F4 Customs 28" Windshield on My F3-S is the Bomb

[Capt. Bob]

I know that the subject of windshields and their utility sometimes brings out strong feelings in both directions about the need for one and the lack of need for one. My naked bike/trike days seem to be well behind me. I did enjoy riding my new-to-me 2015 F3-S without a shield after having unsuccessfully trying to adapt to a BRP Blue Ridge which was for my needs, the worst possible solution for wind blockage due to incredible helmet buffeting.

I was determined to just ride in smooth air like my old sport bike days until this happened last week.

Birdstrike.jpg

I actually had a bird strike my face shield directly at 65 mph and didn't realize until I had stopped that the poor dead bird had gotten lodged in my visor. An obviously very freak and freaky experience.

So, I was determined to get a windshield that would help with bird strikes but also not produce buffeting, dead air behind the shield and have to look through the thing while riding. A call to Don at F4 Customs and picking his brain about my specific criteria and my problems have been solved. I installed a 28" clear F4 Customs windshield on the F3-S yesterday and went on a 70 mile ride today to see how it performed. I live in Florida and so it is quite hot and humid in the Summer and so I wanted to avoid "dead air" to some extent and that bubble feeling that many windshields provide. The F4 Customs windshield had little in the way of these problems with some constant air flow and no perceived negative air pressure.

With no other cars around, the windshield sent the air just at the top of my helmet and at higher speed, a bit higher. I was able to do 95% of my riding not having to look through the windshield and I am now only 5'7" tall. I do have a 1" thick ButtBuffer gel pad on my stock seat which helped with the windshield height issues.

With cars in front of me, there was some mild head buffeting but nothing that was particularly unpleasant at 65 mph. On a private road with no traffic, I took the trike up to 83 mph and the air was smoother yet and the wind well above my helmet. I was extremely pleased with the new windshields performance. The only concern I have is that without the constant windblast of running "naked" and the smooth movement through the air, I find that the sensation of speed has diminished and their were times out on some deserted country roads where I was going faster than I thought.

One of the things that F4 Customs talked about in their accompanying literature was that they impregnate with a baking process some hardening of the shield's surface which makes it supposedly stand up better to bugs and other debris. All in all, I am very pleased with this purchase and look forward to thousands of miles of smiles without bugs or bird feathers in my teeth. BTW, some have commented that they do not like the attachment hardware scheme that F4 uses. For my own personal tastes, I very much like the look that the F4 hardware adds to my F3-S. Bob

[reissooz]

I have been very pleased with my F4 windshield as well!

[Tango]

Another fan of the awesome F4 W/S! Don and Alicia really know their stuff. Tom

[trikermutha]

I see you are still enjoying the new F3..

[Capt. Bob]

I see you are still enjoying the new F3..

Tango, You were right about Alicia being helpful as well. I forgot to give her a shout out.

Trikermutha, I have a DropTail SCT2200 trike trailer on order and can't wait to haul the F3-S up to the North Carolina/Georgia mountains to enjoy the enhanced ride qualities it offers in the tight stuff. It seems to me that I have now made most of the upgrades I think I want/need to really enjoy this scoot to its full potential. This last statement is made with a light touch because I know that many of us are constantly on the lookout for new farkles that enhance the riding experience.

In terms of the airflow, I should have mentioned the adjustability of the F4 and the fact that I can quickly change the angle of the windshield with the loosening of two knobs to affect a change in the airflow if needed (I was hoping for some built-in vents but Don had advised that the curve of the shield for the F3/F3-S precluded the use of adjustable air vents for my model of windshield). That experimentation has begun and I am sure that I will find and even more optimal angle after further experimentation. As I had mentioned, I personally like the look of the mounting hardware and appreciate that there is some built-in limited but easy angle adjustability.

[jcthorne]

Can one of you post some good clear pics of what the current model F4 windshield looks like on an F3? Particularly the brackets. The pics on the F4 site are way to small to actually see anything other than an overall sense of height.

