"Naked" K75 and K100 Windscreen Options

[frankenduck]

Please post up any information you have on windscreens for "naked" K bikes here.

[HCorn]

I recently added a National Cycle Deflector Screen to my K75T.  (Since I removed the touring screen, I suppose it mostly makes it a naked K75).  I've only had naked dual sport bikes, so my "normal" is a bunch of wind and having to hold on for dear life at 70+.  But since the K75 will be seeing more highway time than my thumper, I wanted to get rid of the blast hitting my chest so I could comfortably cover mileage on the highway.  At the same time, I still wanted to feel the wind to keep somewhat cool in the summer and not detract from the naked look of the bike.


I've put on about a hundred miles and made several adjustments, but it seems to be accomplishing most of what I want.  It absolutely deflects the main blast of air. Holding onto the bars at 70mph is now no different than 20mph.  I'm also pretty happy with the looks.  Not as good looking as the C cowl, but at least it is subtle.  If there is one drawback, it is that it possibly blocks too much air to my torso.  It was humid and in the high 80s today and my arms felt great with the air flowing through my mesh sleeves.  But I was surprised at how little flowed though the mesh covering my torso.

It took some adjusting, but I think I found the right angle to keep the blast off but minimize buffeting.  You can see from the photo above and the one below that I have the screen at a pretty steep angle (I'm 5'8"):


I started off with it more upright, but I was getting too much buffeting.  Lowering the screen seems to clean up the air hitting my helmet.  Yet still I get very little air blast directed at my helmet.  Much like my torso, I think I would almost prefer a bit more air on hot days.  Below is essentially what it looks like from my vantage point (obviously my field of vision is much wider than the photo, but this shows the size perspective relative to the dash) :


It essentially just clamps to the bars.  I have to say I have been surprised at how sturdy it is mounted given only two mounting points.  I also haven't noticed any adverse handling effects and we had decent crosswinds today.  All in all, I'm very pleased with the looks and performance - especially at just over $100.

[mystic red]

Nice report, thanks, just the kinda stuff we're looking for.

[frankenduck]

Just an FYI:  The bastard child K75 "T" models are not a "real" K75 in that they did not come off of the line that way.  That were a US-only model that BMW NA sold.  They were produced as K75Cs and then had a naked K100 little fairing and windscreen installed. If you do a VIN decode if will come up as a C.

"Naked" K75s came with a metal headlight bucket:




K100 headlight fairing:

[wmax351]

I just bought one of the National Cycle Deflector Shields. I will put it on my '91 K75 standard tomorrow. I'll update with pictures and further comments.

[ibexonabike]

Just an FYI:  The bastard child K75 "T" models are not a "real" K75 in that they did not come off of the line that way.  That were a US-only model that BMW NA sold.  They were produced as K75Cs and then had a naked K100 little fairing and windscreen installed. If you do a VIN decode if will come up as a C.

@frankenduck, what years did those K100 'mini' fairings come on? I foresee acquiring one in the future ...

@HCorn, nice review, I was hoping to find a fairing like this as well. Any thoughts on how it would affect a 6'3" rider?

[wmax351]

I just bought one of the National Cycle Deflector Shields. I will put it on my '91 K75 standard tomorrow. I'll update with pictures and further comments.

Took a ride to LA on it, with the new shield. Worked well. Speeds from slow in twisties to 90 on I5. Temperatures from cold and foggy to 110*. 1200 miles total. All with ATGATT. Need to work on centering it better, as there was some minor unnerving wiggle, but nothing that either amplified or made control funny. Very good buy, and it kept my jacket free of thousands of gnats.

In general, the screen worked well to keep the wind off of my chest, leaving fairly clean air for my head. Much less fatiguing to ride long distances at speed.

[HCorn]

@HCorn, nice review, I was hoping to find a fairing like this as well. Any thoughts on how it would affect a 6'3" rider?

I'm thinking it would work fine - would probably just need to moved a bit more upright.  Maybe WMAX is closer to your height and he has some input.

My thinking with these smaller shields is that they are just to get the blast off your chest.  It wouldn't surprise me if they are even better for taller riders since your head is out in the clean air.  I kept having to lower the angle on mine to minimize the buffeting. 

[Oilhed]

I was wondering if anyone makes replacement shields for the K100 BMW screen mounts?  I would like a slightly smaller shape with darker tint.  There used to be a place in Florida that made all the euro screens.

[frankenduck]

Just an FYI:  The bastard child K75 "T" models are not a "real" K75 in that they did not come off of the line that way.  That were a US-only model that BMW NA sold.  They were produced as K75Cs and then had a naked K100 little fairing and windscreen installed. If you do a VIN decode if will come up as a C.

