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Played around with making my own Summer Screen

ZXtasy

ZXtasy

Member
Member
I have been finding the stock non vented 2013 screen a bit stifling on hot humid days. Now I have been riding mostly naked bikes for the last 15 years, so I got used to the helmet being the ultimate windshield and I like a little airflow. So bought a used shield for only 20 bucks off a 2008, and it was in really nice shape but I took the jigsaw to it anyway. Then i dug a 2008 Ninja 650 windscreen off a wreck out of my stash and used my new HF heat gun to shape the plastic a bit into more of a double bubble shape.

Found some metallic blue Rustoleum that looked really close, but alas, it would be really closer to the 2017 blue, but 5 bucks was more my taste than the 40 for the ColorRite matching. (I have had good success with their paints in the past.) I test rode it with just the trimmed down stock in all positions at speeds from 40 to 80, then put on the formed bubble and did the same tests. The 2 piece shield at lowest position provided the quietest and most refreshing setting of all.

Hope to have a nice hot tire shredding summer to test this out in. I will next paint the top plastic silver to see how it looks, then if I don't like that will pony up for the CR stuff.
 

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Nice crisp clean "Sport" Tour look. I'm a fan of less screen also. I run the small MRA-X shorty vented with flip, run in the full down position is perfect for Florida, with the flip "up" puts the wind just over my "open" visor even at triple digits. This bike offers the best wind protection I've experienced (too much) for my taste between the placement of the mirrors, plastics and shield... I'm starving for air.
 
Nice job, one of a kind, looks great, saves money!!
 
Like the new screen.

Not many bikes get spoiled with a carpeted garage...    :great: :beerchug:
 
gsun said:
Very cool. Looks a bit like a Copperdawg.
Click to expand...

I actually like the looks of that, over the $500 windscreen.. sweet..
even tho I also love the protection (minimal) of the full blown one, with the added Laminar Lip, I have.... when it's raining, and I'm drinking from the firehose for hours on end.. I like that also.. but for local summer use.. hands down, your's is 'da bomb...  I gotta come up with a "quick change" system, for no tools and fast replacement.. like push pins or Clicko fasteners..  searching thru my Dzus and Southco catalogs right now, for quarter turn solutions..  :great: :great:

I used tons of these, for removable panels on the equipment I designed for the last 30 years, the Southco Distributor guy, and I were good pals.. and they would always send me BIG bags, of "samples" for evaluation.. free... I had such a huge stockpile it was ridiculous.
 
:clap: Very cool! I like that youve taken matters into your own hands!

You've inspired me! I have a Puig dark smoke screen, but I went back to the stock one mostly because the Puig is too tall for my taste. I'm gonna cut that sucker down. Any pro-tips or lessons learned when cutting yours down?
 
Go for it Rob! So many different compounds of plastic over the years and from different users. Here is what I did and found. I made a tiny 1/16 hole at dead center on the front/lowest edge of the screen. Then using a pushpin, string and sharpie, I used a very old trick and scribed  3 different arcs at locations just to eyeball what looked good to me and to make sure they were pretty symmetrical. You need to maintain the same degree of attack on the pen point all the way through the arc or it will wander.

When I found one I liked I used my Dremel with heavy cutoff wheel to carefully follow the line. The plastic gave off a sweet, candy like smell, and worse tan many others it just melted and re-fused itself behind the wheel. I still went along the entire line on both sides and tried to see if it would snap, but no, it is flexy stuff. So I broke out the jig saw and it made quick work of the rest.  Belt sander smoothed it down mostly, then painted both sides with Krylon Satin Black.

 
ZXtasy said:
When I found one I liked I used my Dremel with heavy cutoff wheel to carefully follow the line. The plastic gave off a sweet, candy like smell, and worse tan many others it just melted and re-fused itself behind the wheel. I still went along the entire line on both sides and tried to see if it would snap, but no, it is flexy stuff. So I broke out the jig saw and it made quick work of the rest.  Belt sander smoothed it down mostly, then painted both sides with Krylon Satin Black.
Click to expand...

Awesome! I like your arc trick. Id like to try to keep the windscreen transparent so im going to have to make the cut as clean as possible. I'll probably coat it with tape to try and keep it under control and sand the final bit down to shape.
 
That should work. I figure since I was removing the only part I ever look through in full up, I like the black to help 'shade' the instruments from the rare, but real, melted cluster scenario. Plus we all know radar/lidar bounces off of it!! LOL

Can't wait to see your results. I just repainted mine silver and added edge trim, with more on order for the thicker stock plastic.
 
Great job ZXtasy,

Miss my garage, yours is great and I appreciate the "art" all over the walls.

Phil
2013 C14
 
Sorry you have garage envy Rock, a man needs his cave! Hopefully it will be in your future. Decided to go with silver and one of my matching Biz Logo Stickers. Now I just need to go get some bugs killed!
 

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ZXtasy,
Looking for the aftermarket windshield you have on your bike in your article in the new journal I got in the mailbox today. That’s a good looking windshield and really impressed you made it yourself. Upset it isn’t an aftermarket.

Elkman
 
Thanks Elkman, and sorry to get your hopes up. Still waiting for one of the aftermarket companies to offer me 1000's for my design rights and go into production...not holding my breath. Maybe some day when I retire...what's that?, I will start my own little aftermarket accessory biz!
 
Tundra said:
This bike offers the best wind protection I've experienced (too much) for my taste between the placement of the mirrors, plastics and shield... I'm starving for air.
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True in the summer, but for this time of year I'll take all the protection and heat I can get.

That said, I'd like to try a 2015-up and see what its vented windshield does. I have a pair of '08-'09 OEM shields that are run on both my '08 and the '12 during warm, dry summertime rides. I'm always looking for additional protection from the elements if there's a chance of rain on a cooler day so I swap the '12's OEM unit back onto whichever bike I'm taking then.
 
You did a great job on that. It really looks good.

What kind of gray bike is that in the background with the small fairing?
 
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