...... for it to be retractable by another several inches. When I first got my Spyder, I hated looking thru the windshield and, finding it didn't go down far enough ......
The idea of 'windscreens' on motorcycles is that they direct air-flow over/around the rider/pillion, & in doing so that should tend to keep the rain etc off them; they're not specifically designed or intended for the rider to look
thru them so much as not block their forward vision in close as they look
over the screen to see the road further ahead - so looking
thru the Spyder w/Screen is always going to something of a compromise to it's designed functionality that is likely to have some issues, much like those you've discovered....
pps:
Buuut, here's an idea. If you look at the arms holding the windscreen when it's down as far as it'll go, they are pretty much horizontal/level with the ground, so modifying it to make the screen go lower might be pretty hard (inverted 'L' shaped arms maybe??) However, if you replaced the 3 arms (& only the arms themselves) with something maybe an inch longer between the pins (there are people around who make billet replacements for the fragile placcy bits that are renowned for cracking over time - they could almost certainly make you a few that were longer!) Fitting longer arms would move the screen forwards & further away from the dash/body when the screen was in the full down position, but by increasing their length you increase the arc of movement, which would also mean as you raised the screen, you'd end up lifting it a fair bit higher than it currently goes - which, if you retain the OE height screen, is probably only going to make your current 'getting wet in the rain' problems worse!! Still, if you did the longer arms
and fitted a shorter screen (or trimmed the one you've already got by maybe as much as a few inches) you should be able to work out a raised height that'd let you look over the screen in the fully down position & yet still have the scope to raise it & get better rain protection when the screen is raised a little (or a lottle!) :shocked:
Soooo ruralgirl, if you really wanted to resolve your current rain issues, I'd suggest that you should be looking at fitting a slightly shorter screen AND a sourcing/fitting longer arms on the w/screen raising gear; and while you are at it, it might well be worth your while to look for one of the aftermarket shorter screens that has a vent in it or at least the holes the post 2013 RT's have AND a laminar flip on the top edge of the screen, both of which will help reduce the 'w/screen created' low pressure area where you sit (that's what causes the rain etc to suck into that space, & is why a bigger screen which equals greater low pressure & a larger suction area is not going to help your problem!) as well as pushing the airflow up & over your head. Having the extra length in the arms plus a slightly shorter screen wouldn't stuff up the 'down' position airflow too much; while the ability to lift it higher teamed with the vent/s & laminar lip would give you more total range of travel & better airflow to find the exact position that suits you best without making your 'getting wet' issues worse... :thumbup:
:roflblack:
