Puig R1250GS Racing screen review | Short motorcycle screen for hot weather

Date reviewed: August 2025 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £76.99 | pyramidmoto.co.uk

I hoped that the Puig Racing Screen on review here would allow better airflow to my lid when riding in the summer, so it replaced the standard one on my 2019 BMW R1250GS.

I’ve been using it during the hot weather to find out if it’s a worthwhile investment…

Pros & Cons

Puig screen build quality and finish

Designed and manufactured in-house in Barcelona, the Puig (pronounced ‘Pooch’) screen is made of 3mm-thick acrylic, and it’s no exaggeration to say that it looks and feels extremely high quality.

Like fresh tyres, a new screen will almost always feel like a treat compared to the worn, scratched and bug-splattered original but the smooth, rounded and polished edges, the perfect shaping and the accurate holes really do make the Puig seem a premium product.

Claimed to reduce drag by up to 12.7%, I’m in no position to test that and would assume that it’ll depend heavily on the size and shape of the rider sat behind it. £76.99 might seem a lot for what is basically a piece of formed plastic, but the design, laser-cutting and high level of finishing make this a worthwhile investment compared to the £154.01 OE BMW short ‘Rallye’ screen.

This sticker was a bugger to remove, but that’s my only complaint

The only thing I don’t like about the Puig screen is that there’s a manufacturer’s code label that’s really hard to get off. I had to warm it gently then carefully clean the residue away, but it’s no great disaster (see below for care and cleaning advice).

The Puig Race screen is available in clear, light smoke, dark smoke or opaque black and measures 32cm tall, which is 6-12cm shorter than stock, depending at which points you measure it.

The rubber grommets and mounting arms just need swapping from the OE screen to the Puig

Fitting the Puig Racing screen to the R1250G

How a screen fits is going to vary from bike to bike: on the 1200 and 1250GS the original is removed with two Torx screws, then the two plastic uprights – secured with four more Torx screws – need to be removed, along with four rubber grommets.

These parts are easy to swap over, and everything lines up absolutely perfectly. Then it’s simply a case of fitting the screen back onto the motorbike.

With the screen down, the top of my Carpe Iter tablet is exposed, but cranking it up covers it

I have a large Carpe Iter navigation tablet on my bike (review here), and the Puig screen fits around this no problem. I’ve also checked it with the ‘BMW navigation preparation’ fitted, and used that with a Chigee AIO-6, both with no issues.

With the screen in the low position, the top of the ruggedised Carpe Iter tablet is exposed, so while it’s well-sealed and waterproof, I’d still pop the screen up in the rain as motorway speeds can turn water droplets into 70mph jets. If you use the Garmin BMW Navigator (or the Chigee) in the original BMW mount, the Puig Racing screen covers the device whether it’s in the lower or upper positions.

BMW’s navigation mount is well protected by the Puig Racing screen whether it’s up or down

Puig racing screen wind protection and buffeting

When riding with the standard screen in hot weather, even with it in the low position I would often have to pop my visor open (with the sunshield down) to get more of a cooling breeze. I’m 5’10” and was finding that the chin vent on my helmets was out of the airflow and fairly ineffective, so with a tour coming up with my wife to Spain next year – and the British summers getting seemingly ever hotter – a smaller screen seemed the best option.

With the Puig Racing screen in the lower position on my R1250GS I get what feels like the perfect amount of wind to my head, without seeming to put an undue strain on my neck. There’s no noticeable noise, and with it raised up to the highest position it reduces the wind significantly but doesn’t entirely block it, allowing air to reach the top vents easily. In this setting it feels very similar to how my original screen was in its lowest position.

I’m sure I’ll leave the Puig screen on throughout the year, but if I do decide to swap back to the original in winter it’s only a five-minute job.

How to clean your motorcycle screen

Quality motorcycle screens are typically made of acrylic or polycarbonate, both of which are plastics that can be damaged easily without proper care.

Acrylic is more scratch-resistant than polycarbonate, but both can be quickly marred and be VERY careful with the chemicals you use.

Some cleaning products – especially some all-purpose cleaners (APCs) popular in the car cleaning / detailing world – can cause significant harm to the materials and finishes used on motorcycles. In testing for our guide to the best motorcycle cleaners, anodising has been stripped and plastics have cracked with some products.

A motorcycle screen (or it’s headlight and even your helmet’s visor) should never have reason to show any cracking, but the wrong chemicals can quickly cause micro-fractures that will spread over time. Other ‘hacks’ can be a problem too – Isopropyl Alcohol for instance will quickly crack acrylic.

To clean any motorcycle screen, treat it with the same care you should give your helmet’s visor…

• Step 1: Thoroughly hose off the screen to remove any loose debris.

• Step 2: Spray a bike-friendly cleaner all over. Check the guide here.

• Step 3: Soak a large microfibre towel with water and lay it over the screen.

• Step 4: After letting the cleaner and water soak for about 10 minutes, any bugs and grime should float off easily. Don’t apply pressure when cleaning the screen.

Do you need to tell your insurer if you change the screen?

All Bennetts motorcycle insurance policies accept a screen change modification as standard, so it doesn’t need declaring. However, if you bought your insurance with any other provider please do check your policy documents, or call them to be certain.

The Puig Racing screen makes a surprising difference to the overall look of the bike, giving it was seems to be a more squat and aggressive stance

Three alternatives to the Puig R1250GS Racing screen

Swapping screens is a common mod, and many people opt for something taller. Personally, I prefer having the air move around my head and find shorter screens tend to be quieter, so that’s not always the case and you do need to watch out for neck strain over long distances. Here are some other options you might have been considering…

• BMW Rally Screen, £154.01 | The BMW OE screen has a similar height to the Puig with a narrower lower, but the quality of the aftermarket option is so high that it certainly doesn’t feel like any kind of compromise. Even used, the OE screen is more expensive than the Puig – the cheapest I could find was £85.

• Touratech S windscreen, £112.48 | The Touratech is 10cm taller than the Puig, so it’s not going to provide the windflow I’d hope for. I haven’t handled one, but the images make it look more angular and less refined than the Puig. Here’s a link to the website.

• Cheap screen from AliExpress, around £20 | You could pick up a cheap screen from AliExpress or Temu, or perhaps for a little more at Amazon or eBay, but assuming it fits it almost certainly won’t have anything like the quality of design, manufacture or finish of the Puig. If you don’t care about quality – or your bike – this might be something you consider.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the motorcycle accessories and other products we’ve tested here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Puig R1250GS Racing screen: Verdict

Founded in 1964 by Josep and Jaume Puig, the Spanish company makes screens and other fairing parts for thousands of different bikes, as well as working with Honda Racing Corporation and the Kawasaki Racing Team in MotoGP and World Superbikes.

A quality replacement screen can cost a lot of money, but comparing it to many of the alternatives the Puig offers good value, especially when you consider how well made it is.

Opinions always vary on screen choices, not least because we’re all different shapes and sizes – and wearing different helmets – but if you’re looking to get more air while riding the R1250GS, I thoroughly recommend the Puig Race screen.

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