@frankenduck, what years did those K100 'mini' fairings come on? I foresee acquiring one in the future ...

The basic K100s that came with that fairing were produced from 1983 to 1990.  There aren't a whole lot of them around though so finding that fairing can be a challenge.

[ibexonabike]

So, I just purchased a K75C, with a T front (I don't have all the little extras that would say to me it's a K75T) like your ride, HCorn. Could you get that deflector screen to sit lower, i.e. closer to the headlight (something like WMax' setup)? I'd like to add one if it works, but I don't want a giant gap between it and the top of the headlight (picky aren't I).

[wmax351]

So, I just purchased a K75C, with a T front (I don't have all the little extras that would say to me it's a K75T) like your ride, HCorn. Could you get that deflector screen to sit lower, i.e. closer to the headlight (something like WMax' setup)? I'd like to add one if it works, but I don't want a giant gap between it and the top of the headlight (picky aren't I).

The instructions on the windshield suggested that you place it touching the headlight with some preload. It is fairly adjustable, so that shouldn't be a problem. Just put the attachment parts on it loosely, then move it as you like.

[HCorn]

As WMax said, it shouldn't be a problem.  I intentionally left that gap to allow airflow under the screen to reduce buffeting.  That was simply based on info from other windscreen threads.  I never actually tried it with it flush to the headlight to see if there would actually be buffeting.  But it certainly could be adjusted much lower as WMax's is.  That also gives you more of a three point mounting, although I find mine perfectly stable with just the handlebar mounts. 

I may move mine down as the temps get cooler.  It's been so dang hot lately the last thing I want is less air hitting me.  I'm still surprised how much that little fairing reduces the air hitting your torso (for better and for worse).  Still 100% satisfied with the purchase too, although I wish they sold it in even a darker tint.

[ibexonabike]

Awesome, thanks for the input. I purchased one off Fleabay for a good deal, clear not tinted, that me be my only regret in the purchase, but we'll see. I'll post up a review (for us tall dudes) once I get it mounted.

[billday]

My 1985 K100RS wasn't born naked, someone made it that way. When I bought it a year ago the fairing was long gone. The H bracket was still bolted to the frame with the original square headlight held on with zip ties and a pair of mid-80s Honda turn signals hanging off the sides. Odd. Oh and it had picked up a pair of high bars (standard or RT?) along the way.

Over the winter I  switched to RS bars and installed a fork-mounted 7" round headlight. This summer I added a  Maier Mfg. GP Sportbike Fairing (from Dennis Kirk), and a pair of Dennis Kirk's "Mini Stalk Universal Turn Signals." You can see the result in the pics. I really like how the fairing and windscreen enclose the instruments and tidy up the upper front of the bike. I dream of finding a K100 Standard radiator shroud to tidy up the lower front.

I can't say the fairing has transformed the riding experience, but there is a bit less wind pressure on my upper body on the highway and I've had none of the dreaded "buffeting" that people go on and on about. On the downside, I didn't leave quite enough room for the headlight so at certain speeds the light is rattling against the fairing. I'm working on that.

As far as the installation: Not easy! Because of the lack of space on the handlebars to mount the main brackets. I finally settled on the short vertical run on either side of the central piece of pipe (scroll down to see the picture here http://www.motobrick.com/index.php?topic=570.0 ) but to make that work I had to (1) get a brake line 1.5cm longer than standard to curve around the end of the right bracket, and (2) fabricate little risers (using 1" x 1/8" aluminum stock) for my dash pad so the ignition lock will clear the end of the left bracket. (The dash pad actually looks OK all together.)

For the secondary brackets, the fairing kit comes with steel pieces that are supposed to connect the fairing to the headlight bracket, but instead I made L brackets from aluminum stock and screwed them into the existing threaded holes on the lower tree. The horn is mounted at the same place, tucked inside the fairing.

Oh and for the turn signals I had to make brackets from the same aluminum to bring the signals out past the side of the fairing. The turn signals are outstanding -- halogen and really bright, modernly small yet their square shape goes with the bike.

Anyway this is way too much information about something no one else will ever do.... but who else am I going to tell all this to?

[frankenduck]

Nicely done.  Two thumbs up.

[billday]

Thanks Drake!

One other thing I forgot to mention (this is of interest to Easterners) -- the windscreen makes an excellent E-ZPass holder. Before I installed the fairing I wasted 20 bucks on a mirror-stalk mounted holder that looked funky and (more important) didn't seem to hold the tag in the right position -- driving through a toll, I never knew if the tag would get "read" or not.

[ibexonabike]

Hey Billyday, what tank bag is that (sorry to be off-topic)?

[billday]

It's  the Bags Connection Enduro model. I bought it from Twisted Throttle. I like it. Very well made, expands to a larger volume (not shown in pics), and fits the K bike quite well.

