Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => Accessories and modifications - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: ZG on November 10, 2011, 11:04:13 PM
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Brutha's,
Has anyone out there "cut-down" a windscreen? If so, how did you do it??
I want a shorter screen for warmer months of the year... 8)
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I haven't but ...
-Tape both sides of the shield with masking tape to cover an area more than 2"+ to each side of where you want to cut.
-Mark where you want to cut.
(These first two can be done with the shield still on the bike .... or not. The next steps, you might want to have the shield off of the bike.)
-Using a jigsaw (or something similar that will not heat up the area too much which will cause the plastic to melt), cut along the line you marked on the tape. Take your time.
-File and sand the edge to your desired smoothness.
-Remove the remaining tape.
-Install and do a final cleaning of the shield.
-Gear up and take it for a ride! If all is good, continue to the next step. If not, go back to the 1st step to make adjustments and do any additional cutting you want.
-Put away all tools and supplies used. Dispose of trash.
Well .... that's how I'd do it. ;)
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Good tips and I'll add.
Use a brand new blade on the saw and use this highest speed the saw is capable of.
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If you don't have patience don't try it ;) I had a 7 Jurock that looked like a sail on a boat, huge, and I decided to cut it down "some" and add the vents at the bottom. The vents I used one of those tools that looks like a drill bit in it. Damn what a fubar I mad of that shield.
I went back to my MRA Vario for winter and summer and that is where I will stay.
Good luck, oh and I did the taping and jig saw with fine tooth and high speed, I am just not that steady
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Take your time and make sure your tape is laid straight for your guide line.
Mine has a couple small imperfections but I still love the look and it is perfect for hot days (I cut the stock screen about 2 inches above the top edge of the dash)
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I cut my Cee Bailey Euro Cut due to a rock smashing the top corner of the shield.
Cutting was super easy, I used a medium coarse blade, standard jig saw with only one speed so no idea what the speed was! Masking tape on both sides. I drew only one half of the line/ contour I was looking for on a piece of heavy paper, traced it on the masking tape and flipped over the template to get the exact line on the other side of the shield. If the top of my Cee Bailey was in one piece I could have just traced the original shape on paper and dropped it down the few inches I was cutting. 400 grit sand paper on a sanding block after the jig saw and finished the edge with some smooth scotch brite on the sanding block.
Turned out perfect, looks as smooth as factory!
Good Luck.
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Thanks for the replies bro's. :chugbeer:
Were any of the shields you guys cut down already tinted? Any issues with that at all or ?? I'm not sure if those are dipped or whatever and having a raw edge might cause something to peel or look bad?? ??? :-\
The one that I'll be attempting to cut down is a Cal shorty that I just bought in the classifieds here, pic below.
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=4671.0 (http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=4671.0)
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I've successfully used a hand held variable speed jig to cut a number of shields.
I always practise on some scrap first to get the hang of it again each time.
use this highest speed the saw is capable of
I respectfully disagree. You actually want to use a low speed. If your speed is too high, you will cut and melt the plastic simultaneously, leaving a scraggly fused plastic line immediately behind your blade as you cut.
You may be left with a single piece of plastic the same as you started with, but now it has a big scar down your cut line. At best, you'll have a lot of extra dressing up to do along your cut edge to smooth it out.
Slow blade speed, light pressure, let the blade do the work. Don't be in a hurry while cutting.
Try it first on a piece of scrap and you'll see what I mean.
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I see your point Stasch but when I cut mine I used high speed and didn't have the melting issue that you mentioned. I didn't press hard and let the blade do the work.
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Someone did one on the old forum. With the stock shield we may as well whack it off, it doesn't provide much protection unless there's some hidden in the constant bobble-head effect at any height
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I've done a couple. The advice above is all good. I don't have the hands of a surgeon, so I don't get the best cut. What I do after cutting is use and electric belt sander. With a fairly coarse grit, I can even up the cut within minutes. Then use 400 wet/dry sandpaper to put a smooth finish on it. They turn out looking like they were made that way.
BTW, I use something round like a plate to mark the radius on the sides after putting a number of pencil marks across the top at a the level I want to cut it down to. Just look around your house for anything round until you find the radius you like.
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Hey, that sounds like sex- if you go too fast something might melt. Not the part where you try it out first on a piece of scrap.
The key is to use low pressure and not generate too much friction no matter what the blade's speed. Hey, that is also a little like.... never mind.
Brian
I've successfully used a hand held variable speed jig to cut a number of shields.
I always practise on some scrap first to get the hang of it again each time.
I respectfully disagree. You actually want to use a low speed. If your speed is too high, you will cut and melt the plastic simultaneously, leaving a scraggly fused plastic line immediately behind your blade as you cut.
You may be left with a single piece of plastic the same as you started with, but now it has a big scar down your cut line. At best, you'll have a lot of extra dressing up to do along your cut edge to smooth it out.
Slow blade speed, light pressure, let the blade do the work. Don't be in a hurry while cutting.
