Fairings and sportsters
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#3
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They can be all things to all men! I've ridden behind fairings of many types as well as windshields for almost 50 years. In cold weather a small fairing can freeze those bits of you that stick out and soak the same parts when it rains, both of which can be darned unpleasant. In my youth, when I rode year round regardless of the weather, I actually took fairings etc off, to reduce the misery during winter months! I've also discovered that many of the promises that a bra cup sized fairing/windshield can leave you in a sublime pocket of calm and still air are utter nonsense! They can increase discomfort, not reduce it.
All three of my bikes have a fairing or windshield. My SuperLow has a H-D qd tall windshield, which is great. It's comfortable and works fine up to around 90mph, which is as fast as I've taken it. My Glide originally had a Road King style windshield, which introduced handling problems especially in cross-winds, so that now has a batwing, plus my own uniquely profiled shield.
My Buell Firebolt has a tall aftermarket windshield, plus extension. The original shield directed the wind straight onto my chest, unless I adopted a racing stance. I'm too old to copy Rossi! The taller shield directed the wind straight onto my throat and on longer rides nothing would reduce the discomfort that can cause, hence the extension. All three bikes get used on long trips.
If you ride year round and in widely varied weather, then larger protection is desirable, but if you're somewhere that is routinely hot something smaller may well be fine, indeed a large shield could create discomfort in the heat.
All three of my bikes have a fairing or windshield. My SuperLow has a H-D qd tall windshield, which is great. It's comfortable and works fine up to around 90mph, which is as fast as I've taken it. My Glide originally had a Road King style windshield, which introduced handling problems especially in cross-winds, so that now has a batwing, plus my own uniquely profiled shield.
My Buell Firebolt has a tall aftermarket windshield, plus extension. The original shield directed the wind straight onto my chest, unless I adopted a racing stance. I'm too old to copy Rossi! The taller shield directed the wind straight onto my throat and on longer rides nothing would reduce the discomfort that can cause, hence the extension. All three bikes get used on long trips.
If you ride year round and in widely varied weather, then larger protection is desirable, but if you're somewhere that is routinely hot something smaller may well be fine, indeed a large shield could create discomfort in the heat.
Last edited by grbrown; 03-07-2018 at 05:26 AM.
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Pete Robertson (05-08-2019)
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