Quiet Ride Werks windshield review

[Bmrboy02]

Just installed the Werks windshield on my 2016 RT LC and wanted to give the forum my thoughts. Quality is outstanding in every respect. I’m 6’ 1” and bought the 26” tall after some discussion with Terry, the company owner. It is perfect for me, as I can run it lower than the stock one yet still have a nice quiet turbulence free zone. I’m running the stock seat in the high position with stock bars. I bought the slightly  tinted version and really like the looks on my bike. Unit arrived 2 days after I ordered it, and it was packed very well, arriving in flawless condition. Installation instructions are very clear, making installation super easy. When I called Terry to discuss my sizing questions, he immediately answered the phone, and was extremely pleasant and friendly to deal with. I highly recommend this windscreen, but more importantly, I find dealing with a small company like Werks is the best when it comes to customer service. I’ve been riding motorcycles for over 55 years, mostly BMWs, and have experience with Cee Bailey, Aeroflow and V-Stream windshields. You can’t go wrong with this one.

 

Larry. 

[Rinkydink]

+1. Exact same experience. I was a Cee Bailey guy but I’ve jumped ship. Not that I really had a choice. Terry talked me into a two inch higher shield than I would’ve ordered and the light tint on my ‘17 RT. He was spot on. 

[Ltripreno]

bmrboy02, my experience is virtually identical to yours.  I received mine (26", tinted) last week.  Immediately put it on and rode on Saturday.  Very quiet.  I am anxious to hear from my wife when she rides passenger in the summer.  My expectations are high.

I am 6'1", 32" inseam, 1250RT, seat on high, bar risers and foot peg lower.

And, yes, dealing with a small entrepreneur like Terry is awesome.

Cheers, 

[MichiganBob]

I bought one for my 2018RT and it works great.  I was a Cee Bailey fan for the last few bikes and was very satisfied with their product. When I got this new ride and found out that Cee Baily no longer served motorcycles, I was bummed. But I did my research, communicated with WERKS a few times about height, and am very satisfied with the result.

 

Ride safe,

 

MB

 

 

[realshelby]

Cee Bailey made some of, if not the best, motorcycle windshields and accessories when they were in business. I used how well I had a Cee Bailey working on my '04 RT as a benchmark to develop the Quiet Ride for the current RT's.

 

Most know I have a partner in the windshield part of my business. Julio owns his own plastics company and has quality standards that fit mine. He builds these for me. 

 

Julio used to work for Cee Bailey!  It was a few years before Cee Bailey quit the motorcycle division that Julio started his business. But I have often wondered if that might have been part of why CB ( bought out by an investment group ) made the decision to close that division. Hard to replace good people in a business like that. 

 

Thanks for the kind words!

[migrant]

I've had Cee Bailey and Aeroflow shields on other RTs, and my adventure-style bikes have all received aftermarket shields. Guess you could say I'm picky when it comes to noise and comfort. When I bought my '18 RT last year I searched options and discovered Werks and ordered the 26" clear shield (6'2", 34" inseam). Talked to Terry on the phone and found him to be a fellow gear-head that loved to ride.

 

After getting the shield I had my seat done at RDL, now the low setting is where the high setting used to be. Added Ilium bar risers and Knight pegs to complete my rider triangle, now I'm tempted to change to the 28" shield but with summer coming I'll wait to see if the added air flow of the 26" is an acceptable compromise.

[realshelby]

32 minutes ago, migrant said:

After getting the shield I had my seat done at RDL, now the low setting is where the high setting used to be. Added Ilium bar risers and Knight pegs to complete my rider triangle, now I'm tempted to change to the 28" shield but with summer coming I'll wait to see if the added air flow of the 26" is an acceptable compromise.

Doesn't take too much of a change in height to make a difference in how a screen acts! 

 

I suspect the key here is the Knight pegs. I have those too and they make a BIG difference in high mileage days. What they do for me is it allows me to keep my Russell in the low position and still be more comfortable than I was with the stock pegs and the Russell in the high position. The lower you sit on the bike, the easier it is to control the airflow. Which is more than just the windshield, the fairing, deflectors, even mirrors come into play. 

 

If you are happy with the seat in the low position for long trips now, then the 26" will probably be what you want to stick with. Go to the high position on the seat, and if you find the 26" is being run past 3/4 up the 28" might be better for higher speeds. BUT...you may not get direct airflow onto your visor when all the way down with the 28". That is important to blow off rain. 

