they are plastic so they shear off in an accident I think. If they are breaking they are probably too tight

 

You are probably right on the first part, but it's interesting that I have owned quite a few other motorcycles that have windshields and the FJR is the only one that has not had steel screws.

As to the second part, you are probably right in what you said, but my problem is that the heads strip easily - meaning where the Phillips screwdriver fits.

 

Check McMaster Carr. They will probably have them, but you might need to buy way more (a bag of 25, for example) than you need. I’d just suck it up and go to the dealer.

 

1. They are indeed designed to shear off in an accident. Better to break screws than decapitate the rider.


2. If they are breaking or stripping you are over torqueing them. The spec is in inch pounds, it will feel like they are not tight enough.


3. Bike Bandit or Ron Ayers for decent prices and fast shipping if you don't want to pay your dealership. I ordered more than I needed so that I always have spares on hand.

 

To get you by, 5 x 20mm button head or round head. Drive can be anything, hex, torx, Phillips....

 

I believe all the Gens use the same windscreen fasteners.

https://www.bikebandit.com/oem-parts/detail/yamaha/90150-05024-00/b1265467?m=157941&sch=952953

 

I have only had one break, ever. And I think that was fatigue from having been removed and reinstalled so many times. I got a handful of extras (OEM). Having spares is like a talisman to keep primaries from failing.

 

Yeah, having a set of spares is a good idea. I would actually recommend to put them in a little bag and throw in the glovebox or under the seat. If a mishap happens on the road (i.e. unlucky bike drop or hitting windshield against something) and the screws break off you would be very glad you have them.

 

You should replace the screws with exactly the same part number. They are engineered to sheer and protect the windscreen mechanism from expensive damage.

 

Okay, my opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it:

They are M5 screws into well-nuts. The OE plastic screws are designed to shear if you hit the windshield, but there are several problems with this assumptiona and arrangement.

First-off .... If you replace the plastic screws with stainless you affect the ability of the w/s to "give" in a crash only marginally. You will hit it from behind and the well-nuts will pop right out of the holes they are in. If it has a greater breaking strength in a front impact, from something hitting the screen, then that is a very good thing, not a bad one.

Second ... the OEM arrangement is demonstrably not strong enough, even with stainless screws. I know this because I twice lost my windshield on the IBR two years ago. I was doing around 70 mph and was hit by a cross-wind. The screen vanished into the median. It happened again about an hour later.

The screws were stainless, the wellnuts were brand new and everything was tightened correctly.

So my advice, at least on the 1st Gen, is this.

Always get new wellnuts and replace them annually. They are cheap but they degrade fast. Swap out the plastic nonsense for stainless. They won't break and the wellnuts will give if they need to.

Replace the two lower screw/wellnuts on the outer edge with two strong cable ties in each hole. Yes, really.

The second time my screen let go it happened more slowly and I could see what was going on. The wind was hitting the upper part of the screen. It was using the upper fastenings as lever points, and forcing the lower wellnuts out of their locations. Once they were out the rest let go. The cable ties prevent this from happening yet do not impede the screen going forward if you hit it from behind ... it would simply pivot on those ties.

This arrangement works. It won't be everyone's idea of a good time, but if it works for you you are free to copy

 

 

I'm not so sure what to believe about the "shearing to save you" assumption, but all other bikes I've owned, or any aftermarket windshield I bought for the FJR came with stainless. My presumption was the plastic ones were designed not to dig into the windshield and cause a stress point for a potential crack..... that said, aren't the OEM's made of Lexan, which I doubt you will break easily. Acrylic ones will/can crack. If I use stainless, I put a thin plastic or rubber washer under the screw head.

 

Just thinking out loud here, but I would guess that as a person installs a large, or a larger than large, windshield instead of the OE, then in a case like Steve's, with high wind, the possibility of what he experienced would also increase making the need to go with more robust screws making more since.
If a guy is rounding out the screw with a screw driver, makes me wonder if he's using the correct sized screw driver.

 

I assume you are referring to my post. I have only had it happen a couple of times, and it was actually on the nylon screws used on the dash.

You could be correct, but don't forget that Japan has their own unique Philips head. I freely admit I have never gone to the trouble of buying a Japanese spec Philips head because my track record is pretty good overall workning on Japanese vehicles going back nearly 40 years.

 

The "Japanese Phillips" is actually a JIS. It's not a bad idea to have the right tool, especially if you have more than one Japanese motorcycle. Or car.

My personal experience with the plastic fasteners has been positive. Of course most of my "experience" is based on my stupidity so that has to be taken into account.

Here is an example of my stupidity but also a testament to the integrity of the plastic screws and their retaining system. That WAS an irreplaceable Cee Bailey Sport Shield.

 

What happened?

 

Just take one of the OEM plastic ones to a hardware store like ACE and get all next stainless steel ones that are a few mm's longer for more bite and retention.

I did.


Feel more safe and you can easily change from winter full sized screen clear to spring medium high smoked, to summer dark mini windshield!

 

IMHO these plastic screws are "expedibles" just like oil filters. If you haven't figured it out yet:

these are the kind of things I add to an invoice when I order an air filter or whatever. No special order but always having a few on hand is IMHO a must. Things like front fuel tank screws, plastic washers, clutch bushing, various plastic rivets, and on & on are things you should consider adding on to an order. Who wants to ride around with missing or broken screws or rivets or wait around until some get delivered or worse yet, just like this thread, waste 2 or 3 more days trying to find suitable replacements. Having an assortment of fasteners and parts on hand when needed is to me worth the price of business. Plus, you know the things fit first time every time.

Do yourself a favor and quit being so **** cheap!!

 

I have a whole lot of fast and windy miles on the stock setup with no issues. With a stock screen, with the smallest vstream (no different than stock except you can get it tinted), with the vstream 20308 (superb, offers a little more shoulder and head coverage than the Yamaha touring screen), with the Yamaha touring screen (my preference for summer heat- allows more air to the rider in traffic than the 20308, with the 20309 (too tall, flaps like a clown shoe), and with the biggest Cee Bailey. All that said, I still carry strong cable ties because of what Steve Bracken experienced.

 

Yup that 20309 was a big disappointment. The only shield I have had from Vstream I didn't like. If I ever make the switch to metal screws I would be sure to use nylon washers under the heads as to prevent any hard edge where a crack could start.

 

The secret to better airflow is to get air under the windshield. Shim it up as some have done, no more floppy V-Stream 20309!

 

This is new to me since I just got my 2018 FJR, but the custom windshield was flopping on the left side. I dissembled and the top 2 nylon screws where broken. I said screw it (😎) and went to Ace Hardware and got steel ones and I have stable windshield now. I made sure and didn’t over tighten, in a wreck I figure the windshield is gone anyway.

 

Here's a whole kit. It says "snowmobile", but it's all the same parts. I keep one of these kits under my seat. You can find them on eBay by searching this Yamaha part number: 90179-05523
(Amazon will not give the correct results because... they're Amazon.)

 

They sell kits of stainless ones on amazon too. One of the first things I do on bikes with those nylon screws is get rid of them. Luckily the Ducati came with some nice thick stainless button heads from the factory