1200GSA screen on a standard GS. The Goose effect. (a tutorial)

Not sure if posting here will have value for anyone wanting to do a screen upgrade.....

Here goes:

The GOOSE Effect = Making someone buy something nice when he/she probably does not need it.
Also known as Making Kark in someones life  eepwall: eepwall:


I have had the 1200 for about 5 years now, it is a 2006 model, bought second hand to accommodate both Nicola's and my rather large sizes. Well, she refused to ride on the stunning F650 Dakar I had before.

My 1150GS that I had for a long time before that always seemed to do everything as it should, and is still one of those bikes I miss today.

Wind Protection is an interesting concept and never really bothered me before. I believe that if you want wind protection, you should take the car..... Simple.

The 1200GS we bought had everything you could want, panniers, ABS, Heated Grips, Autocom 7 etc.

I still managed to Bling it up with some more Farkles.

Bought from Maverick: Headlamp protector, dash valence, Off road pegs (more like footboards) I also bought a very large Givi top box to act as a backrest for Nicola, which was recently upgraded to a similar one which had the Givi backrest and box top carrier. Carrier has already worked a few times, and Nicola loves the backrest on long distance. Rear shock crud catcher, various other bits n bobs.

So the bike is PERFECT ???  Right ??

NOPE !!!

A couple of months ago I went for a stunning ride with Goose (Peter) over to Europe.

Beforehand we had activated my Autocom (Never used in 5 years) so that Nicola and I can chat while riding.

Peter also motivated me to get a 2 way radio setup for when we were touring Europe WHAT A REVELATION !!!!  JUST DO IT NOW !!

I never want to ride without radio comms again, it increases your pleasure by 100%

Now Goose is about 5 foot 17 inches tall.... And a bit of a lay-about.



So he has an Adventure with a spare bit of kit, called an Aerotrim. You can see it on the top of his screen.






While we were out in France and Belgium I found that the radio worked incredibly well up to about 110km/h but from 120km/h you had to repeat yourself etc.

Peter suggested I look for an Aerotrim or bigger screen......

He found a few for me on Ebay and bike forums, but I got outbid on Ebay a couple of times by guys who ended up paying 10% less than the new price for them, or on bike forums I ended up being too slow.

Then Goose found one for me to trade for a pair of soft panniers and a HG riding jacket..... both parties happy.

I fitted the Aerotrim one day up at Goose's Mother in Laws place one day, and having done 55km to get to his place, the return trip later in the day was a perfect test, with some windy conditions and freeway riding at license threatening speeds'

RESULT :   AEROTRIM Improved the wind noise by a conservatively estimated 25% which is great for both Nicola and I as well as for radio or intercom communication.

Because it has variable adjustment, it can be made to fit many bike types and sizes of rider.

Fitted









In the mean time I also kept my eyes open for  large screen at sensible money, as I knew the Adventure screens and the bracket that is needed, make very good money, even with damage.

Most screens come without the stabilising bracket or bottom adjustment screws...... and BMW original parts cost a packet.

One day it did happen on a forum where a screen plus Home made bracket came on at £90.00 including overnight courier delivery.


Of course I sent a PM and followed up with a phone call as these items move soooo fast.

I Bought the used Adventure screen and bracket knowing it was a decent price.

Next day it arrived packaged beautifully in a way that would survive a train smash.

The used screen turned out to be pretty much immaculate.  The seller had "Under promised" but definitely "Over delivered"

The "Home Made" bracket is a piece of art and will also allow me to fit a GPS/SATNAV bracket to it, under the curve of the screen for better protection and straight ahead visibility.

Took my old screen off and wanted to fit the Adv screen.......... Ooooooppps!!??

Turns out the adjusment knobs on the Adv screen are 10mm longer -- BUGGA !!

Plan A would potentially entail a few premium priced parts in a fitting kit from BMW but at the extortionate prices they charge, it was a non starter -- FAIL.

Onto plan B which for me would be Evilbay.  None to be found -- FAIL.

Plan C was the For Sale & Wanted section of various bike forums -- FAIL.

Plan D was not fully investigated ( only a web search and action plan for the next day) stiill, it would be a --FAIL.

Plan E which should have been Plan A-D was giving Motorad spares a call, but I had forgotten during normal working hours, so I called them yesterday morning and ..... Success!!!

Description given, a quick rummage and YES they have pair, 50mm long in stead of the 40mm long ones on the standard GS.
Price? £3.50 each plus post came to £10.00 delivered.

Happy enough with that.

Did not refit the standard screen but had to go to shops yesterday. About 35 km return trip.

I had forgotten the wind blast from a naked bike !! And it is now winter in the UK.

BIG TIP:  THE JOB IS SLIGHTLY FIDDLY.

FIT THE TWO  SHORT FRONT SCREWS FIRST.

THEN USE THREE HANDS TO HOLD, MANEUVER, TIGHTEN ADJUSTMENT KNOBS.


Had Jon (Lebowski) popping over later for a cuppa, so would have a spare set of fingers for the fiddly bits and hopefully an Adventure screen on my bike. (Always good to prey on the unsuspecting}

After a couple of cups of "Cawfee" I managed to convince Jon that we needed to go down to the garage in the cold and twiddle some knobs and get some tight screwing done.

He was ecstatic .....




Old screen off.




New screen fitted and still to be adjusted after a decent road test.

First impressions were very much encouraging.

I do not think I will be refitting the Aerotrim as well, as I think the Adventure screen is doing enough. But I will wait to see what the comms are like with Nicola on the back and what sort of change it may have brought for her.



So there you have it.....

1200 Adventure screen fitted to a Standard 1200GS.

PS: I think the newer models all have the same length adjustment screws, so you may be able to order used screws of newer 1200 GS bikes, but check with your supplier that you have a 50mm thread depth on the screws you want to fit.

Also a massive than you to Motorworks for sterling service and speedy overnight delivery.

Hope this helps.