G oog le BadWeB | Login/out | Topics | Search | Custodians | Register | Edit Profile


Buell Forum » XBoard » Archive through June 28, 2011 » Windscreen cracking « Previous Next »

Author Message
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

9cherry9
Posted on Thursday, June 16, 2011 - 11:30 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I just replaced my windscreen with another color (red) and after hand snugging up the screws and riding for a week or so it's cracking around the screw holes.
Is there some magic I missed on the installation ?
The solid black seems tougher than than the translucid for some reason ?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Firebolt020283
Posted on Thursday, June 16, 2011 - 11:47 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I have the same thing happening on my cherry bomb airbox cover around the screw on the front of it. To me the solid colors seem to be made of a softer more flexible plastic than the clear stuff how ever I will probably replace my airbox cover with another red one because i like look of the translucent stuff too much.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Greg_e
Posted on Friday, June 17, 2011 - 10:46 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Do you have all the little nylon washers on the screws? If you do then you may consider going to rubber washers. Not sure why the red screen would be more brittle than the clear screen, they should be made out of the same plastic.

Now the clear air cleaner cover is definitely made out of a more brittle plastic than the stock solid plastics and I can see why that might cause cracking. If you really want to avoid the cracks, you can carefully drill out the mounting holes with a drill bit made for plastic (very important) and insert rubber grommets and metal standoffs so the screws have something to snug against. You will need to experiment with grommet size to get the correct parts.

Again is is very important that you use drill bits made for acrylic, regular bits can catch and cause a crack and they also often leave a rough hole that cracks later. If you look at the stock windscreens, they have kind of rounded edges on the holes to help prevent cracks.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Andymnelson
Posted on Friday, June 17, 2011 - 10:52 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Greg, he rides a CityX, so he went from a solid color to a translucid color....no clear flyscreen for the S models!

Yes, they seem more brittle. Rubber washers might help.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Greg_e
Posted on Friday, June 17, 2011 - 12:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

OK, I was thinking R model.

You might be able to solve this on a new one with careful application of a fine file to each hole. Round off all the sharp edges and sort of polish the spot where it was drilled. Might help, might not. What I have found in working with acrylic is that the smoother the mounting holes, the less likely they will break. Stress risers happen all over to any sheet that was drilled. Cast products don't develop these cracks as easily. You can also heat polish these plastics, but you must be very careful or you will cause a change in shape, and if not heated as a complete unit and allowed to cool slowly, you could cause very large cracks.

I suspect that these clear plastics were vac-formed from the originals and then drilled. If they are cast including casting the holes, then everything I mentioned doesn't apply.
« Previous Next »

Add Your Message Here
Post:
Bold text Italics Underline Create a hyperlink Insert a clipart image

Username: Posting Information:
This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Password:
E-mail:
Options: Post as "Anonymous" (Valid reason required. Abusers will be exposed. If unsure, ask.)
Enable HTML code in message
Automatically activate URLs in message
Action:

Topics | Last Day | Tree View | Search | User List | Help/Instructions | Rules | Program Credits Administration