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Paint prep, new windscreen(s)

Bobmws

Curmudgeon At Large
It's time to get the hack painted to match the bike! I've ordered new shocks as the solo stockers are woefully under sprung for hack use. Also got a shock for the hack. Installation requires removal of the hack body, could be done on, but per SWMBO it does need to be painted!
It will also be easier to install the bike shocks.
I've wanted a shorter wind screen for the hack, so while I have the body stripped down I made some templates and cut up some 1/8" Lexan.
First screen is about 1/2 the height of the stocker.
 

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Side view, this screen is just below eye level of my passenger.
 

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Short-short screen will be used when running solo on a trip, it will keep weather form entering the front of the tonneau cover. I'm leaving the protective coating on until the hack comes back from paint.
I had SWMBO sit in the hack and she asked about wind protection. She didn't find it humorous when I offered to pull her down the road on the trailer.......
 

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I had SWMBO sit in the hack and she asked about wind protection. She didn't find it humorous when I offered to pull her down the road on the trailer.......

If you lock your wife and your dog in the trailer and take a 20 mile ride down a GS trail, when you open the door, only your dog will be happy to see you.
 
Perfect Timing!

Just yesterday, I was out in the garage looking at my Watsonian Monaco, which has the big "wrap-around" plexi shield mounted, and which large screen serves as the mounting for a very trick convertible top. . .

BUT -- we now live in the desert, versus Colorado high country which is where the Watsonian first found us, and thus did my fevered brain put a "shrink the windscreen" project on the lengthy list of to-do's. Moreover, I've been riding solo a lot of late with just ballast in the chair. . .and the ballast is not likely to complain about any lack of amenities.

Not to minimize the your obvious skills in design and execution. . .but this looks like a pretty straightforward project using 1/8" Lexan.

Any need to use a heat gun to form? Probably good to go on gentle curves with just the screw-fasteners and washers holding the material, eh?

NICE JOB, and thanks for sharing.

Walking Eagle

p.s. I had a checkerboard '98 K12RS. . .you've got a SCREAMING rig there, my friend.
 
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Thanks, it was pretty simple, just took some time to make the template. I used a couple of manilla folders taped together to make a template.
1/8 Lexan is extremely flexible without breaking, which is why I used it. I don't feel any need to have the curve permanently formed. Do use a pointed plastic designed drill bit for the holes, looks like it was sharpened in a pencil sharpener.
I have a hotrod project that needed windows, I got some 3/8 lexan for that. If you heat lexan it will cloud *unless* you have the capacity to heat it in an oven to (I think) 275 degrees before you heat it to set a curve. I had the plastiic shop heat it and than form it to the curvature I needed .That was a few years ago, Google Lexan forming for the details.
 
Sure is a lot of RED!

Finally got the rig reassembled, my guy did an excellent job with the paint, the pics don't do it justice.
 

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I put the short shield on for now, we'll see how SWMBO likes it this weekend. Plan to run the short-short shield running solo to GMR.
 

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The real bonus....

As pleased as I am with the paint, the real bonus came from the new shocks. Hyperpro on the bike and a YSS on the hack from Klaus at EPM Performance. :deal

The rig was weighed in total and individual wheels, and those weights were used to build the shocks and determine the springs.

It's like night and day! First turn out of the driveway I noticed the steering effort was reduced, and yes I have a trail reducer installed. After a 60 mile loop I think the effort has been reduced by 1/3! I no longer feel that I am leaning to the left at all times, the sag is minimal when mounting the bike, but the ride is smooth and compliant. Hitting the brakes hard I can barely discern any front dive.

There was very little tendency to lift the hack wheel compared to before. I was alot more comfortable in right curves and turns. I did get the wheel up when I intentionally took a 90 a bit faster. It was good to get a feel for it.

I did not change anything on the original setup, but with the bike now more upright, I can use the ECC to adjust for road crown. Previously the excessive lean from weak springs negated the necessity for adjustment. It also made the bike pull left while in the left lane of a 4 lane road that was crowned toward the median. Handling was fine in that situation with the ECC down.

For now the damping adjustments are all set in the middle of the range. I'll have to take a day to play with them.
 
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Wow!

Love the Cream of Tomato color - (seriously), and your description of the handling improvements should benefit a lot of people.

In re: Handling -- aftermarket leading-link front end (for non-Telelevers, of course) make a MONSTER difference in handling vs. forks. Not cheap, by any means, but the difference in handling and enjoyment is huge. It really is power-steering, with almost NO steering pressure on the curves - one hand, if you dare.

Thanks again for sharing - it's a pleasure to see something done RIGHT vs. thrown together.

The shorter windshield looks perfect. Did you use NYLON fasteners, or conventional? I'm starting my project this very afternoon. . .

Regards,

Walking Eagle
 
As I said, the pics don't do the paint justice. The color is Piedmont Red, generally shows alot darker and more metallic. Cheap camera, bright mid-day sun........

Yeah, though I suspected the handling would be better, I wasn't prepared for just how much it improved. On a steady large radius curve I can comfortably let go to wave at another rider. Tighter the curve, the more effort required, but alot less than before.
Leading link won't happen on this rig, though some of the Aussies on ADVrider are building them for their GS's. Let's not even crack open the door on the HP rigs that seem to be the Euro standard, center hub steering, etc.

We'll see this weekend how the shield does for airflow. If the airflow is good I'll probably pick up a tinted piece of Lexan and replace the clear shield.
Hannigan uses 10-24 stainless bolts with countersunk washers and lock nuts so they will stay snug without cranking down on them.
 
