The two center holes on my 1995 R100RT's Clear-View (21.5") windshield recently broke. I bought the RT about 20 months and 31,000 miles ago, and love riding it. But the C-V windshield looks dilapidated and maybe 15-20 years old, so its been on 'the list' to replace. Now that it's broken, the time is here, and I am thinking out of the box.
I like the C-V, especially with the GoldWing vent and 'MRA X-Creen spoiler blade' I installed. It's about as good as it gets for an OEM style RT windshield. But I also have a GL1800 GoldWing, now four years and around 80,000 miles. I disliked its OEM windshield and, early on, tried tried 2-3 others. When I tried a Madstead, the search was over. For me, nothing else even comes close.
I'd like to put a Madstad on the RT but, looking at their website, there's nothing available. I also read online, someone had approached Madstad to develop an RT windshield, and was declined. So it looks like I'm on my own, luckily I have the GoldWing to study the design. I have bought a Madstad mount off eBay, and plan to use the old C-V for a temporary 'base' to install the mount on. I can repair the C-V by cutting 1.25" off the bottom and drilling new holes; the base only needs to be about 10" tall, so there's plenty to work with. I plan to use the upper 10"-12" off of a spare brand 'X' windshield, as the Madstad windshield. If I can even come close to the efficiency of the GoldWing's Madstad, on the RT, I will be a happy camper.
Will keep y'all posted.
I'd think twice about using the ClearView shield for a base. I had a fairly new one break off onto my arms at freeway speeds riding into pretty heavy winds. Plexiglass just isn't meant to take those kinds of loads, especially when ClearView puts the mounting holes so close to the edge. The bottom sections broke out of all of them.
Too bad Parabellum no longer make the base for their excellent shield. I was able to get a replacement shield recently, and learned that the plastic base is NLA. Too many people hacking RTs into trackers and bobbers and cafes.
@8166 Thanks for your input, and I recall you mentioning here that your C-V windshield had broken. If I recall, yours was the 26" tall version? The base Madstad uses is black, and very sturdy. I plan to use the old windshield, cut down, as a temporary base for R&D. If the idea works out, will fab a base out of something much stronger. Not planning on other than normal road speed testing. Hopefully, the 10"-12" base will hold up for R&D.
So I achieved what I set out to do. I now have a Madstad on the 95RT, that is about equal in performance to the one on my GoldWing. I was fortunate to find a complete Madstad on eBay that was (apparently) originally for a CanAm Ryker. The base was not adaptable, but the mounts fit perfectly onto the RT windshield near the base, where curvature is more pronounced. I cut the 21.5" windshield down to 12", which included removing 1" from the bottom, in order to repair it. I also now have a new Clear-View windshield on hand, but plan to use the old one, for now; it has a GoldWing vent, which is now useless, but will leave it in place for now. As with the Madstad on the GoldWing, I look over the shield by several inches.
While repairing the bottom of the old windshield, to use as a base for the Madstad, I added reinforcements for the factory anchor. Here is a pic of the reinforcement. (Yes, the Harley short stem mirrors work great also.)
The reinforcements I am referring to are the two metal strips, at bottom center. They simply provide another 'bite' on the lower edge of the windshield, about 1" above the factory anchor. It appears the rubber seal, in addition to other purposes, also serves as a backup when /if the factory anchor ever failed while underway. I am pretty sure the rubber teats, sticking through the holes along the bottom edge of the windshield, would prevent the shield from flying all the way rearward and into the rider's coast or face, at least temporarily till a rider could pull over and stop. I have not yet drilled new holes for the seal teats, but likely will later.
No air passes through the GW vent, so it has no effect, open or closed.
At road speeds the air is now smooth, no buffeting, and flows as if I were moving 30-40 MPH. Also, MPG has improved by at least 1-2. I know the Madstad looks 'incorrect' or even ugly, but it works for me, and will likely remain on this RT as long as I own it, and it in't going anywhere anytime soon. Have attached one more pic.
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