anybody have any suggestions for windshield buffeting. Don't want to buy an OEM if the size is the same as the aftermarket one I now have. Honda in Austin is not much help. Mine measures 15" from chrome to top of glass. HELP, IT'S BEATING MY BRAINS OUT!!!!!
OK, First things first, what causes buffeting? WHAT’S BUFFETING AND WHAT CAUSES IT?
There’s actually two wind forces that normally act upon the rider. The first is wind pressure when on an unfaired bike. It’s non-linear in that the pressure the rider experiences goes up in square to the speed of the wind. So what you feel at 30 mph versus 60 mph isn’t twice as much force but four times the pressure! The good news is being out in an uninterrupted air stream, the pressure we feel is fairly smooth and steady. At least if the wind direction and speed are constant.
So, we rapidly come to appreciate that hanging on at highway speeds is roughly four times as hard as around town. On a cruiser styled bike where the rider is sitting fairly straight up in the saddle with their arms bent from the pull-back style handlebars, the most popular and easiest fix is to mount a windshield. It also has the added benefit of keeping some of the bugs and other road grunge off of us.
The problem is we have now disrupted the smooth flow of air in front of the rider. Because of the upright mounting and lack of trailing edge of a cruiser style windshield, they tend to be the worst in this regard . As the air is pushed out of the way by the front of the windshield, it comes around the edges and tries to recombine but it can’t do this smoothly. Instead we have created turbulence. Turbulence can best be thought of as rough, unsettled air. It’s speed and direction are unpredictable and varying.
And it’s the turbulence that causes the buffeting against whatever it hits. In this case, it’s the rider’s helmet. After the onset, it generally doesn’t get a whole lot worse. It has only been recently that we have been able to begin to model turbulence. And this only after the advent of modern supercomputers and non-linear, chaotic number set theory. Where previously it was thought that turbulence came about in a slow, predictable manner, it has since been found that its onset is quite abrupt. In other words, at 60 mph you may notice nothing and then at 65 mph it is there and quite obvious (and annoying!).
The best aerodynamic shape is a falling raindrop. This is where we have a heavier fluid falling through another fluid-like medium, air. As such, natural resistance dictates its rounded at the front, pointed at the rear shape. This causes the least disruption to the airflow around the object and this minimizes turbulence. It also minimizes aerodynamic drag which may help explain why today’s modern cars are all starting to look like giant jelly beans!
So, a modern sport bike looks much more aerodynamic than our Valkyries. For that matter, so does a Gold Wing or ST1100. But being cruiser guys and gals means we need to maintain that retro-styling up front and this means the old “tombstone” shaped windshield. These weren’t so bad when the average highway speed was less than 60 mph but they don’t work so well on modern 75+ mph expressways.
MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
One of the reasons I traded in a perfectly good ‘93 Gold Wing on a ’98 standard Valkyrie was the greater potential it had for customizing it to my tastes. This included both functional and styling areas. I also always liked the idea of having a convertible bike where I could strip the windshield and bags off it for around town cruising and then put it back to touring mode. More on this subject later.
In any event, having owned the Wing for 5 years and 50,000 miles, I became more than just a little accustomed to its fantastic air management and engine heat control. True it could get a little hot riding behind its huge fairing on a warm summer’s day. Here, a set of air wings and some clothing and helmet adjustments took care of most the problem. Helmet buffeting? What’s that?
So, I dropped off the Wing and picked up the Valkyrie. Wow, what an open, airy feeling! Hitting the freeway on the way home immediately brought about the first revelation; I need a windshield! Between the pull-back handlebars, bolt upright seating position and no fairing, I found I was using new sets of muscles just to fight the wind blast over 60 mph. I didn’t care for the looks OR the price of the Hondaline windshield so I went for a 19” Memphis Shades Fats. At less than half the price of the Honda model, it was still an attractive and well engineered piece.