Howdy,Bob. I used nylon screws,flat washers,and nuts on my eml rig and never cracked a screen. By the way I've picked up a really used eml tour and Nanci and I are having lots o'fun with it. Should be @ The Georiga Mountain Rally with it this year(May4-6)
 
Howdy,Bob. I used nylon screws,flat washers,and nuts on my eml rig and never cracked a screen. By the way I've picked up a really used eml tour and Nanci and I are having lots o'fun with it. Should be @ The Georiga Mountain Rally with it this year(May4-6)

Hi Rich,
Sounds like you've gone full circle, looking forward to seeing you two again.
The 1/8" lexan is pretty indestructible, I'm not concerned with the stainless hardware causing a problem. It also was working fine on the stock tall screen which is much thinner material.
 
Windscreen Tip. . .

As mentioned above, I removed my LARGE wraparound "stock" windscreen from my Watsonian Monaco -- designed to cope with BRIT weather (which, curiously, we have NONE of in New Mexico!) -- and replaced with . . . well, that's this story, or part of it. . .

Thanks, in part, to this thread, I got motivated, bought a lightly used Harley chunk of Lexan, and stared at it for awhile. . .only a few shots to get it right. . .once cut, there's "almost" no going back, unless you have a Lexan "stretcher" after you cut it too small.

Two things if you're doing a similar project:

(1) Be aware that the BOTTOM curve on your new windscreen (usually) determines the "slant" of the finished product. In other words, if you cut a SMALLER diameter ARC on the plexi/Lexan -- the new screen will tilt more sharply to the rear. The "milder" arc will result in a screen that is more vertical, once mounted with hardware of choice.

My Watsonian has a "lip" on the windscreen mount area that is about 1.5" tall; it's pretty vertical - only a slight tilt, so I figured I could "adjust" the tilt using rubber or weather stripping, as necessary. Fortunately, the existing "tilt" to the lip turned out to be right. Read on.

(2) I cut a "proposed" windscreen pattern out of regular "box" cardboard, made another one (doubled it), and taped the two pieces together in a slight curve, to fit the mounting area. Used one nylon fastener in the middle of the new smaller screen pattern, and fastened it to the chair. This allows the passenger to TEST the screen tilt while underway at various courses and speeds. Obviously, if you take a box-cutter along, you can also change the shape of the test-screen, too; I didn't have to do that on this one, as the original shape turned out to be almost perfect.

Loaded SWMBO into the chair, and took off for the test track -- VERY GOOD IDEA to have tested the new screen -- which is about 9" tall x 16"W -- because the TILT is critical to the air bubble (duh!). At a greater tilt, the passenger experience sucked -- air blast directly at the face. Contrariwise, a more vertical placement (perfect to mount to the existing lip, as it turned out) resulted in an excellent quiet zone, with the airflow hitting the top of the passenger's helmet.

Obviously, YRMV, as there are a lot of different chairs and passengers out there, but this info may help somebody save some time and lends a confidence to the cut-out phase, which is otherwise wishin' and hopin' to some degree.

Walking Eagle
 
Good info Walking Eagle. I think I made 3 templates until I matched the angle of the stock screen. I used manilla folders as template material, which would not have worked for a test ride, though I didn't have that option as the hack was apart at the time, and SWMBO wouldn't ride in it on the trailer......
Haven't had a chance for her to test it yet as a major storm is coming through at present. If I need more height I will use your heavy cardboard trick and tape it on at different heights.
At any rate we'll have the stocker on for the trip to Sedalia as we can bring the full top along in the trunk.
 
Making Holes

Success on my small project.

Tips: My Bosch jigsaw did a beautiful job of cutting the Lexan (old Harley) shield. My advice is to use a scroll blade with plenty of teeth, and EXPERIMENT with different speeds and blade-angles on scrap until you hit the sweet spot. I just used painter's tape on both sides of the material, and had NO splintering or chipping.

A disc-sander (bench style) cleaned up the curve nicely. I can't get a perfect cut with a handheld jigsaw, no matter how hard I try! YRMV. Hand-sanding the edge with progressively finer sandpaper polishes the edge very well, and you can "radius" the edge so that it looks professional.

Holes: I tried a "glass and plastic" drill bit that looks like a spear-head mounted to a shaft. . .this proved to be a VERY POOR way to drill Lexan, IMHO. This is essentially a "spade bit" and makes a scary and rough cut with plenty of "stress-risers" in the hole -- not good.

A Forstner bit, on the other hand, bores a hole that is so slick it's hard to believe, and they are perfect for this job. If you don't have a set, (got mine at Harbor Freight), you may have to go to a woodworker's store, or buy an individual bit from a woodworker supply over the internet. My opinion is that it's worth it to get one, because the hole is SO clean. A "regular" drill bit makes a nasty hole, and the ones I drilled appeared to be problems waiting to happen. Again, YRMV, but I wouldn't use a conventional bit to drill mounting holes.

Hope this helps somebody.

Walking Eagle
 
Glad your project worked W.E.

Had a chance to get out between storm cells this AM for a short loop. SWMBO pronounced the short wind screen as good, no problem with buffeting or additional noise. She rode without her earplugs to test it. Gonna replace it with a piece of smoke lexan for aesthetic purposes.

More surprising to me was her unasked for comment that the ride was much smoother. That alone was worth the cost of the new shocks! (although 'I' really appreciate the better handling)
 
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