Ok, just picked up the compact detachable windshiled for passing lights. Fiddled around with it last night. The bottom clamp goes in fine, with a 1/4 clearance between the auxillary lights and the windshield. But the top clamp just goes in maybe half an inch (still see plenty of the hook). And the top clamp is all the way to the top of the fork.

Is the bracket supposed to go all the way in on top? and does the little metal springie thing wrap around the little post to "lock it in? or does it just slide above the post and add pressure with the spring?

Many thanks!!!

Anyone got any ideas??? :bump

i wanna see a pic of it

I've got the same windshield. The top docking points (the ones with the extended outer points to "capture" the windshield's spring clips) do go all the way up as far as possible on the fork tubes. After fitting those, I loosely installed the lower points, hung the windshield by the top points, then adjusted the final location of the lower points to suit the windshield brackets ... making certain the docking points were fully inserted in the detachable brackets. And yes, the spring clips are pulled out and positioned below the upper docking point extensions to keep the windshield from coming off.

I hope that explanation helps. If you need more info, send me an e-mail, and I'll go take a couple photos and send them to you via reply-mail.

Good luck!

MORE INFO (just went back to read your question again) ... You may need to rotate your aux-light brackets to suit the windshield location. When I installed the aux-lights, I left the brackets loose until I got the windshield on to determine the final location of the aux-lights.

thanks Hoowasat!!! that really helps. Do the aux-lights stick out further now on your setup?

That seems to be my problem, the windshield hits the top of the lights, limiting how far i can bring the top bracket into the docking point. I'll drop you a note, for some pics, if you wouldn't mind too much. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words!!!

I searched this forum and any picture of the windshield mounted on the H-D site! Nothing is that clear

update:

Hoowasat again many thanks, it may be 12 midnite, but i had to fix it!!! got the wife up and the daughter off the phone, and we readjusted the passing lamps. Now got the required clearance, doh!

Loosened the bottom clamp and used your directions, and voila, now it goes in properly, with a much better angle. The hardest part was aligning the lights again!!! But it feels good to get the job done right. I owe you one!

Alexcue, after a week or so, you might want to check all the screws on the windshield. I found that a few of mine had loosened up just a bit. Also make sure that the rubber gaskets are seated well between the quick releases and the fork tubes. They can get displaced or off kilter while trying to muscle the windshield in place.

update:
Hoowasat again many thanks, it may be 12 midnite, but i had to fix it!!! got the wife up and the daughter off the phone, and we readjusted the passing lamps. Now got the required clearance, doh!

Congratulations! That's quite an accomplishment (waking a wife up at midnight, I mean). :roflblack

Seriously, I'm working on my windshield/aux light setup this weekend and I noticed the same thing (the windshield hits the aux lights tops). I had placed my aux light arms at a right angle from the fork when they were originally installed. You can see how far back that places the aux housings -- not a problem without a windshield, but the cutouts on the Lexan aren't that big. Maybe they need to rotate forward a bit and then the heads turned out? Any change you could post a pic of the final setup?

Also, did you reroute your clutch cable? I've read this is really unnecessary.

Thanks!

http://homepage.mac.com/dagruber/.Pictures/XL/xl1200c_rb1.jpg

When I bought my aux-lights, I ordered the windshield at the same time. Since the windshield is limited in how high it could be positioned, I let it determine where I positioned the aux-lights. I'll post a couple pix in my album, and update this post when they're uploaded.

My question is why did you wake your wife in the middle of the night to mess around with the bike? Is she speaking to you today? (hee-hee) I aligned mine by myself using a ruler and a 2-foot long straightedge. I found the part that gets time consuming is aiming them because that can throw the equi-distance adjustments out of whack.

I'll post a couple pix in my album, and update this post when they're uploaded.

Pix can be found here ....
http://xlforum.net/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/4565

Thanks alot for all the help. The pictures were great.

I didn't move the clutch or use the wire for the throttle cables. thought it more trouble than it was worth, And the throttle was binding when i used the little wire.

Appreciate the info on the tighness of the bolts, will keep an eye on them.

The wife and daughter are my pit crew. Wife sits on bike and daughter holds cardboard while i mess with the adjustments.

Glad you're still alive .... after employing the "pit crew" that is. My domestic supervisor tolerates my bike ... she's not a fan, even though both her brothers have hogs. She's yet to take a ride with me, but that's because she hates helmet-hair. She spends a lot of time to get it "just so." To give you an idea, we both get up when the alarm clock goes off at 5AM. I'm out the door and at my office by 6AM ... she gets to work at 8AM.

I just finished mine and then a test drive -- love the windshield! Without it, I could tell when I hit 50 mph. This time out, I was doing 65 mph and reaching for 6th gear it was so peaceful and unturbulant. I didn't even get strangled by the chinstrap on my DOT half helmet because it didn't want to act like a parachute. I may just leave this sucker on all the time!

Getting everything simultaneously aligned was a PITA, but it's all done now. I didn't reroute the clutch cable or use the wire throttle cables holder -- in either position, it caused the throttle to bind. Laying free, they're OK, but the throttle is a little lazy to return. May have to lube the cable a bit.

I'll post pics shortly. I may actually be DONE modding for the rest of the season!

Also, did you reroute your clutch cable? I've read this is really unnecessary.

I originally had the sport quarter fairing on my bike, and I did use the throttle-cable retaining wire ... attached at the top-right bolt that holds my XL1200R headlight cowl to the upper triple tree. BTW, I've had no cable hang-up resulting from that.

I also attempted to reroute the clutch cable behind the handlebars in accordance with the H-D instructions, but that position seemed to put more of a bind on the cable. Instead, I merely positioned the cable in front of the handlebars (it was in front to begin with), but inboard and behind the left fork-tube portion of the upper triple tree. No binding and the cable needs nothing to hold it over there.

Glad to hear you're liking the windshield. I'm enjoying mine a bunch. Oddly enough, I may remove mine when cold weather comes and I'm wearing a full-face helmet and snowmobile suit. In cold weather, the only parts of me that get cold are my fingers, and that windshield may direct more cold air onto the grip area. I'll try the w'shield for awhile first before I decide to remove it.

And yeah! I don't have to pull my chin strap so tight anymore, too!

One more thing ... I threaded a cable type gun lock through my windshield's retainer spring and around a fork tube ... just to keep it from walking off sometime when I'm not around. I know it won't stop a professional crook, but it will stop the casual removal by those who recognize that this equipment is detachable.

Great idea on the gun cable lock!!! I'll have to pick one up.

I may actually be DONE modding for the rest of the season!

bwahahahahaha :roflblack surely you jest

One more thing ... I threaded a cable type gun lock through my windshield's retainer spring and around a fork tube ... just to keep it from walking off sometime when I'm not around. I know it won't stop a professional crook, but it will stop the casual removal by those who recognize that this equipment is detachable.

That's a good idea, thanks for the tip

Final installation. Yeah -- I'm really done for now. I've killed a few beautiful riding days by starting a job on the bike that took a full day. Time to stop modding (for now) and get back to serious riding.

http://homepage.mac.com/dagruber/.Pictures/xlwind.jpg