Anyone cut down F800GS windshield? (...tall riders?)

Hey everyone -

Searched a lot on this, haven't come up with anything....

Like most people, my head gets beat up like crazy at speeds >70 mph with turbulence. Of course one solution to this is to upgrade to a touring screen, but I can't convince myself to spend >$100 on something huge, floppy, and ugly to try and stop the wind. Also, being 6'4", might need quite a bit of windshield to hide from the wind.

Has anyone just cut down the stock windscreen flush with the gauges etc, to just distribute the wind over your entire body rather than taking it all on the head?

I'm a day away from doing it, don't want the neck fatigue and noise of getting bounced around so much anymore. Or maybe it's time to add a 1200R with a touring screen for all the highway traveling?

Thanks! Curious who has tried it and what the result is...

I wonder if the short windshield off the 658 would fit without you cutting down yours? If you'd like to try, I have a "donor" windshield off a 2009 658 that you can have. All you have to do is swing up here to Southern NH and pick it up. Send me a PM if you're interested.

It'll fit and it's a few inches shorter.

Good idea, I'll have to see if I can find one from a 658. Normally Southern NH would be perfect, having spent 99% of my life in MA......but the recent move to Southern LA doesn't quite make that a short trip unfortunately.

Thanks anyways!

Still wondering if someone has tried this though, and the results....

I had the same problem, I pulled the screen off and got beat up even more, then I saw someone with one of these wind screens http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/F800GSprod.html and rode it, he was a bit shorter than me so I got some helm buffeting but it was a dramatic improvement. I have one on my bike and love it. I do a lot of dirt riding and it does not bother me in the least either. It is fairly vertical so I am not to worried about whacking myself on it. It is some money but is not floppy and has held up to a pretty big bird strike.

I cut mine down and it is a huge improvement but definitely feel the wind on your chest at 65 plus. Still better overall for wind and helmet noise.
If i had the option i would try the 658 shield first in your case.
Let me know if you want a picture.

Little tough posting from my phone but happy to send if you pm

I started with a 658 shield but wanted to go even lower. Plus I did not like the round profile of that screen, it looked kinda ... I don't know... small.

I traced the top edge of the large/stock screen on the 658 one (first masking the whole thing with painters tape) with a Sharpie, then cut it with a hack saw and then wet sanded the edges with a random orbital sander, then wet sandpaper. I removed the inside painters tape and painted it black with satin black spray.



if I cut it any lower the gauges would be visible from the front.


I like it. I use it as my summer screen.

I tryed mine without the screen and then bought an Aeroflow ???, it just covers the gauges.

I like it mostly, with no wind protection My XD3 is actually quieter. but in colder weather (like I rode all day in) It would be nice to have some protection.

Now I'm bake to considering the obsenely priced tourtech fairing or the obsenely ugly britania composites fairing...unless I can find out more about the Maddstad screen.

If I had my suspension squared away I would order the TT Deserto in a heart beat based on the current user posts.

This was exactly what I was thinking of doing....cutting it down and keeping the same top edge profile.

Any chance you have a picture of the whole bike from a bit further away? Just curious how the whole package looks together.

I'm OK with more wind on the chest at high speeds, really what is killing me right now is the buffeting (especially when passing other cars) and the NOISE of the wind coming off the screen. It gets so much quieter when I stand up away from the flow, so I know this will be an improvement.

Thanks for the input everyone, really appreciate it!

I have the F658GS and have cut the (shorter to begin with) screen all the way down to "just-above-the-mounting-screws". I did it in several sessions trying to get my helmet in clean air... I ended up cutting it all the way down in order to get there... I'm about 6' 1" and have a seat that is about 1" thicker than stock.

The very short screen is very quiet, and I don't mind the extra pressure on my chest while slabbing it....
Living in the mid-Atlantic we don't have super cold temps.... I am planning a long ride to west coast in next year or two and wonder about the fatigue factor going across the windy plains .... not sure how big an issue that is ... or if a tall screen would actually help anyway... no experience with either... anyway....

At 6' 4" you could probably have a bit more screen and still have your helmet in clean air...

I would probably have tried putting the top piece back on ... had I thought of it ....
Hmmmmmmmmmmm I may have the cut off piece still in the garage.

One good thing about Maddstad (unless they have changed their policy) is that you can send the screen back for a full refund if you don't like it. Also, you can apparently pop of the plastic screen fairly quickly and either leave it behind a tree or lash it to your topcase for off-road riding.

MachineBuilder:
The Aeroflow looks pretty "voluptuous" in the pictures ... are the "bubbles" that pronounced in real life?

Something I noticed is that while running no screen on a lonely highway I was just fine, running the stock screen was just fine as well, but on a highway you have sooooo much turbulence that I had to have a large screen to save myself from getting beat up. It helps a lot in areas like KS with large sections of hwy w/large gusts of wind too.

I know you're set on the low screen but I want to provide an alternative based on what I have experienced. I have tried many wind screens and setups and the calsci has worked the best for me. I am in the middle of a high fender mod so don't focus too much on the rest of the bike.

<a href="http://s1116.photobucket.com/albums/k571/Herman_Melville/?action=view&amp;current=IMAG1276.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.advrider.com/advrider-photobucket-images/images/H/Herman_Melville_IMAG1276.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Before mod began

<a href="http://s1116.photobucket.com/albums/k571/Herman_Melville/?action=view&amp;current=574491_10152066900835492_849767836_n.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.advrider.com/advrider-photobucket-images/images/H/Herman_Melville_574491_10152066900835492_849767836_n.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

That looks like it does the trick. It's not so much that I'm totally set on the low screen, more that its an easy option for improvement without spending $100-200 on something. And I hate to bring vanity into it, but I do like the original look of the bike, and have a harder time warming up to the bigger screens.

Which pretty much leaves it to a low screen, or something a bit bigger than stock that isn't too obtrusive.

Thanks for the pictures again everyone.

I also tried the 650 screen first. Then I cut it down 2 inches and stepped it even lower in the center to give it some character. It's a lot better, but I still catch a bit of sour air. I may take another inch off it when I get around to it...

It was easy to trim, just a hacksaw and some patience. Sand as required.

I think I'm going to go for it tonight, for lack of better things to do. I'll post my successes and/or regrets later, possibly with some pictures of the result.

I'll throw in some pictures of some other stuff I've been tinkering with.....hiding all the tools and things I need to fix a flat on the bike, while having them stored on the bike all the time out of sight and mind with the hope that they will be rarely used.

Best thing I ever did to mine for highway comfort. I have the tall touring screen gathering dust in the garage.

Cut mine way down and like it much much better. It seems to allow the air to flow a bit cleaner. Its just barely higher than the speedo

I started out with a ikea cuttingboard and cut it out just larger than the speedo
for version 2 i got a 7 euro piece of flexable LDPE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sq6fFBQi9U&feature=plcp

Works really neat, much cheaper than distroying a screen