[craydds]

Call me a skeptic.  How can a guy in Texas make a better windscreen than the German engineers at BMW?  After reading many glowing reviews, I made the purchase. I must now say, I am AMAZED!  This is my glowing review.  Stock windshield - loud wind blast hit me right in the face.  Had to raise it significantly to get a smooth and quiet airflow over my head. Installed the Werks Quiet Ride and took a test ride.  I immediately noticed a big difference - not a subtle change.  Most definitely a very smooth and quiet airflow over my helmet with the windscreen at the lowest position.  Helmet face shield fully open with no wind blast in my face. The Werks Quiet Ride is an astounding improvement over the stock shield!

[craydds]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndkc0SJESdA    installation video

[old_farmer]

I'm 5'7" running standard Sargent seat in low position. The 24" Werks shield works well for me. It's one of the most cost-effective improvements you can make.

[Paul De]

After I bought my Waterhead, I was saddened to find out Cee Bailey exited the M/C windshield business as I had great results with their +2H+4W (I think) for winter riding and the Euro cut was an all around great performer on my oilhead.   So like many others I decided to give the Werks Quiet Ride a try and couldn't be happier.  Since I don't ride at temps below 45F much anymore I went with the Standard 24" height which still allows a ton of fresh air to cool you in the lowest position in the high heat of summer, particularly while tooling through those little towns along the way.   Great performance at speed with a nice large turbulence free pocket. as well. 

 

Interesting comment from Terry about his fabrication partner because when I got the Quiet Ride windshield I was happy to find it to be every bit the same high quality of my Cee Bailey windshields.

 

FYI 5'10" Sargent saddle in low position, unless going long distance, then the saddle is set to the high position.

[BobW03]

Adding to this post as I bought the shorter 22" with light tint for my 2016 Ebony. Looks and feels fantastic over stock. I have a Sargent seat in low position. With my 5'5" and 29 " inch inseam I really like the shorter height. I also have ilium bar risers so sit a bit more upright. The factory shield could barely be raised before I was looking through it vs over. In the lowest position I have great view of the road and no have more range to raise the windscreen on the highway.

[Lone_RT_rider]

Lots of great reviews on this shield here. Does anyone know what the thickness of the material is for this screen? Also, what is the size of the stock screen for reference? I have a 2020 R1250RT. 

 

Shawn

[wbw6cos]

Hey Shawn, what style RT was yours branded as? 

 

My '19 was style  Sport, which inlcuded a sport screen, which was different than others (guessing.)   The OEM screen measures 24" at the tallest and 22" at the widest.   The Werks one I purchased was also 24" tall.  According to my trusty, old Stanley tape measure, the material is 3/16" thick.   Perhaps @realshelby can give you more accurate numbers.

 

Cheers!

[Lone_RT_rider]

I'm pretty sure I don't have the sport style. 3/16" seems to be about 4.75. The old Cee Baileys on my 2008 R1200RT was 6.0 mm. Does the Werks Shield move around a lot when in heavy buffeting? 

[wbw6cos]

Yeah, I went out and got my new digital caliper to measure it at 4.83 mm (avg).  

 

I have not noticed any flexing, or movement, if that is what you mean, but I really have not focused on it like that.  In dirty wind, it seems sturdy enough for me to not notice any movement.   I do know it handles the job pretty well.  During a ride during Veteran's Day Weekend (out of Two Wheels of Suches) we hit some heavy wind gusts that pushed the RT around a little, but the GS rider reminded me to lower my sail.    Which I did.  Again, no issues.

 

I do keep the shield raised up, for the most part.  I look over the top for normal riding.   For any ART style riding, I have to lower it for a better fix on some those twisties.  

[Lone_RT_rider]

I took a trip to the garage and measured my stock shield right down the center. 24" on the nose. Now if I could only get the light tint option. They can't get the material at this time. 

 

Shawn

[alegerlotz]

18 hours ago, Lone_RT_rider said:

I'm pretty sure I don't have the sport style. 3/16" seems to be about 4.75. The old Cee Baileys on my 2008 R1200RT was 6.0 mm. Does the Werks Shield move around a lot when in heavy buffeting? 

 

 

I have ridden tens of thousands of miles with my Werks Quiet Ride installed and have never had any issues with the windscreen moving around a lot.  It is at least as rigid as the stock screen, if not moreso.

[Paul De]

I never checked the thickness as it seemed on par with the OEM unit.  I've noticed no problems with the Werks flexing, even at very extra, legal speeds.   This question makes me think that maybe I should gauge the thickness of my lips and cheeks.  In my teens and 20's on unfaired bikes my lips and cheeks would start to roll and flutter above 100 MPH, now in my 60's it happens at 70 MPH.  Sump'n ain't quite right!

