Cal-Sci Windscreen

OK, first report on my experience with the '06 Tall CalSci windshield (pics to follow):

Reminder - I'm 6'0", 32" inseam, stock seat, stock bars (sadly without risers again, boo hoo)

First impressions out of the box: the vent hole is much smaller than it appears in pictures. I actually laughed out loud because I'd been worried about rain and bugs coming through. That's not going to be an issue.

Quality: Seems to compare very well with other aftermarket shields I've owned from Clearview and Aeroflow. Does not seem as thick as the CB on my friends '05 FJR. Edges are OK but could be more refined. This is a very minor nit. Otherwise, the shield looks stellar with great optical clarity.

Installation was a snap. Took all of 10 min. and 5 of those were fighting the W going back on because I was too lazy to go and get a different hex key. Why did I need a different hex key to reinstall the W than I used to remove it you ask? Well, because the angle of the shield is more upright and I had used my long T-handled hex set to remove the W. I needed a shorter standard hex key to re-install the bolts due to the change in angle.

On the road: First impression when leaving the house was that the CalSci Tall in the lowest position looks and works like the '06 OEM shield in the highest position. I can still see over it with no problem but it is positioned at a more forward angle when at rest. I noticed right away that much less air reaches the rider even in the lowest setting. This may be a problem for you on very hot days if you like the full wind blast of the stock shield.

At speed, the shield works very well. A very nice pocket of still air is available at any position including all the way down. When raised up about 1/3 of the travel, the sweet spot was found for me. I still look over the top with ease but with no buffeting, no back pressure, and much less noise. Note: Today's test was with my Arai Signet GTR. Tomorrow I'll wear my Schuberth Concept which I love but couldn't wear on the FJR with the stock shield due to buffeting and noise I'd never experienced with that helmet on any other bike.

The CalSci does move around more than the stock shield but not much. I didn't notice any difference due to cross winds for 18 wheelers.

With the CalSci at full up, I'm looking through the shield by several inches. I won't be doing that normally as I found it no quieter than at the 1/3-1/2 up positions which allow me to look over (and are very quiet already).

So, first impression is very positive. More to follow...

bmwhd said:

OK, first report on my experience with the '06 Tall CalSci windshield (pics to follow):
Reminder - I'm 6'0", 32" inseam, stock seat, stock bars (sadly without risers again, boo hoo)

First impressions out of the box: the vent hole is much smaller than it appears in pictures. I actually laughed out loud because I'd been worried about rain and bugs coming through. That's not going to be an issue.

Quality: Seems to compare very well with other aftermarket shields I've owned from Clearview and Aeroflow. Does not seem as thick as the CB on my friends '05 FJR. Edges are OK but could be more refined. This is a very minor nit. Otherwise, the shield looks stellar with great optical clarity.

Installation was a snap. Took all of 10 min. and 5 of those were fighting the W going back on because I was too lazy to go and get a different hex key. Why did I need a different hex key to reinstall the W than I used to remove it you ask? Well, because the angle of the shield is more upright and I had used my long T-handled hex set to remove the W. I needed a shorter standard hex key to re-install the bolts due to the change in angle.

On the road: First impression when leaving the house was that the CalSci Tall in the lowest position looks and works like the '06 OEM shield in the highest position. I can still see over it with no problem but it is positioned at a more forward angle when at rest. I noticed right away that much less air reaches the rider even in the lowest setting. This may be a problem for you on very hot days if you like the full wind blast of the stock shield.

At speed, the shield works very well. A very nice pocket of still air is available at any position including all the way down. When raised up about 1/3 of the travel, the sweet spot was found for me. I still look over the top with ease but with no buffeting, no back pressure, and much less noise. Note: Today's test was with my Arai Signet GTR. Tomorrow I'll wear my Schuberth Concept which I love but couldn't wear on the FJR with the stock shield due to buffeting and noise I'd never experienced with that helmet on any other bike.