[ibexonabike]

So, I purchased/installed a National Cycle windscreen, and my review is as follows:

-Buffeting/Noise: I'm 6'3", and the turbulent/still air edge is about at my chin. Makes for a noisier ride, I may play with the angle a bit.

-Overall ride: Much more comfortable at speed, the chest blast is non-existent. Plus, I seem to have improved my gas mileage by 4-5 mpg. It's been nice on the cooler mornings too, now I just need grip heaters  ;D

[frankenduck]

now I just need grip heaters  ;D

Aftermarket heated grips with an OEM switch      

[DRxBMW]

It essentially just clamps to the bars.  I have to say I have been surprised at how sturdy it is mounted given only two mounting points.  I also haven't noticed any adverse handling effects and we had decent crosswinds today.  All in all, I'm very pleased with the looks and performance - especially at just over $100.

Ever hear of this mod below for improving the aerodynamics of a K 75 shield ?

It does help, see NO reason it would NOT work on a National Cycle fly-screen. I used this method for Gene's 75 C, vast improvement.



Summary:

Solution for buffeting on a BMW K75 or K100 motorcycle with the original equipment windscreen.
Introduction

Do you own a BMW K100 or K75 motorcycle with the standard windscreen (BMW part number 46 63 2 303 245)?

Then you know about the incredible amount of buffeting and noise that you get from the air pouring off that screen and right onto your helmet.

I tried every solution I could think of, including replacement windscreens from other vendors, but nothing seemed to work.

I kept thinking that if only the windscreen was about 2" higher and pushed a bit forward, it would be perfect.

I was seriously ready to trade in my BMW on something else, when I came across the idea of making a set of spacers that would screw onto the existing upper support brackets and would push the windscreen forward and up.

I spent a lot of time and money on figuring out the ideal solution, and it works!

NOTE: If you are over about 6' tall, these may not work for you!

One user is 6'4" and moving the windscreen forward made the buffeting worse for him. I am 5'10" tall; I estimate that the spacers moved the buffeting from around my ears to the top of my helmet, about 2".

So if you are taller than about 6', you may still have buffeting problems, and I'm afraid there is probably no cure if you are a K75 or K100 standard owner. 8-(

These spacers are CNC precision machined from 304 stainless steel to my specifications. It is a very simple, 5-minute job to unscrew the nuts on your upper windscreen attachments and screw in these spacers.
BMW windscreen spacer.



The Results: Measured from the top front edge of the gas tank filler cap, these spacers move the top of the windscreen from 18-1/4" high to 20" high.

They push out the windscreen from 14-1/2" from the outer edge of my helmet visor to 18-1/4".

On my bike, it completely removes the buffeting and gives me a nice pocket of still air to ride in. I can even ride with my helmet visor fully open with very little noise!

I'm 5'10" tall, and I can very easily see over the top of the screen. This has completely changed my opinion of the bike from "ready to trade" to "this is a great bike"!

I'm not claiming that this fix has completely eliminated buffeting and noise. But I estimate that 80-85% of the buffeting has been eliminated. I honestly hated the original windscreen -- I had to do something or sell the bike.

I always wear Moldex PuraFit 6800 earplugs, inserted properly, but the noise in the original configuration was punishing. I really like the way the bike works now -- I can hear sweet engine noises I never knew where there. Now I know why they call it a whiner!
BMW Windscreen Spacer



"A very cheap solution for a more upright position of the OEM screen is using a round connector nut, M6 of 30 mm long. Use two bolts (ss imbus) from the outside of the screen, and use all the original washers. Cost: $5.00

[Keith]

Drx, this is a very old thread but do you have any info on the T shield mod you spoke of? I'd be very interested!

[Oma Aika]

My windshield (or screen? Which is the right word?) was broken when I bought my K75. I had previous experience (with my CX) of a British company called  FlowriderUK that makes them and I think result was pretty good this time, too. A new screen for 150 £ delivered to Finland. It's like the original, see pics in this story (use the Translate button upper right corner for text). The screen of the CX was a lot cheaper as it's a lot smaller.

http://www.vanhamoto.net/2013/07/plekseja-saa-vanhoihinkin-pyoriin.html

[Jsensen]

Good morning. I'm new to the forum. I've already found some really useful info here in the discussion threads. I recently purchased a naked 1987 k75 (only 19,000 miles and in great shape). I love the bike but wanted to get a windscreen for long rides at highway speed. I picked up a National windscreen and started the install   but I'm stuck. I can't seem to find enough room on the handlebars. Any suggestions/recommendations other than switching out the handlebars?

Headed down to Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains of VA from Philadelphia, PA. Would love to get this thing on before the weekend if possible.

Thanks,
Jeff