I went out for a ride this morning and all was going well until I headed East on the 101 here in Phoenix heading toward Scottsdale. Just as I got onto the freeway and accelerating to about 65 to 70 MPH when wham, a fair sized bird comes out of nowhere and smacks right into my windshield. It hit right near where one of the vertical braces and the horizontal braces meet on my RK. The bird didn't fair to well as I saw him in my mirror hit the road behind me after going about 20' into the air. All I could think about was what would have happened if I didn't have my windshield on doing close to 70 MPH when this happened. The windshield wasn't hurt at all and looked good once I cleaned the bird stuff off of it. I've been hit by some fairly big bugs before but never a bird. I will never ride without my windshield on that's for sure.

 

Long rides I put on the shield. But in the area I am all in the wind

 

I'm a windshield man. Will ride around town after I clean the bike, but have gotton so used to it feel lost without it.

 

I was hit on the shoulder/chest by a bird at about 75 mph on a sport bike. It gets your attention, that's for sure!

 

Yep, had bird bounce off mine this summer too. It took off from the pavement a little late and couldn't quite clear the right corner of the sheild. Makes a odd sound, doesn't it?! Shield and bird were both ok as I was not going so fast.

I got the detachable, but so far have not detached it. I guess I am just used to having the sheild now.

 

I normally ride without one, but yesterday I put it back on for a ride. 160 miles later, I wonder what I was thinking

 

Yeah, I've also got the quick detachable but I only take it off to detail the bike. I can't remember when the last time was I rode without a windshield; probably in the 60's and 70's when I played in the dirt.

 

Yeah, when I bought my FLHS is was thinking about removing the windshield, even though it really looks ugly when ya do that on this model. But after a couple of months, I wondered how the f*#k I ever rode without one. Oh....Right, I was twenty years younger.

Add me to the list of 'bird killers'. Got another last week. Big 'ol black starling. Bastard crapped all over the windshield when he hit it!

 

I saw a sport bike guy last fall after he had hit a bird at what he said was "between 70-80 mph". He and his bud were at a gas station and fiddling with his helmet. I noticed the little eye shield was missing off of his full face and one of his eyes was swollen shut. It looked like he had taken a shot to the eye in a fight. He was lucky he didn't dump it and slide down the road in his shorts and t-shirt.

Birds...

Edmo

 

no birds hit with mine yet, but i have run into some real "juicy" bugs! the kind that after they splat all over the front of your shield...your all like, eeeeeewwwww and stuff!
windshield all the time for me....im like some of the others....i feel naked without it!