CalSci installed on my GS

[nevada72]

(also posted on ADVrider)

Installed the newly arrived CalSci XL today. I ordered it Mon morning. It was in stock and it showed up today - very nice. Packing quality was so-so, not nearly as good as Clearview does, but apparently adequate as nothing was damaged. That and it weighed less (5 lb total) which probably saves on shipping costs. It arrived with cleaner, a towel, and a pen (which dissapeared immediately ). The instructions were as minimalist as the packing. Type written, no pics, on half of a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper.

Installing the shield is not rocket science and the directions actually cover the task just fine. It took about half an hour being very careful. Something that annoyed me was that CalSci opted to cheap out and not include all of the hardware necessary for installation. The height adjustment hardware I can understand, but the hardware to hold it to the rotating pins on the bottom?? Especially after they provide the hardware to mount the screen to the supplied supports. C'mon guys - this is a premium shield. Quit being so cheap.

Note the contrast between the 4 year old original hardware I had to re-use vs the new stuff. Yeah, one trip to the hardware store will solve this, but I shouldn't have to.



Overall the shield quality seems fine - up there with Clearview and CeeBailey shields I've had. It's also very minimalist - not a lot of shape and curvature like the Clearview (which subjected me to brain rattling turbulence so probably a good thing!). This is by design I'm sure. An air slot cut into the front near the bottom. Looks like a Trans Am hood w/o the snorkle. I can live with that. The clear plastic supports that attach to the shield and used for height and stability are a bit cheesy. They are bubbled from the bending process (I assume) and a bit foggy so I can't say I'm impressed with them. What woudl be better? Not sure and they seem to work well at least with no change in height/tilt functionality from the original design. The XL size is as tall a screen as I have sat behind. Much higher than the tall (but not "Monster") Cee Bailey and Clearview I had. Itseems a bit awkwardy tall compared to it's width, but then again, so am I at '6-5" and under 200 lbs.



Overall I'm not wowed, nor am I dissapointed. $260 + shipping is not cheap, but in line with Clearview and CeeBaileys. The bottom line here is how does it work at speed? I took a short hop around town and the air flowed nicely over my head up to 50 mph. I'll do a hwy ride this afternoon and post more pics and impressions then.

[nevada72]

Well.....did some highway riding. Pretty damned impressive. This is the 1st time I've been able to ride any of my bikes with the visor up and no earplugs (and not have ringing ears. Very quiet. Very smooth. I now know what my motor and rolling tires sound like. Performance wise it's somewhere between the basic aftermarket shield and the full dress Harley I rode recently, which was very nice. I have never been on an AeroFlow bike but I suspect it's a lot like a full fairing bike w/o lowers and therefore offers more protection than the calSci. That said, I didn't want that much protection and the calsci performs exactly as I had hoped. It's a tall narrow shield - kinda looks like a diving board. Not as cool as a short shield, but waaaay better than an AeroFlow imo. The result of that narrow profile is smooth air from above the helmet down, but the arms are still in the wind - not turbulent though. I suspect it would be quite easy to add some adjustable flaps if one wanted even more protection. I'm probably going to fab up some wings that lay alongside the tank to block the air that passes past the blinkers and under the handguard - that seems to be the biggest wind spot.

My regard has gone from indifferent to extremely pleased.

Stats -

bike - 2005 R1200GS, Russel DayLong seat highest position, no bar risers

shield - CalSci XL $260.00

helmet - Scorpion exo 700. Used to think it was loud. Not anymore.

rider - '6-5", 185 pounds, very broad - I make a great sail, 35ish inseam, proportional upper body to legs so I need tall size shirts - 16 1/2 x 37. I see about 2 inches over the screen when seated I can flat foot at stop, but barely.

[Beechhunter]

I have an 2004 GSA and ordered a tall Cee Bailey. I hope mine works as good as your Cal Sci. The stock screens suck

[nevada72]

I have an 2004 GSA and ordered a tall Cee Bailey. I hope mine works as good as your Cal Sci. The stock screens suck

I had a Cee Bailey on my R1100R. It was a nice shield. It was also quiet, but too short for me. Cee Bailey would have been my next choice probably.

[ChopperGuy]

I have the Cal Sci on my R1200GS ('06) and my wife has one on her '09 F650GS Twin.

We have ridden them for about as long as they have been available for each bike and actually did some proto-type testing for Mark at Cal Sci on her new bike last fall.

We rode in the rain at 50 F for 8 hours one day and I can say I was impressed at how well it works and actually also keeps you more out of the wet than the Cee Bailey I replaced with the Cal Sci did.

I added Cee Bailey Winglets to my bike and eliminated most of the wind on the arms you mentioned. I also just put some Nippy Normans winglets on her F650GS and she is VERY happy with how that improved her comfort in the wind as she does not like to get cold for any reason.

I'm going to be very interested in how the Cal Sci allows air flow this summer when it gets much hotter out. I didn't get mine until after the most heat of the season last summer. I may change back to the Cee Bailey when it's really hot out and give both screens a valid comparison in similar conditions.

Overall, Mark @ Cal Sci makes a great product, supports his customers well and has designed a screen that really works.

[nevada72]

I have the Cee Bailey winglets on order. I did a lot of product eval (riding) this last weekend. The CalSci worked quite well, but I could tell that the winglets would reduce a lot of noise and air on my chest. I could place my hand where the winglets go and it became immediately calmer and quieter. I'm looking forward to adding them.

As far as hot weather, I'm sure it will be fine. I don't see it as eliminating the wind as much as tuning it to be quieter in all respects. There will still be pleny of airflow after all is said and done.

[podsobinski]

Keep us informed on the change, if any, on gas mileage. Good posting. Right now I am very happy with my stock GSA windshield on the inbetween setting. A little noisy during cross wind but great all other time. Mileage changes for the worse when it is upright all the way 5% or so.

gpodzo