mkomara wrote:Okay Don, it's time for the report on the Calsci w/s. I have been eagerly awaiting your analysis for almost a week now and am running out of patience.
I need to know how it works before I buy another one. I actually like the OEM touring version that you sold me. Seems to work better than the Cee Bailey w/s. The Cee Bailey (18") does something weird to the air, not sure if it's considered "turbulence" or "buffeting" but I don't like it. Knocks my helmet around too much.
Still searching for the perfect touring w/s and I need your technical expertise Don. Let's hear it!!!
PLEASE!!
OK..
It's a work in progress. I received the shield and installed it. I then took it out for a ride and wasn't satisfied with the results. I contacted Mark of CalSci, and he has been working with me to resolve the issues I had.
What I didn't like (and some of this is just personal preference)
- Barn door/sail effect. The CalSci shield is lots bigger than even the 20" Cee-Bailey. I'd noticed increased sensitivity to sidewinds, truck-blast/wake with the CB. The CalSci brought it to an uncomfortable level for me. I've been riding with it a lot actually - and have adapted to it, but at first this can be somewhat disconcerting (one of the things I love about the R is that it isn't sensitive to wind-blast..)
- Turbulence. This was what I had hoped CalSci would have eliminated. Perhaps it's me, or maybe my helmet (Schuburth C2 - which seems fine with no shield) - but I found turbulence at 70MPH and over that would blur my vision from helmet shake.
What have I been up to? Talking to Mark, and trying things on the shield. He refunded my money for the shield immediately, and then suggested if I wanted to work with him - I keep it and start modifying it. I'm game..
So far - we've enlarged the air-holes in the shield, to some good effect (but not totally eliminating the turbulence), we've moved the hole locations (taping over the great big holes I cut in the shield to try different locations.) And we're trying a different location for the holes, with a diffusing plate behind the hole. Mark has had his best success with shields where some bodywork of the bike was directly behind the holes - diffusing the air coming in and cancelling out the vacuum behind the shield (which in turn allows the air to flow smoothly off the top edge of the screen.) The instruments on the R12R are in the way for the holes to function this way - so we're trying moving the holes, and adding our own diffuser behind them.
I should have that modification completed this weekend if I don't go to Finger Lakes Rally, and be ready to report to Mark on it. Based on some playing around I did (waving of hands and stuff) - I do have good expectations for this modification.
That's why I've held off reporting. Mark has been
great to work with, and I'd like to be able to report total success.
As I mentioned - perhaps it's my height/position on the bike that partly causes the problem. If I duck down 2" - my head is in clear air, but I'm barely seeing over the shield, and I prefer a bit more unobstructed vision. If I sit up 2", my head is in clearer air. Still a bit of turbulence, but not as noticeable or annoying. Other reports have been very positive (different boy shape/position/expectations.) It may be a case of slightly different designs being needed depending on your body size/shape.
Also in the plans - once the turbulence is resolved, Mark suggested I start hacking parts off the shield to see if I can minimize the sail-effect. I'll be hacking off the winglets around the bar level and then probably an inch or so off the top.. and see how that works for me.
Mark has been great to work with, patient and very involved with trying to make me the perfect shield.. so on that basis I can really recommend CalSci. My experience with several other shield makers was basically "You bought it.. see'ya.." - not the case with Mark (and one vendor got really pissed when people reported problems with their shield.)
As I've noted before - what works for one person doesn't for others. I rode in this AM with the 18" Cee-Bailey, and find (as in the past) - that it gives me a lot of air, and relatively unturbulent air (no head shake.) That same shield didn't work for you. The stock touring shield I sold you gave me turbulence (head-shaking around - and yet it works for you. The difference in body shape, riding style, and expectations will mean you will possibly have different results than I do.
So - moral is - YMMV (as may your head/body position..)