I was not a fan of the early model that required drilling the bike to mount but understand the design has been changed. Would really like to see what this looks like before ordering to replace the gustafsson I have now.

[Capt. Bob]

Can one of you post some good clear pics of what the current model F4 windshield looks like on an F3? Particularly the brackets. The pics on the F4 site are way to small to actually see anything other than an overall sense of height.

I was not a fan of the early model that required drilling the bike to mount but understand the design has been changed. Would really like to see what this looks like before ordering to replace the gustafsson I have now.

jcthorne, your earlier comments on another thread about the "erector set" look of the F4 hardware had initially raised a bit of a red flag for me in terms of acquisition until I got it in hand. You are obviously quite experienced with Spyder's since you own and work on them and so I tip-toed into this purchase of my second windshield. My first go at it with the BRP Blue Ridge was frankly miserable for my needs with the worst head buffeting that I have ever experienced on a windshield. As we know, windshields are somewhat like seats and everybody's size and requirements are extremely idiosyncratic. As you could read from my initial post, my fears about the hardware and/or buffeting and other parameters have been put to rest with this new windscreen. Here are some pics of the hardware that requires no drilling and utilize the existing holes in my F3-S.
f43.jpgf4.jpgf42.jpgf41.jpg

As I hope you can see from the pics, you replace the 4 existing screws on the flat part of the fairing with the metal on top with supplied longer screws to hold the base of the windshield support brackets atop rubber washers, and the two existing holes in the metal on the front part of the fairing where you mount the nosepiece bracket with a couple of supplied screws/nylock nuts. It was a very simple and non-invasive mounting. The instructions did not provide torque ratings so I used 25 inch/pounds which seems like a reasonable torque value while preserving the plexiglass. I think BRP's BR windshield specs the torque ratings at 31 inch/pounds +- 4 inch/pounds.

For my own personal tastes, I find the mounting brackets to have a pretty consistent look with the metal bits on the top part of the front fairing and really like the look. Of course, YMMV

[trikermutha]

Let us know how you like the Droptail trailer.

The mounting brackets look really sturdy for the new windscreen. the F4's are made with quality. Been happy with mine so far too.

[jcthorne]

jcthorne, your earlier comments on another thread about the "erector set" look of the F4 hardware had initially raised a bit of a red flag for me in terms of acquisition until I got it in hand. You are obviously quite experienced with Spyder's since you own and work on them and so I tip-toed into this purchase of my second windshield. My first go at it with the BRP Blue Ridge was frankly miserable for my needs with the worst head buffeting that I have ever experienced on a windshield. As we know, windshields are somewhat like seats and everybody's size and requirements are extremely idiosyncratic. As you could read from my initial post, my fears about the hardware and/or buffeting and other parameters have been put to rest with this new windscreen. Here are some pics of the hardware that requires no drilling and utilize the existing holes in my F3-S.
f43.jpgf4.jpgf42.jpgf41.jpg

As I hope you can see from the pics, you replace the 4 existing screws on the flat part of the fairing with the metal on top with supplied longer screws to hold the base of the windshield support brackets and the two existing holes in the metal on the front part of the fairing where you mount the nosepiece bracket with a couple of supplied screws/nylock nuts. It was a very simple and non-invasive mounting. The instructions did not provide torque ratings so I used 25 inch/pounds which seems like a reasonable torque value while preserving the plexiglass. I think BRP's BR windshield specs the torque ratings at 31 inch/pounds +- 4 inch/pounds.

For my own personal tastes, I find the mounting brackets to have a pretty consistent look with the metal bits on the top part of the front fairing and really like the look. Of course, YMMV

Thanks for the very clear photos! These look much better than the early version I saw. I am in the throws of outfitting my wife Louise new F3T including an F4 shield for it. I may indeed order one of these to replace my gustafsson shield.

Do you think the cross bar would be strong enough to mount my GPS to via a ram ball? It goes right through were my GPS now goes above the gauges.

