I'm stepping up to a new touring bike soon, and I can't decide between the Roadking and the Streetglide....I need some advice/experience with the windshield VS Batwing fairing decision.....

If talking purely about the flow of air to the riders helmet.... which gives a smoother flow of air at highway speeds?? I have test ridden the FLHX and hated the "buffeting / turbulence" even though the bike had a taller screen and lower fairing wings. What do you have to do to get a nice calm pocket of air behind these fairings?? I have not tested the RK windshield.

I have no need at all for a radio or any other additional benefit a fairing may add - I like to keep things simple, and the only music I need is the sound of that rumbling VTwin comin' outta my exhaust.

Thanks for any advice for those that have owned / ridden both.

 

I am very satisfy with my FLHTK, but it all depends on each personal taste. I guess you just come to a dealer, and do the test ride all the touring bikes, to see which one is for you.
I don't know where you live, but my HD dealer will let me test ride most of the bike available at their place.
Good luck

 

I would highly suggest renting -- Even for an hour each.

Personally? Fairing. No contest. Far more protection for the long haul. The stereo is a bonus (which was quickly addictive, although I shut it off frequently).

But there is certainly the raw character of the Road King that no fairing can match. And being able to remove the shield here and there is a bonus.

Not that I have any regrets at all about the Uber Glide... But I do miss the Road King... It wasn't just a name - It was a description.

Don't let that little plastic strip on the FLHX (had one of those also...) ruin your day though. Even on the FLHX, a 9 or 10" recurve shield is a completely different world.

 

Sir, you just opened one of the biggest can of worms with the question you posed. Something I have struggled with since buying bikes with more upright seating. With sportbikes wind turbulence is a non issue, you really don't experience it hunkered down behind a small shield. But neither are they designed for cruising the slab and in order to do that you need a bike with better seating urgos. I first encountered the windshield/windblast dilema when I decided to get into sport touring, that means a more upright positioned bike. I bought a Ducati Multistrada and discovered soon enough the problems with wind turbulence and comfort. There were website threads dedicated to this subject and they went on and on, it played heavy on many riders thoughts, including myself. What I concluded there were several factors that played into what was behind wind turbulence and the many attempts at resolving the problem. There were many riders highly frustrated by this and as I did went through a number of different windshields trying to find the answer. Again, there are other contributing factors. One is the rider's body build, his height and inseem measurement, basically the way he sits on the saddle. The other is the quality of the helmet, is it light, is it aerodynamic? The third it the type of windsheild on the bike. There may be a couple more, but the above seem to be what people spoke of mostly. What was frustrating when someone found a windshield and it was deemed a solution, that didn't mean it would work for you, based on the other elements. In short, there is no sure fire answer, its trial and error, similar to saddles.

One of the reasons I sold the Multistrada was the failure to resolve the windblast/turbulence problem. I didn't like getting battered while on a long ride and feeling like I went a round with Sugar Ray when I got home. I did find a windshield that almost did the trick, it had a built in adjustable foil attached to the upper part of the windshield. You could adjust it based on your factors and likes. I in fact worked a group buy deal with a distributor and there were success stories, but there were others that it didn't work for. My next bike I went with the 1125CR Buell, I added the factory riser handlebar option because it created a more upright seating position. I was looking at it as a blend between a sport bike and one you could go the distance on. The bike did not have a windshield, only a small little screen called a fly screen. This is where I learned there are some advantages to riding an upright bike without a windshield, depending on certain "things".
The most important comfort element is still air, the other is light traffic on the freeway. If you had those two elements in place the level of ride was outstanding, enjoyable. I could even tolerate some wind and traffic as long in both cases I didn't go too fast. I would say 65mph was when it got uncomfortable with wind pushback. This causes you to hold on to the bars tighter and tighter, creating fatigue in your hands and arms. To hit the sweet spot with the bike you must be wearing a good helmet, not some heavy cheapo. I have six full face helmets, mainly Suomy from my Ducati days. I like them, high quality and graphics, but at the time not the most aerodynamic out there. Once I started to experience wind turbulence and hearing about the influence of the helmet, the conclusion was find one that is light weight and designed in a wind tunnel. In other words, aerodynamically designed and that was indicated by a spoiler built up on the back of the helmet. Nowadays you see more and more helmets with the distinctive spoiler design, they do work and some work better than others. My last helmet purchase was a Vemar, but it was a cheaper version without a pronounced spoiler, but even though it wasn't considered a light weight it did a decent job keeping my head from becoming a "bobble head". I could only imagine what a more expensive model could do, or another brand like Arai or Shoei or even the updated Suomy, Shark, Nolan or upper end Vemars. This all pertains to sport bikes and racing helmets and my question is what I'm I going to do now that I have a Road King?

In comes the Road King and with it wind turbulence. The bike came with a short windshield and the first day I went out with it I knew I had to get rid of it. I'm CHP motor school trained and years ago the instructors told us the proper height of the windshield is just below eye level, you can see over the top of the shield. The theory is the wind smacks the windshield and travels up and over and then makes contact with the upper portion of your helmet and dissapates. This issue wasn't a big deal when I rode motors on the PD because I was city police, most of my time was spent at lower speeds patrolling and only when I went on a hot call or had to reach overtaking speeds would turbulence come into play. However, if I were a CHP motor officer I would venture to say it would be a major concern because it is so distracting and energy sapping. Besides, it screws up your vision as well with your head bouncing around, you need to have all your faculties tip top while riding a motorcycle.

