Electric windshield question

[motodude]

Those of you with electric windshields (and you know who you are  cool shades), how often do you actually adjust your windshield?

In the past I owned an R1100RT and other than a couple of times right after I got the bike, just to see what the difference was, I never used it. 

Now, I have a '95 K75RT which has an electric windshield and it seems to me I could save weight and a switch position on my dash-pad by switching to a fixed windshield.

Gimick or useful?

[Scott_]

I do acutally adjust mine on occasion.
More often than not, I have to adjust it in the morning.
When I turn the bars to lock left, the down button can sometimes touch on the tank bag and drive the screen down.
My driveway at home isn't wide enough to do a full 180 to park in the garage, so a 3pt turnaround.........

Otherwise, the only othertime I might adjust the screen would be because of the outside temp, and wanting a different airflow on me.

I adjust it because I can, otherwise if it was fixed............................... I'd just live with it.

[Rick G]

I don't adjust mine very often but I find there are positions that are better than others for some things. I found that when riding in the windy roads that have lots of shadows from overhanging trees then I wind it all the way down as I get better vision of the road close in front of me and I use a different position when its raining than dry.

[frankenduck]

Having owned and put a lot of miles on both a K75T with a fixed windscreen and a K1100LT I have to say that the biggest advantage of the electric windscreen is not that it's adjustable but, once you have the right size one for your height, that it allows you to look over the windscreen, not through it. And you can put it up when it up when it rains.

[Uffda]

Most of the time, I leave it completely down and appreciate having it out of the way.  However, when it's a little cool outside (18-42F), I will usually raise it an inch, or two - just enough to keep the cold air off my neck area.  Other than that, I only raise it fully extended if I need to open the full face helmet (sneeze, itch, whatever) for a moment.  Then it's back down.  My wish is that BMW had moved the whole thing down a little lower - it would be nice to get more of a frontal blast when it's warm out, and I don't know who would ride around for very long with it full up.

[mystic red]

OK, I'll weigh in....I have a Parabellum  +4 and I move mine so it shoots the air over my head...most of the time...when it's hot, I lower it so it hits me in the face... and when it's raining I lower it so it hits me in the face.........sounds counterproductive but it clears my visor like a airplane windscreen if you have applied your Pledge. You do use Pledge, right? On your helmet, visor, windscreen and as a styling gel.

[BobZ(IL)]

I may move mine once or twice a year, same with turning on the heated grips.

Wonder if Pledge works on monkey butt.

[motodude]

Thanks for all the responses. 

I'm a bit of a contrarian however.  Stuff that does not look good, serves no useful purpose, adds weight and does not make the bike go any faster, are, to me, gimmicks (to put it nicely).  This has 3 out of 4.  The other problem I have with it is that you must drop the handlebars an inch or so in order to keep the brake reservoir from hitting the plastic fascia (where the map light lives).

After raising the bars (I'll live with the reservoir interference for now) I will probably run the electric windshield the rest of this summer before making a decision on whether to keep it or not.  Right now, the negatives just don't outweigh the positives.

And, yes, I use Pledge religiously on my visor.  I ride in rain a lot (I will on my way outa town tomorrow morning) and I've never seen a need to raise the windshield on an RT.

Thanks again,
Tom

[mystic red]

I may be in the minority but I consider it one of the nicest features on the bike. Absolutely not a gimmick. I use it a lot more than the heated grips, 4 way flashers, or ABS brakes, for that matter. I've only kicked the ABS in twice but would NEVER consider removing it. ABS saved me from rolling my wife in the gravel (low speed) once, which made it worth it's weight in gold.
If you remove it you will have to figure out a way to lock the windscreen in the position you like and how much weight will you save? Will that lost weight make the bike go faster, handle better? Maybe I'm the contrarian. :dunno2: :lol: :neener:

[frankenduck]

MR:  You can just replace it with a fixed windscreen from the earlier K75RT.K100LT.k100RT.

