California Scientific -> Cee Bailey

Soo when I bought my FJR last month it already had an aftermarket California Scientific windshield.



I'm not 100% sure the size of the Cal Sci but I'm 75% sure it's an XXL which should be a +5.5"

The Cal Sci was great at slower speeds, when it was fully down it was sending lots of air directly into my face but at higher speeds fully up there wasn't really any wind or buffeting but what there was was a ridiculous amount of wind roar. See this thread for more information.

After debating which to get I ultimately decided to buy the 25" (+6") which is in theory only 0.5" taller than the CalSci, I also got the reverse flip which gives you some additional effective height. I thought that the 23" (+4") with the reverse flip might be enough but I figured "better safe than sorry" and went big.

The new windshield arrived while I was out of town, I had a long (for me) ride planned on Sunday so I decided to install the new shield on Saturday.

Thanks to excellent instructions found here changing the windshield wasn't difficult, the only tricky part is the 3mm hex bolts, the allen wrench I have for this size isn't the easiest to use and I had to be careful not to scratch the fairing.

I took some pictures and measurements for comparison purposes, I measured the height from the floor to the top of the old and new shields both in the fully down and fully up positions with the bike on the center stand. I took pictures while sitting on the bike looking straight ahead, using a hand dolly as a makeshift tripod (cause I was too lazy to get my tripod out of the house and set it up)

The California Scientific came in at 56" fully down and 61" fully up.



Fully Down



Fully Up

It was obvious that the Cee Bailey looked white a bit more than 0.5" taller than the Cal Sci so I decided during the installation process I carefully laid the new windshield on top of the old one so I could get a good idea of the differences, I got some pictures of that too.



Looks a whole lot more than 0.5" taller to me.



Yep from here too



Ahh I see what is going on



The Cee Bailey's shape makes it quite a bit taller than the Cal Sci even if it's only a little bit longer dimensionally (click image for full size)

Once I got the Cai Sci fully off and the Cee Bailey completely installed I took more measurements and pictures.

The Cee Bailey came in at 60.5" fully down and 65" fully up. That means it's only 0.5" shorter in the fully down position than the Cal Sci was in the fully up position, it's a full 4" taller than the Cal Sci when in the fully up position.



Fully Down (click image for full size)



Fully Up (click image for full size)

On my ride yesterday (~290 miles) I quickly confirmed what I expected. With the windshield in the fully down position I'm completely out of the wind like I was with the California Scientific in the fully up position, there is a fair amount of wind roar but not quite as bad as the Cal Sci (this is no doubt due to the reverse flip feature). If I raise the windshield up about 2" the wind roar goes away almost completely, this is what I've determined to be the "sweet spot". If I raise it all the way the whole bike is eerily quiet, as in it's louder to drive in my car quiet.

Interestingly, the Cee Bailey is a +2" width, which is a bit narrower than the Cal Sci, before my hands and arms were 100% out of the wind which was actually sort of a problem even with vented gloves my hands would get quite hot and I'd need to take them off the bars and stick them in the air stream to cool them down. This width is much better.

The downsides, well it does look a bit goofy being so tall, but the main negative is that I'm not getting any air on my face unless I stand up on the pegs, even in the fully down position I can't feel any wind on my helmet and I noticed in the morning my face shield was fogging more no doubt thanks to no air hitting my helmet vents.

Obviously the 23" (+4") would have been pretty close to perfect for me, in fact I may end up picking up one of those and selling this one after a while. I'm also thinking about trading the Cal Sci for someone's stock shield to use for shorter trips. Swapping the windshield was pretty easy but I'm not sure that it was easy enough to seriously consider swapping windshields depending on the ride you will be doing on any given day, plus I'd be worried about wearing out the hardware (plastic screws)

It was nice to meet you, and ride with you yesterday! Sorry we lost each other in traffic headed home. That was some gnarly traffic on the southbound 101.

Anyway, about the screen... I'd recommend you order a bag of screws. They're pretty cheap and really easy to break as they're designed to break away in the event of a crash. This way if you start switching screens, pre-ride, you won't get caught without extras.

As you search this site you'll probably realize that windscreen nirvana is..... elusive!

I don't have time this morning to learn how to give you a link, but if you search "custom windshield" you should be able to find a thread I did on a customizing my Rifle screen. Might be an option for you to just modify the too large screen, to suit you in particular. Willing to help if your interested.

I had two Cee Bailey's shields for my 04, a shorter one for summer, and a larger one for winter. The shorter one was still large enough that I could raise it on those chilly SoCal spring and fall mornings, and I didn't have to worry about changing shields too often. Now that I have the 08 and live in Phoenix, I'm considering a shorter and narrower shield for better airflow through my gear in the summer.

Here's the part number for the OEM screws. Like I mentioned, they're plastic because they're designed to break away in a crash. Most advise against beefing up the screw!

Yamaha P/N: 90150-05024-00

redtail said:

Here's the part number for the OEM screws. Like I mentioned, they're plastic because they're designed to break away in a crash. Most advise against beefing up the screw!