The CalSci does move around more than the stock shield but not much. I didn't notice any difference due to cross winds for 18 wheelers.

With the CalSci at full up, I'm looking through the shield by several inches. I won't be doing that normally as I found it no quieter than at the 1/3-1/2 up positions which allow me to look over (and are very quiet already).

So, first impression is very positive. More to follow...

Click to expand...

I just installed my Cal Sci tall on my AE today. Ditto on everything you said.

Brief follow on with my Schuberth Concept (C1):

I used my C1 today on my way to work. It's only a short ride but covers all riding conditions from surface streets to freeway.

My C1 has been unusable on the FJR with the OEM shield. This helmet has worked well for me on a variety of bikes but works best on unfaired motorcycles. Windshields tend to make it noisy. The FJR did that plus added some terrible buffeting. This was not the case with my Arai Signet GTR.

With the CalSci, the C1 is back to its old wonderful self. Even quieter than the GTR (though that's mostly due to it's inferior venting vs. the GTR).

No more buffeting is the best part of the story.

For grins, I put the CalSci all the way up (even though I don't like looking through windshields). When full up, the bike was as quiet on the freeway as anything I've ever ridden. I could really hear the bike sing for the first time. Wonderful!

bmwhd said:

Brief follow on with my Schuberth Concept (C1):
I used my C1 today on my way to work. It's only a short ride but covers all riding conditions from surface streets to freeway.

My C1 has been unusable on the FJR with the OEM shield. This helmet has worked well for me on a variety of bikes but works best on unfaired motorcycles. Windshields tend to make it noisy. The FJR did that plus added some terrible buffeting. This was not the case with my Arai Signet GTR.

With the CalSci, the C1 is back to its old wonderful self. Even quieter than the GTR (though that's mostly due to it's inferior venting vs. the GTR).

No more buffeting is the best part of the story.

For grins, I put the CalSci all the way up (even though I don't like looking through windshields). When full up, the bike was as quiet on the freeway as anything I've ever ridden. I could really hear the bike sing for the first time. Wonderful!

Click to expand...

I am interested in what type of back pressure you felt,

35-65 65- your limit

lowest position

middle

full up

Thanks

05fjrBluedevil said:

I am interested in what type of back pressure you felt, 35-65 65- your limit

lowest position

middle

full up

Thanks

Click to expand...

I must tell you I'm "back pressure deaf" i.e. a little back pressure has never bothered me and I didn't feel like the back pressure produced by the OEM shield was a problem. In truth, I only ever noticed it at full up and even then it was more of a transitory feeling as the shield came up then a continual problem.

Having said that, I can tell you there is less back pressure with the CalSci at full up then with the OEM shield. This is true at all speeds up to 85 which is all I've had a chance to test in my two brief rides so far.

Still love the CalSci tall on my '06!

A few points worth repeating for those still on the fence:

The cutout (vent) in the current production shield is MUCH smaller than the one pictured on the website. It's now maybe 4" across vs. filling the entire gap between legs of the "W" as on the early prototypes.

No back pressure to speak of

No more whistle!!!! (and my stocker was a screamer in that regard).

Quiet, quiet, quiet!

Hi all,

I have a Cal-Sci tall screen I bought for my 05 this spring. I sold the 05 a couple weeks ago but still have the screen and it won't fit the 06. If anybody's interested I'm going to sell it for $120 + shipping. The screen has 2k miles on it and I can't see any scratches from its single trip from NM up here to WA.

Email me back channel at reidhester at lobo dot net if your interested (and apologies for the brief hijacking of this thread).

Todd,thanks for the great write up. we are the same height so it is very relevant. I've got some time before any Long distance riding, so I am interested if the new Vstreams allow more air down low and a sweet spot higher up. Could always switch back to stock like Groo does in the heat.

kindofblue said:

Hi all,
I have a Cal-Sci tall screen I bought for my 05 this spring. I sold the 05 a couple weeks ago but still have the screen and it won't fit the 06. If anybody's interested I'm going to sell it for $120 + shipping. The screen has 2k miles on it and I can't see any scratches from its single trip from NM up here to WA.

