RZ350’s Gen II Mods, Part 18 - Windshield Choices for Weather Changes

[RZ350]

Link to all my Gen II mods

Like many of you, I jump back and forth between tall and short screens depending on seasonal weather changes. A modified OEM low version gets installed in the hot summer months for those commutes to work and a Cal-Sci in the cool months and for any long trips.

I played around with spacer blocks under the OEM screen and it just didn’t help enough so I opted for the Cal-Sci Large (+4.5 x 14.5) and it works very nicely. With it all the way up, I get smooth air yet it does not block my vision forward. Mark @ Cal-Sci helped me choose the right one (I was also considering the taller version) and I’m happy with the decision. I also ordered another gasket (Yamaha p/n 3P6-2838G-00-00) to pad the screen against the mount just like the OEM screen, but it’s probably not necessary. Much to my surprise, that cheap little suction cup mounted compass stays attached, regardless of weather. Even with a GPS running, I still seem to look at it :dntknw:

BTW, I’m 6’0” with a 32” inseam, for those trying to figure out what screen to buy.

The stock shield still blocks a lot of air so I thought it would be beneficial to install a vent in it to help me out on those 95F afternoon city rides from work. A coworker had a Goldwing that I parked next to so I compared the curvature and size of the shield locally where the vent would fit. They were very similar so I ordered an aftermarket vent for about $30. Here is a link to one current vendor: Vent. You can get the OEM Honda parts from any dealer for about $50, which may be higher quality parts, but I opted to save a few bucks and spend that $20 buying an extra OEM shield on ebay to play with in case I messed it up (this was before I had the Cal-Sci as a backup).

I made a template out of cardboard and went at the shield with a Dremel tool. The plastic tends to melt rather than cut so you have to go slow. That got me real close, but I had to do a little hand filing to get it to fit perfectly. To offset the LH vent door lever, I added a little stick-on compass on the RH side of the vent. The vent can be completely closed, but so far, I’ve never done so. I guess with this being said, one could simply cut out the hole and not bother mounting a vent in it.

I really can’t put a number on airflow improvement but I do feel some air coming through so I’m sure it helps somewhat. And down here, I’ll take any improvement I can get. Besides, it’s just another farkle to add to the list.

One last thing I ended up doing is remove the windscreen gasket where height adjustment arms come through the front fairing. Mine, like many, had come loose and was binding the mechanism. With the screen and mount off, you can wiggle the gasket out without cutting it. Someday I hope to attach it back in there since I believe it helps the slide channels stay a bit cleaner.

BTW, before you butcher that part up, the part (Yamaha p/n 3P6-28428-00-00) costs about $100 to replace. Ouch!

 

[JamesK]

The $100 replacement gasket is actually a new part #, I guess Yamaha finally figured out that the original was a POS. Do read up on the various methods people have tried for re-attaching the "gen 1" of this gasket. I say this because most of them from the 3M aircraft contact cement to 3M super-strong adhesive tape all work for only limited periods of time, at least for most people who have tried these methods including myself. I opted for the 3M aircraft contact cement and the gasket is now slowly but surely starting to peel off again in many places after only about 30k miles on the bike.

I tried to avoid spending the $100 on the new version of this gasket (fyi the old part # is only around $45), but as stated above that turned out to only be a temporary fix. So the next time I have the nose section off, I will likely spring for the updated gasket... I'd previously run with out the gasket for about 30k miles, and I could definitely notice a lot more crap getting into the screen mechanism tracks...

 

[RZ350]

Hey JamesK,

Glad to see you still are connected with us over in Japan and hope all is well there.

Thanks for the info on the windshield arm gasket. So are you saying the p/n Yamaha shows on their online parts list (and number I listed above) differs from the one I have pictured? Please tell me more about this new design, if you know. Does it have a better attachment method? I might be willing to part with the $100 if it is greatly improved.

I read enough of the prior threads to determine I didn’t want to mess with trying to glue the rubber directly back on, because it didn’t seem (at the time) anyone was having luck with getting the adhesive to permanently stick. I considered some sort of plastic or aluminum channel that permanently attached to the inside of the bodywork and then the gasket would insert into that, but I never took the idea any further. I figured I would just remove mine until someone else figured out the ultimate fix - I know, I know, I’m just lazy.

 

[zom]

I know, I know, I’m just lazy.

That made me laugh, considering the quantity & quality of farkles you have added.

 

[RZ350]

There is something I forgot to mention about the GoldWing vent for those considering one. When I first installed it, I noticed a nasty reflection of the light-colored vent onto the windshield above it, kind of like a “heads-up-display” effect or what happens when a piece of white paper is sitting on the dashboard of your car. It made it difficult to see through this portion of the windshield. To remedy it, I installed black decal material on the top surface and that took care of the HUD effect, but the shiny material now reflected sunlight into my face when the sun was in the right position.

Before I had a chance to do anything about it, something miraculous happened. A number of small bubbles formed under the decal, distorting the flat surface and reducing the reflection down to an acceptable level. So you see - sometimes you can actually benefit from poor installation techniques.

Of course, a better solution would be a non-reflective decal material.

 

[zenwhipper]

Before I had a chance to do anything about it, something miraculous happened. A number of small bubbles formed under the decal, distorting the flat surface and reducing the reflection down to an acceptable level. So you see - sometimes you can actually benefit from poor installation techniques.

That is serendipitous for sure!

 

[SacramentoMike]

So you've done it again, further advancing your claim as Innovative Farkles Guru of the forum. Good job. I saw Richard's Goldthing last week for the first time, and that was my first exposure to the vent. He said it works well, so I'm very intrigued about doing this. Believe I'd put mine on my CalSci or my V-stream for relief when I haven't done my seasonal switch to the OEM and find myself riding in the heat.

I assume the gasket replacement was unrelated? Suspect it's a GenII thing anyway, but I'm not interested in another hundred dollar replacement of something that seems OK now. Anyway, thanks for the post. Tempting idea. . . (Could this be the next "Trooper Mod"-type idea to sweep the FJR forum?)

 

[becoyote]

I did it on a k100rt, was helpful on the bike since it did not have an adjustable screen. Didn't do enough that I think it would be worth it on a screen that can be adjusted.

 

[RaYzerman19]

I would think the next thing to try is the Rifle tuning blocks on your windshields, and you might find the Goldwing vent is not necessary.