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Has anybody tried (and succeeded) to install Goldwing vent in Cee Bailey shield?

lprising

lprising

Tricycle
Hello All,

My CB shield has a NACA vent in it, but I want to replace it with a GoldWing vent - by installing the vent right where the cutout is in the windshield.

Has anybody tried it? Did it work?

(I have asked CB of their opinion on this, and I received a reply saying that they would not recommend it, because the curvature of the windshield is much different from that of the GW vent. I also heard that the thickness of the CB shield may be an issue as well).

Any input is appreciated.

Las
 
I have a CB also without the vent and I was thinking of doing the same thing.  I heard the wing vents were hard to locate.  Any truth to that or alternatives?   
 
Funny you should ask.  :-[

I have been seriously considering the same thing, as I had a GW vent in my OEM shield while I was between Cee Bailey's shields, but have since gotten another CB.  And I really miss that vent now, even with the NACA duct in the CB.  I actually took the CB to a couple local places that work with acrylics, they wouldn't touch it for fear of cracking it or mis-cutting it.  I got the same response from Cee Bailey's as you did when I called them, too; at this point I'm just living with the NACA duct and wishing I had the balls to try cutting the CB.  I just love this shield so much more than the OEM, I can't stand the thought of ruining it; not sure but I think my cutting job on the OEM shield might've caused the crazing it developed over the months after I installed the vent, and it wasn't a bad job I thought.

Just so you don't think you're the only guy out there with this idea...  :beerchug:
 
SmokinRZ said:
I have a CB also without the vent and I was thinking of doing the same thing.  I heard the wing vents were hard to locate.  Any truth to that or alternatives? 
Click to expand...

I just ordered mine from Ron Ayers for ~$75 iirc.  No alternatives that I'm aware of; even Clearview uses the Honda OEM vents- they are well made and work well!
 
SmokinRZ said:
I have a CB also without the vent and I was thinking of doing the same thing.  I heard the wing vents were hard to locate.  Any truth to that or alternatives? 
Click to expand...

I haven't heard that they are hard to find. Try wingstuff.com - that's where I got mine from (although it has been quite some time ago...).

Las
 
krumgrinder said:
Funny you should ask.  :-[

I got the same response from Cee Bailey's as you did when I called them, too; at this point I'm just living with the NACA duct and wishing I had the balls to try cutting the CB.  I just love this shield so much more than the OEM, I can't stand the thought of ruining it; not sure but I think my cutting job on the OEM shield might've caused the crazing it developed over the months after I installed the vent, and it wasn't a bad job I thought.

So which one of us should make the first cut? (I will let you know how it went if it was me who gathered enough courage to do it >:D - I will be busy with other things for the next month, though...)

Ride Safe All,

Las
Click to expand...
 
I did years back.  I got the vent from jcwhitney.com  Wasn't difficult to install, did scratch the windshield a bit (put tape on the shield and on the bottom of your jig/sabre saw, if you use one).  Truth be told, it didn't do much.

I invested in the rifle.com windshield system.  I feel it's pricey, but what isn't for a motorcycle.  I also drilled the 1" holes in the base of the shield to allow more airflow.

Mark
 
I have cut naca style vents, but haven't installed a GW vent. I do have some info that may help though... I also have a voyager, and considered doing the gw vent in the voyager shield. After speaking with Carl Leo (the voyager guru) he advised me that the gw vents have issues with getting loose and floppy after awhile - he suggested and personally uses the round rotating vents that helicopters and airplanes use. He has a couple of them in his windshield, and says they hold up and function very well. A round hole is alot easier to get right too! HTH, Steve
 
Steve in Sunny Fla said:
I have cut naca style vents, but haven't installed a GW vent. I do have some info that may help though... I also have a voyager, and considered doing the gw vent in the voyager shield. After speaking with Carl Leo (the voyager guru) he advised me that the gw vents have issues with getting loose and floppy after awhile - he suggested and personally uses the round rotating vents that helicopters and airplanes use. He has a couple of them in his windshield, and says they hold up and function very well. A round hole is alot easier to get right too! HTH, Steve
Click to expand...

Steve, FWIW- I had my GW vent installed in my OEM shield for 2-3 yrs, with no 'loosening' or 'floppiness' of any sort, riding through all four seasons of the year.  I would think that's a side effect of the install cut size, or the screws that hold the vent together (from either side of the shield) loosening?
 
krumgrinder said:
- I had my GW vent installed in my OEM shield for 2-3 yrs, with no 'loosening' or 'floppiness' of any sort..
Click to expand...

Steve, do you know if the OEM shield and the Cee Bailey have the same curvature at the NACA vent area? How well did the GW vent fit the arc of the OEM shield?
Also, I know that my CB shield is thicker than the OEM one, but how would it affect the GW vent installation?
(I am also not sure whether the inward bottom "fold" of the NACA vent will be covered up by the GW vent...)

Thanks in advance for any info!
:motonoises:
Las
 
Las said:
krumgrinder said:
- I had my GW vent installed in my OEM shield for 2-3 yrs, with no 'loosening' or 'floppiness' of any sort..
Click to expand...

