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highball windshield

14K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  dope_man_21 
#1 ·
I got creative after riding my bike for the first time, and not liking the head ripping off feeling, i built a windshield.

30$ of lexan unbreakable,10 year fade resistant plexiglass from home depot
10$ in clamps from local hardware store
5$ in heat shrink to go over stainless ring (completes black look)
5$ in fasteners.

i figure not bad for fifty bucks,and it's barely noticeable from the side.
 

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#3 ·
nope, just drilled the holes a little wider and pulled it into place with the hardware. i thought about the heat gun thing, but figure the heat (40 degrees C here) would even out the bend with time anyways.
 
#4 ·
I wouldn't count on that. It gets much hotter than that here and it won't relieve the tension on bound acrylic. I don't have much experience with Lexan so maybe it will.

I wonder if taking a heat gun to it would allow it to conform to the shape it's in right now as it's mounted on the bars.

What usually happens when plastic is under tension like that is eventually it cracks and breaks. Just some food for thought. I really like how it looks and the out-of-the-box thinking that went into it.
 
#8 ·
Great idea. You might want to check around in your local area and find out if there are any machining or fab shops that do Lexan thermoforming. One of the great properties of Lexan is it's easy to form and the equipment to do it isn't all that expensive for a fab shop. You might get lucky. That way you wouldn't have the windshield constanly under stress which might lead to problems eventually.
 
#11 ·
glass type

Hi, Im going on a long ride this month and I decided to copy your windshield design. Cheap,,easy on easy off..I did a previous project with the Lexan from home depot and had a problem with it being to brittle..it would crack very easily when I would drill it or even slightly bend it...So for this I took all the avaliable styles of glass put them to a bend test...I think it was labeled acrylic? Anyway no one at the store knew what they are talking about when asked specific questions.. just finised it about 20 about 30 minuites ago .....I thought I was good and when I tighted the last bolt a hairline crack started at the upper mount hole.....Not fully wasted time, I have a good template to make my new one but I wanted to ask if what you used has a specific part# for the glass...My other thought was looking at the kind they use on race cars....they drill and bolt the glass in with no issues...thanks, Chris
 

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#12 ·
i cant remember the exact kind, but it was unbreakable 10x stronger than glass, something to that effect. i've got 5000km on mine and never had an issue with cracking.
 
#13 ·
Couple more questions. I just tested it out ,,,I'm 5 feet 10"...I noticed you have a larger radius at the top....my widnshield is roughly right over my eyes in riding position...It felt like it was creating a vortex of uncomfortalbe airflow...couldnt decide if it was due to the wind coming around the sides or if I need to go higher. I at 60mph I would stand up over sheld to feel regular airflow then sit back down and it almost felt better above the shield.......Does your design seem to work correctly for you? I can ride my dads kingpin with the factory quick release windshield without glasses and it works perfect.....Im not putting that huge factory shield on my bike though....thanks for your help, Chris
 
#14 ·
i think our shields are similar in height, mine just looks higher perhaps because it sits inside the bars slightly, where yours looks like it overlaps? i noticed that your bars are up a little higher than mine, mine are parallel to the forks, perhaps that's the problem. otherwise, i'm not sure, i'm also 5 ' 10" and have no buffeting issues. i wish i could be of more help, but my bike is still stationery due to weather.
 
#16 ·
i've ridden two solid seasons with this windshield and the only regret i have, is not buying a bagger after a 4000km, 4 day ride almost entirely in rain. aside from that it's been fine for me, but i also take it off when not doing major trips. if you're use to a windshield this will be crap, but if you're not, it will be the tits.
 
#18 ·
Looks Great, I am also thinking about doing this for riding in the winter. Not that it gets that cold here but with the half helmet my face and neck are the parts that get the coldest.
 
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