I have the stock height windshield on my 2010 RKC. I'm 6' 1" and I easily look over the top of it. I used my fingers as gauges to see how short my shield is to my height. I started by sitting on my bike with 1 finger (not that one) pointing straight forward on top of my windshield, I could still see over it without any problem. I did the same thing with 2 fingers and could still see over it. I held 3 fingers out and my line of sight is falling right inline with the top finger.

I swapped my stock windshield with my buddy's (2008 Road King Police) bike which has a taller windshield for a few weeks. I see over it just below my line of sight. It does keep the wind off of my much better than my stocker, but I don't like the look of it. It is way too tall in my opinion.

Has anyone tried to use a heat gun and some round stock to flare an OEM windshield?

 

Why goof around with that? Would probably look like a$$, and the aftermarket ones arent expensive.

 

Check out Long Rides Shields Email them with the height you want the flip they put on
the top will help air flow.

 

Go with the flip type shield.
I had one of LRS on my king.
Now I have their flip on my memphis shades fairing.
They work great.
They can help you get the right size.

Don

 

So many... I was making "Flare" shields with a heat gun and oven mitts before KW had theirs out.

Just buy one. Mine worked -- I lit a cig with a Bic at 35MPH once. But it wasn't pretty - And it wasn't the first one (honestly, I don't remember how many "blanks" I went through to get a usable prototype - Only to find out later that others were probably prototyping with better tools than I).

LRS makes some good stuff (I have a couple of their flares and use their Ultra-Flip regularly). And they don't charge an arm and a leg either.

THAT SAID - If you just gotta try it -- You want heat - Plenty of it. Adding a curve is MUCH easier than adding a "flare" -- You're going to go back and forth and back and forth at just sort of a "slow swaying" speed (maybe once across in about four seconds) just an inch or so below the top. The cue is when the plastic turns sort of a milky white. QUICKLY put down the heat gun and apply pressure from the rider's side to the front side using both hands - one on each side of the plastic, so you're applying pressure from the rider's side and resistance from the front side.

Don't stop moving - Smooth motions, no exceptions. The plastic will take "prints" from the gloves if you stop or "skitch" across the surface.

And then when you find out how well it works -- Believe me, it makes a rather dramatic difference -- go buy one that looks nicer.

 

Thanks all, I appreciate the info.

JohnScrip - great info about what the windshield is doing without having the appropriate tools necessary to accomplish this the first time out. Your experience is going to cancel my thoughts of trying this at home.

 

Sell yours and buy and new one.