[GSMacLean]

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I got my Slipstreamer windshield tonight:

I thought it would be a quick 15 minute job to replace...no sir! It ended up taking me almost 2 hours, as one thing after another went wrong.

As usual, I photographed and documented it all[/url] as I went along.

 

[oldtoys1961]

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Big Windshield. I had one on mine but had to remove it because I got caught in the rain several times and couldn't see out or over it. Does great for knocking of the wind though. I used the soft sticky side of velcro and put some slivers where it touched the fairing on the very edge. Stopped the rubbing and vibrating. Looks good.

 

[nightwizard40]

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Mine was a pain on the 82, the bolts came off the back and dropped down in the fairing. So after removing the gauge pod and using the telescoping magnet to find the stupid things, the reassembly went so so. The 1200 is SO much easier!:dude:



But it does look nice on your bike, I think you will like the wrap around, Snorebaby put one on the 1200 I bought from him, and I love it!

 

[The Lake]

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That's the windshield I have. Very nice in cold weather.

Chuck

 

[k1w1t1m]

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I'll be looking out for your review. My wife complains of the buffeting so I may look into one of those.

It looks really good.

 

[Wichita Scorpion]

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Looking good. I have the same one on my 1983 GL 1100A and really like it. Use Pledge (I like Lemon, my son likes Orange) to clean inside and outside and no worry about the rain.:cooldevil:

 

[gido]

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Did this myself last week, except I replaced the tall/wide with a stock. Safer in the rain.

In pictures 9 and 10 I put the flat part of the nut against the fairing and the dished part towards the screw. The previous owner had put gasket goo on them to keep them in place for a one-man installation but I found that it plugged up the threads and made the screws hard to get started. I also found that swearing was kept to a minimum if I started with the two centre screws first and did the mirror attachment screws last.

And thanks for all the money you've saved me with your How To guides!

Richard

 

[AZgl1800]

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What windshield? I can't see any windshield on that bike? :cheeky1:

Sure is purty and clear.

 

[GSMacLean]

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nightwizard40 wrote:

Mine was a pain on the 82, the bolts came off the back and dropped down in the fairing. So after removing the gauge pod and using the telescoping magnet to find the stupid things, the reassembly went so so. The 1200 is SO much easier!:dude:

That's *exactly* what happened to mine. I had to pull both speakers and the gauge pod off to retrieve them, and even then one of them disappeared into the bike somewhere. I spent 45 minutes with a magnet and a mirror trying to find it, to no avail. I ended up replacing it with a washer and a nut.

And then, the upper screws in the gauge pod came out, and there is no physical way to put them back in without removing the gauge pod entirely, which meant fishing around in the rat's nest of wiring to disconnect the wiring to it, so there was another half an hour gone....grrrr.

It's been weighing on me all night, wondering where that damn thing fell - especially because it fell into the triple tree *somewhere*. I'm thinking perhaps I will intentionally lay the bike over and see if it falls out.

 

[GSMacLean]

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oldtoys1961 wrote:

Big Windshield. I had one on mine but had to remove it because I got caught in the rain several times and couldn't see out or over it. Does great for knocking of the wind though. I used the soft sticky side of velcro and put some slivers where it touched the fairing on the very edge. Stopped the rubbing and vibrating. Looks good.

I do wonder about the rain...but I don't intentionally ride in the rain, avoid it if I can at all. And the last time I was caught in the rain (on I-90), I ended up crouched behind the windshield anyway - I guess keeping it polished and clean helps the water bead and run off it.

 

[GSMacLean]

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gido wrote:

Did this myself last week, except I replaced the tall/wide with a stock. Safer in the rain.

In pictures 9 and 10 I put the flat part of the nut against the fairing and the dished part towards the screw. The previous owner had put gasket goo on them to keep them in place for a one-man installation but I found that it plugged up the threads and made the screws hard to get started. I also found that swearing was kept to a minimum if I started with the two centre screws first and did the mirror attachment screws last.

And thanks for all the money you've saved me with your How To guides!

Some of the inside threads in those nuts were not in the greatest shape, so I ended up putting whichever side had the better threads against the fairing.

Good point about the center screws first - I did this as well, but didn't mention it, so I'll put it in there.

Glad the guides are helping! When I first started doing this stuff, I thought; "I wish someone would have done this..." so I figured that I would just take pictures as I did it to show how easy it is, so the next guy would have more incentive to try it himself.

 

[k1w1t1m]

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GSMacLean wrote:

nightwizard40 wrote:

Mine was a pain on the 82, the bolts came off the back and dropped down in the fairing. So after removing the gauge pod and using the telescoping magnet to find the stupid things, the reassembly went so so. The 1200 is SO much easier!:dude:

That's *exactly* what happened to mine. I had to pull both speakers and the gauge pod off to retrieve them, and even then one of them disappeared into the bike somewhere. I spent 45 minutes with a magnet and a mirror trying to find it, to no avail. I ended up replacing it with a washer and a nut.

