Cut Down the Windscreen on the 2022 Africa Twin Adventure Sport
I just completed cutting down the windscreen on my 2022 ATAS. I'm short and there was no way I could see over the top even with it in the lowest position. I spent a couple weeks with a piece of masking tape stuck on the inside of the screen to get an idea how much to cut off. The rule of thumb is the top of the windscreen is supposed to be right across your line of sight or even with your nose. You don't want it so short that it doesn't block any wind but you do want to easily see over it. Since the screen is adjustable up and down 2" you need to take that into account. I figured the screen height with the screen in its lowest position. That way if I cut it too short, I'd have 2 more inches to raise it back up. I used the bottom of the screen as a reference point and determined the top of the screen will be 12.25" from the bottom of the screen.
I put masking tape on both sides of the screen to protect it from scratches and to lay out the cut. I left the screen attached to the bike for stability when cutting. I used a tailor's soft tape measure that would easily follow the curves of the screen. I found the vertical center of the screen and put the tape measure at the bottom center and used it like a compass to mark all the points across the screen. You could also measure down a fixed amount from the top to recreate the original profile or create a cardboard template. I didn't do this because I wasn't sure the top profile would work this far down.
I covered up the bike with a tarp and towels so it doesn't get covered in plastic cuttings which stick like crazy due to static electricity. I made the cut with a 4-1/2" x 1mm (thin) metal cut-off wheel on a DeWalt grinder. This worked really well and was easy to do. Just get the grinder up to speed and touch the edge at the start point. Gently push in and follow the line at the rate the blade will cut. Don't force it.
Once you're done with the cut you can smooth out the edge with sand paper on a block and or a file. The plastic sands just like wood. To finish the edge you can gingerly take a heat gun or a propane torch and melt the edge till it's shiney. Practice on your cut off piece.
After the first cut the screen's top corners looked too pointy so I laid out some curves and cut the points off. The windscreen now looks very similar to the 2021 standard Africa Twin with the short windscreen.