[Capt. Bob]

Let us know how you like the Droptail trailer.

The mounting brackets look really sturdy for the new windscreen. the F4's are made with quality. Been happy with mine so far too.

Thanks for the comments on the sturdiness of the brackets. I think they are quite sturdy and did not wiggle at 83 mph.

Unfortunately, the carrier for the delivery of my first DropTail trailer managed at one of its freight terminals to destroy part of the elaborate palletized factory shipping container and then proceeded to bend some of the first trailer with makeshift tie downs. I refused the shipment and the trucking company is on the hook for the full value of the trailer to the vendor. Another one is being built and will shortly be sent to me. The folks at DropTail are very helpful and very knowledgeable. For an open trailer that can fold into a 40" deep unit in one of my garages, I don't think the trailer has a peer and will handily carry both my Spyder and TriGlide individually at different times.

[Capt. Bob]

Thanks for the very clear photos! These look much better than the early version I saw. I am in the throws of outfitting my wife Louise new F3T including an F4 shield for it. I may indeed order one of these to replace my gustafsson shield.

Do you think the cross bar would be strong enough to mount my GPS to via a ram ball? It goes right through were my GPS now goes above the gauges.

You might want to confirm this with Don but I went down to the garage and was rocking the trike back and forth laterally while just holding the cross-bar and there was no apparent flexure in the frame setup. I can't imagine that a Ram ball and GPS would have any effect on the structure? You will notice the slotted adjustment fixture on the bottom part of the bracket that can move the cross-bar up into a position above the instrument cluster to mount the Ram ball.

[trikermutha]

Thanks for the comments on the sturdiness of the brackets. I think they are quite sturdy and did not wiggle at 83 mph.

Unfortunately, the carrier for the delivery of my first DropTail trailer managed at one of its freight terminals to destroy part of the elaborate palletized factory shipping container and then proceeded to bend some of the first trailer with makeshift tie downs. I refused the shipment and the trucking company is on the hook for the full value of the trailer to the vendor. Another one is being built and will shortly be sent to me. The folks at DropTail are very helpful and very knowledgeable. For an open trailer that can fold into a 40" deep unit in one of my garages, I don't think the trailer has a peer and will handily carry both my Spyder and TriGlide individually at different times.

That's too bad on the trailer. But at least you are getting a new one made up. Like to see some pics when you get yourself setup in the future..Thanks for the follow up

[TomG]

Thanks for the comments on the sturdiness of the brackets. I think they are quite sturdy and did not wiggle at 83 mph.

Unfortunately, the carrier for the delivery of my first DropTail trailer managed at one of its freight terminals to destroy part of the elaborate palletized factory shipping container and then proceeded to bend some of the first trailer with makeshift tie downs. I refused the shipment and the trucking company is on the hook for the full value of the trailer to the vendor. Another one is being built and will shortly be sent to me. The folks at DropTail are very helpful and very knowledgeable. For an open trailer that can fold into a 40" deep unit in one of my garages, I don't think the trailer has a peer and will handily carry both my Spyder and TriGlide individually at different times.

I have had the DropTail for a few years now, and am very pleased with it. Have not used it nearly as much for my Spyder as my lawn mower however. I should point out that folding it up for storage is a two man job, at least it is for me.

TomG

[Capt. Bob]

I have had the DropTail for a few years now, and am very pleased with it. Have not used it nearly as much for my Spyder as my lawn mower however. I should point out that folding it up for storage is a two man job, at least it is for me.

TomG

Tom, Thanks for the affirmation on the DropTail. I will be using it with the removable front wheel chalk for my Harley TriGlide and then remove the front chalk to carry my Spyder. I can see where it would be an ideal unit for moving around a zero turn mower. I tend to ride my TriGlide to destinations if my wife is not accompanying me but will tow it for occasional rides at remote destinations with her on the trip. With the F3-S Spyder, I purchased it to be more of a one-up canyon carver than touring machine and so see a real opportunity to use the DropTail to get it up to the mountains which are about 5-7 hours from where I live in Florida.

