The Spyder: The Spyder: - Wing World Magazine Archives

F4 Customs
Windshields
Just when you think you’ve got a great product, somebody else
comes along with something they say is better. I was well satisfied
with the Memphis Shade replacement windshield on my GL1800,
and figured to keep it for a few years more. Sure, I’d acquired some
stone chips and surface scratches from repeated cleanings, but overall,
I was a satisfied customer.
Then Don Frank of F4 Customs Windshields sent me one of his
windshields and asked us to do a
product report on it.Why would an
F4 be an improvement Well, Don is
very convincing as he explains why
his product is new and improved.
First, a bit of background. Don
has been in manufacturing all his life.
When he attended the SEMA show
a year and a half ago, he took in the
display of Percy’s High Performance
SPEEDGLASS®—a windshield unmarred
by the repeated swipes of a
windshield wiper wrapped in steel
wool. Impressed, he inquired if
Percy’s was going to make their
product available for motorcycles
like his Gold Wing. They weren’t
interested in investing in the tooling
required, or entering the motorcycle
market, so Don arranged to go
into that business himself, acquiring
the tooling and worldwide distribution
rights for all motorcycle products
for the SPEEDGLASS products.
What’s special about F4 windshields
First off, SPEEDGLASS is
composed of GE’s Lexan® polycarbonate, proprietarily thermoformed
and hard coated to give outstanding scratch and abrasion
resistance.The windshield is unbreakable as well as capable of retaining
excellent optical clarity even in the worst environments.
The material is so impervious to scratching under normal usage
that Don dares you to give it an aggressive rubbing with a dry paper
towel. He suggests you use Windex® to clean it. (Don’t do that with
your stock or other aftermarket windshields as the ammonia will fog
them permanently!), Don also suggests you avoid using oily aerosol
cleaners because they will just leave smears. Even Rain-X® won’t hurt
an F4 Customs Windshield—and Rain-X is intended only for use on
glass windshields as stated on its packaging!
About a year ago, he decided to see just how much abuse his demo
windshield could take. He deliberately poured brake fluid on the windshield,
then set it aside as he set up his display at a Tennessee rally. Six
hours later, when he decided to check on it— nothing—no damage of
any kind! Don’t try that with other plastics!
While it is possible to scratch the windshield with sandpaper and
heavy pressure, and you can gouge it with a tool, with normal care, the
F4 should last longer, shed rain better, and go much longer before
developing those annoying swirls and scratches that are most distracting
during nighttime and rain riding.
Don, his wife, Mary, and his two sons, Dan and David, constitute the
family of four commemorated in the “F4” business name.They did substantial
potential customer interviews before deciding on which windshield
sizes and shapes to create for the Wing. Most riders asked for
stock sizes or somewhat larger, reduced buffeting for the Co-Rider,
and a stock-like rearward slant. So, for the GL1800, F4 makes a standard
“1800” size ($299.95), an “1800 + 2” that’s two inches taller and
half and inch wider on each side ($309.95) and an “1800 + 4” that’s
four inches taller and three-quarters of an inch wider on each side. If
you choose the “1800 + 4,” you sacrifice the ability to raise and lower
the windshield.Add $49.95 for a windshield vent.
Prices for the “1500” are $269.95; “1500 + 2” costs $279.95; and
the “1500 + 4” will set you back $289.95—again add about $50 for a
windshield vent.
Having watched Senior Tech
Editor Stu Oltman install my previous
windshield, and equipped with
a copy of the article we did on that
replacement procedure from the
July 2005 issue, I did the swap-out
myself this time.The F4 windshield
fit easily and precisely into place.
It’s a bit stiff at first when you raise
and lower it, but thus far there’s
been no evidence of scratches
resulting from this process.
The unit I received had an
aftermarket vent already in
place—sort of. During shipping it
must have gotten crunched, as the
little plastic tab at the bottom was
sheared off, and one of the retaining
screws was rattling around in
the box. I loosened the vent and
noted the vent hole was hand-cut
with irregular edges. In a subsequent
phone conversation with
Don Frank, I’ve learned that F4
does 5-axis routing for all vents
right at the factory now, and they are soon to install genuine Honda
vents.After an 800-mile trip, the vent continued to be a nuisance, so I
called Don to ask what brand of vent to get and use as a replacement.
Don wouldn’t hear of it! He insisted he wanted me to return the
windshield and vent and receive a full replacement! He says its just
what he’d do for anyone—that he wants 100-percent customer satisfaction.
How can you beat that
The new F4 Customs Windshield looks clean and crystal clear. Its
proportions are so close to stock there’s no noticeable difference.
Like the OEM windshield, the F4 Customs windshield is made of polycarbonate.
Most aftermarket windshields are made of acrylic.Although
the F4 Customs Windshield is flexible like the stock unit, I have found
it does not flex or flutter at high speeds or in wind gusts—a plus in
my book.
How does the F4 Customs windshield live up to normal wear and
tear I trust the words of James Frank, GWRRA #177969, of North
Canton, Ohio, taken from the GWRRA Message Board of January 24,
2007.
28 Wing World