Possible Vstream Defect??

[donaldb]

I bought Andrew Knight's old vstream shield, and I like it very much, it's a barn door of a shield, but it works best for me w/respect to buffeting, etc. I have rode with this shield since I put it on the bike.

I noticed something while on my NAFO trip and was wondering if anyone else has a similar situation.

What appear to be tiny cracks have started developing just above the W brackett. To many to count, but they are no longer than maybe a inch or two in length. They are all bunched up together, look like a tight school of tiny fish, right in the center of the shield, just above the center screw....and growing. Shield had no cracks upon my departure for NAFO.

I would like to think it's impossible to have over tightened the shield, I use factory nylon fasteners, which should pop off if over tightened. I did use skyway's spacers??? which changed the pitch a tiny bit, but I would like to think not enough to create this problem. It's a big shield, and a lot of interstate 80+ mph stress on that shield, 10 days and a tad bit over 4000 miles. Maybe it was just to much for the shield to handle???

I'm a little concerned about safety of the shield now and was wondering if anyone else with this shield may have the same cracks showing up now, or maybe on another shield other than a vstream??? Personally I have never had this happen before and I am not sure if I should be concerned or not.............maybe it's a common occurrence and I'm simply uninformed.

Anyway.........I'll try and snap a pic and post it up soon, not sure how well the cracks will show up though.

Hope this is the correct topic line to post this subject under.

Thanx!

Regards,

Bruce

 

[Fred W]

I bought Andrew Knight's old vstream shield, and I like it very much, it's a barn door of a shield, but it works best for me w/respect to buffeting, etc. I have rode with this shield since I put it on the bike.
I noticed something while on my NAFO trip and was wondering if anyone else has a similar situation.

What appear to be tiny cracks have started developing just above the W brackett. To many to count, but they are no longer than maybe a inch or two in length. They are all bunched up together, look like a tight school of tiny fish, right in the center of the shield, just above the center screw....and growing. Shield had no cracks upon my departure for NAFO.

I would like to think it's impossible to have over tightened the shield, I use factory nylon fasteners, which should pop off if over tightened. I did use skyway's spacers??? which changed the pitch a tiny bit, but I would like to think not enough to create this problem. It's a big shield, and a lot of interstate 80+ mph stress on that shield, 10 days and a tad bit over 4000 miles. Maybe it was just to much for the shield to handle???

I'm a little concerned about safety of the shield now and was wondering if anyone else with this shield may have the same cracks showing up now, or maybe on another shield other than a vstream??? Personally I have never had this happen before and I am not sure if I should be concerned or not.............maybe it's a common occurrence and I'm simply uninformed.

Anyway.........I'll try and snap a pic and post it up soon, not sure how well the cracks will show up though.

Hope this is the correct topic line to post this subject under.

Thanx!

Regards,

Bruce

First move should be a courteous discussion with National Cycle.

BTW - there is no reason that they have to know you were not the original owner

 

[twowheelnut]

Ditto Fred's comments. I will say that the barn doors gather a bunch of air. It is possible that strength has been degraded by this, sun and detergents. Have you yanked the W yet? Are the cracks emanating from the screw holes?

Also, I'm doubtful that the spacers have much to do with it.

 

[Toecutter]

Also, I'm doubtful that the spacers have much to do with it.

They'll keep you from getting sucked into it when you raise it up but, if anything, they help relieve stress on the screen.

 

[Scab]

It's hard to say exactly how, just from the description, but obviously, you ****** it up.

 

[Fred W]

It's hard to say exactly how, just from the description, but obviously, you ****** it up.

You sound like you work in the "customer complaints" department at National Cycle.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I think it's going to depend on a better description of what you have. Light aircraft windshields are made of the same acrylic plastic and routinely get areas of what look like very minor cracks. The windshield of an older Cessna at dawn can be pretty scary. If yours are similar in being very shallow and generally parrallel to the bends in the plastic, I wouldn't sweat it. If they are actual cracks, it's a whole different story.

 

[donaldb]

Here are the best 2 pics I could put together.

I have not taken the bracket off to inspect yet, but will soon. I have the tupperware off at the moment replacing the rt & lf marker/turn signals. So it aint going anywhere.