[Tango]

Thanks for the very clear photos! These look much better than the early version I saw. I am in the throws of outfitting my wife Louise new F3T including an F4 shield for it. I may indeed order one of these to replace my gustafsson shield.

Do you think the cross bar would be strong enough to mount my GPS to via a ram ball? It goes right through were my GPS now goes above the gauges.

JC I think that F4 was selling Ram balls that mount on the bar. Tom

[F4 Customs]

Thanks for the great review. We really enjoyed talking to you and are so glad you like the shield.
Ride Safe!
The F4 Team!

I know that the subject of windshields and their utility sometimes brings out strong feelings in both directions about the need for one and the lack of need for one. My naked bike/trike days seem to be well behind me. I did enjoy riding my new-to-me 2015 F3-S without a shield after having unsuccessfully trying to adapt to a BRP Blue Ridge which was for my needs, the worst possible solution for wind blockage due to incredible helmet buffeting.

I was determined to just ride in smooth air like my old sport bike days until this happened last week.

Birdstrike.jpg

I actually had a bird strike my face shield directly at 65 mph and didn't realize until I had stopped that the poor dead bird had gotten lodged in my visor. An obviously very freak and freaky experience.

So, I was determined to get a windshield that would help with bird strikes but also not produce buffeting, dead air behind the shield and have to look through the thing while riding. A call to Don at F4 Customs and picking his brain about my specific criteria and my problems have been solved. I installed a 28" clear F4 Customs windshield on the F3-S yesterday and went on a 70 mile ride today to see how it performed. I live in Florida and so it is quite hot and humid in the Summer and so I wanted to avoid "dead air" to some extent and that bubble feeling that many windshields provide. The F4 Customs windshield had little in the way of these problems with some constant air flow and no perceived negative air pressure.

With no other cars around, the windshield sent the air just at the top of my helmet and at higher speed, a bit higher. I was able to do 95% of my riding not having to look through the windshield and I am now only 5'7" tall. I do have a 1" thick ButtBuffer gel pad on my stock seat which helped with the windshield height issues.

With cars in front of me, there was some mild head buffeting but nothing that was particularly unpleasant at 65 mph. On a private road with no traffic, I took the trike up to 83 mph and the air was smoother yet and the wind well above my helmet. I was extremely pleased with the new windshields performance. The only concern I have is that without the constant windblast of running "naked" and the smooth movement through the air, I find that the sensation of speed has diminished and their were times out on some deserted country roads where I was going faster than I thought.

One of the things that F4 Customs talked about in their accompanying literature was that they impregnate with a baking process some hardening of the shield's surface which makes it supposedly stand up better to bugs and other debris. All in all, I am very pleased with this purchase and look forward to thousands of miles of smiles without bugs or bird feathers in my teeth. BTW, some have commented that they do not like the attachment hardware scheme that F4 uses. For my own personal tastes, I very much like the look that the F4 hardware adds to my F3-S. Bob

[F4 Customs]

Just a side note: Great pictures and also the cross bar is made of aluminum so you can mount speakers or your GPS etc. easily on it if you like.
Thanks again.
Don

jcthorne, your earlier comments on another thread about the "erector set" look of the F4 hardware had initially raised a bit of a red flag for me in terms of acquisition until I got it in hand. You are obviously quite experienced with Spyder's since you own and work on them and so I tip-toed into this purchase of my second windshield. My first go at it with the BRP Blue Ridge was frankly miserable for my needs with the worst head buffeting that I have ever experienced on a windshield. As we know, windshields are somewhat like seats and everybody's size and requirements are extremely idiosyncratic. As you could read from my initial post, my fears about the hardware and/or buffeting and other parameters have been put to rest with this new windscreen. Here are some pics of the hardware that requires no drilling and utilize the existing holes in my F3-S.
f43.jpgf4.jpgf42.jpgf41.jpg

