Saga of the Wind Blocker!
Late in 2005 someone on the Triumph Mail List posted a question about the effectiveness of the aftermarket Wind Blockers that various companies sell. One of the List members, Mark Walker, mentioned that he had one he no longer needed since getting a Surrey Top for his TR250. We traded a couple of emails but I let it drop, not knowing if I really wanted one. Fast forward to March '06 and someone posts an message to the List asking if anyone on the List owned the yellow TR6 he had seen that day in the parking lot of Wallingford Tradition Golf Course. Well that was me, so I responded as such. Next thing I know I have an email from Mark saying he still had the Wind Blocker and he's always in need of anything "golf", so what did I have to trade? I wrote back with the offer of a 2 year old putter and a few dozen new golf balls figuring that was the beginning of some negotiation. Little did I know that Mark has been on a major cleaning project and just wanted the wind blocker gone and he needed a putter and golf balls. Whenever you have two happy people, you've done a good deal! The installation is very straight forward and I was aware that you have to remove the wind blocker to put the top up. It's only a matter of removing 2 allen bolts so I just need to carry an allen wrench. No big deal. But what did stump me for a while was how to use my top boot cover with the wind blocker in place. My top stays down with the boot cover in place all driving season unless I get caught in the rain. The solution is shown below.
Once I got it installed I went for a little top down wind blocker test drive on a cool 50 degree day. Normally on a day this cool I'd wear a jacket with a big collar turned up protecting my neck from the wind buffeting. I was amazed at the reduction of wind buffeting in the cockpit. It really makes a big difference.
This wind blocker is available from Moss Motors under part# 458-292 or from Morspeed Performance Products for $100 LESS! That's right, as of July 2011, Morspeed carries what looks like the exact same wind blocker for $100 less than the Moss price.
Footnote: Triumph Mail List Member Brian Lanoway emailed me saying he had found some knurled knobs to replace the hex bolt. He even bought 2 extras and sent them to me..... and he wouldn't accept any payment for them! That's the Triumph community for you! Thanks Brian.... there's pictures added below to show Brian's solution.
Wind Blocker Mounting Bracket Blocks Top |
Boot Cover Won't Fit With Wind Blocker In Place |
Solution Was To Insert A Grommet Over The Bolt Hole |
Bracket In Place |
All Installed & Ready To Go |
Brian Lanoway's Hex Bolt Solution |
Brian Lanoway's Hex Bolt Solution Installed |