Always open. Even in the rain.

 

I keep all 3 of mine open even during cold. People might think you get a wind blast through the vents and i don't notice anything other than turbulence is always milder with vents open. As to cold i don't notice any difference either when they are closed or open its the same imo. I ride with a half helmet.

 

Me too. Once the temp goes above 50 I'll open it up again ...

 

I close it to get cigs outta the pouch. The vent is made to equalize pressure not blow wind

 

I used to close my Ultra Limited on cold winter days, do the same on the Road Glide. Fortunately we only get around 4 weeks of that sort of weather in central QLD average 9 to 23 °C (48 to 73 °F) in winter.

 

I've heard that before and am still confused by it. What "pressure" is being equalized, and what does that accomplish as a benefit to the rider?

 

2016 FLHTK always open, as said numerous times before I feel more turbulence with-it closed.

 

This from Google




"These vents are part of the aerodynamic design of the shield, to reduce turbulence and noise. They are not there to make a flow of air on the rider. When you're riding on the highway, any windshield is pushing air away from the rider. This leaves a low-pressure pocket between the windshield and the rider. Some riders feel this low-pressure area as a push on their shoulders, "back pressure." The air flowing past the windshield wants to drop into this low pressure area. If the outside air is allowed to spill into the area between the windshield and the rider, the result is turbulence, noise, and drafts. When outside air spills into the rider area, it almost always falls in a curved path, causing spinning vortices of air. These vortices are noisy and can cause the battering and hammering on your helmet reported by some riders. Our windshields and vents are designed to funnel air into the rider region to relieve this low pressure area and greatly reduce the tendency of outside air to spill in. The vents are designed so that the air coming through them is quickly dispersed, leaving almost no detectable air flow at the rider. Our goal is to produce almost completely still air on the rider with no back pressure."

 

Closing the vents only causes a little more turbulence for me. It's a trade-off - - I'd rather keep some of the cold air off me and live with the turbulence.

 

I changed my windshield from the stock one. I installed a 12 inch high shield, and the wind buffeting was reduced, but not totally eliminated, like on my 2007 Ultra.

That may be the reason I don't feel the difference between OPEN or Closed.