Yamaha P/N: 90150-05024-00

Click to expand...

Yeah I will pick some of those up shortly, there are a couple of missing fasteners on the front of the bike so I'll order some of the windshield screws when I order those. I agree it sounds like a bad idea to switch those for metal, seems like a motorcycle windshield would likely be quite sharp if it broke.

FWIW, I use two Cee Bailey shields to cover the season(s) up here in the PNW. The +4/+3 flip gets winter duty when I want a quiet ride and protection for the (occasional ) rain and freezing temps. More than adequate protection, but not too much height to look goofy. A +2/+2 flip gives me all the air I (want) need, including riding in triple digit temps. Fully down you get plenty of air for cooling and up, still provides a nice quiet place for those chilly mornings.

Plenty of used shields come up for sale on the forum. Experiment a little until you find the right combo!

--G

raitchison said:

Soo when I bought my FJR last month it already had an aftermarket California Scientific windshield.

I'm not 100% sure the size of the Cal Sci but I'm 75% sure it's an XXL which should be a +5.5"

The Cal Sci was great at slower speeds, when it was fully down it was sending lots of air directly into my face but at higher speeds fully up there wasn't really any wind or buffeting but what there was was a ridiculous amount of wind roar. See this thread for more information.

After debating which to get I ultimately decided to buy the 25" (+6") which is in theory only 0.5" taller than the CalSci, I also got the reverse flip which gives you some additional effective height. I thought that the 23" (+4") with the reverse flip might be enough but I figured "better safe than sorry" and went big.

The new windshield arrived while I was out of town, I had a long (for me) ride planned on Sunday so I decided to install the new shield on Saturday.

Thanks to excellent instructions found here changing the windshield wasn't difficult, the only tricky part is the 3mm hex bolts, the allen wrench I have for this size isn't the easiest to use and I had to be careful not to scratch the fairing.

I took some pictures and measurements for comparison purposes, I measured the height from the floor to the top of the old and new shields both in the fully down and fully up positions with the bike on the center stand. I took pictures while sitting on the bike looking straight ahead, using a hand dolly as a makeshift tripod (cause I was too lazy to get my tripod out of the house and set it up)

The California Scientific came in at 56" fully down and 61" fully up.

Fully Down

Fully Up

It was obvious that the Cee Bailey looked white a bit more than 0.5" taller than the Cal Sci so I decided during the installation process I carefully laid the new windshield on top of the old one so I could get a good idea of the differences, I got some pictures of that too.

Looks a whole lot more than 0.5" taller to me.

Yep from here too

Ahh I see what is going on



The Cee Bailey's shape makes it quite a bit taller than the Cal Sci even if it's only a little bit longer dimensionally (click image for full size)

Once I got the Cai Sci fully off and the Cee Bailey completely installed I took more measurements and pictures.

The Cee Bailey came in at 60.5" fully down and 65" fully up. That means it's only 0.5" shorter in the fully down position than the Cal Sci was in the fully up position, it's a full 4" taller than the Cal Sci when in the fully up position.



Fully Down (click image for full size)



Fully Up (click image for full size)

On my ride yesterday (~290 miles) I quickly confirmed what I expected. With the windshield in the fully down position I'm completely out of the wind like I was with the California Scientific in the fully up position, there is a fair amount of wind roar but not quite as bad as the Cal Sci (this is no doubt due to the reverse flip feature). If I raise the windshield up about 2" the wind roar goes away almost completely, this is what I've determined to be the "sweet spot". If I raise it all the way the whole bike is eerily quiet, as in it's louder to drive in my car quiet.

Interestingly, the Cee Bailey is a +2" width, which is a bit narrower than the Cal Sci, before my hands and arms were 100% out of the wind which was actually sort of a problem even with vented gloves my hands would get quite hot and I'd need to take them off the bars and stick them in the air stream to cool them down. This width is much better.

The downsides, well it does look a bit goofy being so tall, but the main negative is that I'm not getting any air on my face unless I stand up on the pegs, even in the fully down position I can't feel any wind on my helmet and I noticed in the morning my face shield was fogging more no doubt thanks to no air hitting my helmet vents.

Obviously the 23" (+4") would have been pretty close to perfect for me, in fact I may end up picking up one of those and selling this one after a while. I'm also thinking about trading the Cal Sci for someone's stock shield to use for shorter trips. Swapping the windshield was pretty easy but I'm not sure that it was easy enough to seriously consider swapping windshields depending on the ride you will be doing on any given day, plus I'd be worried about wearing out the hardware (plastic screws)

Click to expand...

Hate to say I told you so, but....

On a serious note, you can send the shield back to Cee Bailey once to get it re-sized. Check their website for info on this. I've emailed them my self to see if I can get my flip re-sized.

Great information you've passed on, should prove useful to folks in the future.

