Gustafson 8" shield

[tx blue]

I am looking for some help on weather I will be happy with a 8" shield I am 5'4" and looking for advice on wether that will be high enough for me.
Phil

[dinosnake]

That depends upon what you are looking for. 

The 8" Gustafsson should put the airflow right at the lower area of your helmet.  If you like your head in the wind (as I do), with maybe a tiny amount of wind bleed to the sides of your shoulders, it will be just about perfect I think.  If you want full head coverage, for your height, I would think the 10" would place the airflow in the mid-upper area of the helmet and the 14" pretty much fully over the helmet (rider in dead zone).

[tx blue]

Dinosnake
Do you think these height numbers would change sence I have a Corbin seat.
Phil

[dinosnake]

I would expect they would change a bit, just the height added by the Corbin (about an inch or so, I believe)

[dans2014]

  8 inches is a waste of money.

[dans2014]

  I have the Honda OEM tall windshield. Its a great all around size with the exception of side buffeting at highway speeds with a side wind. There aren't  a lot of choices, The Honda mounting is very sturdy and the clear windshield doesn't ruin the looks. Some of the sculpted shields available look goofy on our style of bikes, such as the Valkyrie.  Just my 2 cents but I have been riding and touring for 45 years on various bikes. 8 inches will be like the F6B stocker and most riders go to the taller shield asap. Hope that helps. If you buy the 8, make sure you can return it if it doesn't work

[dinosnake]

8 inches is a waste of money.

As I said, it depends on what you are looking for.  Strictly speaking from exclusively my own perspective, most riders act as if they'll melt if a spot of wind even touches their preciousness.  I have the 8" and, for everything above say 55 degreesF or so, works great for me, I want some actual wind in my face so as not to blunt the real life experience.

Different strokes for different folks.

At 5'8", the 8" shield's airflow hits me about 1" below the top of the shoulder, about perfect for me (or, at least, acceptable).  I've been thinking of going to the 10", which should push the airflow to the lower edge of my helmet - about what I am classically used to on all my other bikes.  I don't want to be isolated behind a huge, all-blocking shield; if I wanted that, I'd drive a 4-wheel idiot box.

[dans2014]

  Why would anyone want the wind ripping their helmet off at chin level on the entire ride to "feel" the ride?? ha ha . Better buy a Harley and eat the bugs with the wind so you look cool!

[dinosnake]

Why would anyone want the wind ripping their helmet off at chin level on the entire ride to "feel" the ride?? ha ha . Better buy a Harley and eat the bugs with the wind so you look cool!

I do not have, and have never had, any wind buffeting at all.  I know a lot of people talk about it, reviewers mention it, but except for my Mean Streak, in the short 1 week period where I mounted the shield but before I added the lowers, have never been troubled by it.  Understand, I not only exclusively wear full-face helmets but I only buy upper-to-top line helmets (Shoei, HJC AC line and now back to Arai) and you get what you pay for - superior performance (well, for the most part, some Arais can be downright noisy).

The 8" shield is 100% turbulence-free for me.  Just smooth airflow that makes me feel free.

[Kidd]

dinosnake , I am not sure the buffeting will be diminished by any kind of helmet , I do not think buffeting  is helmet type related , in fact all helmets cause it , if you do not wear a helmet there's no buffeting

I may be wrong and if I am , I apologize

[tx blue]

Does anyone no if a Corbin seat sets you higher or lower in the saddle before I make a decision on the height I will need.
Thanks
Phil

[dinosnake]

dinosnake , I am not sure the buffeting will be diminished by any kind of helmet , I do not think buffeting  is helmet type related , in fact all helmets cause it , if you do not wear a helmet there's no buffeting

I may be wrong and if I am , I apologize

Some of it is helmet shape, some helmets buffet more than others due to poor aerodynamics, and quite a bit of it is due to shield shape, not size - "Euro-flip" shields have always given me smooth airflow, which is why I look for them exclusively.

[hubcapsc]

Does anyone no if a Corbin seat sets you higher or lower in the saddle before I make a decision on the height I will need.
Thanks
Phil

The Corbin seat won't lift you up. My OEM shield is tilted and cut by two
inches, I'm 5-11. I have less buffeting on this bike than on my Tourer
with an OEM shield (well - somewhat shorter Clearview shield)...

I think this picture shows how we sit "down in" this bike.



At 5-4, an eight inch shield might very well do it for you.

-Mike

[irhawk]

Why would anyone want the wind ripping their helmet off at chin level on the entire ride to "feel" the ride?? ha ha . Better buy a Harley and eat the bugs with the wind so you look cool!

I do not have, and have never had, any wind buffeting at all.  I know a lot of people talk about it, reviewers mention it, but except for my Mean Streak, in the short 1 week period where I mounted the shield but before I added the lowers, have never been troubled by it.  Understand, I not only exclusively wear full-face helmets but I only buy upper-to-top line helmets (Shoei, HJC AC line and now back to Arai) and you get what you pay for - superior performance (well, for the most part, some Arais can be downright noisy).

The 8" shield is 100% turbulence-free for me.  Just smooth airflow that makes me feel free.

Dinosnake,
When you mention the "lowers", are you referring to the lower set of wind deflectors on the Honda website?  I don't have an issue with buffeting, but I would like the quietest ride possible so I can better hear the bluetooth phone signal in my full face helmet.  I'm wondering if adding these lower deflectors would help. 

