2006 windscreen mod

zixxerboy

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Great thread you started Steve.

I only had my 06 out for a test ride before buying and thought the wind was excessive. In your picture showing the vertical cuts it looks like you cut off about 4" - do you know the exact amount?

I was riding naked bikes since back when they were just called motorcycles so I don't mind loosing some sheild if it cuts out the noise and some buffeting.
 

jtarkany

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:welcome:

I am 5' 9", took, took 3 inches off of my Puig Double-Bubble and reduced the noise considerably.
jtarkany-albums-just-fun-picture3478-left.jpg
 

sxty8goats

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I’ve modded a couple windshields in the past, sometimes simply cutting down existing shields, sometimes cutting new shields out of Lexan.

Working with plastic shields is pretty easy. I prefer using a hacksaw because Dremels produce a lot more heat and often result in a bead that you have to clean off later.

TIPS

Cover the area that you are going to cut with masking tape before you mark it. Mark the tape and tape both sides. This helps avoid scratching the shield as you cut it. I use ‘blue’ tape as wide as I can buy it, I tend to tape 3” above and below the cut line.

Cut above the line slightly and sand or file down to it. This will help you shape it to the shield. I like to sand a bit of a radius on the new edge so that it is slightly rounded. I start sanding with 120 grit to remove material quickly. Then I switch to finer grades to polish it down. I leave the tape on as I work to avoid scratching the shield as I sand.

Flame Polishing the edge. Now the neat part. . Once you have it sanded and smooth to around a 600 or finer grit, remove the masking tape* and grab a blow/propane torch. You may want to practice on a cut off piece first if you’ve never done this before. Pass the lit torch along the edge, aiming down directly at the sanded edge. You want to be flaming the sanded edge, not the front or back surfaces. Don’t stop in one place, keep it moving. The torch will melt the edge and the result will be a glass like finish. If you keep the torch moving, it only melts the surface of the plastic. No trim needed.

The 2006 FZ6 doesn’t lend itself to making your own shield because of the shape you need to modify an existing shield. But on the old ‘Purple Rain’ style Vetter Fairings of the 70’s and 80’s you can trace your original shield onto a piece of cardboard and transfer it to Lexan, then shorten it down. I’ve done a few of these back when I had a 1980 CB750.

*there may be a bit of clean up required around the edges after you remove the tape.
 
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zixxerboy

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DONE IT and IT WORKS!! Thanks Steve

Now there almost no difference in sound level when I stand up on the pegs (head out of turbulence) and when I sit down. Before the difference was very dramatic.

I think I removed about 3". I have maybe a step of 1.5" from cut line down to mirrors are. I wonder what cutting the remainder off will do. Who has gone all the way & what was the result?


Thanks again Steve
 

dantrigg

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Good job with the mod. I'm not sure if I could cut that straight. :)

...The noise is crazy loud even with the earplugs that I ride with. The FZ6 is by far the loudest (wind noise) street bike that I've owned...
Hmmmm.

Not to hijack the thread but can I suggest trying some different earplugs. I have had the same problem with some earplugs. If they don't fit well they actually allow the pressure variation that the windscreen causes through to your ears. The pressure variation is what seems to causes the low frequency wind noise. They come in different sizes. I found that my ears need a smaller size(diameter). When I found the right size I was amazed at how quiet my rides got. If I don't get them all the way in so that they can expand and fully seal up my ear I will hear the low frequency wind noise again.

Good fitting ear plugs work almost as well cutting wind noise as ridding with the windscreen completely removed. I tried that one time and it is a wisper quiet ride.
 

Rev-A

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I may be going for this mod this fall. I am first going to chop a few inches of my Yamaha Touring screen though. I don't really like the look of a really low windscreen on the FZ6 '04-'06, but I was thinking that maybe by painting only the sides black it would create a more stretchy look :).

Cheap PS job example:

1jw1dt.jpg
o044rb.jpg
 
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Cloggy

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I may be going for this mod this fall. I am first going to chop a few inches of my Yamaha Touring screen though. I don't really like the look of a really low windscreen on the FZ6 '04-'06, but I was thinking that maybe by painting only the sides black it would create a more stretchy look :).

I'm looking forward to seeing the final result Robin :thumbup:

I have a touring windscreen on my 07 and I have thought about doing something similar (or adding a spoiler if I can find one in the right colour).
 

njbill

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I purchased the Yamaha touring screen for my 2005. This was primarily to keep the wind off my torso in the winter. However, the buffeting around my helmet was bad. Now that the weather has turned, I decided to do this mod to my stock screen. I just finished cutting and sanding and thought I would add some suggestions to this thread.

1. I used an electric jig saw and it cut right through the screen without having to make any vertical cuts.

2. When finished cutting, I used a sanding sponge, which yielded a very nice edge on the plastic. I do not think I need to add any trim on the edge.