As I hope you can see from the pics, you replace the 4 existing screws on the flat part of the fairing with the metal on top with supplied longer screws to hold the base of the windshield support brackets atop rubber washers, and the two existing holes in the metal on the front part of the fairing where you mount the nosepiece bracket with a couple of supplied screws/nylock nuts. It was a very simple and non-invasive mounting. The instructions did not provide torque ratings so I used 25 inch/pounds which seems like a reasonable torque value while preserving the plexiglass. I think BRP's BR windshield specs the torque ratings at 31 inch/pounds +- 4 inch/pounds.

For my own personal tastes, I find the mounting brackets to have a pretty consistent look with the metal bits on the top part of the front fairing and really like the look. Of course, YMMV

[TomG]

Tom, Thanks for the affirmation on the DropTail. I will be using it with the removable front wheel chalk for my Harley TriGlide and then remove the front chalk to carry my Spyder. I can see where it would be an ideal unit for moving around a zero turn mower. I tend to ride my TriGlide to destinations if my wife is not accompanying me but will tow it for occasional rides at remote destinations with her on the trip. With the F3-S Spyder, I purchased it to be more of a one-up canyon carver than touring machine and so see a real opportunity to use the DropTail to get it up to the mountains which are about 5-7 hours from where I live in Florida.

We are almost neighbors. I live about 25 miles N of Tallahassee.

TomG

[Steamer]

I have tried THREE other windshields for my 2015 F3S(they shall remain nameless). The F4 was the only windshield that created smooth air over my helmet. The very best feature is that there is NO back pressure. On long rides at moderately high speeds I am less fatigued.
I am 5' 10" with a sheep pad and I have the 32". My wife also has the F4, but smaller and she is very pleased with this set up.
Don is also a pleasure to work with, highly recommended.

[Capt. Bob]

We are almost neighbors. I live about 25 miles N of Tallahassee.

TomG

Tom,

That is freaky because I saw a Spyder up ahead of me headed out of Cairo and toward 319 last week. I was testing out the ButtBuffer gel pad to see what a difference it made in my ride. It alone was able to extend my ride by a factor of about 3-4x time-wise over the stock seat. PM has been sent.

Bob

[Minister]

I have tried THREE other windshields for my 2015 F3S(they shall remain nameless). The F4 was the only windshield that created smooth air over my helmet. The very best feature is that there is NO back pressure. On long rides at moderately high speeds I am less fatigued.
I am 5' 10" with a sheep pad and I have the 32". My wife also has the F4, but smaller and she is very pleased with this set up.
Don is also a pleasure to work with, highly recommended.

I first bought the Blueridge and experienced the head buffeting. I then added an X-creen and it worked fairly well but seemed to make the windshield flex quite a bit when hitting the air from a passing truck. Had an opportunity to trade it for a tinted 28" F4 so I went for it! I'm very pleased with the F4, and it is a strong windshield with great optics.

[Bob Denman]

Hiya Captain!
I'm glad to hear that you found the "Sweet Spot"!
Now it's time to start piling up the "Miles & Smiles"!

biker.jpg

[dbrfisher]

I love my f4 windshield

Sent from my QMV7A using Tapatalk

[Retired 2012]

Steamer,
At 5-10" do you look through the 32" and over the 28".
I'd prefer to look over slightly then looking thru

[Steamer]

Steamer,
At 5-10" do you look through the 32" and over the 28".
I'd prefer to look over slightly then looking thru

Retired, I look just over the top ridge of the 32 inch shield. As I mentioned before, I use a sheep skin pad that adds to my height.
The wind shield has an adjustable height feature and that allows me to raise the shield so that I look through the shield with a sight line two inches below the top ridge. This adjustable feature is great for adapting to cold weather or rain or to simply block more wind for a quiet ride.
Don will take the time to advise you on the correct height for you bike.