I'm just hoping it's not a dangerous situation and I hate it happened to Andrew's old shield, I kinda felt special having it, but I may have to retire the thing. Could possibly advise MCN of the problem and send along a disc of the pics??? and also advise National Cycle though I doubt they would do anything, but I think maybe it is important to get this problem out somehow..I hate dirty little secrets. If it happened to me then I wonder to how many others?? I'm simply surprised no one else has had this surface

As far as possible solvents, all I have ever used on it is plexus and maybe some light detergent. As you can see from the pic...I'm not much of a clean freak, so the bike does not get washed very often.......maybe twice a year and a few rinses in the rain.

They look like stress cracks to me, I can rub my fingernail across them and feel the cracks as it crosses over them. Strange?? :angry:

 

[Fred W]

that is clearly a defect. I think you'll be getting a new one if you send that picture to the manufacturer

 

[Checkswrecks]

It's looks like a condition called crazing, with the visible start of a stress crack. It's generally related to not heating the plastic enough before bending it, but UV from the sun can definitely lead to this condition in older acrylics. Yours doesn't look dangerous at this point, but it's about time to find a replacement. I'd send VStream a nice email with the photo, asking if they would trade or give you a discount on a new one. Obviously, it's several years old and you are at best the second owner so they don't have to do a thing, but it can't hurt to ask.

If they say no, you could try to stopdrill & fill it. If ambitious, you could try a scab patch but it'll look like hell. For how to drill & fill, see AC43.13-1B, see page 3-23. Gotta warn you that I and probably most of the airplane mechanics on the group have seen an aweful lot of these repairs just serve as the point where the crack shoots off in a new direction.

In the 70's I had a Windjammer fairing and the windshield suddenly seemed to lay backward and then one side let loose and swing up at my throat. I was fortunate to catch it with my hand. Never messed around with damaged windhields since - I just put in new plastic.

Bob

 

[donaldb]

I've been putting some more thought into this...............................

You know I had a fuel/gastank pressure issue while on that NAFO trip. It was an apparent vent clog or something, anyway....when I stopped in Cheyenne WY and opened the tank, gas spewed out and covered me and the bike...including the shield!!

Of course, it took a few moments to not only collect myself from this unpleasant experience, but to also clean up the mess. I remember closing the filler lid, locking it down and then rinsing the bike down w/the water they supply at the pumps..usually meant for windshield cleaning..the squeegie thing, even used some to rinse off the shield. No telling what all is in that dirty water, but what ever it was I figured was not as bad as leaving all that gas on the shield and tank, etc. So then after drying it off, I filled up the tank, then pulled up to the store and parked. While there I rinsed it off again w/clean water and then sprayed plexus on the shield and cleaned both sides and continued on to Golden, CO.

I can only assume maybe this gas which spewed on the shield caused this problem to start??????????? :blink: :huh:

 

[Fred W]

I've been putting some more thought into this...............................
You know I had a fuel/gastank pressure issue while on that NAFO trip. It was an apparent vent clog or something, anyway....when I stopped in Cheyenne WY and opened the tank, gas spewed out and covered me and the bike...including the shield!!

Of course, it took a few moments to not only collect myself from this unpleasant experience, but to also clean up the mess. I remember closing the filler lid, locking it down and then rinsing the bike down w/the water they supply at the pumps..usually meant for windshield cleaning..the squeegie thing, even used some to rinse off the shield. No telling what all is in that dirty water, but what ever it was I figured was not as bad as leaving all that gas on the shield and tank, etc. So then after drying it off, I filled up the tank, then pulled up to the store and parked. While there I rinsed it off again w/clean water and then sprayed plexus on the shield and cleaned both sides and continued on to Golden, CO.

I can only assume maybe this gas which spewed on the shield caused this problem to start??????????? :blink: :huh:

That would be a very good assumption IMO.

 

[twowheelnut]

Yep, gas could do that, especially when combined with the heat and sun.

 

[donaldb]

mystery solved!

Thanx!!

Dang..................I hate Mr. Knight's old shield met it's demise this way.

it's off to the trash, back with the stock and then start the w/s shuffle all over again.