2006 windscreen mod

[steveindenmark]

I have a Puig double bubble on my bike. It looks great but I think the turbulance is just as bad as the stock.
Over the past few days I have been trying to reduce windnoise and general discomfort, getting ready for my trip to france next Friday.
A discussion started about screens getting bigger but still not stopping turbulance so the logic thing was to go in the other direction...smaller.
If the screen is the size of a house you will still get wet and blown around on this bike. Therefore the screen must be for:

1. The look
2. To stop turbulance and have a smoother ride.

Not necessarily in that order.

I apologise for the photos but most were taken in my shed in a thunderstorm with the lights blown out.

I am useless at DIY and attempted this with heart in mouth. I am glad I had the Puig to fall back on.



...STEP 1....MARKING THE SCREEN

First I tied a pencil to a piece of string and held the string tightly at the "Nose" of the screen. I aimed to draw a line from the edges of the screen just above the fastening holes.

Keep the line tight and move the pencil across the screen.

I did this just to see if it would would work Ok...suprise...it did.

I then repeated the procedure with a marker I could see clearly.

[steveindenmark]

COMPARING HEIGHT

Here is a photo of the stock screen placed against my PUIG DB screen.

You can see where the mark on the stock screen is.

[steveindenmark]

CUTTING THE SCREEN - GULP !!!

I do not have a Dremmell and you do not need one either.

Put a cloth under the screen to stop it from being scratched and turn it ROUND side down.

Use a hacksaw and my tip would be to hold it gently...I think it is an important tip.

When you start at the edge it is quie thick. I cut a little "V" out to help me.

Because the screen is round it means the line is not straight so you need to cut across the screen, along the line. But you will also need to make vertical cuts occasionally so you are cutting the screen in sections.

DO NOT panic over the cutting...the screen will not crack or splinter if you are gently...I am not and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

[steveindenmark]

Here is a photo of the vertical cuts I was talking about.

I think I did about 4 and this picture was about the third I think.

[steveindenmark]

ROUGH EDGES

OK so now the cutting is finished and you are left with a rough edge on the screen.

You also may not have followed the line to the millimetre...don`t worry.

Get some VERY; VERY fine sandpaper. I had some black BOSCH 320 lying around. I think that is the grade...320...it is almost smooth.

GENTLY sand the EDGE and NOT the face of the screen.

In fact most of the rough edge can be talen off with your nails I would imagine.

If you have not been exactly on the line you can sand it down but only sand the edge.

We are putting a trim on the edge so you don`t have to be mega exact.

DO NOT TOUCH THE FACE OF THE SCREEN WITH THE SANDPAPER.

[steveindenmark]

AFTER CUTTING AND SANDING

Ok the hard bit is done now...relax and have a beer.

Here is a photo of the cut and sanded screen

OH Boy was I pleased with myself at this stage.

[steveindenmark]

FITTING A TRIM

OK the next step is to tidy up the edge with a bit of trim.

I actually begged this from my dealership. They had a bit hanging around and gave me it for free.....RESULT

It can be a bit tricky to fit at the very edges of the screen where it is a bit thicker, you may even need to glue it..maybe.

Another tip is to drop the trim into boiling water for 10 seconds, it makes fitting easier.

[steveindenmark]

SCREEN BACK ON THE BIKE AND TEST IT

Ok here are some pics of the screen back on the bike.

PILOT POSITION

[steveindenmark]

SIDE VIEW

Self explanatory.

The screen has kept a great 3 sided profile on the top edge. I did not plan it, it just happens.

[steveindenmark]

FRONT VIEW

This is the front view and end result.

I am really pleased with the look, especially as it has cost me absolutely nothing. I started off with a stock screen sat on a shelf for months and now I have an original new screen.

Not everyone may like it but at least you can see what can be done.


TEST RESULT......

The aim of the excersice was to get rid of turbulance and have a smoother ride...did it work????

It works 100%...I rode this down the highway at 180KPH...thats over 100 miles an hour in real money..the turbulance has TOTALLY gone. Turn your head 90% to the left or right and there is no turbulance either. If you lay on the tank you can still see over the screen.

The wind pressure even at 180kph is not excessive and it feels like a real motorbike ride...I was so thrilled with the result.

If you like the look give it a go you will love the result and don`t be afraid just be gentle whilst doing it.

Steve