Fairings and windscreens

Dr.Jeff

New Member
This may not be the best location for this post because it is not so much about making things look good as it is about making things.

I have a one-piece full fairing styled from a 60's road-race Bultaco TSS. I need a windscreen for it, and the only source I have found is Gustafsson. Does anyone know of another source or how to make vintage styles windscreens for fairings?

Thanks, Jeff
 
http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/vintage/bultacotss.htm

i didn't see any plexi-glass on there, you could contact them, they are helpful
 
if you're in australia, try 'screens for bikes' in reservoir melbourne, great service, good prices

http://www.screensforbikes.com/

however i'm guessing you're possibly elsewhere in the world.........but having said that he can do work from tracings of the base/fairing edge and you'd just need to send him pix of the shape you want
 
"Session101", thanks, that is where I bought the fairing from. They do not sell screens and the only recommendation they will offer is Gustafsson...which is who I am trying to avoid (I won't get into why).

"Spotty", I will see what the shipping is, but I'm guessing it may not be worth the cost (yes, I'm in the USA). Thanks for the reference. I would think there are places like that here in the US?

I was even wondering if anyone has created a mold to make their own. The Bultaco TSS fairing is fairly popular for the vintage racers, and they seem to need screens often. It should not be difficult to heat some plexy over a form, but I do not have the correct shape to copy from.

Is there a better section of the forum to put this?
Thanks
 
There are a couple write ups online about custom forming plexiglass. Try finding an old rusty gas tank that may have a close shape to what you need - and use it for a mold.

And I'd say this is the best area for the question - I'm sure not many people have experience with what you need though.
 
I ordered a Gustafsson windscreen for my Yamaha SRX250. It didn't fit. I called Gustafsson and they agreed to copy my old windscreen. When I received the copy, it didn't fit either. If anything it was a worse fit than the first windscreen they sent me. When I called about the second windscreen, I was told I needed to use a heat gun to fit it. The screen they sent me was not close, made from thicker plastic and probably wouldn't look good even if I got the curvature right by heating it.

I decided to eat the expense and make my own windscreen. Here's how I did it.
 
HDSCARBRO,

Thank you for sharing this. Based on some of the information I found on forming acyclic, I had decided it was not worth trying...just sounded too complicated. But your photos make it appear to be fairly straight forward.

Could you possibly do a little wright-up on it, giving the needed details to go with the pictures? That way others could learn from your experience and try it as well.

That will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
Thanks HDSCARBRO.
Based on your success with it, I am once again considering making one myself. Anything you can offer to help me with it will be greatly appreciated.
 
Hey hd,
Excellent job on drape moulding your new windscreen.
About the only suggestion I could make is to glue felt - like from a pool table - on the tool. It seems to help the trapped air / gases on the inside of the acrylic escape and also smooths out any little blemishes in the tool surface. I use contact cement to glue it on my forming tools.
I just finished 2 landing light lens covers for an aircraft project - one left, one right, fairly complex shapes. I cut 6 plexi pieces oversize, used piece #1 to check forming temp, #2 for my first attempt and #'s 3 - 6 produced good parts. 2 are trimmed and going on the aircraft and 2 are spares.
My next project is the windscreen for my friend's GP Moto3 bike - he's using one of my modified '03 TZ fairings and I didn't like the way the stock screen fits so...
The TSS bubble will be more challenging but with a bit of experimentation it should be possible. There's some good info on the web regarding pre-heating, forming temperatures, stuff like that and your plastic supplier may be able to help you out as well.
About the only caveat I have is that as far as I know, all street bike windscreens have a DOT approval number on them somewhere and of course yours won't (if that bothers you).
Anyway, great fabrication job hd, in my opinion exactly what the DTT site is all about.
Regards,
Pat Cowan,
Vintage Motorcycle Fiberglass
 
That is downright awesome! Been looking for some info and someone who has done this sort of process. So, how bad was the smell of the materials from the oven while you were forming it? My biggest concern since the family oven is all I have available at home.
 
I was trimming and cutting acrylic in the shop yesterday and the smell is still obvious this morning.
I would be "hesitant" about using the family oven.
Pat
 
I didn't notice any smell when the Vivak was in the oven. It was not hot enough to melt or burn. I think the oven was at about 275F when the plastic was soft enough to form.

The comment in my photos about doing the work while your spouse is away had more to do with my wife's general objection of my use of the kitchen (and house in general) for anything related to motorcycles. I think this started after I tried to cure paint on an old muffler in the oven and filled the house with smoke. Or maybe it was the time a leaking carburetor in the basement filled the house with gasoline fumes in February. Or maybe it was the time I filled the house with blue smoke from starting my SRX600 outside (before replacing the valve guide seals), but too close an open basement garage door. Or maybe it was the time.... :)
 
David,
Too funny!
I'm sure we could start a good thread with all of the "or the time I..." moments we've had.
 
[
I'm sure we could start a good thread with all of the "or the time I..." moments we've had.
[/quote]

or the time i put an engine treatment thru my Vespa in the back yard then filled the house with dense white smoke, housemate told me to piss off out so i proceeded to fill all 4 lanes of a main road for about a half mile with the same dense white smoke..........by the time i came back (a while later) the road had cleared but the house was still a bit foggy....oops
 
I was hoping you found a job that the wife wouldn't bitch about. Lost track how many times I've been swatted on the nose with the newspaper like the family dog, cause the job I was doing created a smell! Bitch not only has selective hearing but selective smelling as well!
 
David,

Thank you very much. For now I just scanned through it, I will read it in detail in the next couple of days (when I have more time) and let you know if any questions arise. But it looks like an excellent job.

Thank you again for doing this. It has given me the encouragement to try it myself.

Jeff
 
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