Just comes down to what you like....myself the Road King and I have riden both but just ain't a fairing type....

 

Thanks for the feedback - Did this screen completely cure the buffeting for you?

 

I don't live in a cold climate, so wind chill is not a problem and as I said before am not interested at all in the stereo. I have to admit though, I agree that the OEM fairing with the gauges looks much better than the aftermarket fairings without the gauges.

 

Thanks for the feedback.... you make some very good points.

It is interesting that you say you got more wind "turbulence" with your SG than you do with your RKC. For me the whole point of a fairing is in theory to reduce wind turbulence and create better air flow, if the fairing doesn't do that then for me it's a negative.

 

Only because I rode Goldwing for 32 years I would guess the Road Glides are more aerodynamic. If aerodynamics is more important than looks then that’s what you should buy. Of course there are those that actually like the looks of the Road Glide.

 

I've tried pretty much everything on the market to stop the buffeting. I had to make my own windscreens mounted to the top of the crash bar. The air comes from just above and below the bar, nothing you can add to the fairing will stop it, fork deflectors don't work either. All that stuff helps but will not stop it. Here are some picture of what I made. Not the best looking things on the bike, but hardly noticeable and they stop the buffeting.

 

70 mph Airflow has to go somewhere after it is deflected by the fairing or windshield. The air is high pressure air while the quiet air directly behind the fairing is low pressure aire. High pressure air is looking for low pressure air to equalize the air all around. The air a rider feels behind the fairing or windshield is that high pressure air merging with low pressure air.

The high pressure air hitting the rider is about the same with the windshield or fairing, but because the fairing is a bigger obstacle, the high pressure air has a farther distance to merge with the low pressure air behind the fairing, which creates a lot more turbulence or chatter against the rider. The 70mph high pressure air going around the RK windshield has less distance to merge with the low pressure air behind the windshield because it is smaller and a little more aerodynamic. That generates less turbulent air on the rider. The rider might feel the same speed or pressure of air from both bikes, but since the RK air is less turbulent and less chatter, it doesn’t feel nearly bad against our bodies and face or helmet and also doesn't sound as loud.

Riders try to fix these problems by adding things like fairing deflectors or fork deflectors. All those things do is disrupt the70mph high pressure air earlier to force it to merge with lower pressure air somewhere farther ahead of the rider which makes the airs around the rider a little quieter becaue the air is more equalized. The deflectors mounted on each side of the forks works really good because it creates turbulent air well ahead of the fairing and rider, which draws quieter low pressure air farther forward closer to the motor instead by the rider. Not a bad solution other than the deflectors is not nature to the traditional looks of a Harley or even a motorcycle.

A taller windshield helps in some ways because it forces the merging of high and low pressure air farther back behind the rider. Its funny how we don’t talk much about the passenger’s comfort. Problem with windshields is if they get too tall, they disrupt the visablity. I have seen some rediculusly tall windshields on Goldwings.

Once I got use to the full brunt of high pressure air on my face and body while riding my RK without a windshield, I found it to very comfortable because the was the cleanest air. But, you still have to resist a 70mph force trying to rip you off your seat and that can wear you down a lot faster than quieter air of a windshield or fairing. Which takes us back to this discussion of the fairing and windshield.

So we come back to style over performance, or a compromise between the two. Personally I like the style of my SG more than I like the style of my RKC. But I like the comfort at 70mph of the RK over the SG fairing. The only reason I ride a Harley is for its traditional American style, so it is style over comfort for me. And I’m OK with that.

Beary

 

I've only had 2 Harley's with windshields: a Wide Glide with a short, detachable, and an Ultra Classic with a shorter LRS shield. Personally, I feel the Ultra Classic gives me much better wind protection. I don't have the lowers, mainly because I don't like them, and my windshield comes to about my chin, but I get no buffeting, no wind in my eyes, nothing. No wind comes up from below and I like the feeling of wind protection the fairing provides. As others have said, it's personal preference.

 

Okay, short and sweet.

I have a stock RK windshield and a detachable fairing made from OEM HD parts with the same height windshield as the RK windshield.

To answer your question with my experience: "which gives a smoother flow of air at highway speeds??" my answer is the stock RK windshield.

Less head buffeting, period. Yes the fairing does block wind on the hands better, but the wind also hits me more in the chest causing the head buffeting.

Just my experience.

 

Not to hijack but the MS Batwing uses the oem brackets etc?