Well… The windshields are coming from a US distributor. But that distributor has a global network of manufacturers which keeps the prices lower but which can complicate the process. The distributor buys them in batches of like 20 or more to benefit from the Economies of Scale. They currently are low enough regardung US inventory that they have to consider whether to order the next batch. The problem, I suspect but haven’t confirmed, is that ever-changing tariffs and trade policies right now are making planning difficult. If they bought an entire batch during a moment when the powers-that-be have jacked tariffs way up then they have a pile on windshields that are stuck at a high price, even if tariffs then go down. It’s a frustrating situation.
Anyhow, there would presumably be other options for actual US production. But the windshields would be quite a bit more expensive. People already are stressed about paying $1200 for the windshield. I don’t know what kind of market there would be for windshields at $2000 to $2500 before shipping. All that said, if the current source doesn’t replenish its supply then we’d have to find another solution almost regardless of cost.
I think that, if the trade environment stabilizes; we will very undramatically have access to those same very nice windshields at a manageable price. Time will tell.
But yeah, Fuzz paid many thousands of dollars to have a mold made and then still had to pay a lot per unit. He would have had to sell MANY windshields to get his money back out. He has admitted several times that he knowingly paid a heck of a lot simply to know that he had replacements for his own project.
Anyhow, that’s some of the additional back story.