[frankenduck]

I have a smoked Parabellum on my K1100LT.  Sometimes I put it up when parallel parked in the city so that idiots in cars backing know there's a bike behind them.  Makes my bike more obvious/easier to see.

[motodude]

If/when I remove the electric windshield, I'll replace it with this windshield:



It is low, I look over it, not through it.  Finding a place to mount wmax351's fuel calculator gizmo will affect my decision too.

Tom

[Uffda]

I wonder if anyone knows of a smaller windshield that bolts on to the later K75RT models. While riding in the latest heat wave out East, it became obvious to me that my electric adjustable windshield would be so much better for most of my needs if it had 3 inches taken off the top, plus several more inches on both sides.  I don't want to fabricate my own windshield but I'd love to put the top of windshield even with the top of my fairing and simply utilize the electric lift function if I ever felt the need for increased coverage.

[racinrich]

absolutely love it,down for air under 60mph,up for hiway less buffeting ,great for stopping big bugs and rain when up.I have had fixed screens in the past,when I got this bike lift motor was missing,really bugged me having to set it manually.never stayed in place.now its fixed and I adjust it every day.sun glare is one time I put it down.if lite weight and speed is the goal get a ducati desmo

[motodude]

Nope.  Just returned from a 4300+ mile trip.  The only time I raised the windshield was to wash the bike in Loveland, CO.  In fact that's the only real use I can find for the electric windshield, that is, raise it to clean under it.  The fixed windshields require removal to clean under them.

I'll prolly keep it for a while, in case I decide to sell the bike.  But, its days are numbered as I don't have much tolerance for uselessness.

Tom

[greenmtrider]

I am responding too late but what the heck, My 1100lt I use all the time.  In the morning when it's could up it goes, in the rain up it goes.  Too hot down it stay's, with a modular helmet it's great helmet up wind screen any position that is comfortable.  I did replace the factory screen with a Z-Techniks and it does look better.

[Qdude]

I have just switched from a bike with no fairing. Here in Seattle it rains a lot. I used to just endure it. Now I am having a great time with the protection the fairing provides. If I am going to have the fairing, then I am going to use the electric windscreen. Da Baughm...

[noppo]

To the Brick brothers with adjustable windshields, be glad for what you have.

If the K1 had such a luxury, i'd be glad for it.  i ride the K1 a lot in the winter, spring and fall. Because i'm not average height, but 2 meters tall, having an adjustable windscreen would keep the strong wind off my neck and up. On short rides (less than 5 hours), it's not a problem, but longer rides - i would love to have an adjustable windscreen.
 :drool:

[Lbyvik]

I prefer mine up when she is riding. Down when she's not.   :yes

[skidmore]

My "new" 75RT has electric windshield. I stumbled across this thread whilst searching for maintenance/repair info on the mechanism.

I LOVE the electric windshield! LOVE I say! I'm not so sure I would have bought an RT WITHOUT one. I keep it down in town and even out on the highway especially when I want the blast of air shooting into my helmet vents. When the wind noise begins to annoy me I raise it a little, as needed. At 6'2" tall, I have to raise it all the way up to get the stream to shoot over me. At full height I am left to peer through the shield. Usually I grow tired of it up all the way and will lower it somewhere in between.

I absolutely love it. Without adjustability I would have to resort to screwing on a barn door sized shield for full effect. I can't imagine being able to stand something so tall in wicked crosswinds.

[noppo]

Hiya,

i'm thinking about getting a '93 K1100 LT with an intermittent adjustable windshield motor.  It will go down, but won't go back up.  It needs adjusting with an allen wrench to make i go back up.

Any ideas what's necessary to make it act right?

Thanks

[robleyd]

There are two relays that control up and down; one is possibly dead. Try swapping the two around and see if the screen goes up but not down.

[noppo]

Thank you for that.  Will do.  Appreciate the quick response.

[Grim]

Could also be a dirty switch if swapping the relays it acts the same. They can be popped apart but there is a spring in them.