I am having major issues with wind buffeting on my 2012 SG. It is to the point where my head rattles and the shaking impairs my vision. I was able to fix the low speed buffeting with a KW 6.5 windshield but once I hit 70 - 75 MPH the buffeting gets bad. My question is will the following options help:

1. Front Fork Air Baffle
2. Adjustable Air Deflector

I'm not looking to kill all air flow and be in bubble nirvana (I have a truck for that), I just want to take care of the safety issue. I wear a full face helmet, and I am not willing to compromise on that either (Seen too many instances where a full face would have helped major disfigurment).

 

I put the fork baffle on my bike. The fork baffle helps with air coming from under the fairing and in front of the tank. In my experience that wind doesn't contribute much to the severe buffeting you describe. They're only like 20 bucks shipped through eBay though. You could give it a try.

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_...&_sop=15&_sc=1

..

 

I have found that the fork baffle helps very little. The biggest improvement was adding the air deflectors to the forks.

 

...+1

 

I have both on my Road King and love it. No buffeting at any speed except from a strong crosswind once in awhile.

Ed

 

well I've went from a klockwerks 6.5 to an LRS 8in. plus the fork baffle, I prefer to ride my street bob with no windshield,wanna buy a sg?

 

My experience is, you need to move the 'dirty' air that's coming off the windshield, either upward so it goes over the top of your helmet, or downward, so it hits below your chin. By 'dirty' air, I mean the roiling, buffeting air that is coming from the passage of the windshield through the air. You can move your hand up and down, as you ride, and feel where the 'smooth' air-flow ends, and the 'dirty' air begins. Chances are, that 'dirty' air is hitting your helmet above eye-level, nearer the top than the bottom of the helmet. The faster you go, the broader the zone of dirty air, so by the time you hit 70, it's very strong and you feel it in a pronounced manner. (It's still there at 60, just not strong enough it's objectionable to you).

The former (moving the dirty air up) will make the 'bubble' you speak of. Your helmet will run through 'clean', relatively quiet air. The latter (moving the dirty air down) will be as if you are riding without a windshield, as far as your head/helmet are concerned (though the fairing/windshield will still deflect air from your body). With the second method you'll get a lot more wind noise than you would if you were to deflect the air above your helmet, but it will be 'smooth' air, and won't buffet.

To achieve the former state, you can use a taller windshield. To achieve the latter, you can use a shorter windshield. I know Klockwerks makes an 8.5". They also make a 3.5". (You can move your hand up and down, in the method described here, to kind of guesstimate whether either of these heights will be sufficient for your need).

To estimate how much higher or lower you need to make the windshield, use your hand as you ride, and move it up, and down from about the middle of your chest to up over your head. Note as you move it where the air feels 'smooth', and where it buffets. You want to move that buffet (the 'dirty' air) either above the top or your helmet, or right at or below your chin.

As for the 'dirty' air, as you move your hand up from your chest you'll feel 'no air flow' (well, there will be some, but the majority will be blocked by the shield), an area where the air buffets (gets 'dirty'), and above that, smooth air that is unaffected by the windshield. Three zones. It's the middle zone--where the air's dirty--that's likely causing your issue.

If you don't mind the look, get the tallest windshield you can find, and that should solve your buffeting issues. (How tall are you, anyway? Obviously your height will affect where the 'dirty' air hits your head for a given height of windshield).

The problem is, most of us prefer the long/low windshield look, and don't want a 12" windscreen.

I have a Memphis Shades fairing with a 6.5" Klockwerks windshield. I adjust the fairing to its lowest setting, then lowered it another 3/4" inch, and angled it back toward me. The net effect was, I moved the 'dirty' air down around my chin. I can go literally any speed, and the buffet is sometimes felt, but only vaguely.

Your helmet (shape) can also contribute to the bobble-doll syndrome you describe, too. Some helmets are more aerodynamic than others.

Short of putting a really tall windshield on your bike, you're going to have to futz around some to sort this out. There's a certain amount no one can tell you, and you'll just have to figure out through trial-and-error. There are many person/windshield combinations and no one solution of windshield height will work for all.

There are probably other ways to approach this, too, with deflectors (on the forks, added on the the windshield, etc.) But I've found, for violent buffeting such as you describe (that blurs the vision), it's not wind coming up from below. The main culprit is the height of the windshield versus the height of the rider, and more specifically, where that 'dirty' air is hitting your head. You have to move the 'dirty' air so it won't hit your helmet...

Alan

 

1. The full face, due to its size, is going to rattle more than a smaller helmet. I ride with a FF 90% of the time, it is a fact.

2. The stock SG windshield is all about "looking good in the shower". Appearance only.

3. The KW 6 1/2" is better than the stock, and if you sit low enough to get under the air flow it will be smooth even with a FF. I have not tried the 8" KW.

4. I run a 6 1/2" KW or a stock ws on my Limited and wear a ff helmet. I am 5' 10" and have the stock seat. The stock windshield has far less turbulance. Ear plugs help a lot in that you buffer most of the wind noise and the perceived turbulance seems much less.

jmho

Bwana

 

I have nothing on my RK and it's perfect. I've ridden may loooong trips through rain, hailstorms, bugs, whatever and it's easy peasy on my RK. I have ~350 miles on my new SG, and I gotta tell ya it's a completely different animal. I am now experiencing what everone has talked about, including the rattling eyes at higher speeds. I keep getting bugs dead smack in the middle of my forehead, and I'm a short guy! Never had this on my RK, ever. I just ordered a LRS Ultra windshield to get more air up and over, but I think as much as I don't want to do it, I may have to give the fork deflectors a shot to help mitigate that pesky/annoying air that comes up from under the tank. I didn't belive it, but the more I ride it, the more I can detect it. I suspect the difference is the windshield on the RK goes lower on the bike, and perhaps the shorter shocks changes the angle and the air path. Oddly though, side by side the SG sits higher in the back, go figure.

My .02

 

Post 7 by Alanstansberry is right on.

I had a 1999 Dyna Convertible with a taller shield and the bottom of it followed the contour of the gas tank. This bike had zero wind behind the shield. If I smoked I could have easily on that bike.

Went to a 2002 Wideglide with HD detachable. Buffeting was horrible. I bought a Memphis Shades and experimented with shield heights by cutting the shield down little by little. End result was air coming up from below the shield always caused buffeting. Only cure was I removed the shield altogether and ate bugs for 8 years.

On my Ultra I've used the stock 12", LRS 8", Freedom Shield 9" and LRS flattop 10". Only one with zero buffeting was the stock 12".

Without the helmet, buffeting was reduced or even eliminated with all but the 8" one.