but I'm excited to try it out.









Oh yeah and not the hijack this into a battery thread BUT.....Joe had to replace my almost 4 year old battery in the midst of this testing. It had given me no indication of problems and I kept it on a tender when not in use.

[objectuser]

Thanks very much for the pics! The screen looks very interesting. Good stuff.

[Chumley]

I took some comparison pictures for reference sake.

I also got about 30 miles of test riding in. I will write more later but I will say that this is the screen I'm taking to Utah this year for a 3,000 jaunt. It is not perfect, it is not an AeroFlow, we ride a bike designed as a naked, this is good, very good, I'm happy. If you are not happy with it I don't think it will take much to make you happy since it will be easier to modify than the previous model. This is all a discalimer since everyone is different but I now have a screen that I can relax and enjoy. More tomorrow.

[2wheels]

This is looking good and I look forward to further impressions.

Do you have any idea when they might start shipping? Especially to the UK?

[hjsbmw]

Despite of the initial, promising pics and words I have a feeling that there is no one shield for everyone and every situation. I wish they could in addition make a low cost shorter one, basically similar in shape and size to the BMW touring shield. The latter is what works best for me so far, but it also comes with a premium price tag.

[objectuser]

Despite of the initial, promising pics and words I have a feeling that there is no one shield for everyone and every situation. I wish they could in addition make a low cost shorter one, basically similar in shape and size to the BMW touring shield. The latter is what works best for me so far, but it also comes with a premium price tag.

They have a new sports screen. Is that more in line with what you're looking for?

[objectuser]

And ... look at that! The new screen is up for sale!

My order is placed.

And I want to reiterate my offer to sell my old setup: screen, bracket and tilt block!

[Chumley]

Finally, here is what I can tell you about my test ride with the prototype CB windscreen.

First off, as has been posted before and as just stated by hjsbmw it is pretty much impossible to make a screen that will make everyone happy, especially with a naked bike that wasn't originally designed for a touring screen as a starting point. If you wanted something closer to perfect the RT might have been a better choice, good protection has even been elusive on the GS from the beginning. Ask me how I've gotten so good at cutting and polishing sheet plastic...

As far as the personal fit, the top edge is about level with my mouth. I would probably increase it an inch if I could. As mentioned before the bottom edge has been raised substantially compared to the old design and it makes a difference. I was also wearing a new to me Arai Corsair-V that was custom fitted by the crew at the Service Pavillion - a good fitting helmet is truly half the battle.

It was cold at 50 degrees (it was 73 on Sat. so were are still acclimating to winter) and windy at 12 to 15 mph. I live in a long narrow hilly valley so the wind swirls and clobbers you from all sides. I really felt everywhere the cold air hit me, believe me.

First thing I noticed on the way to the freeway was at about 50 mph I got almost perfect protection. This was already much better than the old screen.

I got on the freeway but there was a lot of car/truck traffic and therefore a ton of dirty air in addition to the swirling air. Heading into the wind I noticed that the air was just hitting the top of the helmet and gently pulling at it but no buffeting or head shaking. I also noticed that even all of the dirty air did not get the handlebars moving. I felt all of the dirty air bouncing around me but my head was reasonably steady. I got some wind hitting my ribs but my upper body was really well protected. The wind hitting the ribs was not a blast but a rush of air and it did not feel turbulent. I think raising that screen did the trick. Coming back downwind was a joy but still felt the traffic turbulence.

I got off the freeway and ran up and down the parallel highway 3 times. Same as the freeway but without the vehicle created dirty air. It gave me a glimpse of what the screen may be like on a normal day on the freeway. The air rushed over the top of the helmet but it felt surprisingly clean.

I will order this screen a little taller and may be happy forever. I may play with it a bit since I always do but I am taking it to Arizona on a 3,000 mile tour in May just as it is.

I will admit that I am very understanding of the limitations of putting a windscreen on a naked bike and calling it good for touring. This screen is good. If it doesn't work for you and you want to try the Don C block it will work better with this screen since it sits higher so shouldn't catch and reflect light as much as the old design. Because of the narrower design it may even be better for those of us that run them in the heat of summer and just want the arctic blast off of us during the winter and not get buffeted during any season.

Joe did good and I am happy.

[xprof]

I received my new 25" shield today, bolted it on and took a test drive, and I've gotta say: Joe nailed it this time! I rode open face, wearing my non-motorcycling glasses in a 60° breeze, which should have made my eyes water, and the airflow was smooth at all speeds up to 100mph. I also tried it with the Don C block, and it wasn't nearly as good. This thing should just bolt right on and work. I didn't even miss my SAENG swirl edging, though I will probably try it later. 25" is almost too tall for me at 6'1", just so you know. If you get one that is too tall, just ship it back and Joe will cut it shorter, but remember that he doesn't have a magic saw that will cut a too-short shield longer.

This shield looks damn good, too! I give this one my XPROF recommendation and suggest you try it, with the recognition that no shield can or will please everyone.

[Chumley]

Holy poo, did I just hear Mike say it was that good?

I absolutely cannot wait to get a little taller version. Crap, I need to wait since I am getting the Touratech bar risers and it will probably set me up another inch on top of the inch I already want.

I can't wait to hear what Dave says.

Could this be THE windscreen?

[parkec]

My apology for not searching all 74 posts.

Is Cee Baileys offering a trade in allowance for those of us with there previous versions?

[objectuser]

My apology for not searching all 74 posts.

Is Cee Baileys offering a trade in allowance for those of us with there previous versions?

I don't think so, no.

[daveyator]

Hey Hey.
My bike and I are finally back together (she is asking just what did she do to get kicked out of the garage). Anyway my first 80 mi impression. Freeway conditions, light winds at first then breezier later. Speeds varied from 50 to 105. 23" length. I'm 5'11" and it appears to be mouth level and I see over it easily. First this is overall one of the better handlebar mounted windscreens I've ridden behind. I could sit behind it all day. It's definitely "airy" and does give you a gentle flow against your ribs and an ever so slight uplift kind of feeling. If its cold don't forget your heated vest or extra layer. My head always felt stable but I did get bit of a air rumble from time to time especially near traffic. Believe it or not I think some of that is coming from my stock mickey mouse mirrors (I know join the farkle crowd and get some decent mirrors). Sitting slightly forward seemed to lessen this. Not sure if extra height would be the answer in my case as slouching down didn't seem to make as much difference as leaning slightly forward. 85 is noisy and a little more of my air rumble but from there to 105 or so there was little difference. I think that speaks well as aerodynamics seem pretty consistent as speed increases. I could only maintain 105 or so for a few minutes as i ran out of room. Even side buffets from traffic didn't seem to destabilize the bike at any speed. Overall I'm very impressed but it's definitely windy without beating you. Another example I could give is that I had the Cal-Sci screen at one point. After 90mi out and 90mi back I was completely exhausted after the literal beating I was taking from the wind. There is none of that with this shield. I think its kind of trade off with this bike. If you want a shield with touring like protection you'll have to endure getting beaten by buffeting or has been said get an RT. If you want a shield that allows you ride your naked bike all day long while still enjoying its nakedness so to speak this is your windshield. I can't say enough how much I appreciate Joe's extraordinary efforts and to Chumley for bringing it my attention and helping me be a part of it.