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Tourer
Posts: 329
scotts valley, California | A search did not bring up any info on recurved windshields for the VV, so I'll ask: Has any one tried one? Did it deflect rain any better that the stock one or the Cee Bailey 21"? Has anyone tried putting a recurve on a stock windshield by heating it or any other means? (hot baseball bat, rolling pin?) My original stock windshield is surplus at this point, and I'm game to experiment with it a little. The top two inches or so of the factory windshield is already buggered up by distortion, so what do I have to lose? Any suggestions from first hand experience will be appreciated.
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Tourer
Posts: 337
san antonio, tx | Hmmmm. Cool experiment. I can't offer any help other than I've bent angles into some plexi. That was easy. Heat it kind of indirectly with a blow torch and bend it over.
Trying to get a uniform curve along the curved surface of the windshield will be awfully tricky. I don't know how you you would get a baseball bat hot enough and keep it hot enough to do it uniformly.
I have a feeling that when you're finished, you might be tempted to use the baseball bat in another capacity!
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Tourer
Posts: 329
scotts valley, California | Yah, roger, the recurve would be a compound curve to boot. The plex would have to stretch as well as bend.
Edited by Blue Sky Guy 2011-12-28 7:45 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| I was at a plastic store back when and they had a cord that they use. I though it kinda look like a cord you would use for froze pipes.
You could look on line for it doughty you get frozen pipes in Ca.
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Tourer
Posts: 337
san antonio, tx | Well, this is getting kind of Rube Goldberg, but you could get a bunch of clay and make a reverse mold out of it. Then you would have to borrow your friends pizza oven and stick a sheet of lexan or plexi in it. Pull it out and lay it on the mold.
It's kind of how they actually make them, except they use vacuum to suck it down on to the mold.
I've been working out in my mind a plastic or plexi shield that will snap over the switches on the console so that when I get around to putting illuminated switches in, I won't have reflections from them in the window. The best plan I've come up with so far is heating plastic or plexi sheet and bending it to fit.
I'm interested in your results if you do it. |
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Tourer
Posts: 329
scotts valley, California | My friend's pizza oven would probably end up with a pile of plastic stuck to the bottom! The clay mold is an interesting idea, but a little involved. I'm picturing something like oven gloves and a blow torch.
How hot does that stuff have to get to be able to work it? |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 40
South Central Pennsylvania | Don't use oven mitts, go with welding gloves. They are cheap enough, and O reach into the fireplace to reposition burning logs. |
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Tourer
Posts: 337
san antonio, tx | It would be hard to use a blowtorch over that large of a surface without causing a lot of distortion.
I think you need to imbed resistance wire into the clay mold. It would take a bit of experimentation, but eventually you would get the heat output right and the panel would uniformly drape over the mold.
This would save your friendship with the pizza oven owner, but I hope your friend who owns the plexiglass supply store is very generous!
And everyone needs a good pair of welding gloves anyway. Much more manly than the baking mitts with the little kitties printed on them.
Never tried it, but I've heard that a heat gun will provide enough heat to bend, and it would probably allow more even heat than the blow torch. Not nearly as fun though. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | First hand experience? I would be interested to hear someone pipe up on that. Unless you have the experience and equipment to specifically fabricate a windshield, I'm sure the results would be less than acceptable. Are you trying to fix it or use it on another application? |
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Tourer
Posts: 390
| Lexan(polycarbonate) takes some experiance to heat and bend. On an earlier bike , I was trying to fab some lowers from lexan I had in my shop. It gets internal bubbles in it when heated to bend. This was confirmed by one of my plastic fabricators as the drawback to this material. I thiought I had heard Clock Werks was working on a new windshield???? |
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Tourer
Posts: 329
scotts valley, California | Well, VA, Shortly after I bought the bike in '08, I replaced the factory windscreen with a CeeBailey to try to reduce the machine gun effect from heavy rain. I was a little disappointed in the results and have been pondering ever since. When I first posted this, I was willing to experiment with the original VV windshield, but after reading everyone's thoughts, I think I would be wasting my time, not to mention a perfectly good windshield. Yes, there is a manufactured recurve available that Kevin Ness developed by attaching a recurve from another bike model to his existing windshield with C-clamps! The new manufactured model is one piece lexan but has lost the class and character of the C clamps. Someday, when my ship comes in, I may buy one, but funds are an issue. Maybe I could follow Kevin's example and have the C clamps chromed.... Thanks to all for the feedback. I'm over it. The do it myself idea has been moved to trash.
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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| Say why not look in the yellow pages and find a shop that does plastic work or sells plastic and ask them what they do. You would get first hand information and then go from there.