 

[Rob Nowell]

I like my V-Stream (Z-Technik).  Has anyone felt the Werks is/was an upgrade from the V-Stream?  I've been using the OEM around town, then changing for road trips; I really don't like the OEM.

[Bernie]

I been using the oem all the time. If you increase the speed the aerodynamic works better. Or maybe it’s because I am short?

[Scott9999]

1 hour ago, Bernie said:

I been using the oem all the time. If you increase the speed the aerodynamic works better. Or maybe it’s because I am short?

Yeah, that's a funny thing I also noticed.  EVERYTHING works better on a BMW RT at higher speeds.  It's almost like they designed it that way. 🤔

 

🤣🤣🤣

🍻

[Lone_RT_rider]

16 hours ago, Bernie said:

I been using the oem all the time. If you increase the speed the aerodynamic works better. Or maybe it’s because I am short?

Maybe it’s because your short? ;) 

 

I'm 6 foot tall with a 29 inch inseam. All my height is in my torso. Once I put the Russell on that bike, my head was in the buffeting zone. 
 

Shawn

[Paul De]

Agree with the RT fairing working better at speed. A cager friend was following me to a destination and on the way it started to rain so I raised the screen slightly and sped up.  When we arrive he was shocked that I sped up in the rain, expecting me so slow to a crawl. I told him to have a look at my riding gear.  Except for the jacket forearms and top of the helmet all else was dry!  He got it after explaining how the dead air pocket works.

[Bernie]

I am short, 5’8” with a 30” inseam, I think. I have always been happy with the stock shields on all 3 RT’s I have owned. I guess earplugs and a tight helmet helps also. 

[realshelby]

Bernie, the design of the Wethead/Shifthead/2021 RT stock screens isn't bad for a factory effort. They DO work MUCH better for riders on the shorter side as they don't need raised much. Once at halfway and up, the outer edges are higher than the middle and those act like stirring sticks adding to turbulence. However, there IS room for improvement. Ride on over to Houston and I will prove it!

[narcosis]

At 5'6" (used to be 5'8") and a 30' inseam, I purchased the 22" tinted windshield.  The two aspects I like best are 1) the ability to look well over the windshield even when the airflow is directed over my head and 2) the significant noise reduction.  I have swapped the OEM and WERKS windshields several times to be sure about what I was seeing and feeling and finally left the WERKS windshield in place for good.  After the seat replacement, this was probably the best improvement I've made.

[Bernie]

Okay it sounds great, even for short people. Who knows, I probably don’t know what I am missing. 

[RandyShields]

5 hours ago, Bernie said:

Who knows, I probably don’t know what I am missing. 

After not liking the stock shield or being in love with an AeroFlow on my K1600GT, I tried to arm twist Terry into coming out with a Werks for that bike.  It didn't happen, and now the K bike is gone, but I have the 2016 RT that I picked up this past summer, so I may be looking again.  Like Bernie, I have been pretty pleased with the stock screen, but there are so many guys out there who rave about the Werks screen, including some that I regularly ride with, that I will probably call Terry to talk about the right size for me.

[Randyjaco]

I got my QR today and took it for a ride on my RT. I am very impressed with it. It is  a definite improvement over the stock windshield. The air noise is very much reduced. I immediately noticed that I had air pushing at my back instead of my front?? I don't know if that it is a good or a bad thing, but it is an unusual sensation.

[Randyjaco]

As they say on TV, "Whoa, Game Changer".

Today I took another longer spirited spin down some local rural roads and made a discovery.

First, about 2 years ago I bought a Neo Tech II helmet. I have never been happy with it because it was way too noisy. Since I had invested @600 bucks in it, I wasn't about to buy another helmet. So I have been stuck with what I felt was a crappy helmet.

Well, today I was having some issues with some cross winds and lowered the windshield to smooth things out. All of a sudden I noticed a lot of wind noise. I realized that I hadn't lowered my face shield since I had left the house. When I did, the noise was back but not as bad as normal. When I turned off to a new road the cross winds disappeared, so I started playing with the windshield height. The QR has made my Neo Tech really quiet. With the stock windshield I was never too impressed with the shield adjustability of my RT. With the QR the adjustability really makes a major difference.

Overall I am a very happy camper with the QR; money well spent 

[Oldironken]

I like the QR screen on my 2016 so much i bought the headlight protector...

[wbw6cos]

Did you save shipping costs and buy them at the same time?  

[Rhino]

On 2/4/2022 at 8:46 AM, Oldironken said:

I like the QR screen on my 2016 so much i bought the headlight protector...