Try it first on a piece of scrap and you'll see what I mean.
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Ive cut a few and had good results . I cracked one but I think it was cold temps Do it in a warm garage.
Lay out the line where you want to cut . Use a pattern dont freehand a lumpy edged sheild will look bad .
Also dont tape the side you want to save ,the tape will discolor the sheild sometimes .
I use a small dremel cut off wheel for initial cut Take your time it make take a few passes and steady your hand with dreamel tool in it. The cut will look nasty when your done because a tiny bit of plastic has melted. Knock off the rough edges with a file . Now take a small 4.5 "grinder and very lightly smooth off with a flapper wheel... These clog up quickly so have a few on hand . You can even round the edges and get a factory look to it with the flapper (polishing wheel0 .
Good luck.
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Ive cut a few and had good results . I cracked one but I think it was cold temps Do it in a warm garage.
Lay out the line where you want to cut . Use a pattern dont freehand a lumpy edged sheild will look bad .
Also dont tape the side you want to save ,the tape will discolor the sheild sometimes .
I use a small dremel cut off wheel for initial cut Take your time it make take a few passes and steady your hand with dreamel tool in it. The cut will look nasty when your done because tiny bit of plastic has melted. Knok off the rough edges with a file Now take a small 4.5 "grinder and very lightly smooth off with a flapper wheel These clog up quickly so have a few on hand . You can even round the edges and get a factory look to it with the flapper (polishing wheel0 .
Good luck.
Hmmm... I do have a dremel, would that work better than a jigsaw??
Another thing I've thought of is some winscreens have the small tube type rubberish (not sure what's it's made of) wrap that goes along the top edge, I'd think that might help to cover any marks from cutting it right and give it a cleaner look??
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If I were to do a project like this I would find a low center point and affix a string to it. Figure out how far I wanted to cut off and tie the other end of the string to a marker. Have some masking tape on the shield in the rough area of where I was planning on cutting. Then I would mark it as if I ware using a drawing compass.
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I'm going to assume you want to cut down the stock screen, but you don't say in your post. So, I have a question that MAY make a difference in what's been discussed above. Is the stock Kawi shield made from acrylic ("Plexiglass") or polycarbonate ("Lexan")? I thought that it is acrylic since it does not appear to be coated. (Polycarbonate will haze/craze over time if it's not coated.)
Cutting polycarbonate is much easier than acrylic. Acrylic is much, much more apt to crack while cutting. Given the compound curves on the stock shield, I would take a much different approach if it truly is acrylic.
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I'm going to assume you want to cut down the stock screen, but you don't say in your post. So, I have a question that MAY make a difference in what's been discussed above. Is the stock Kawi shield made from acrylic ("Plexiglass") or polycarbonate ("Lexan")? I thought that it is acrylic since it does not appear to be coated. (Polycarbonate will haze/craze over time if it's not coated.)
Cutting polycarbonate is much easier than acrylic. Acrylic is much, much more apt to crack while cutting. Given the compound curves on the stock shield, I would take a much different approach if it truly is acrylic.
I listed it prior in this thread WG, no it's not a stock one I want to cut down.
The one that I'll be attempting to cut down is a tinted Cal shorty that I just bought in the classifieds here, pic below.
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=4671.0 (http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=4671.0)
Anyone out there know what the Cal shields are made of??
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I didn't see the shield listed in your original post when I went back to double check. I should have browsed your posts in the thread again and I would have seen that it wasn't a stock shield.
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I listed it prior in this thread WG, no it's not a stock one I want to cut down.
The one that I'll be attempting to cut down is a tinted Cal shorty that I just bought in the classifieds here, pic below.
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=4671.0 (http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=4671.0)
Anyone out there know what the Cal shields are made of??
Hmm, per the CalSci website (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Concoursprod.html (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Concoursprod.html)) :
"Shorty made from 3mm thick (1/8") dark tint acrylic."
I say go slow, don't let the cutting teeth take too aggressive of a bite.
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Hmm, per the CalSci website (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Concoursprod.html (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Concoursprod.html)) :
"Shorty made from 3mm thick (1/8") dark tint acrylic."
I say go slow, don't let the cutting teeth take too aggressive of a bite.
Hey Rob,
Would you recommend using a jigsaw or a dremel?? :-\
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Hmm, per the CalSci website (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Concoursprod.html (http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Concoursprod.html)) :
"Shorty made from 3mm thick (1/8") dark tint acrylic."
I say go slow, don't let the cutting teeth take too aggressive of a bite.
Proceed with caution. Do not let the part you're cutting off get "out of plane" with the part you're leaving behind or you're likely to crack the shield.
In my past experience, we cut polycarbonate with a saw and cut acrylic with a router (double fluted carbide bit).
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Proceed with caution. Do not let the part you're cutting off get "out of plane" with the part you're leaving behind or you're likely to crack the shield.
In my past experience, we cut polycarbonate with a saw and cut acrylic with a router (double fluted carbide bit).
