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Adjustable Windshields

bearbait51

bearbait51

Mini Bike
The topic of after market windshields for the C10's has been around for a long time.  I have not seen any new postings recently, so here we go.  I am looking to replace the OEM windshield on my 2000 Concours and am looking for an adjustable one.  I want to be able to raise or lower it when the weather changes.  Anyone know of any?
 
I have seen a couple home grown ones on C10s and some talk about packaging the way it was done for sale through Murph's site but have not heard of it coming to reality.  Maybe someone that has done it will chime in.
 
I just use a bottle of "shrinkit" in the spring and "enlargeit" in the fall. I think Murph sells it.... :p
I'm waiting on him to come out with "findit"....  :eek:

I never even thought of an adjustable and just ordered a large Cee Bailey for cold and will reinstall the factory for moderate. I will likely make a shortie for the dog days of Texas. Some sort of quick release retainers would be a huge blessing though. I think I will go research that. :-\
 
You could get a "Laminar Lip".  They can be adjusted a couple of inches, depending on where you put the mounting buttons. 
This is not only adjustable, but gives you the largest pocket of quiet air be hind the shield.
 
Doug... pulll all the windshield screws and mount a summer shorty windshield, but while putting the screws back, mount a snap with them.  Then install the other half of the snap on the base of your big shield and snap it in place. On and off in a blink.  Long short long short.  What's wrong with that?  Face shields were mounted like this for years, why haven't they started doing shields like this for us?  I'd do it, but I haven't finished the last six hundred and eighty seven projects yet and I need more money for the thirteen thousand, eleven I already have waiting in the wings.  ;)
 
Actually the solution is quite simple. I wish one of you would make one for me. Based on the Rifle and a Laminar Lip that I have.

The laminar lip mounts to my rifle shield with 3 #M-dual lock buttons on the rifle shield and a strip on the lip. I can move it up and down roughly 2 inches of movement.

The idea is to so the same thing with overlapping shields on the rifle. Have a 15" rifle shield on the base with a 12" outer shield over the top, with 6 inch movement with the 3M dual lock bottons. In the low position the 12" shield could completely overlap the 15" main shield. And the nice part is with the rifle vent,  down at the base you wont be blocking anything.  -- In the upper position the 12" outer shield is raised up 6" with 6" overlap for mounting. Now you have a 21" rifle.  And you could adj any where in between 15" and 21".

Best of all its always there. You dont have to remember to change it or have one only for summer/winter. You could even stop, move it and ride off changing on a trip.

Not quite as cool as those eletrical adj one we have seen a few do. Those were really trick. But this is also pretty simple and cost effective. Also required no modification to any existing base parts or plastic, electrical, etc.

Based on my experience with the Laminar Lip held in place with the 3M dual lock buttons, I think it will be plenty strong as long as there is enough overlap. I was thinking 12" with 6" overlap for a 50/50 split worst case. -- Only a guess as you all have not made one yet, but it seems like a good place to start and have success.

Also the black 3M buttons while initially took a bit of getting used to, they are off to the side and not in the middle where I look. In the end I got used to it pretty easily and I dont pay any attention anymore. So I dont think that would be a problem.

Other issues with this design?

someone guinea pig this. I would but I am too stupid to be able to cut my own plastic even with them great instructions 2linby gave me.
 
Rev Ryder said:
Doug... pulll all the windshield screws and mount a summer shorty windshield, but while putting the screws back, mount a snap with them.  Then install the other half of the snap on the base of your big shield and snap it in place. On and off in a blink.  Long short long short.  What's wrong with that?  Face shields were mounted like this for years, why haven't they started doing shields like this for us?  I'd do it, but I haven't finished the last six hundred and eighty seven projects yet and I need more money for the thirteen thousand, eleven I already have waiting in the wings.  ;)
Click to expand...

And Slybones as well.

Good suggestions. I LIKE it! The only potential for issue is the angle of the Cee Bailey. As you know it pulls further back to the driver. I think you are right with the thought of creating a shorty shield for a base plate for mounting. Let me see if I envision it correctly... Create the shorty shield. Standard drilled holes for mounting and attach stainless snap halves to the shield by the mounting holes perhaps to each side around the perimiter, then set the other snap halves on the factory and the Cee Bailey that would snap onto the shorty shield.. perhps a thin foam template that would surround the mounts and fill the gap left by the snaps would provide some additional support and aid in keeping the two shield from rubbing at the top of the shortie (especially for the Cee.)

Slybones. You would mount evenly spaced snaps higher up the shield and have a short piece with overlapping snap positions with say 6 on the base per side and 3 on the top extension shield so you could snap the 3 to posit 6-5-4 or up a notch to 5-4-3 or up a notch to 4-3-2 or up the final to 3-2-1? Interesting idea as well (your patent pending!)

The only thing better would be to create a bolt for the fairing that would have the top cap BE a snap half and matching bolts for the shild mounting holes that would hold the other half snap. The kit would be harware only with a base set to secure the fairing and tripple the shield halves for short mid and grande shields.... OR.. create a base plate that would screw onto the fairing and replacement shields with the snaps mounted to it. The base with snaps would stay in place always and you would snap any other shield to it. The kit would be a base that would screw into the fairing mounts and have snap halves and 1, 2, or 3 universal top brackets that would screw onto the shields semi-permanently and then snap onto the mounting bracket. All shields would mount this way.

Hmmmmmm....
Oh and just in case.. Patent pending..
 
I have been sitting back and reading all suggestions, thanks to everyone.  The one thing that bothers me is snaps...I would not trust snaps on a windshield of any size at 70+mph??  Especially in cross winds and highway traffic.

I will continue to look for a windshield that will work or use the Laminar Lip that attaches with threaded connections.  If anyone finds one, please let me know.

