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I don't think I've put a good old sob story on here since I introduced one of my carbs to the concrete floor, so I guess it's my turn again. I'll start with a lile history. When I first got the bike from my dad it had a National Cycle plexifairing 3 on it. That was close to 5 years ago. At the time I didn't like the thing and I was swapping handle bars, so it came off. Now we can fast forward to this last summer when I started noticeing a few new muscles in my shoulders after a good long ride. Now, I'm not going to say "I'm getting old" or "I feel old" because I generally don't and I'm young enough that some of you would probably flame me for saying such things. But I did notice that after riding for awhile I was letting the wind push me back a bit and loading a considerable weight on my arms and shoulders. I decided that I might like that big old windsheild on there after all.
When I took it off that short five years ago I carefully packed it into dads garage, where it slowly got moved to the back corner over the years. It's a bit dusty, but none the worse for wear except....most of the hardware is missing. I call the local dealer, they don't carry National Cycle. I call National Cycle, the kit is 60 bucks or so. the while set-up with windsheild and kit is about 160. I'm cheap. I'm not going to pay the 60 when the whole set is comparatively not much more, but I'm poor too, so it is not within my reach. I start searching e-bay, either for a hardware kit, or the whole set-up. This is back around June. I find plenty of Plexifairings, with and without hardware and the prices are getting bid up to where I might just as well buy a new one. Nothing on just kits tho'.....until 3 weeks ago.
A NOS kit comes up for e-bay, low starting bid, reasonable shipping, one bid on it already.....I snipe it in the last minute for less than 30 bucks total. I got it last thursday in the mail. Today it was 45 degrees out when I got home from work, so I stop by dad's on the way home and pull the windshield out of storage. I figure I'll get it cleaned up and I've got the rest of the winter to apply gentle and thourough elbo greese to it to get the minor scratches and such polished out. I bring it in the apartment and let it warm up while I fix dinner and then start to clean off 5 years worth of dust with some mild soap and a really soft rag. As I'm turning it around I grab one of the few remaining pieces of hardware that is still attached which happens to be one of the main mounting struts that attaches to the socket on the upper windshield......and the socket snaps. Not just seperatesing from the windshield in a nice smooth break like 20 year old epoxy sometimes does, but a mind numbing disintegrating kind of snap....part of the socket still on the windshiled, part still klinging to the mounting strut in an ugly jagged kind of break where small pieces seperate independently. Not anything that I can see an easy repair for.
So, I spent most of this year owning a halfway decent windshield with no hardware kit and now I own a brand new hardware kit and no decent windshield to mount it to. That Just Sucks!!!!
Thanks for letting me rant.
When I took it off that short five years ago I carefully packed it into dads garage, where it slowly got moved to the back corner over the years. It's a bit dusty, but none the worse for wear except....most of the hardware is missing. I call the local dealer, they don't carry National Cycle. I call National Cycle, the kit is 60 bucks or so. the while set-up with windsheild and kit is about 160. I'm cheap. I'm not going to pay the 60 when the whole set is comparatively not much more, but I'm poor too, so it is not within my reach. I start searching e-bay, either for a hardware kit, or the whole set-up. This is back around June. I find plenty of Plexifairings, with and without hardware and the prices are getting bid up to where I might just as well buy a new one. Nothing on just kits tho'.....until 3 weeks ago.
A NOS kit comes up for e-bay, low starting bid, reasonable shipping, one bid on it already.....I snipe it in the last minute for less than 30 bucks total. I got it last thursday in the mail. Today it was 45 degrees out when I got home from work, so I stop by dad's on the way home and pull the windshield out of storage. I figure I'll get it cleaned up and I've got the rest of the winter to apply gentle and thourough elbo greese to it to get the minor scratches and such polished out. I bring it in the apartment and let it warm up while I fix dinner and then start to clean off 5 years worth of dust with some mild soap and a really soft rag. As I'm turning it around I grab one of the few remaining pieces of hardware that is still attached which happens to be one of the main mounting struts that attaches to the socket on the upper windshield......and the socket snaps. Not just seperatesing from the windshield in a nice smooth break like 20 year old epoxy sometimes does, but a mind numbing disintegrating kind of snap....part of the socket still on the windshiled, part still klinging to the mounting strut in an ugly jagged kind of break where small pieces seperate independently. Not anything that I can see an easy repair for.
So, I spent most of this year owning a halfway decent windshield with no hardware kit and now I own a brand new hardware kit and no decent windshield to mount it to. That Just Sucks!!!!
Thanks for letting me rant.
Ah well, I don't blame you, the riding position on those "bloody L" bikes is not conducive to long rides. 8)
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