Email me back channel at reidhester at lobo dot net if your interested (and apologies for the brief hijacking of this thread).

Click to expand...

You have mail.

OK, made the move to a Calsci medium for my '05, and I think my impressions are similar to Groo's. BTW, I am 6'0" with 33" inseam, have no risers, and use a Scorpion EXO-700 lid.

Quality: Good shield with perfect optics as mentioned above. I would have liked to see the edges finished better, especially for this price. I took a medium handfile to the edges all the way around and for the holes, and now they are much smoother with no visual difference. Again, this is something that should be done at the 'factory'.

Installation: Easy-peazy. One thing that concerns me is that the stock screen is concave in the both the horizontal and vertical directions, where the calsci is concave in the horizontal only. As such, the bracket seems to be stressed to get the shield flat against the bracket. I torqued the nylon screws down carefully, just enough to get the screen to contact the bracket at each hole.

Style: I thought it wouldn't look too good, but I was wrong, it looks great! The holes look like nostrils on the nose of the bike, making it look a little more menacing, and play well off the dual shapes of the headlights.

Function: When the screen is down, I look right over it. When it is full up, the top edge just cuts across my horizon line. Not ideal, but moving it down a tad mitigates this without sacrificing the pocket.

Now, without question, this thing works well. I can see hitting the highway without getting roughed up by the old screen or getting my ears worn out from noise. There is a fair amount of air coming through the holes, so surely it is they that are eliminating the backpressure and buffeting, which I felt ABSOLUTELY NONE at all with the screen up. Hooray!

Now, here's the rub for me which will require a solution. Granted, I tested this thing in the middle of the day, in the middle of summer, in the middle of a ~90% humidity, 93 degree day, in the middle of South Florida. I even went a little squidly because I was meeting a friend for lunch just down the street and wore shorts rather than my riding pants. I was freaking roasting! There was MUCH less air coming at me than the stocker in the down position. The stocker would let the air hit me just under my chin, which would help cool me off. This shield lets the air hit me at my nose level, so cooling at the shoulders / chin are simply not happening. In addition, I think that I was getting a little buffeted, because my helmet was partly in the dirty air.

So, what I think I need is to have:

1. A shorter screen. Because I could lower it from the topmost position and still get a pocket of silence, a shorter screen by about an inch would probably be more appropriate. I am going to look into the Short version, or perhaps having this one cut down a tad.

2. A tuning block. By angling the screen back a few degrees, I may be able to get cleaner air when its down, and have essentially unchanged pocket when it is up.

3. Holes cut in my stock screen, and put it back on, especially for summer months. I really would like one screen for all seasons, so I am going to try to make the Calsci work first.

Obviously, one ride is not enough to really validate this, but these are my first impressions.

What do you recommend? Any thoughts are appreciated.

-BD

Hate to bump my own post, but if anyone would offer their opinions on the above 3 options, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts!

-BD

BrunDog said:

Hate to bump my own post, but if anyone would offer their opinions on the above 3 options, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts!
-BD

Click to expand...

1) Make your own tuning block and try it, some members have done that and its cheap.

2) Put up a wanted for a stock screen to cut, there must be a lot of members with un-used stock screens in thier garages.

Allright fellas, made me the tuning block. No disrespect to Rad's Nuts, but I wanted something a little more, well, professional.

Got a set of 5/8" OD x 3/8" spacers and some M6 x 1 SS FHSCS @25mm long from McMaster-Carr. I don't have the part numbers off hand, but if someone wants, I'll look them up. In fact, the screws came in a pack of 25, so if someone wants a couple, you can have 'em. Sorry the pics suck - they were done with my PDA phone camera.