You could always look on craigslist for a cheap stove |
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Tourer
Posts: 329
scotts valley, California | Thanks for the thought, John. I just talked with a guy at Tap Plastics who said it would be cheaper to buy a new one. Maybe I should just avoid riding in the rain. |
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Tourer
Posts: 482
Beer Collins, Colorado (there is no fort) | I have a few years experience of fabrication work in acrylic & polycarbonate. Polycarbonate, AKA Lexan, does not require heat to bend it. You can but sheets in a metal brake and bend angles cold just like sheet metal. The issue with putting a flip edge on an existing shield is once you heated the edge with a heat gun and got it soft enough to manipulate your going to make a mess of the surface plus most shields made from Lexan are MR5 type that have scratch resistant coatings that do funny things when they get hot. There's a very thin line of workability temperature, a bit to hot & you get bubbles/blisters and any bend will have optical distortion, If it was a shorty shield you could sand it smooth and paint it but anything that your thinking of keeping clear will not be something you'll want to look at for long.
Edited by ByteN2it 2011-12-30 8:42 AM
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Blue Sky Guy - 2011-12-29 1:51 PM
Thanks for the thought, John. I just talked with a guy at Tap Plastics who said it would be cheaper to buy a new one. Maybe I should just avoid riding in the rain.
? Why should that keep you from riding in the rain? Adapt and overcome. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 8
| I have a laminar lip ( laminarlip.com ) on my windsheild and it works great. If your local, ask to try it before you buy it. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | I think the original message on this thread was about "flip" winshields. There is the Laminar Lip, the Gustaffson Flip and the Ness Flip. I have the Gustaffson and like it. But I cannot compare to a non-flipped as my regular shield is a different height. It would be like trying to compare apples and oranges. |
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Tourer
Posts: 329
scotts valley, California | Yah, I was calling the flip a recurve; we're talking about the top of the windshield curving out toward the front of the bike to deflect air up and over. Without comparing apples to oranges, riding in heavy rain without a full face helmet, does the rain pelt pretty hard on your forehead?
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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | Blue Sky Guy - 2011-12-30 6:36 PM
Without comparing apples to oranges, riding in heavy rain without a full face helmet, does the rain pelt pretty hard on your forehead?
Been riding a long time. Never found a way to keep the heavy rain from NOT pelting your head unless the windshield is ABOVE your line of sight. A flip shield is no more effective in rain than a regular shield. I usually wear a neoprene mask that solves the problem as I don't like a windshield above my line of sight. Mask, goggle and do-rag. Personally I believe the old doctrine that a plastic shield should never be above your line of sight on a motorcycle, but that would take an entirely new thread to discuss!!
I think the best solution is to stop, enjoy the moment and wait for the hard rain to pass. I would have missed some incredible experiences had I not stopped for heavy rain, including a threesome with two very hot women! Yup. A Ripley's Believe it or not moment!! You only go thru life once..... what's the rush?
Mask Example
http://compare.ebay.com/like/120831374469?var=lv
Edited by MaddMAx2u 2011-12-31 8:31 AM
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Tourer
Posts: 307
Columbia, SC | Blue Sky Guy - 2011-12-30 6:36 PM
Yah, I was calling the flip a recurve; we're talking about the top of the windshield curving out toward the front of the bike to deflect air up and over. Without comparing apples to oranges, riding in heavy rain without a full face helmet, does the rain pelt pretty hard on your forehead?
How about buying a rain helmet? A cheap FF or 3/4 helmet that you only wear when it's raining?
Alexi |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 721
| I have always been keen on taking something that is already made for one thing and modifying it to work for something else. Case in point being the limited choices of windshields on the market for the Vision when compared to the Honda GL1800 Goldwing. Since I had one of my old GL1800 windshields in the garage I laid it over my take off stock height Vision windshield and low and behold the curvature is nearly identical! So, now knowing that the curvature is close enough (natural flex ability should take care of the small difference) all it comes down to is mounting hole location that needs to be modified. Luckily for us Vision riders the Goldwing uses only four mounting slots near the bottom of the windshield for mounting so we will have plenty of room to drill the holes we need for the mounting of a Goldwing windshield on a Vision, and then the excess material at the bottom can be trimmed off using a dremel tool. Here is a picture from National Cycle of the windshield I plan on modifying: 
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Tourer
Posts: 337
san antonio, tx | Thats a nice windscreen. I like the little flaps on the side of it. I think that particular feature might make a big change in the "bubble".
Very interested to hear how it works out if you follow through with it. |
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Tourer
Posts: 307
Columbia, SC | And instead of torquing it and flexing it, you can put washers to space it and account for any SLIGHT difference in curvature. I had an FJR, and one suggested mod was to put small rubber washers in two of the bolts as spacers to make the windshield a little more vertical. This made it SLIGHTLY taller and block a little more wind. I see no reason a rubber spacer couldn't account for a slightly different curvature. The only thing you need to make sure is that it doesn't hit anything or hurt anything when you are raising/lowering the windshield.
Alexi |
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Tourer
Posts: 337
san antonio, tx | sfalexi - 2011-12-31 1:23 PM
And instead of torquing it and flexing it, you can put washers to space it and account for any SLIGHT difference in curvature. Alexi
That's a good idea, but I would be concerned about the amount of stress placed on the plastic due to the lack of surface area the washer would provide.