You won't regret it,  It Werks!

[Paul De]

Nice, sure is cheaper than a headlight assembly.  I recently moved to a rural part of the state with plenty of stones and gravel to be found on the roads, so I decide it was time for the headlight protector and ordered one up.  The plastic should be popped into the oven soon enough and sent off with plenty of time before I'll pull the bike out for a ride.

[Lone_RT_rider]

So, I talked to Terry about tint availability yesterday. It seems their supplier (GE?) will not give them an ETA when the light tint material will be available. Given the supply base for any products currently, I am far from surprised. But..... *cue deep star wars type music*....... there is .....another way. 

 

More details to come ;)

[RandyShields]

5 hours ago, Lone_RT_rider said:

there is .....another way. 

 

More details to come ;)

[Lone_RT_rider]

On 2/11/2022 at 6:01 PM, RandyShields said:

Hmmmmm..... 

 

 

[wbw6cos]

So, what are the details, Shawn?  Enquiring minds.   

[Lone_RT_rider]

59 minutes ago, wbw6cos said:

So, what are the details, Shawn?  Enquiring minds.   

 

Well, the tint might be a bit different than you have seen before. ;)

 

 

[RTinNC]

On 1/23/2022 at 1:40 PM, Rob Nowell said:

I like my V-Stream (Z-Technik).  Has anyone felt the Werks is/was an upgrade from the V-Stream?  I've been using the OEM around town, then changing for road trips; I really don't like the OEM.

 

IMHO ... it depends on what you are looking for.   The QR is a nice shield and looks great!   And it comes in light tint.  That being said I had a V-Stream on my '06 RT for 30K and really liked it.  For me it was more durable and never scratched,  I'm talking about the light scratches or swirls you can get when cleaning and polishing.  And yes I always use microfiber and approved cleaning products.  The V-Stream worked really well at managing the buffeting and noise too.    I like my QR and it looks great on my platinum bronze RT but if I were to replace it I might go back to the V-Stream.  But both are nice shields ... each just has different benefits. 

[Lone_RT_rider]

So, I got it installed with the bronze tint (not normally offered). You be the judge for you, but I like it. It works well IMO with the bronze tint in the Manhattan Metalic paint, the gold calipers and the gold fork sliders. :) I'm happy. 

 

And no....I haven't ridden it yet. It's supposed to be 50 degrees F on Sunday. Maybe then. :)

 

Shawn

 

 

[drzep]

That looks real sharp. 

[Paul De]

On 3/14/2022 at 1:09 PM, drzep said:

That looks real sharp. 

You referring to the RT or that nice looking blue challenger (RT?) in the garage.    Could it be Lone_RT_Rider has a thing for all things badged RT

 

[Lone_RT_rider]

1 hour ago, Paul De said:

You referring to the RT or that nice looking blue challenger (RT?) in the garage.    Could it be Lone_RT_Rider has a thing for all things badged RT

 

When it comes to BMW and Mopar, damned straight. ;) 

[RandyShields]

I like the bronze tint of that Quiet Ride a lot.

[Rinkydink]

24 minutes ago, RandyShields said:

I like the bronze tint of that Quiet Ride a lot.

Terry talked me into the light tint am I’m so glad he did!!

[RandyShields]

1 minute ago, Rinkydink said:

Terry talked me into the light tint am I’m so glad he did!!

The historic tint color option on a Werks Quiet Ride screen is light gray.  They have paused the production of the tint option because they started to get a different tint from their supplier -- the current bronze tone on Shawn's screen.  Like you, after talking with Terry, I am sold on the tinted screen, and would take either color, but I like the bronze tint better than the gray, and think it would look better on my metallic bronze RT.  Waiting to see what Terry decides to do. 

[Rinkydink]

6 minutes ago, RandyShields said:

The historic tint color option on a Werks Quiet Ride screen is light gray.  They have paused the production of the tint option because they started to get a different tint from their supplier -- the current bronze tone on Shawn's screen.  Like you, after talking with Terry, I am sold on the tinted screen, and would take either color, but I like the bronze tint better than the gray, and think it would look better on my metallic bronze RT.  Waiting to see what Terry decides to do. 

I am also waiting on Terry. I need a shield and a headlight protector for my ‘22RT. I’m what you call triple waiting…The bike is still on the Atlantic somewhere, tint shield is not available, and Werks doesn’t have a headlight protector designed for the newest RT yet.  

[RandyShields]

2 minutes ago, Rinkydink said:

The bike is still on the Atlantic somewhere

Hopefully it wasn't on the Felicity Ace!