Kynan C.
Admin
I asked Craig if he could share a segment from his forthcoming book on motorcycle design with us. He asked what would I like to see? I said how about something fun, something we have not seen yet. So, he sent me the story of the windshield clips that we all have on our Windjammers and how they came to be.
Replacement Windshield Sales, 1973
Copyrighted material from Craig Vetter's forthcoming book about motorcycle design.
At one of our monthly department meetings, I noticed that we seemed to be selling a lot of replacement windshields. What was actually happening? The head of Customer Service, Larry Coolidge said that most sales were going to people that wanted Snap Vents or tinted windshields. But some were to replace broken windshields. In certain extreme conditions, like hitting a big gap in the pavement, the windshield could snap across from the two top bolt holes. This was news to me.
Loyal Truesdale III, our Sales Manager volunteered to see he could make a windshield snap. I got my camera out. We had a nice jump on the TT section of our track behind the factory. Without another thought, Loyal climbed onto the shop BMW and launched himself, really fast, over the jump.
Loyal snapped the windshield, just the way Larry said.
We had problem to solve... Fast forward thru more than 3 years of problem solving:
In every case the windshield breaking, we learned that it cracked from top hole to top hole. Just like in the above picture. Holes weaken the material. Holes at a high stress area at the top weakened the windshield at the wrong place. The solution would be to not drill those two top holes.
To that end, I invented Windshield Clips:
Thanks Craig for sharing this piece of Vetter history with us!
Replacement Windshield Sales, 1973
Copyrighted material from Craig Vetter's forthcoming book about motorcycle design.
At one of our monthly department meetings, I noticed that we seemed to be selling a lot of replacement windshields. What was actually happening? The head of Customer Service, Larry Coolidge said that most sales were going to people that wanted Snap Vents or tinted windshields. But some were to replace broken windshields. In certain extreme conditions, like hitting a big gap in the pavement, the windshield could snap across from the two top bolt holes. This was news to me.
Loyal Truesdale III, our Sales Manager volunteered to see he could make a windshield snap. I got my camera out. We had a nice jump on the TT section of our track behind the factory. Without another thought, Loyal climbed onto the shop BMW and launched himself, really fast, over the jump.
Loyal snapped the windshield, just the way Larry said.
We had problem to solve... Fast forward thru more than 3 years of problem solving:
In every case the windshield breaking, we learned that it cracked from top hole to top hole. Just like in the above picture. Holes weaken the material. Holes at a high stress area at the top weakened the windshield at the wrong place. The solution would be to not drill those two top holes.
To that end, I invented Windshield Clips:
It took several years to develop, test and perfect but when we were done, windshields did not snap anymore.
Beginning in February, 1977, we stopped drilling the top two holes and supplied Windshield Clips for all windshields. The great thing about this solution was that a new replacement windshield with clips would fit the first Windjammer made in 1971.
Replacement windshield sales dropped to almost nothing.
See US Patent # 4,087,110Beginning in February, 1977, we stopped drilling the top two holes and supplied Windshield Clips for all windshields. The great thing about this solution was that a new replacement windshield with clips would fit the first Windjammer made in 1971.
Replacement windshield sales dropped to almost nothing.
Thanks Craig for sharing this piece of Vetter history with us!