Back to windshield height we see not only the look over the windshield option but I hear of riders choosing to have a taller shield and they look through it. There may be something to the fact this creates a quiet zone behind the shield and its worth putting up with looking through distortion or a bug splattered shield. I don't like the fact this may be a vision obscurement, but I have lowered myself in the saddle to simulate having a tall windshield and there is a quiet zone. I've wondered how I could create that with the tools I have and haven't found a resolution.

The helmet issue might be a sticking point because if you choose to ride with less than a full face, I haven't seen alternative helmets with the distinctive spoiler on the back. However, notwithstanding safety, the half and three quarter helmets are lighter by nature, so that can make up for the negative heavy weight issue. They are also less volume by size, so thats another plus factor. I rode the first two months with full face helmets, the Vemar mainly and recently bought a three quarter Harley helmet. There are some good things about it but I still get the annoying wind buffeting with it. Especially on a 2 hour ride the other day with moderate side winds. I can say it sucked, I got battered back and forth, caused by the wind and heavy freeway traffic. I should have worn the Vemar. On this ride I had the windshield on, so I decided the next day to wear the 3/4 helmet again but take the windshield off.

You mentioned no help with the wind deflectors. As anything else, some riders find relief with them and in particular to deflect the wind coming in under the windshield and over the tank, it then shoots straight up into your face. Its getting to the point I might install that Kurayakyn part that mounts under the triple tree and try that. Today I took the bike out without the windshield wearing the 3/4 Harley helmet. The conditions were ideal so it was no surprise I was very pleased with the ride. There was no wind and I took an alternate road with freeway speeds and little traffic. This is the kind of experience I would like to replicate, but with a windshield on. I like the fact it stops cold air and the bugs. However, once you put that shield up in front of you it contributes to wind turbulence. At this point I'll take the same route when the conditions are identical with the windshield on. If I get the same result (doubt it) I'll know whether to remove the shield or leave it on depending on the conditions. At this time I prefer riding without the windshield, as with the Buell the ride is smooth up to around 65mph, in fact smoother than a windshield equipted ride. Doesn't make sense but this is where I'm at in this never ending drama. The irony is the windshield is supposed to help, but its understandable since a windshield is like a windblock, nothing aerodynamic about that. I'm still researching for the ideal helmet and if I find one that will eliminate one element in the problem. I think that will be a big step.

If you find a combination that works for you, please let us know. Good luck. I know you are considering the bat wing model as well. I don't know anything about them in terms of wind, just what I have heard. Just looking at the Road Glide with its very protective looking front end, you would think it would be the ticket. Just mount the correct height windshield, done deal. Personally I would like to have Road Glide owners chime in on this, maybe one of them is in my future buying plans. The Street Glides are not not immune to wind issues and in fact a couple guys said in the wind the bat wing contributes to the bike getting blown around. With the bat wing or road glide its a done deal in another way, I don't see flexibility with it because I doubt you can quick release them like a windshield. Beyond the advantage sometimes (smooth air) of not having a windshield at as I have experienced, one thing you will miss is the thrill of having the wind in your face and a unobstructed view of the world in front of you. If I can resolve the wind buffeting on the RK I'd likely not consider buying a Road or Street Glide, I like the shieldless front that much. But I don't like it that way 100% of the time.

 

JS999R..... Have you tried the chrome fork mounted wind deflectors with your set up? I have heard they work great to eliminate the bufffeting you get with the RK's OEM windshield. I personally have not ridden a bike equipped with them so I can't comment on their effectiveness.

 

I did ride a FLHX with a 10" recurve screen and lower fairing "wings" and although it was much better than stock, it did not completely eliminate the buffeting.

 

LRS 10" X-Stream 3.0

 

Fairing is the best particularly in the cold when the fairing protects your hands from getting the direct high speed wind chill. Also, you have the stereo and better heads up gauges than the RK. I have had both and it would be hard to go back.

 

"I have no need at all for a radio or any other additional benefit a fairing may add - I like to keep things simple, and the only music I need is the sound of that rumbling VTwin comin' outta my exhaust".

I have ridden across country 3 times, 2 times on a RKC. The last time on a SG and traded back to a RKC last year after my trip. I listened to the radio 1 time in 3 weeks of riding, don't know why I brought along 20 CD's, didn't listen to any of them.
Riding with or without a fairing is subjective just like the radio, some like it, some don't. I had a taller shield, fairing wings and fork baffle mounted on my SG and I still did not like the wind coming up under my face. The RKC I have now just has the fork baffle and stock shield. I don't get the same wind turbulence on the RK as the SG and it is much smoother cutting through the wind. I also like riding without the shield on hot days and the feeling of nonrestrictive view from the saddle. Also if you put higher bars on a SG this puts your hands out in the wind from behind the fairing just like a RK shield. Put in plain language, it just feels more like a motorcycle.

Ask here on the forum how many miss their RKC?

 

i have the memphis shades batwing on my '09 RK. have the lower triple tree wind deflector and fork mounted wind deflectors...very nice combination. the fairing is quick detach and uses the RK brackets--less than $350 devlivered.