Since the bracketry is black, I decided to rattle-can black the circumferences:



Installed, you cannot tell they are even there (of course the picture quality doesn't help):



The motor bracket juuuuuust contacts the plastic at the top of its run. I also tried a set of 7/16" spacers, and they contact a little more. Going the try the 3/8". If more effect is needed, I'll upgrade to the 7/16".

-BD

Brundog,

Did you file the spacer to get the windshield to lay down? Or did this just space the windscreen out? I love my Cal Sci tall, but would like to pair it with a Rifle tuning block (not made for '06). Your set up doesn't accomplish the same thing as the Rifle tuning block or am I missing something?

Barabus said:

Brundog,
Did you file the spacer to get the windshield to lay down? Or did this just space the windscreen out? I love my Cal Sci tall, but would like to pair it with a Rifle tuning block (not made for '06). Your set up doesn't accomplish the same thing as the Rifle tuning block or am I missing something?

Click to expand...

First, my bike is an 05. Second, I didn't file the spacers - they are stock sizes. 5/8" OD, .252" ID, 3/8" high. They have parallel surfaces. I simply painted and installed them. I have never seen the rifle block.

This mod basically tilts the windshield back a little bit. If the Rifle block does not have parallel surfaces, than I would imagine it is a little different.

Anyway, rode 120 miles today (no jokes, please) in North GA, and it was magnificent - sooooo much better than the stock setup.

-BD

Hi everyone,

New '06A owner with still very few miles on the bike. However, I am VERY tall (6'5" - 240lbs) and am having a terrific amount of buffeting at speed. Decided to purchase the X-Tall CalSci windscreen for '06. Have put only about 100 miles on it.

So far, it's a great improvement from the stock screen, but I'm still getting a lot of buffeting. I'm just too tall I guess. Thought about going with the XX-Tall screen but my sense of style (weak sense according to my wife) says that that's just too tall. The X-Tall already looks slightly goofy, but I'm willing to live with it.

That said, I'm not willing to go any taller on the screen, what are some other options for reducing the turbulence? I literally can't see straight at speed and am getting concerned about it.

Would a angle adjustment help? If so, how do I do that? Other ideas?

Grrr..... :dribble:

Steve

Just replaced my +4+3 Cee Baileys with a Cal Sci Medium. I'm a short dude at 5'8" and this new screen is superior. Less buffeting, smoother air all around!

Hi Folks

I can't comment on the Cal Sci - but I just installed a Rifle on my 06. I don't want to hi-jack the thread but my comments may add a little breadth to the discussion.

I'm 6' 2" so I bought the +6" taller and +4" wider screen.

So far, I've tested it at moderate to (ahem) spirited speeds - and it works like a charm. Full down it still allows plenty air to the face/helmet - half up it makes an emormous difference in wind noise - three quarters up, things become eerily quiet (no wind noise or buffetting whatsoever) just the engine noise - and full up, no difference for me from three quarters up, except that I'm now peeking through the screen as well as over it.

I'm exceptionally impressed by it's functionality - but I'm still trying to get more comfortable with how it looks on the bike. It's a bit big - and the bike just doesn't look nearly as 'stealthy' with this big screen out front.

The angle optimiser brackets do a great job.

Overall, fit and finish from Rifle (as well as cusotmer service) was excellent.

Again - please excuse me for taking the thread in a slightly different direction,

cheers All - Bull

Hi Bull,

Did you get the tinted version? Any pics? I know what you're saying about the size of it... my CalSci X-Tall looks a bit out of place on my bike, but if the even larger Rifle will fix my problem then I'm willing to do it.

Pics would be great!

Thanks,

Steve

KitsapFJR said:

Hi Bull,
Did you get the tinted version? Any pics? I know what you're saying about the size of it... my CalSci X-Tall looks a bit out of place on my bike, but if the even larger Rifle will fix my problem then I'm willing to do it.

Pics would be great!

Thanks,

Steve

Click to expand...

Hi Steve - please PM me your e-mail and I'll fire a few through to you .... [tinted? - - - yes]