Steve, do you know if the OEM shield and the Cee Bailey have the same curvature at the NACA vent area? How well did the GW vent fit the arc of the OEM shield?
Also, I know that my CB shield is thicker than the OEM one, but how would it affect the GW vent installation?
(I am also not sure whether the inward bottom "fold" of the NACA vent will be covered up by the GW vent...)

Thanks in advance for any info!
:motonoises:
Las
Click to expand...

Las, I think the CB is slightly curvier than both the OEM and the vent, which is also part of my hesitation- the vent pieces flexed the little bit necessary to fit flush on the OEM shield but I wonder if that little bit of reverse pressure from the vent on the cut edges started my crazing.  I don't think the thickness would be an issue, as the vent installs in two pieces, from either side, and then screws together.

Anyone have a broken or otherwise ruined CB they'd be willing to part with for testing purposes???  :confuse:
 
I installed a GW vent on my CB shield with a NACA over 2 years ago and have had no problems with it yet.

I used the top edge of the vent for positioning and yes there is a small area at the bottom center that the vent does not meet the shield due to the curve of the area where the NACA vent was.  It's not so noticeable that it looks bad.

The curve of the GW vent is slightly different than the shield, but where it comes together from the inside and outside, if you tighten it up evenly and slowly it will adapt to the shape of the shield.

The CB shield is also thicker than a Goldwing shield.  I used a Dremmel tool to open up the area on the vent that the shield fits into, to help with the fit.

As for parts, I ordered the whole vent with all the hardware from the local Honda dealer ... I think it was cheaper there than on-line.
 
turbojoe78_MA said:
I installed a GW vent on my CB shield with a NACA over 2 years ago and have had no problems with it yet.
Click to expand...
8)
Thanks a lot Joe - that is exactly the posting I was hoping for! (I am sure Steve will like your posting and the explanations, too ;)).

When you said you used your Dremel to open up the vent for a better fit, did you mean that you ground off from the shoulder part of the grille to make it wider (because of the CB shields thickness)? I am just guessing - can you confirm, please?

(Talking of a Dremel - what did you use for the cutting itself, a cut-off wheel or the spiral cutter bit? Any pointers on what to watch out for when using either of them?)

Thanks again!

Ride Safe All,

Las
 
I made a paper template out of stiff paper to fit the vent and used it to get positioning for the cut out.  Top edge of template was placed along top edge of existing NACA vent cut out so I only had to cut 3 edges.  I used a spiral bit to rough out the hole, staying inside of the line for the hole and finished the hole with a sanding bit a little at a time so I could get a nice tight fit.

As for opening up the shoulder (I think I referred to it as the channel) where the vent fits to the shield, I used the same spiral cutting bit to enlarge it till it fit the shield.  I don't remember if the channel is created at the top by the two pieces of the vent coming together, or if it was on just the inside or outside  piece.  I think I had to remove about 1/32" of material and it was from a spot on the vent that you won't be able to tell was worked on when it's all together.  (I looked at mine and I cant tell by looking at it where I opened it up to fit the thicker shield.

If you put the vent together off the bike you will be able to see where it comes together with a predetermined amount of gap where the shield has to fit into.  I do believe it was at the top.
HTH's  Joe
 
Las said:
turbojoe78_MA said:
I installed a GW vent on my CB shield with a NACA over 2 years ago and have had no problems with it yet.
Click to expand...
8)
Thanks a lot Joe - that is exactly the posting I was hoping for! (I am sure Steve will like your posting and the explanations, too ;))
Click to expand...

You got that right Las.  :You_Rock_Emoticon:

Joe, thanks for posting your experiences.  Aside from our little group here I'm not sure I've heard of anyone else considering doing this, on either forum, in my eight yrs with COG- and I've broached it at least a couple times.  Also thought about mounting my Laminar Lip to the top as well... but that's another story.  I think you mentioned a gap that the GW vent does not cover on the CB, I remember now from when I was screwing around with the vent a few months back that I thought that might be an issue as well; how big and/or noticeable is it, again?  Also, did you remove the 'flap' on the lower edge of the NACA duct or did you leave it?  Can you post a pic of your CB with the vent installed?
 
The gap at the bottom of the vent when installed doesn't look bad at all.  I'll try to get some pictures on later, and yes, the flap for the NACA vent was removed when I cut out the opening for the GW vent.
 
Thanks for the pics Joe, you are right- the gap, or more like a gentle dip, really isn't such a noticeable thing.  Do you get any rain infiltration through the gap?  The main reason I want the GW vent in my shield is so I can shut it in wet weather- that NACA duct just gathers big drips that fly off and up and seem to smack my helmet right where I have my faceshield cracked!  The GW vent worked great in all weather on the OEM shield, it was just the shield itself that sucked...
 
How about closing that gap with a bead of silicone caulking? At least that's what I am thinking about...

Anything against it?

Thx,

Las
 
I never noticed any problem with rain coming in through the gap that I can recall.  I never thought about filling it with anything but I'm sure you could do a nice, and not very noticeable job with some clear silicone.
 
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