Screen next to useless in the rain

[Guest Jamsie]

During my holidays , i was caught in a rain shower. the road i was on was a very narrow country road with a bad surface( universal nowadays), the rain stayed where it landed , or went slowly up the screen and down the inside making visibility next to nothing . I had to go very slow in second or third gear and peer around the screen, to miss the potholes.

2 options for me , cut the screen down to half the size, or buy a baggershield. the bagger has a smoke bottom half and i would like to have perfect vision near to the front wheel.

 

I guess the best option for me is to cut down the original screen and see what buffiting i get, before spending money on a baggershield

 

Edited July 17, 2016 by Jamsie

[zagger]

Looking through the windshield is bad nearly all the time whether it is bugs or water stuck on the front surface. You should be looking slightly over the top of the windshield. This is achieved by marking it with tape and cutting it down to the appropriate height (after removing it from the bike). A bandsaw works pretty good to make the cut without cracking - then sand the edge. Don't use a reciprocating saw, like a saber saw, since it will tend to jerk the windshield back and forth and cause cracking.

 

If the airflow over your shortened windshield causes head buffeting (violent shaking) then add lowers on the front forks to help move the airflow up and over your head. Once you have the windshield cut down and the airflow moving up over your head, riding is much more pleasant and stuff stuck to the windshield has no effect on your view of the road. This is really an individual adjustment - trying to use somebody else's measurements is pretty pointless. Getting the perfect setup just requires a little time and effort.

zag

[cowpuc]

Once again, Zag nailed it Jamsie!!

 

It is almost impossible to buy the perfect shield IMHO too. It may take a little doings to get it just right but definitely doable. If you take your scoot out for a putt, get it up to speed and sit as close to a normal ride position for you - now hold you hand above your head and you will notice the airflow above your helmet. The distance between where your feel the air flow and the top of your helmet and directly proportional to the amount of shield you really should remove and is wasted site area causing you to have to look thru the shield instead of over it. I always like to play with this a little and when I am done I usually end up with the shield a good 4 inches or so lower than my line of site and the wind just clearing the top of my head.. Worked GREAT!

To trim my shields I like to tape them with either masking or Duct Tape and mark the tape with an ink pen or permantent market. I then use either my high speed cut-off saw or 4" side winder/grinder with the narrower disc on it to carefully cut along the edge of the line. I like using this method cause is tends to have a controllable "melt" while I am cutting BUT - be warned - work to fast it will distort the edge.. Like Zag said,, using a band saw will work awesome too if ya got one. Either way, a small sanding along the edge will give it a factory look..

Riding two up is a different story cause your almost stuck having to have the site line thru the shield. If thats the case OR if you simply do not like the idea of looking over the shield - try cleaning your shield real well and then using Pledge furniture polish on it - some folks really like that for rain run off..

[BlueSky]

Will a heavy coating of Rain X help? Anybody tried it?

https://www.rainx.com/products/glass-water-repellents-cleaners/

[djh3]

I ran into a problem like that a couple years back. The day was nothing but rain in the forecast and we had to make tracks. I stopped at a Wally World and got a small shower squeegee. Aint the perfect scenario, but hey it worked. I just put the squeegee between me and the tank bag and pressed on. I just never got around to cutting down or buying a new shorter shield. I was leaning towards the Cee Baily's

[cowpuc]

Will a heavy coating of Rain X help? Anybody tried it?

https://www.rainx.com/products/glass-water-repellents-cleaners/

 

Yep, didnt want to go there cause lots of folks have complained about Rain-X causing yellowing of the shield and stuff but I use it a lot and clean up with Plast-X when I need to - helps A LOT in the rain!!

[MiCarl]

I don't believe rain-x is suitable for poly-carbonate motorcycle windshields.

 

I use a product called Rain Zip from National Cycle. I've found it does an excellent job shedding the water from my first gen above 45mph. Below that speed it doesn't do much. For me it's outstanding at freeway speeds.

 

I think how well it works will depend on how the air moves over the windshield. I don't have any experience with it on a 2nd gen.

[bongobobny]

Actually, use a spray furniture polish to clean your windshield and then the water will bead up. Then, believe it or not the faster you go the more the beaded up water rolls off the windshield! If you put a piece of plastic chrome door edge around the perimeter of the shield the water will not roll into the inside of the shield. The last trick for driving in the rain is to wear a pair of yellow lense shooter's glasses. This really works, you can see through the rain a lot better!

[pbjman]

I have the F4 wide/tall windshield; wouldn't trade it! Rode home in the now-legendary monsoon after Freebird's maintenance day last year, and it really shed the water. I did not have a problem looking through the windshield while wet due to the way it beads/sheds the water. My wife and I also experienced a lot of rain on our northern Michigan trip last year and our West Virginia trip, too. This windshield has been great in every condition except one time, and that is the combination of medium/heavy rain, a dark night, and headlights from oncoming cars (especially bad when the road is curving left) creating glare through the water droplets. Since I almost never ride on dark, rainy nights, it's not a concern for me.

[VentureFar]

I have the 10 1/2 adjustable for 25000 Miles and plenty of severe rain. I have found leaving it short and using my full face shield works the best for visability. I ruined my baggershield with loctite on the thru screws ( don't use loctite on near lucite! )

Anyway I just ordered the regular 11 inch with no flip up. I never used it in years. Even my wife preferred it down under all conditions.

Just a suggestion. Instead of estimating the line to cut, newspaper mask off the lower section up to the place where you can just see over it 25 feet in front of you in your normal "slouch" . the bagger shield adjustable is 10.5 inches tall measured from the center for reference. FYI I was taught and feel strongly that anything that you could see through the dark tint but can't you couldn't avoid anyway---too late. You should be looking farther out than 25 feet.

My 2 cents

VentureFar...

[MiCarl]

I forgot to mention:

 

I also coat the inside of the windshield so any water that gets on there falls off. I do my face shield too, if I stretch up and get my face into the wind the water will fly off that too.

[Guest Jamsie]

There actually is a rain ex for plastic screens, which i use, prob is unless i am going 60mph it still wont roll off the screen , it just sits there blocking the view

[djh3]

Now I think I read somewhere that if you remove the chrome strips on the front of the 2nd gen fairing the water rolls off better also. Face it, ridin in the rain just sucks.

[Red1]

I got a shorter & wider windscreen for my bike right after I bought it. I think it's 4" shorter than the stock one. It's tall enough to give me protection from debris, short enough I can look over the top in a frog strangler if I sit up tall in the saddle.

As for RainX - I've heard all the pros and cons, but nothing beads up water better. Can it mess up your windshield? Maybe, but it hasn't mine in over 10 years of using it. (and on both sides, too) But even if it fogged or messed up the windshield ~ $100+ for a new windscreen is way cheaper than the damage from an accident 'cuz you couldn't see clearly, I think.

I also have a pair of rain gloves with a squeegee blade on the L index finger - works great on your glasses.