Thanks for the help WG, so wouldn't a dremel work much like a router as you're describing?? ???
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Hey Rob,
Would you recommend using a jigsaw or a dremel?? :-\
Hey Jay,
The last shield I made was from Lexan. I used a jigsaw for the rough cut, and a Dremel for the clean up and detail cuts. I actually used a Dremel bit that looks like a regular drill bit, but is made for side cutting (sides of the bit are the cutting edge). That worked great.
For Acrylic, I would probably just use the Dremel. It still requires going slow and steady - i.e. don't force the blade. Also, make sure the plastic is nice and warm. How much are you planning to cut off? If you're removing enough, you could make a couple of smaller practice cuts.
Any flapping or flexing on either side of the cut can cause it to crack, starting at the cut point, then off in some direction you don't want it to go. You want to be sure to support both sides after the blade cuts through, so the part you are removing isn't flapping around. You may also want to cut off the strip you are removing several times before it gets too long. The more support you have closest to the blade is best.
Using some painters masking tape will help prevent tools from scratching the plastic, but I have seen a jig saw scrape through the tape, and still leave marks. You might want to put down a couple layers of tape if you go that route.
If you use a variable speed jig saw, you should go slow with a medium or fine tooth blade. Heat from the blade will start melting the plastic, so you can get a feel for how much speed it takes before it starts overheating. Once it starts sticking to the blade, it will flex the plastic abruptly, then it's all over. It's real easy to start cutting, discover the blade is going through the plastic like a hot knife through butter, and start pushing it because it seems so easy.
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Just a wealth of knowledge on here! Thanks brutha's! :chugbeer:
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If I were to do a project like this I would find a low center point and affix a string to it. Figure out how far I wanted to cut off and tie the other end of the string to a marker. Have some masking tape on the shield in the rough area of where I was planning on cutting. Then I would mark it as if I ware using a drawing compass.
yes, there is all kinds of ways to make a radius. (compass and string ,trash can lid ,big pie plate ) I like to put it on paper cut it out , and mock up on the sheild in place to see how it will look.
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Thanks for the help WG, so wouldn't a dremel work much like a router as you're describing?? ???
A Dremel bit is a small diameter, so I'd be worried about it starting to melt rather than cut. We always used 1/4" diameter bits. Just be careful. Again, keep that cut off part from flapping and putting stress on your cutting point. Acrylic is brittle and will crack fairly easily, unlike polycarbonate that is very flexible.
Use a fine toothed blade. I'd cut it a bit long, then finish it off slowly with a medium grit sanding disk or belt sander, making sure you don't generate a lot of heat. Do the final sanding with fine grit and a block. If you're daring, you can use a flame to polish the edge, but that is a very tricky thing to do, especially if you've never done it.
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yes, there is all kinds of ways to make a radius. (compass and string ,trash can lid ,big pie plate ) I like to put it on paper cut it out , and mock up on the sheild in place to see how it will look.
I made the cut line by tracing the top of my old non-tinted stock shield on to the stocker that I was going to cut.
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A jig saw blade made specifically for plastics makes a huge difference:
http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1AVSW_enUS364US364&aq=1&oq=platic+cutting+&gcx=c&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=plastic+cutting+tools#q=plastic+jig+saw+blade&hl=en&rlz=1C1AVSW_enUS364US364&prmd=imvns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=KmzATrfYF6OTiAKNsdG2Aw&sqi=2&ved=0CGIQrQQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=807e5f2cb5cc6ad4&biw=1345&bih=921 (http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1AVSW_enUS364US364&aq=1&oq=platic+cutting+&gcx=c&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=plastic+cutting+tools#q=plastic+jig+saw+blade&hl=en&rlz=1C1AVSW_enUS364US364&prmd=imvns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=KmzATrfYF6OTiAKNsdG2Aw&sqi=2&ved=0CGIQrQQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=807e5f2cb5cc6ad4&biw=1345&bih=921)
And if you need to drill a hole, you will not believe how much better the right drill bit works:
http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1AVSW_enUS364US364&aq=1&oq=platic+cutting+&gcx=c&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=plastic+cutting+tools#ds=pr&pq=plastic+drill+bit&hl=en&cp=10&gs_id=3c&xhr=t&q=plexiglass+drill+bits&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&rlz=1C1AVSW_enUS364US364&tbm=shop&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=plexiglassdrill+bit&aq=0l&aqi=g-l1&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=807e5f2cb5cc6ad4&biw=1345&bih=921 (http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1AVSW_enUS364US364&aq=1&oq=platic+cutting+&gcx=c&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=plastic+cutting+tools#ds=pr&pq=plastic+drill+bit&hl=en&cp=10&gs_id=3c&xhr=t&q=plexiglass+drill+bits&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&rlz=1C1AVSW_enUS364US364&tbm=shop&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=plexiglassdrill+bit&aq=0l&aqi=g-l1&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=807e5f2cb5cc6ad4&biw=1345&bih=921)