Hi Guys -

I am looking for input for riding in the rain on my Ultra. I have been trying to figure our how to keep the rain from coming up from the space between the tank and fairing. There seems to be a lot of airflow and that is always the area I get all my buffeting. If I could eliminate the rain coming up in that area it would make the nasty experience of riding in heavy rain a little more pleasant.

Your comments are appreciated.

Mark

 

Lots of threads floating around about fork fangs. Mostly used to stop wind buffeting but they block rain too. Between the fairing, lowers and fangs my jeans barely get wet in the rain anymore.

 

I stretch a bungee across the mirror stalks and hang a rag or t shirt on it.

low tech, works great


what you are up against is that the area behind the windscreen/fairing is a low pressure zone.
uncontrolled air will rush in to equalize pressure from the sides, top, bottom.

If you can decrease the differential- a lower windscreen can be better than a higher one.

I also use the fairing mounting adjustable deflectors to channel air INTO the cockpit.
this gives me some control over which air is filling the cockpit, where it comes from, where it goes.


mike

 

I have tried the lowers and a Cowbell to not improvement.... OK, what are the fork fangs you mentioned?

 

With the lowers and a set of frogg toggs, I have managed hours of rain and been completely dry when it stopped.

 

Lowers in conjunction with fangs will help a lot. Don't have a cowbell but am not surprised it didn't help. Fangs aka deflectors run parallel to each front fork. Google and or use search function here. Thousands of posts about them...mostly positive.

 

i have a pair of these....http://jescustomaccents.com/category.sc?categoryId=34 and the air deflector between the forks....along with my lowers. i end up riding in the rain quite a bit as i commute to work on the bike. best investment is a good set of rain gear. i have two...one Harley rain gear and liners from my olympia textile jacket and pants. they have kept me dry to the point i've never needed to open up my harley suit.

 

I have the black ones. Work awesome.

 

OK... I think I have a terminology issue, but I want to clarify.

Fairing is the fairing.... That is the easy one.

I have been calling the wind deflectors "Lowers", I am old and that was what we always called them. I think that this is what you are referring to as fangs, correct?

The "lowers" you speak of are the adjustable flaps at the bottom of the fairing, correct?

Now that I have it straight, pending corrections, I have the fairing, lowers, and have tried the wind deflectors or fangs, and still got the wind up in my face with the rain. Now I do have to admit, I was running a cowbell. Do I need to try it again with out the cowbell and just the fangs?

Sorry for the thick head....

 

Lowers are those big buckets that fit inside the engine guard basically filling up that entire open space. They do have a vent that can be opened or closed. The adjustable flap you are referring to are called 'fairing lowers' or 'fairing vents' and not all fairings are equipped with them. They don't do much but ventilate your arm pits. Lowers and fairing lowers are two separate pieces of equipment.

I am very surprised if you used fangs (fork deflectors) and they didn't alleviate most of the wind buffeting. That's what they are designed to do and they work quite well. Most complaints about them are people think they're ugly. If you have a full fairing, fangs and the full lowers (buckets) you should experience very little road spray. Obviously you will still be getting wet because it's raining so a rain suit is the final piece of the puzzle.