True to form, it got rid of the wind pressure on my head and chest. I also experienced the worst helmet buffeting ever in over 30 years of riding! Instead of having to hang on for dear life due to the wind blast, I could now use my free hand to stabilize my helmet before it tried to beat me to death! The usual trick of ducking down behind the windshield by slouching in the seat also didn’t help much. Using an old trick of deflecting various air currents with my free hand, I found the worst buffeting was caused by the air coming from under the windshield and up around the gas tank.
Discussing the problem with local friends and other Valk owners on the Internet lists confirmed my own findings. Some folks noticed it more, others less. All the popular available windshields were also represented. Most agreed the large Hondaline windshield was better about the helmet buffeting but still far from immune.
Three suggestions were offered at that time. They included the Baker Air Wings that mount on the side of the bike, lower air deflectors that mount under the windshield in front of the fork legs, and a Gold Wing SE style windshield vent. It is usually mounted in the lower portion of the windshield, just above the headlight. Here started my quest for a smooth ride where my head didn’t look like one of those little dogs in the back window of an old DeSoto, bouncing uncontrollably down the road!
The first thing I tried was the Baker double air wings. This was because they
were available at a regional rally and I was getting ready for my first long trip on the Valk. There was a slight improvement at some settings and they raised my personal tolerance limit from 60 to 65 mph. What they did provide was the best engine heater I’ve ever had on a bike. With both pairs turned all the way in at the front, you get a nice leg heater on cool days!
Later, while in Daytona at Bike Week, I picked up one of the first sets of Memphis Shades matching lowers. Due to other fooling around with the front of the bike, I didn’t put them on for some time. Instead, I took a detour with a National Cycle Flyscreen. My thinking here was it would relieve some of the wind pressure without all the buffeting. Boy was I wrong! Mounted in the stock, upright position the helmet buffeting was even worse than with the windshield. I then noticed the TBR (Two Brothers Racing) web page Valkyrie had the same Flyscreen only it was tipped back. I called TBR and they put me in touch with the owner, Craig Erion. He told that tipping the Flyscreen back over the instruments would cure most of the helmet buffeting but I would have to lower or lose the stock turn signals.
Then he asked me what I thought about the Valk’s high speed handling. Spooky was my reply. So it turned into a $700 tech assistance call as I bought a TBR triple clamp and some Yamaha handlebars but that’s a whole other story.
Armed with the new triple clamp and the flatter bend Yamaha Double T handlebars, I changed out everything and mounted the stock turn signals lower. I then mounted the Flyscreen as low and tipped back as I could get it. This made a huge difference. With a full-face helmet, buffeting was minimal and the flatter bars bent me far enough forward that I could run a 100 miles at stretch at higher highway speeds before too much arm pump would set in. So, it was still a fair weather, short ride solution. Looks cool though.
Next, I ordered up a National Cycle lightbar and installed it with the 19” Memphis Fats. It made for a nice looking package but the old buffeting was back. Ah hah, I’ve got some lowers to put on! Guess what? Yep, the lowers couldn’t be mounted very high with the National lightbar smack dab in the way. So I took a separate set of Memphis fork leg clamps and positioned the lower’s arms down low and put them on. I had also removed the Baker air wings. The good news was a lot of the helmet buffeting was gone. The bad news was I now had a blast furnace from the radiator hitting me in the chest and face. I tried it for two days and couldn’t take the heat so to speak. Nice ride as long as it didn’t get above 60F degrees.
I tried putting the air wings back on, but the lowers were now in the direct path of their air flow, rendering them all but useless. I then took the lowers off and left the air wings on and it was back to the helmet buffeting but at least I could breathe again. I then installed a custom Hartco seat which sat me up higher on the bike and I was now getting some buffeting at the top of my helmet as well.
Time to throw some more money at the problem.
