California Scientific

[PagePilot]

All Concerned,

Anyone have any experience/feedback on owning/riding with the California Scientific (www.calsci.com) windshield installed on their FJR?

Please advise...

Respectfully,

David

 

[madmike2]

The best Winter windshield I've ever had on mine. That windshield gave me the first "quiet bubble" on my bike (I'm 74" tall x 32" inseam with a Russell seat that raises my 1").

However...it is too effective for the Summer heat where Ilive. Temperatures above 80-85f and I don't get enough air to help my mesh breathe.

Mark (the owner of CalSci) is a great and knowledgable guy.

 

[juniorfjr]

I bought the calsci tall windshield and found it too tall for my comfort, I'm 5'11" and felt I was looking right at the upper edge. Mark was real good and sent me the medium and I've put about 25k on with it. Great protetion when up a little and good airflow when down. That said, I really liked the looks of escapefjrtist's cee bailey's +2+2 in the daark grey. Think it had a flip too.

There have been a lot of discussion about windshields and every manufacturer has some loyal followers. I think most of the aftermarket,which are a little larger, do a good job of reducing turbulence and making for a quiet ride. Good luck in your search.

 

[Mount Rainier]

Agree with MM.

On 8 months - off 4. Among other things, it is a great forward facing umbrella on those rare rides in the rain here in the PNW.

Size Med. - 5’ 9” – 30” inseam.

Keep Going!

 

[Meltdown]

I've had very good luck with my CalSci large. I'm 6 feet even. In the low position the windblast hits me about neck level and up it's a cone of silence.

Keep in mind that which size screen will work for you will depend on how tall you are and what your preferences are as it concerns how much air you want on you. Best of luck.

 

[road runner]

Mine works great for a winter shield, which is what I bought it for. As I recall I was between a large and XL, so I got the XL because it was going to be my winter shield. If I wanted a shield that was going to be left on all year, then I would have gone with the large.

Only problem with it was that the lower left edge hit the mirror. I had to cut 1/4" off it.

 

[jim oneill]

I,ve had 2 Cal Sci shields, first on my 05 and mostrecently on my 08. They both performed well and looked good as well. Only problem I had was that on both shields I must have tightened up the attaching screws toooooo much as cracks developed on both shields at the bottom. I,ve since recently bought a Rifle shield and was careful not to tighten the screws too much. We,ll see what happens as everyone seems to like the Rifle screens as well. Most of the aftermarket screens get good reviews and all are better than OEM

 

[lonerider]

I've had the CalSci XL on my '07 for several years and found it to be an excellent choice for cold/rainy conditions. It blocks a little too much air for 85+ degree days; when it gets that hot, I'll usually ride one of my other bikes that has less wind protection.

 

[McRide]

CalSci XL seems to be very good for tall peeps. I"m 74" as well and it's great. No back pressure, cone of silence when all up.

 

[El Cajone]

I have pretty much the same comments. My XL version has performed very well and I'm 6' 3". This year I used the stock Yama screen with a Laminar Lip during the summer and put the Cal Sci back on when the weather got cold in the fall.

 

[na1g]

Ditto all the above. Excellent quality, good looks, too.

BTW, the CalSci website has good info on choosing the best windshield size for your needs. And lots of other useful information from oil filters to airbags.

pete

 

[JimNtexas]

The best Winter windshield I've ever had on mine. That windshield gave me the first "quiet bubble" on my bike (I'm 74" tall x 32" inseam with a Russell seat that raises my 1").

However...it is too effective for the Summer heat where Ilive. Temperatures above 80-85f and I don't get enough air to help my mesh breathe.

I put on a CalSci medium a month ago, and that is exactly my experience. Once the tempurtures rise above about 88F it starts to get a little stuffy, above 92F the lack of air is uncomfortable. In cool weather its great. It really cuts down on noise.

 

[Bungie]

CalSci Medium on my 04. I'm 5'9" with about a 32" inseam. I was really happy with it but for some reason I bought a Rifle tuning block and tried that out. Perfection!

The only problems I've had with it were, as, Roadrunner mentioned, it hit my left side hand gaurd. After the tuning block install, this became much more serious. Not a problem, I disabled the windsheild auto retract (why didn't I do that sooner?).

The only problem with it now is when it's in the full up position, I don't get as much protection as before. But it sure was welcome crossing the desert between the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and New Mexico, and the record heat wave the following week heading east.

 

[specialk]

I'm 6 foot even. The calsci tall was ok until I got the rifle. Having tried three different cee bailey's shield (with and without flip) and the calsci large, the rifle is in a league of its own. I have a cut down cee baileys shield (stock minus 3") for summer and have never used it because the rifle flows so much air in the low position. In the upper position, the rifle offered the most protection.

one thing that irritated me, is that I tried the calsci large. I got buffeting as usual when moving the shield up. I called Mark and he said that the shield wouldn't work well when nearing the top of the FJR's adjustable windshield movement. The rifle is designed to work well in this upper position...and it does.

another point is if you ride with a passenger. my girlfriend was much happier with the rifle than any of the other shields.

one last thing I considered when buying my shield is to figure out what people are selling used (to some extent, people wouldn't sell something that was really effective). You will see lots of calsci's and cee bailey's, but RARELY a rifle. my $.02.

 

[FJR Bill]

I'm 5 ft 8 30 inch inseam and my Cali Sci medium provides a quiet, smooth ride. I usually have it about 3/4 of the way up. In rain she goes full up and provides great, see thru protection. I'll keep my stock shield tho and install it in the summer months...Best of both worlds.

Bill

 

[2006FJR]

I am 6'5" and love the protection of my +5.5. Not sure it help my gas mileage when it is all the way up.

 

[petey]

I am 6'5" and love the protection of my +5.5. Not sure it help my gas mileage when it is all the way up.

I'm sure it did not, unless you have a strong wind behind you... :lol:

 

[JR'SFJR]

I'm 5'9" with a 4+4, which works fine on a long cool-cold tour like AK. However, most of the time, just have the stock screen on with spacers. Used the stock screen for a warm-hot trip out west this summer.

 

[stew71]

The best Winter windshield I've ever had on mine. That windshield gave me the first "quiet bubble" on my bike (I'm 74" tall x 32" inseam with a Russell seat that raises my 1").

However...it is too effective for the Summer heat where Ilive. Temperatures above 80-85f and I don't get enough air to help my mesh breathe.

Mark (the owner of CalSci) is a great and knowledgable guy.

+1 here...The CalSci rocks in the winter time in Sacramento. In the summer, I have to ride with it nearly all the way down to keep enough air flowing in the summer heat. My only quibble is that it tends to buffet a bit more than I'd like at speeds above 85-90.