Need to cut the new windscreen down about 3 inches...

[PapaSoldTheHarley]

The new PUIG windscreen is just too tall for me.The mounts seem OK. It appears sturdy enough, but I cannot hope to look over it. I prefer to look at the road over the screen in an upright seating position (and crouch down a bit if i feel like hiding behind the screen for a while).

So I need to lop off the top 3 inches or so on the screen.

I am no master craftsman, but I am not super picky either. if I can get a level clean cut and a reasonably smooth edge would be happy (as I want to look above the edge at the road anyway).

I have a coping saw with a round carbide cutting blade (supposed to be good with ceramics). I have a fine tooth hacksaw. I have a variable speed drill and 3 inch cut off wheel. I have a big old jig saw with a metal cutting blade (I think it's 24 teeth per inch). Also have a blade that looks like its made for tile (has the appearance of the carbide or diamond dated round blame the coping saw has). I also have old Dremel cutoff wheels, that I can put in the variable speed drill (the Dremel died ages ago ).

Question is which of the above, if any, do you think would suffice?

I don't care about how long it takes. I plan on using varying grades of sandpaper to finish the edge...

Note: The PUIG is a very thin windscreen! I would bet its not much more than an 1/8 of an inch thick...
Constructive thoughts welcomed...

[CROSSBOLT]

Lexan (or polycarbonate appropriately) can be cut with nearly anything but the fine tooth (24 tpi) would be my choice. That would be my choice if Plexiglass (resin) or acrylic as well. Ya just have to be REAL PATIENT AND GENTLE with resin or acrylic. You probably figured out ya have to protect at least the side that slides on the band saw table!

Karl

[de dee]

look back to last summer  a very good show how to cut shield,

[Abner_Bjorn]

I've shaped 4  windshields over the last 3 years.  One Puig and 3 Slipstreamers.  They are all acrylic, or plexiglass.  If you use any type of saw the kerf will leave small serrations that over time will eventually crack.  I tape both sides of the windshield with wide masking tape (just the area I'll be working).  I mark the shape with a sharpie, then I use a 4" grinder with a metal cut off blade to cut the bulk of the material off.  I then use  a belt sander with 80 grit to smooth it all out, then I sand by hand with 150, then 220 until all is smooth.  I do it with the windshield mounted to the bike.  I just cover the bike with old sheets.  You can control your cuts with the angle grinder real well.  This is a fairly quick way to shape a windshield.  Having it mounted to the bike is a big plus.    Here is a photo of a scoot 66 I re-did for my Genuine Buddy.  The stock scoot 66 is very ugly with some weird dog ear shape at the top corners:

[PapaSoldTheHarley]

Thanks for the replies! I will have to do some more thinking on which to use. But I like the idea of cutting the screen while its on the bike (a good solid hold and then I don't need to undo the nuts and bolts (it would be the third and fourth time) that mount the screen). I suppose if i cut above where I actually want to end up I could experiment with more than one method to at least get a little sample of what the overall cut might look like. That is probably the path I'll take. I won't be happy if I screw it up ($99), but it's not going to be the end of the world either The last Harley windshield I bought was about $360 with mounting hardware LOL

[xsel777]

I had another used screen on hand which I cut the top 5th off using a steel blade on a grinder, then lots of filing and water sandpaper,  in order to mount it as a  slip - stream on top of the original with the bonus of increasing its total height.

 Sent from my Samsung Note 3 with Tapatalk

[Abner_Bjorn]

PapaSoldTheHarley what part of the country are you in?  If You're near Denver, I'll help you.   I had the same Puig you have on a SYM HD200.  It was way too tall.  I rought cut it about a 1/2 taller than I wanted the finished windscreen, then I used the top I just cut off as a template for the final cut.  On the Puig I actually clamped the cut off piece where I wanted the edge to line up, then used a router with a template bit for the final cut.  On later windscreen work, I stopped using the router.  I could get the same results with the angle grinder and belt sander, and it was much quicker.   

[Mr. Paul]

I have had good results with a jigsaw and a fine tooth metal cutting blade. Dont forget to tape the area where you are going to cut so the tool wont scratch the shield. Good luck!

[PapaSoldTheHarley]

I have had good results with a jigsaw and a fine tooth metal cutting blade. Dont forget to tape the area where you are going to cut so the tool wont scratch the shield. Good luck!

Nice of you to offer to help! But I am in Sunny Florida

[PapaSoldTheHarley]

Tried to trace a guideline on the top of the screen I want to cut off. Tried to put a sharpie line on the screen; not so easy to get it right. There with painter's tape, heavy brown paper, scissors, sharpie, level, ruler. Tried making template (as in videos I found on Youtube). Then lowering the template and moving it from the left edge and then to the right edge (allowing the lines to intersect at the top).

I didn't get the resulting line looking very "finished"...

Then realized all the attempts to draw on the screen would be covered by the tape and rendered useless (duh). So the screen must be taped up front and back before the line is drawn. I was thinking of maybe using a make-shift compass (sharpie with a length of string looped around it) to get a symmetrical rounded top.

Or just try to get someone with a little artistic talent to free hand a guideline for me.

Well in the meantime I scoot around wearing my baseball caps (because the screen is so tall they don't blow off)...

[Mr. Paul]

1. Tape the windshield on your bike.

2. Tape a piece of cardboard  to the outer face.

3. Draw outline of windshield on back side of cardboard

4. Untape cardboard and cut to the outlined shape.

5. Place cardboard back on windshield on your bike and lower it to the level that you want to cut your windshield.

6. Sharpie this outline onto the face of your taped windshield

7. This will be your new cut line. It should follow the exact angle and curve on your windshield, but it will just be lower. Hope this helps.

[PapaSoldTheHarley]

Hacksaw and painter's tape; followed by a file and then two different grades of sandpaper (on a little sanding block).
Already cam out acceptable, not perfect but acceptable. Figured I would ride for a couple of weeks to see if it's low enough.
Wind is still deflected above the head, but I get to see the road without looking through screen at all. I took about 4 inches off the top.

Original top speed on the Scoot without any windscreen on it with me riding, was 88, 89 on the speedometer. After the install of the full size screen 78 or 79  seemed like it was all she had. The big screen was costing me on the acceleration and the top speed.

After the trimming, she was back up to 84  or 85 mph. I got about half of the loss back.

I might (in a few weeks as I wrote) trim the left and right edges; to achieve a more rounded result. I think as long as I leave the middle where it is I am fine.

When I'm done I will put up a photo...

[Mr. Paul]

Thanks for the report! Well done sir.

[KentonLynne]

Say, I've got a Biondi windscreen on my GT300i that I want to replace with the Puig.  I've decided that for highway driving (which I'm doing a lot more of these days) I'd like a larger screen that I have to look through (rather than over, as I do the Biondi).   Wanna swap?  My Biondi is in good shape (been used for two years) and has just some very minor scratches -- which you won't even notice since you'll be looking over the windscreen. 

Kenton Lynne

[mrmike]

Say, I've got a Biondi windscreen on my GT300i that I want to replace with the Puig.  I've decided that for highway driving (which I'm doing a lot more of these days) I'd like a larger screen that I have to look through (rather than over, as I do the Biondi).   Wanna swap?  My Biondi is in good shape (been used for two years) and has just some very minor scratches -- which you won't even notice since you'll be looking over the windscreen. 

Kenton Lynne

 I've got a Biondi on mine, and I'm very happy with it. I'm 5'10" and it's the perfect height for me!