Modern Vespa

Has anybody seen the discussion that there is a distance from the front of the bike where you can see over the windscreen. This is hard to explain (a picture would explain it better) but it helped me when I cut down the height of my current Piaggio wind screen. It is when you take a straight line from your eyes over the top of the windscreen and measure how far in front of the scooter your vision takes you. When I cut down the windscreen on my old Piaggio, I remember trying to get it at 30 feet. My new Cuppini windscreen for my GTV measures at about 15-16 feet.

Have you guys ever heard of this target? What is the desired distance?

Well, ain't that just an opinion? We all watch forward thru windscreens all the time, are these plasticks so bad you cannot do that?

the simple, often quoted rule is that the windshield should rise to the level of your nose.

I've also heard the same rule stated as the '50 feet rule'. Never actually measured this myself, but the idea is that when you look over a windshield positioned with the forementioned rule, to an object 50 feet away on the ground, your eyes, the upper edge of the windshield and the object 50 feet away should form a line of sight. This may be the number you were looking for?

50 feet may be the number, but seems high? I just tested my new one at 16 feet, and the wind hits me right in the face. May have to go for the larger Cuppini. It's physics, not an opinion. The windshield is there to protect you from the wind. The idea is to have it high enough to protect you from the wind, but low enough so you do not have to look through the plexiglass while driving.

Plus 1 for nose height. I certainly don't want to look through it.

Just spitballing here, did trial and error (fortunately more the former) when I cut mine down years back, but couldn't you mark the screen where you want to be looking over to see the spot x distance ahead and trim accordingly? Seems easier than figuring out where your nose should be.....

To be fair, didn't you cut yours down so it would fit in the garage?

Oh, ouch!

In a somewhat similar vein, I was raising my lift with the tall screen on the scooter early on, and glanced up in time to see the top of the screen approaching the center roof beam. That could have been a less than stellar day.

Ok, physics -so the small one are for very short drivers?

So, basically, I was sort of correct, sort of.

50 ft aint nothing when traveling at speed, sitting still yeah it might seem way far away but its not.

I like using a dry erase marker and drawing a straight line across the shield where I think I might cut, take it for a nice 4-5 mile ride on some easy backroads. maybe stop a few times and erase that line and make a new one, keep doing this till you find the spot that works for you. now you can cut it

Since 60 MPH = 88 feet per second, I agree that 50 feet isn't much.

No guarantee on my math, but 50 feet, at 60 MPH, would be covered in just over ½ second.