Maybe cut a thin plastic or aluminum shim to size and place it between the shield and metal bracket to increase the surface contact area? |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 20
Aberdeen SD | check out klock works as brian is working on a sheild for the vision |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | Or you could just go hee and buy a flip! I bought mine here. Actually rode up to St. Augustine FL from Orlando. Nice guy, eager to help. Took a screen for a test ride and liked it. They cut it right there (they will make ANY height) and put it on for me. They even shipped then stock blade from my VV8Ball to my home.
http://www.bikescreen.com/
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Tourer
Posts: 329
scotts valley, California | The neopreme mask sounds like it might be my best bet. Thanks for the thoughts. |
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Fountain Inn, SC United States | Got an email from www.LongRideShields.com offering a discount on their shields to us....
(coupon_01.png)
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 27
Leduc Alberta Canada | Jedi Jeff - 2012-01-05 11:54 AM
Got an email from www.LongRideShields.com offering a discount on their shields to us....
That would be great if they made shields for Victory.
Looks like they only do Harley. |
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Tourer
Posts: 329
scotts valley, California | I spoke with James from Long Ride Shields today who said that they hope to have a unit in production for the Vision by spring. He also alluded that if I sent photos and a description of what I want that they might fab something up for me before that. Their prices look good for what they have but I think they are going to need a different mold for the Vision because the Vision has significantly more slope back than the Harley shields.
I will keep my eye on this outfit with high hopes for an inexpensive recurve shield for the Vision in the not too distant future. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | Blue Sky Guy - 2012-01-02 6:20 PM
The neopreme mask sounds like it might be my best bet. Thanks for the thoughts.
A neoprene mask is very effective.
http://m.dickssportinggoods.com/?p=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kaWNrc3Nwb3J0aW5n...
I have been using one for moutainn biking and off-road motorcycle riding for many years. I have ridden in the hardest rain and 5 deg temp more times than I can count. Couldn't have done it it without the mask. I have not tried it on a road motorcycle since I wear a full-face helmet in cold or rain. I suspect when I exhale it will fog the visor. No-fog teatment will fix that. I might give it a try now just to see what help it offers in such application. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 116
| Any word on the Long Range Shields? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 116
| So what is the verdict on the flip or recurved wind screens? Do they work? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 188
Tifton, GA | I talked to Brian and Laura Klock in Daytona at Bike week they said they have a prototype. They did not have it at their tent so I did not see it. Really enjoyed talking with them they are some very nice folks. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 116
| Do the re-curve or flip windscreens work? |
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Tourer
Posts: 329
scotts valley, California | I talked to a guy on a BMW the other day that had a windshield as big as a barn. It had a lot of wrap back along the sides along with a convex face in the vertical plane (opposed to vision and cee-bailey shields only having convex curve in the horizontal plane). He said the rain did not get to him, BUT IMHO, it looked ridiculous.... well it looked kinda BMW.
Incidentally, I have not heard back from Long Ride since my post in January. If someone else wants to push them a little, go for it. I'm out of the mood! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 116
| thanks for the reply..Dwight |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | DO they work? Some people swear by them and yet others hate them. The reality is that sometimes a flip or recurve shield can actually create MORE turbulance. Each rider and each bike model is different, so the only way to know if one works for you is trial and error. But keep this in mind, a flip or recurve shield does vreate an area of distortion not found on a straight shield. SO fo those who like a big arse shield and want to look thru it, a flip is not a good idea. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 258
Akron, Ohio | A flip shield needs air behind the shield to fill the void of air it creates. With out this you get a lot of turbulence. Bikes where the shield mounts directly to the fairing with no space under the shield will beat you up. It the shield is spaced out the flow is smooth. On our Vision with the holes around the forks and with the shield out slightly, should be a good deal. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 116
| What the issue is for me is really my passenger, she prefers the windshield up which makes it less turbulant for her but I actually like it nearly as low as it will go. So I was thinking maybe a flip would help by leaving it low for me but have enough lift to also get over her. Maybe there is not a answer for her except me to leave the screen up....lol Dwight |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1109
| Congrats on your bike, she's a beauty. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 24
Alberta | This recurve issue is confusing to me. In the 1990's I had a Kawasaki Concours and it came stock with a recurve windshield. All of the magazine tests said the "flip" at the top of the screen caused too much turbulence and distortion. I'm sure Rifle Windscreens made thousands of dollars selling their replacement shields (flat with no recurve). Pretty much any old style Concours you see have a Rifle windscreen on them. Is the Recurve just another old Fad that is coming around again? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 244
| Travelin Man: Did you ever get your GL1800 screen on your Vision? Was it a 27" wide one? I'm looking to replace mine 09 Vision with a wider Screen. My 85 wing had a wrap around windshield on it & it did a great job of protecting me. |
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