Windshield Anchors Won't Hold

[Dr.Evil]

Feels strange outside the comfort of the Softail world where we have no problems, we just tell jokes and laugh all day.

My friend has an issue with his HD fairing on a 2009 Road Glide. He updated to a HD larger windshield. Now the windshield rubber anchors will not hold because the fairing holes are elongated and the anchors only grip on two sides.
The windshield itself is slotted for alignment so we are not sure why the fairing holes are slotted. The holes are blind, so the only way to get washers on the back side is to pull everything apart. I suggested using plastic drywall anchors but that seams kind of cheesy.

 

[TQuentin1]

Hmmm. Not sure I really understand what happened, but here is what happened to me:

I over-torqued the 1/4-20 screws that are supposed to secure the top of the fairing and hold the windshield secure. This twisted the anchors that are moulded into the inner fairing. So, ... Here is what I did:

Oil Temp Gauges - Page 2 - Harley Davidson Community

TQ

 

[Dr.Evil]

These fasteners are like small rubber bung plugs for a boat drain. After inserting the plug, the screw goes through the center and grabs a threaded insert. When the screws are tightened ther rubber expands out and grabs the inner fairing hole. The problem is that the fairing holes are not round so the expanded rubber only grabs on two sides. After a ride down the freeway they start to lose their hold and come loose.

 

[Mainah]

Those little wellnuts are cheap to replace and they don't take kindly to any abuse. Get a new set from the dealer or you can get them cheaper in a large hardware store. The holes are supposed to be elongated. I would always put new nuts on when I remove the windscreen.

 

[Dr.Evil]

Those little wellnuts are cheap to replace and they don't take kindly to any abuse. Get a new set from the dealer or you can get them cheaper in a large hardware store. The holes are supposed to be elongated. I would always put new nuts on when I remove the windscreen.

Good advice on just replacing them. He also found some longer ones that may produce more squish.