And then, the upper screws in the gauge pod came out, and there is no physical way to put them back in without removing the gauge pod entirely, which meant fishing around in the rat's nest of wiring to disconnect the wiring to it, so there was another half an hour gone....grrrr.

It's been weighing on me all night, wondering where that damn thing fell - especially because it fell into the triple tree *somewhere*. I'm thinking perhaps I will intentionally lay the bike over and see if it falls out.

Have a look in the fork brace where there's holes each side. That's where the nuts on mine fell and were trapped. I found that after pulling everything off to have a look around the triple tree where I thought they'd be.

 

[GSMacLean]

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k1w1t1m wrote:

Have a look in the fork brace where there's holes each side. That's where the nuts on mine fell and were trapped. I found that after pulling everything off to have a look around the triple tree where I thought they'd be.

You know, I had given up trying to find that thing, and forgot what you wrote here. Last night, when I was putting the final pieces back on (was screwing on the fairing lowers), I happened to look over, and damn it if the thing wasn't sitting exactly where you said - right in the fork brace.

Ah well, I'm not taking the damn thing apart to put it in now, and the washer and nut I used in its place will work for now. I put it aside to put back in the next time I replace a windshield.

Speaking of - I took my first ride last night with the new windshield. The wind is reduced significantly, and I'm sure my wife is going to love the reduced buffeting in back. It was great in the cold weather, but I do wonder how hot it is going to be once it gets warm. I did discover that if I sit up as tall as I can, I can JUST peek over the top without lifting off the seat (I'm 6'0"), so if I DO get caught in rain, I'm not all that worried.

 

[k1w1t1m]

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I'm glad you found that nut. I will be looking for your or perhaps more specifically your wife's report on the new shield. My wife complains about the cold and buffeting. I too am 6' and have cut down the stock screen so I can just see over it comfortably. The 2" I cut off didn't seem to make any difference apart from my vision.

 

[dominguezix1]

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This is a project that I'll be doing in the next couple weeks, thanks to this post. I just cracked my windshield on my 84 aspy. It's not a bad crack but enough to replace. Thanks for the info gentleman.

 

[JamesGang]

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Another great 'How To' article, GSMacLean, and timely as well. I also am awaiting the arrival of a wrap-around screen to appease my other half on the pillion.

Just an observation, it appears that the mounting holes on the windscreen are actually slotted and open at the bottem. If that is the case, rather then removing the mounting bolts, could you not just loosen them, slide out the old screen and then slide in the new? That would prevent the loss of the nuts behind the fairing.

My '81 Interstate does not have a center console so the mounting nuts are easily accessible. The mirror mounting nuts do remain in place when I remove the mirrors so that won't be a problem either.

I have removed the mirrors numerous times to tighten the tension screw. I still find that at high speeds they tend to flop inboard and require constant adjustment. Somedays I am tempted to glue them into position, but that would be a last resort.

How are your mirrors at holding their position? Have you, or anyone else, experienced the same problem?

Regards,
JamesGang

 

[GSMacLean]

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If you don't want to replace because of a crack, you can do what they do to airplanes - "stop drill". You basically drill a small hole at the end of the crack. The stress of the crack instead of being forced in a tiny area at the base of the crack (which creates more crack!) instead is distributed along the radius of the hole you drill, and the crack stops growing as a result. It works on fairings as well (I've done it on mine).

 

[k1w1t1m]

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I must be one of the unlucky ones then. None of the mounting holes in my windscreen are slotted. Usually the nuts stay in place when I've had to work on the mirrors.

 

[JamesGang]

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Well, Mr MacLean,
Has your significant other been out with you yet to try the new screen? I'm sure many of us here are anxiously waiting for a report. Or has the weather been uncooperative?
If she doesn't care for it, I think I'll go for the standard size windshield. I'm a little paranoid with having to look through that plastic all of the time.
Regards,
Rick

 

[zephyr2nv]

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I have the same windshield on my '83, execpt mine is the tinted version. The tint is pretty light though so it doesn't effect night vision much. Besides I'm 6'10" so I'm looking over the top of it anyway.

The stock windshield buffeted so bad it would make my eyelids flutter behind my glasses on the highway. When I bought the windshield I was so anxious to put it on, we installed it in a Burger King parking lot. Even had to run across the street and buy a phillips screwdriver. Well I managed to get it on, kind of, but when I got home I had to pull the speakers and gauges out because some of the nuts fell inside. One of the bolts had also been siliconed in by the previous owner.

Anyway, I love the windshield. Only drawback is a little extra wind noise sometimes.