If I may pass on my experience with my Rifle shield (the largest stock size, +5 height, +4 width, if I recall) mounted on my '10 FJR. In the fully lowered position, I have a clean air stream hitting me from the upper chest to the top of my helmet, with little if any buffeting, and all the associated wind noise. When I raise it about 2/3 to 3/4, I'm still looking over the top edge, but the air stream is all but eliminated with a modest breeze blowing past the outer edges of my arms (kicking my elbows out I can scoop nice cooling air in through the pit vents of my jacket, blowing out the back vent), and nearly all the noise I hear is from my own engine (and car tires in the lanes next to me, etc). With the shield all the way up, I'm looking just a hair over the top edge of the shield, I'm in dead calm air all the way to the top of my helmet (still modest breeze past my outer arms), no buffetting at all, and the wind noise is about the same as being in a car with the front windows up and the rear windows cracked open a bit, the engine being the only sound I hear (along with vehicle noise from beside me on the freeway). I always ride with helmet and ear plugs, but with the shield up, riding short trips (20 minutes or less) is akin to riding in the car with cracked open windows.

I'm 6' tall with a short, 30" inseam, so all my height is in my upper body. If I had the same leg length as my 3 brothers, I'd be 6'3" to 6'5".

Not trying to hijack the thread or sell you on a Rifle windshield, just passing on experience with another brand, since you share yours with two different makers.

Happy trails, and enjoy your new ride!

I too have the Bailey's windscreen. I'm pretty sure mine is the +4 wider and +4 (25"?)tall. When I first saw it on the bike I can recall thinking 'that's gotta come off' but it took only a short while before I really liked the appearance. Now I think the stock windshield or anything closely resembling looks out of place on the FJ.

For riding, it's unparalleled to the two other windscreens I have used on other FJs. At 6'4" when slouching, I need the extra height to begin with but this thing is perfect even in the down position. I agree that in the full up, you can have a conversation with a passenger at normal volumes and even likely light a candle. I also find it doesn't buffet at all.

In the fully down, I get the cool air I sometimes need. Although, it only goes as low as my lower neck and it is rather loud in this position; something I didn't consider to be a result of the flare until now.

I also find it aesthetically pleasing compared to all others.

The only complaint: it doesn't shed rain! A little bit perhaps in the lowest position but even then the droplets migrate to the lip and follow the plastic to the inside. Even with rain-away, the windshield takes minimum 30 minutes to dry of at highway speed after the rain stops.

So I added the CalSci XL to my 2010 a few weeks back. Should be adequate for winter here in the SE US.

Of interest to me is how much movement I'm seeing in the windscreen linkage AND movement in the instrument cluster.

This is somewhat concerning and I wonder if others see similar effects with larger screens

Clearly the screen linkage and the instrument pod are somehow attached to similar structural parts inside the nose fairings.

I appreciate any wisdom and feedback the collective is willing to provide

Thanks....

Duplicate post deleted

Duplicate post deleted

Damn this iPad. Now how do I delete a post or two?

So how do I delete a post?

Well that's one way to get your post count up! Yes the dash moves at the top and bottom position and my linkage shakes and vibrates on the way down if there's no force on the windshield. I think moving the wind helps it a lot. I've lubed it generously, helped only a small amount. My Gen1 had no such issues.

Cee Bailey's did take my +4 x +2 shield back. I shipped it to them and they sent me a nice new +2 x +4 shield. The shorter, wider windshield is like night and day for me. The rear head push and buffeting experienced with the taller shield is gone. I have to put it all the way up to get totally out of the wind, but that's not a problem. I see no movement at all in the mounting hardwear with the shield at full up. This shield looks nice on the bike as well, like it's meant for it. The 4" tall version made the bike look like some strange bug in the front end. I've seen big bard-door V-Streams that didn't look as huge on the bike to me as my +4 tall CB. The +4 x +4 would probably look more balanced on the bike than my old +4 x +2. The extra 2 inches in width might have even helped with the buffeting I experienced with my first shield.

You look a little taller than me raitchison. I'm 6' 2" with a 33" inseam. The +4 x +4 might be about right for you. If you're unhappy with your current shield, send it back to CB. They'll make it right!

If you are thinking that you've had it too long to send it back... I bought mine in March 2011, rode with it a couple times and took it off in favor of the stock shield. Contacted CB in the middle of September 2011 and they allowed me to swap it! Got my new shield two weeks later. There are not many companies that would allow a return after such a long period of time.

FJR_Mikey said:

If you are thinking that you've had it too long to send it back... I bought mine in March 2011, rode with it a couple times and took it off in favor of the stock shield. Contacted CB in the middle of September 2011 and they allowed me to swap it! Got my new shield two weeks later. There are not many companies that would allow a return after such a long period of time.

Click to expand...

That's good to hear and I've considered it, though I think I'll just keep this one as a touring windshield for LD rides and swap my CalSci for someone's stock shield (and possibly even cut that one down.)

Have you noticed any effect on your gas mileage when pushing this large, nearly vertical slab of plastic through the air at high rates of speed? Any effect on handling?