Chunks,
Somehow I guessed you don't mind the wind in your face!

 

I empathize with your plight; had the same problem after I bought my detachable shield. Tried it with and without the helmet--no change, bought a Jacks Flaps vest--no help at all, now my windshield is collecting dust in the garage. can't change the angle on it either. Only thing I haven't tried is the wind deflectors, but they won't fit the clamps that hold the windshield to the forks, guess I'm just SOL! Btw, it's an 06 Softail standard.

 

I agree with 71tradewind, and I was going to ask you about your helmet before I got to the end of the post here.

Rhubarb,

There is a lot of good information here: windshield height and stiffness, air from below, wind deflectors, flapped vests, but having ridden both a Fatboy with a full windshield and a WG with a narrow detachable, here is my .02 worth.

Full face helmets can cause worse buffeting than half shells. I wear a full face (Shoei - the best) and this is what I have found from personal experience and what others have written about as well. Air can enter from the bottom of the helmet and can pull the helmet up and down, no matter how tight you pull the strap on. If your version of windshield is relatively flexible at the top edge, it will develop a vibration or slow flex depending on the amount and strength of turbulance, like headwind, the amount of traffic in front of you, etc. The change in air pressure from both causes work together and can become exaggerated, and since your glasses are touching or "locked" into the sides of the helmet, they bounce around and worsen your vision. If you ride with the face shield on it is even more exaggerated (closed is bad - open is worse). I have been buffeted to hell at under 60, and ridden clear and wonderful at 90+.

Here's what I do to minimize the problem though. Lose the face shield - or at least keep it in your t-bag or saddle bag until nasty weather or debris start flying around. If your helmet came with a chin "net" for under the chin, (like Shoei's do) - put it on. The only real purpose for these is to dampen or reduce this air pressure issue. It's not a heat thingy - though that's what it appears to be. Without it, your chest and neck become an air pump for that helmet. For me, I'm hoping the full face saves my chin, and the rest of the pieces stay inside the shell while I watch the asphast grind by. I want the wind in my face and I don't need to look like a Power ranger with the hidden face unless I'm on a Beemer. The open face reduces the tendency to lift the helmet or bounce it, and the windshield and glasses are enough to protect your face!

Hope this helps. If you're not riding without the face shield and/or the chin piece, try this before you do more desparate and expensive things. Works for me.

 

Hey guys, thanks for all the great responses.

I went out again tonight, tried a lot of different scenarios. It does go away some if I crack open the face shield. For reference, I wear a Shoei RF-1000 and use the chin net. I also usually ride with the face shield poped open on the defog section.

The top flexes exactly as 00glider said.

I tried sitting several inches lower by hunching down and looking through the windshield but it made little difference
I sat really high tried to get my whole head over the shield. It was a lot better, but it was back to like not having a shield, so there goes the fatigue issue again on long days.

I also moved my hand around a lot. I could feel a good amount of air right along my body coming up, but putting my hand/arm in the way made no difference.
I grabbed the windshield and bent it towards me, away from me, and held it steady.no measurable difference.

Tried 50,60,70,80 mph. Actually smoothed out as I got faster, but I'm thinking it might be the turbulence from traffic not being in front of me.

Dealer says lowers wont likely help, and most people just cut the shields shorter to take full wind in the face and eliminate the buffeting.

Oh, I saw something about a rubber strip you put around the shield that is supposed to help. Anyone seen or have this?

Anone seen this thing? Review of Laminar Lip Cost is about $80 + shipping

 

I too wear a Shoei rf1000 and have been fighting the buffeting problem for a while now. I am 6'.

The rubber strip thing is useless. And ugly to boot!

The Laminar lip does work but really looks really weird on the cruiser windshield. I reshaped mine a little and bolted it directly to the screen to get rid of those velcro strips they use. It staretd to crack from the vibrations and I took it off.

Currently I am running a compact shield with 2.5" cut off the top (12" from the headlight) This is better than stock height and keeps most of the pressure off my torso.

I am trying to find out If the National Cycle "switchblade Deflector " can be mounted using HD quick release clamps. This is a small, streamlined screen with rake adjustments for $159.

 

Thank you!

I have been leaning towards cutting down the shield. I'm just nervous as a new one is so expensive and I can at least sell this one if I have to if I don't cut it.

Is the cut shield still a lot better than no shield on a longer ride?

 

Different bike, but probably same problem. I have two Memphis Shades. the SportShield is the smallest they make. It takes wind force off my chest at speeds over 120. (I can bearly hang on if it's not there) My second is a Memphis Fats 21", the largest they make. I look over it by about 1". Before the Fats, I had a 19" SportShield, and the force on my head was unbearable with either of my helmets (one a halfy, the other a full). That would put the windshield about 3" below my eyes, and I think that that may be the problem that you are dealing with. Just my opinion, but whatever it is, I hope you can correct it.

 

And a short shield will be better than no shield, because it will take force off your chest at any speed. Around town, the Rod looks like it does below, but out of town for any distance---the shield goes on.

 

Hi again Rhubarb,

Sounds like you are starting to get it figured out WHY and WHEN you are having problems. That's great.
I see you tried "cracking" the face shield, but not convinced you've actually tried taking the face shield entirely OFF the helmet.
Try that.

Worst positions for me was when the face shield was all the way up. That creates an air brake that catches everything that goes over the top of the windshield and your helmet and also caused me a hellatious howling or whistling, not to mention a really sore neck after a short while. Windshield off - faceshield on. Windshield on - faceshield off.

Like you say, my riding experience tells me that traffic on a multi-lane hiway is the number one cause of heavy turbulance that will affect comfort, stability, and helmet bounce, and number two is unsteady head or cross winds. I think this is the same whether you wear a helmet of any kind or not. Add a full face helmet, glasses, and a windshield, and then other problems take place. When the windshield flexes (and we're talking about maybe 1/8" - 1/2" or less) back and forth in a kind of rythym, the helmet and vision are greatly affected. Because most of our bikes rely on basically high angle windshields with large non-supported vertical surfaces, they are suseptible to this vibration at the top.

I don't ride one, but bet those sport bikes with angled short windshields don't have exactly the same problems. Have you seem the BMW cruisers with the electronically variable lower angle windshields and outward curved top lip? Bet they don't have quite the same problem as well.

Go find a country road or hiway with light or negligable traffic where you are the only vehicle on it in sight (is that possible?) and crank on it. Under those conditions I can ride all day at 85+ and have no problems at all. None. Stable air. Add a few cars or trucks, different story.

 

Rhubarb -

I bought the same windshield but I'm shorter then you.
Haven't gone riding really since I put it on but should be trying it this weekend.

My Yamaha (full) windshield is shorter with a full cross bar.
I should be able to give you a comparison after this weekend.

Right now the windshield on the deluxe (King-size Nostalgic) is just barely below my
field of vision. Thought I might need it cut down after the seat adjustments.