I am going to put it on and try to get a test run in before the rain starts. Stay tuned.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Edit: I just returned from a highway test ride. The wind at my helmet is very clean; no turbulence or buffeting. Thanks to the OP for trying this. It is an excellent mod.
 
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Truffel

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It has been a long time since the last post in this thread but I post here anyway ;)

I've read the whole thread but I still have a question because everybody talks about turbulence and head shaking which is completely gone with this mod. But I don't have the problem of my head shaking(nor turbulence? I notice it on my chest but that is not a problem for me), my problem is that I have a lot of wind noise. The wind is blowing at my shoulders and my neck. This creates a strong wind between my shoulders and helmet which in turn creates a lot of noise. If I stand on the pegs I do notice that the noise is much lower. It's not totally gone because I don't have a great helmet(Caberg Ego) but it's much better and not coming from the neck anymore. If I duck down I first hit turbulence(the good old low rumbling sound) and then hit clear air.

So long story short: will this mod solve my problem as well? Or can I drill holes or do I need to do something else?
 

7UPyours

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thanks Truffel for bringing this back, so you guys are redirecting wind into you chest with shorter screens, I guess I don't like the way the wind hits me in the head with a stock screen.....im 5'10
 

Truffel

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Because no one could answer my question I went ahead and cut my screen down. 3 times. Still didn't help. Then I put holes in my screen, which makes it look like swiss cheese, and that didn't help either. So I f'ed up my screen but it still doesn't solve the wind noise. So I try again: has anyone any idea on how to fix my problem? Or is the only solution buying a new bike?

Removing the windscreen does help but the bike looks crap that way. Of course I can cut the screen down to the height of de speedometer but that kind of looks the same as without the screen.
 

mannydiller

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i'm about to do this mod and am nervous as hell... i'm not the handiest guy around, but i absolutely need to do something about the stock screen. riding around these last couple of days with no windscreen has been amazing, but like most others don't particularly like that look. wish me luck... i'll post later with hopefully good news.
 

mannydiller

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well i pretty much followed these directions to the letter... and for the most part, success... luckily, the trim covered up my imperfections w/ the cut... but i did get a couple of small scratches on the screen by the cut (damn it). all that said, it looks good... i'll give it a test run tomorrow and see how it goes.
 

mannydiller

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ok, so i went on a very brief 15 mile ride this evening... i'd say the buffeting and wind noise with the cut modified stock windscreen was reduced 80%, so livable and i was quite happy... that said, it still doesn't compare to riding with no windscreen. i am left with, cut down the screen further, or long term going naked/no windscreen permanently (which is where i'm leaning). i'll keep it as is tho for a short bit.

btw, great group/forum... this is my first street bike and i've found a multitude of invaluable information here. thank you all.
 

jrevans

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I forget how bad the wind noise is on my 2004 FZ6 until I ride the bike. It is crazy loud, even with my Puig and earplugs! :eek:

When I tried riding without the windshield installed, it was an amazing difference, but the bike didn't look nice to say the least.

As I stated in an earlier post, I've like to try cutting something like a large NACA style duct into my factory screen to see if that reduces the buffeting.

The vstrom guys had some neat ideas:
Cut Naca duct?
 

Truffel

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mannydiller, I experienced the same. It is livable but not yet great. So i cut some holes in it(not quite naca ducts, jrevans but close) and it helps a bit as well. But holes in the screen look crap, even if you make it nicer with finished edges etcetera. Then I cut the screen straight(instead of with the line and pencil) which reduced the noise further. I think it's now about 85% and I can still cut it a little bit straighter. I could've made the holes better if I put them up higher in the screen and finished the edges to push the air up. I have the feeling the holes blow straight to the plastic instrument cover and whirls down in the tip of the screen(where the lowest screw is located) because a lot of dirt is gathering up there. My holes are currently located near the Yamaha logo in the windshield. I think if I put them up about 7 cm's(about 2,7 inch) it would make more of a difference.
 

mannydiller

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ok, so after a few beers i was looking at my already cut once windscreen and said "f*ck it"... and cut it WAY down... it's a 2009, and now only goes about 2 inches past the 2nd set of screws. holy crap, it's SO MUCH better! i love it. it blocks just enough wind, but zero buffeting and zero wind noise in my helmet. of course now the mirrors stand out like a rabbit ears, but i love it. that'll be my next my mod... color me happy as sh*t. :D
 

Truffel

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ok, so after a few beers i was looking at my already cut once windscreen and said "f*ck it"... and cut it WAY down... it's a 2009, and now only goes about 2 inches past the 2nd set of screws. holy crap, it's SO MUCH better! i love it. it blocks just enough wind, but zero buffeting and zero wind noise in my helmet. of course now the mirrors stand out like a rabbit ears, but i love it. that'll be my next my mod... color me happy as sh*t. :D
What kind of helmet do you use?
 
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