I ordered up a Rivco lightbar as it looked like it would clear most everything. I also ordered up another Memphis Fats, a 21” this time and went with the quick disconnect feature. The 19” Fats and National lightbar went on Frank’s Valk. Frank gets a lot of my hand-me-down parts including whole motorcycles. He likes my sense of experimental adventure and LOVES the discounted prices!
So, off with the old, on with the new. The new windshield went on OK but I must say now that I prefer the older style mounts. It was only 4 screws to take off anyway and it was easier to initially line up everything over the newer, quick disconnect mounts. The Rivco lightbar (some assembly required!) went on without any trouble and cleared the windshield nicely. I still couldn’t get the lowers to attach to the lower windshield clamps and clear the lightbar. I again used the separate fork clamps and had to cant them in a bit. I could have cut the lowers some but didn’t want to yet. Installed like this, there was only a small gap between the top of the lowers and the bottom of the windshield. I left the air wings in place as they were now out in their own air flow.
By jove, I think he’s got it!
It all works so well together I haven’t changed it since. I still don’t care much for all the plastic up front and find the Baker air wings the worst offenders in this regard, but boy is it all ever functional. This setup has been tested in every kind of weather from 80+ mph hurricanes to 100F+ degree days. The only time it gets a little bad is stuck in traffic on a hot day and the radiator fan comes on. Here, turning the air wings out in front seems to help deflect some of the worst heat blast until you can get moving again.
Frank, who is a little shorter than me at 6’3” and running a shorter sitting Corbin finds the 19” Memphis Fats and National lightbar work well for him. He usually rides with a premium full-face helmet which no doubt helps.
So like everything else on the Valkyrie, there is no single answer. Your size and intended use will be two of the main factors that influence the solution. For a standard/tourer, it’s hard to beat the Hondaline windshield, especially in concert with some lowers and the Baker Air Wings. I find the large Memphis Shades Fats works well now that I’ve got everything working in concert. National Cycle makes a fully integrated package including windshield, lightbar and lowers. Rifle also has a windshield and lowers package.
Most of the Interstate folks I’ve talked to like the Honda lowers and oversized Tulsa windscreen. The lower factory “pods” seem to act like the Baker Air Wings to help with heat control. Also, helmet styles and clothing choices will have some relevance as well. A good full-face helmet isn’t as affected as the open kind. I find my half-helmets are the most susceptible to the effects of turbulence. Loose, billowy clothing also gets blown around easier then snugger fitting garments. I’ve got one loose fitting rain jacket that can beat you to death on a long trip!
I haven’t tried the SE style vent nor tipping a full-sized windshield back yet but have heard good results from posters to the VRCC boards. Tipping the Flyscreen back really made a substantial difference in reducing the buffeting while still relieving some wind pressure from my chest. I’ll probably try the vent and tipping the big windshield back later as time dictates. Oh, and that convertible business? Maybe it’s another sign of getting old, fat and lazy, but I love the convenient, lockable storage of my hard bags and the all-weather protection of my plastic-fantastic front end. Besides, unlike my Gold Wing, I “could” take it all back off again… if I really wanted to!
Don Kuhlman
Now the fix....
Summary: is buffeting. Pretty much the same thing as having a few rocks in the middle of the stream. Right behind the rocks is a lot of turbulence in the water. You simply need to redirect the flow of air.
Here is an old fix from Chet that works quiet well with the Standards and Tourers. You need a flat bar and some heavy towels. If you look at the windshield you will see where it is fastened on at the bottom by a chrome bar. The towel is to make sure that you don’t scratch the forks with the flat bar. Place your towel in between the fork and the chrome bar (no worry the bar is very strong) and press the bar forward, which drops the top of the windshield. Pay particular attention as a little bit goes a long ways and you don’t want the windshield resting on the gauges. This will drop the windshield by an inch or two and will allow the air to flow over the top of your helmet, the same as if you cut the shield. The nice thing is that if you don’t like it bend the chrome bars back, no harm.