Bearbait
 
The Laminar Lip is attached with 3M Snaplock.  It looks a little like Velcro, but is much more solid.  To pop it loose you actually have to put something between the 2 surfaces and pry.  I was very surprised at how much force it takes to "break" the contact.  Laminar says that as long as you keep it below reasonable street speed there will be no problem.
 
The instructions with the lip make it sound like you only need two points per side. I used 3. Not only is it strong, its actually a bitch to remove the lip for cleaning. while its only small round buttons, the 3M dual lock material is quite strong. I have to really yank on the lip to remove it so I can clean. Its hard enough that I everytime I remove it I also think about removing the center button and only having 2.

3 buttons has traveled at over 100. And has cruised the freeway at 75 and 80 for hundreds of miles at a time. Been there since last spring I believe. Not sure would have to search back through my post and see when I mounted it.

I agree that the 12" overlapping shield idea as more surface area, and up to 6" of that sticking up unsupported. Which is different that what I show here. So I am thinking stick with 3 buttons for sure on it.

IMGP4694.JPG
 
doug, different ways to do it. Myself I would start with 3 buttons on the main shorty shield and evenly spaced at the top as you say. Have a 1 foot long strip on the 12" overlapping shield similar to the lip in the picture. -- In the the upper riding position, the bottom part of the 12" would mount to the shorty and the upper part would extend over the top with no contact. -- In the lower riding position the upper part of the 12" would mount to the shorty and the lower part would extend down. One question would be in this mode would the bottom of the 12" which is completely overlapping your shorty and has no support be ok, or would we want one more button on the main down low.

I like the sealing idea. I didnt think about rain/wind between the two. The Lip definately suffers from this. And when both are wet, its impossible to see through. Seeing through a single shield is hard enough wet. Seeing through both layers is near impossible. With the lip its only a small section. But still worth consideration in the design.
 
While I am thinking about it......

This last summer:
I have lip installed so it raises the height of my Rifle by another inch or so. I still look over the top the Rifle/Lip down the road at a comfortable distance. Looking down close I only have to look through 1 layer. At moderate distances you to look through both. Optically its does not distort the view that much. To me it only seems slightly worse than 1 layer. Plenty acceptable while dry and daylight hours

I did not ride that much at night. At least it was a small percentage of my mileage and I dont recall it being tough.

This winter:
Winter in the Pacific Northwet means riding to work in the dark, riding home in the dark, and quite often in the rain ( at about 40* with the Gerbing stuff running ). Here I found the distance that I was looking down the road from my summer setting was farther than the lowbeam works. Now to look down into where the light pattern shines, I had to lower down the lip for winter riding. Of course it depends a lot on lighting and various conditions, but the short version is I lowered it down as far as I could so I am back to basically the same height as the Rifle alone.

So I guess the point to all this is the optical qualities of my overlapped design idea, versus the amount of time we would have to spend looking through it, and dry versus wet conditions. Not that its a problem or cannot be solved, etc. Just mentioning that its a consideration. Given this I might be tempted to keep my existing 19" Rifle shield and start the idea with a new 15" shield and the additional overlapp piece. Then depending on how test results some out, I could always throw back on the original 19"er.


 
Thanks Slybones, for the photo and discription on installing.  This seems to be the way to go.  I have been tossed over replacing the OEM shield with a Rifle, Cee Bailey, Givi, or Clearview.  I was leaning toward the Clearview with the adjustable vent, but it appears the Rifle seems to be in my sites.

The buffeting from the OEM shield keeps me hanging on at 70 mph unless I duck down out of the wind. 
I am 5' 9" with a 32" inseam, (about as average as could be), my Concours is still stock including windshield and saddle.  Anyone have an idea on the size of Rifle shield to purchase?  Or, maybe I should start with a tall shield that I can just see over and add the lip later and may have to cut the tall shield down.

I live in south central Pa. so the bike is resting form December to April.
Thanks to everyone...Bearbait
 
You'll get opinions both directions, so.....

I had the stock shield ( and still have out in the garage ), a Cee Bailey which I sold, and now the Rifle. I myself, like the Rifle a bit better. Its also more expensive. I do like that its a straight shield design that has no lip in it, so you can easly cut your own shields from Lexan. 2linby has posted some nice instructions around here some place.  -- I also like that this design is farther away from your face. It is working quite well from a wind, buffeting point of view.  Its not quite as wide as the CB was. My arms get a little colder in the winter. But get more air into the mesh jacket in the summer. I have also seen pics from those who cut own rifle shield and extended it an inch wider on each side. So here too you could have a summer/winter shield widths. -- This also makes my over lapping idea easier since its straight cut pieces and no one has to form lips and curves into the material.

From the outside front of the bike looking back the shield the Rifle took some getting used to. I think the solid clear shields look a little nicer from an external point of view. From the cockpit where I do most my viewing, I really like the 2 piece design and the extra dash area the rifle base gives. Its not really an extra dash, just more my description. But I really like the way the base bits and extends up, etc. I love it from this viewpoint.



 
Slybones,  How far down can you move the Lip and still get the still air effect?  I just got the lip so don't have any experience.  I did mount it too high to start and have moved it down a little.
 
Well that a good question. Ultimately I can only move mine a few inches based on the way I have mounted my 3M dual lock buttons and the strip. 

When I first got it I recall moving it up and down to see how much difference was due the shape and air flow versus just because I got a higher shield. From my notes it seemed that is still made a difference in the few inches of movement I have. For me both lowest and highest is better than no lip at all. This winter when I moved it I really didnt pay any attention and I dont recall suddenly being shocked by all the added wind noise, or anything like that. I dont recall anything different other than I could see the road closer to the bike, not having to look so far out.  -- Which kinda translates into it didnt make a difference. But does not really answer how low can we go.
 
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