One of the first mods I did on my '13 Slim was when I ordered the 18" H-D Quick-Detach Windshield (p/n 57400111 - Windshield, 18" Light Smoke – Black Braces).
It was just what I was looking for, except that at 18", the top of the windshield was directly in my line of sight - which was very annoying.
(I'm 5' 8", with a 30" inseam, on a stock Slim seat)
I found that especially when going over hills, I was either craning my neck to see over it, or ducking down to look through it.
I decided to look for a replacement and Long Ride Shields (a Forum Sponsor) seemed like just the ticket.
The tint was a little darker than the H-D "Light Smoke", but considering I was blacking the bike out anyway, it seemed like a good match.
Here's a comparison between H-D's Light Smoke, and LRS's "Light Tint":
HD's Light Smoke:
LRS's Light Tint:
The LRS replacement arrived on time and in perfect condition.
The 2" height difference was like night and day.
I could now see over it, but with the curved top edge, it still felt like it was still 18" tall - no additional buffeting at all.
Seems the "Recurve" top sent the air further over my head than a standard flat shield would.
Installation was a snap - all I had to do was to transfer the H-D mounting hardware over to the new LRS screen.
The stock H-D screen had holes drilled, whereas the LRS shield came with slots in all [9] positions for easy alignment and plenty of room for adjustment.
I started at the center hole on top, then worked my way outwards, then down, adding each bolt loosely.
Then I positioned the windshield onto the bike's mounts before starting to tighten each one in order.
(NOTE: The instructions didn't specifically say to do it this way but it seemed like a logical step to make sure the mounting points lined up properly.)
And even though I've never disassembled then reassembled a windshield before, the whole job still only took about 15 minutes.
The instruction did say to NOT use loctite on any of the bolts, presumably since it might react with the plexiglass.
As it was, there was still plenty of blue loctite leftover from the factory assembly so it really wasn't necessary anyway...
One thing I was concerned about, was whether or not the curved portion at the top of the plexiglass would cause any distortion.
As it turns out, not one bit.
All I can say is, I should have done this sooner...
Signed,
One Satisfied Customer... two thumbs up...
I agree that LRS makes a good product with very good customer service. I put one on my heritage last year and have enjoyed riding with it on. Good product at a good price.
What size is the stock windshield on a 2013 Heritage? I am having the same problem and am thinking of getting a shorter shield to help see over it better.
What size is the stock windshield on a 2013 Heritage? I am having the same problem and am thinking of getting a shorter shield to help see over it better.
The quick-detach I bought from H-D was listed as 18", which when mounted was exactly the distance from the TOP of the headlight bucket to the top of the shield.
The LRS replacement is calulated the same way, it measures 16" from the headlight to the top.
Sorry for the lousy picture, the flash added glare to the tape so you can't see the numbers, but you get the idea...
08-01-2013, 08:36 PM
Long Ride Shields "Heritage Recurve" review...