Mark

[dinosnake]

The lowers I referred to are the Memphis Shades lowers

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Memphis+Shades+lowers

when fitted with a matching Memphis Shades Pop Top shield, on my Kawasaki VN1600 Mean Streak.  Without the lowers I did indeed get massive buffeting, the first time on all my bikes I ever got that syndrome.  Adding the lowers killed the buffeting, and a few weeks later I rode the bike cross-country of 5100 miles in 10 days.  No problem at all with the wind.

The Pop Top does not have a Euro-style flip, which I think was the problem.  All the windscreens I had before were flip; only the big cruiser "flapjack" shields were flat, but they were so big that it made a flip irrelevant.  

I do not have the leg shields on the Valkyrie, 8" screen only.  On the Valkyrie, for me at least since I'm not a big guy, the radiator pods do an amazing job of shielding my legs just fine.

[irhawk]

The lowers I referred to are the Memphis Shades lowers

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Memphis+Shades+lowers

when fitted with a matching Memphis Shades Pop Top shield, on my Kawasaki VN1600 Mean Streak.  Without the lowers I did indeed get massive buffeting, the first time on all my bikes I ever got that syndrome.  Adding the lowers killed the buffeting, and a few weeks later I rode the bike cross-county of 5100 miles in 10 days.  No problem at all with the wind.

The Pop Top does not have a Euro-style flip, which I think was the problem.  All the windscreens I had before were flip; only the big cruiser "flapjack" shields were flat, but they were so big that it made a flip irrelevant. 

I do not have the leg shields on the Valkyrie, 8" screen only.  On the Valerie, for me at least since I'm not a big guy, the radiator pods do an amazing job of shielding my legs just fine.

Thanks for the answer.  Does anyone else have any experience with the Honda OEM wind deflectors that are advertized on their valkyrie accessories page?

[Kidd]

The Gustafsson   company makes a 32" wide and 20" tall  ,
 that's 10" wider  than  the Honda shield .
The  extra   10" in width   means a more  peaceful  ride with less wind 

I think this will be my choice  of shields

[dans2014]

  That would help.  My Honda oem does allow some side wind, but I love the look

[Kidd]

post a photo

what's so good about the look ?

No shield will fully protect you and of course we all know that , especially   if there is a slight breeze or more .

[goldstar903]

The Gustafsson   company makes a 32" wide and 20" tall  ,
 that's 10" wider  than  the Honda shield .
The  extra   10" in width   means a more  peaceful  ride with less wind

I think this will be my choice  of shields

You will need the bike first! 

[Kidd]

Wrong !!
Bike is on the way

Windscreen  first  , I am NOT  driving a bike  with  rocks ,  bugs and other road debris  flying at my head , especially  the wind  knocking me around , helmet buffeting , NOT My Thing .
I like to enjoy the ride ,  having a short windscreen or no screen  means  , well ,  I am not sure what it means , I don't what the ride to be work

Just stating , just my opinion , that's all

The Gustafsson   company makes a 32" wide and 20" tall  ,
 that's 10" wider  than  the Honda shield .
The  extra   10" in width   means a more  peaceful  ride with less wind

I think this will be my choice  of shields

You will need the bike first! 

[dinosnake]

Wrong !!
Bike is on the way

Windscreen  first  , I am NOT  driving a bike  with  rocks ,  bugs and other road debris  flying at my head , especially  the wind  knocking me around , helmet buffeting , NOT My Thing .
I like to enjoy the ride ,  having a short windscreen or no screen  means  , well ,  I am not sure what it means , I don't what the ride to be work

Just stating , just my opinion , that's all

True dat. 

Note that I rode my bike home 250 miles, all high speed superhighway, without a screen and without much of a problem.  The occasional 100 MPH run helped ease the break-in   Are you taller than average?

[Kidd]

under 5'9" a tiny bit

[dinosnake]

Then don't panic.  The headlight and gauge assembly of the Valkyrie is set very high, and is larger, relative to other bikes.  Every person is different but if you've ridden anything besides a touring cruiser or tourer, both with large-scale wind protection, you'll be able to deal with it I'm sure.  For anyone under 5'9", I'd say, the wind blast isn't at "Blow me down" (to quote Popeye) level (unlike my other cruisers).

[dans2014]

  I had my dealer install the Honda OEM before I drove it home and he included it in the deal!!!

[goldstar903]

Wrong !!
Bike is on the way

Like I said, you need the bike first. You haven't ridden it yet and don't have a clue what you will need, until you have the bike!

[Kidd]

Just to prove you wrong , I am gonna order a windshield   now , before my bike arrives

Here's  where it's coming from http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/mcd/5401321592.html

Wrong !!
Bike is on the way

Like I said, you need the bike first. You haven't ridden it yet and don't have a clue what you will need, until you have the bike!

[goldstar903]

ust to prove you wrong , I am gonna order a windshield   now , before my bike arrives

You are a kidd. What are you 5?

[Kidd]

You need a coma between the " you " and the number" 5 " for it to make adult sense .
No , I am older than 5

ust to prove you wrong , I am gonna order a windshield   now , before my bike arrives

You are a kidd. What are you 5?

[goldstar903]

 OOOOH...

[tx blue]

Picked up a Gustafson 14" shield without hardware so I will need to purchase hardware any opinions on the OEM verses the Gustafson hardware.
Phil.