(I don't mean to "steal the thunder" of other threads on the forum that discuss windshield issues. I simply want to follow up on earlier threads I have posted.)
In another thread I said I am going to build a touring fairing for my 2014 Valkyrie. I also noted that, in my opinion, it is necessary to reduce the size of the radiator cowls to get a fairing to work on this bike. I have begun the process in earnest and thought I’d share my progress with those who are interested. In this post I’ll “set the stage,” sharing what caused me to arrive at the decision to “build my own.”
Let me begin by saying I don’t care for frame-mounted fairings (I’ve had Windjammers and others). Frame-mounted fairings tend to be much heavier than handlebar-mounted fairings and, in many cases, they tend to get “stuffed” with things I just don’t want on my touring motorcycle (I’ll spare you the details). A frame-mounted fairing and all of its accoutrements can soon add over 100 pounds to a bike. That added weight moves the bike’s center-of-gravity higher. It has the potential to take the fun out of an otherwise well-handling and sporty machine.
Okay, enough of that.
I’ll admit to having been spoiled by two of the finest handlebar-mounted fairing systems. The first was on my 1979 Moto Guzzi 1000 SP. The fairing system on that motorcycle was developed in the fabled Moto Guzzi wind tunnel at their factory in Madello del Lario, Italy. Rumor has it that the wind tunnel has not been turned on since that fairing system was developed. (They do continue to use the wind tunnel as a “set” when shooting promotional photographs.)
The SP fairing system includes the handlebar-mounted fairing/windscreen and a pair of “lowers” mounted about the engine cylinders. Buried at the bottom of the fairing/windscreen is a shaped piece of reinforced rubber. This rubber piece serves to “seal” the bottom of the fairing, directing wind down and onto the engine.
The “lowers” in this system serve to shield the rider’s legs from wind and rain. The profile of the fairing/windshield and lowers is so effective that it can keep light-to-moderate rain off of the rider when riding at speed. It also protects the rider from head buffeting. This rain and head-buffeting protection extends to a passenger, although rain/head buffeting can become a bit of a problem for a passenger in heavier cross winds.
This is an image of a 1979 1000 SP excerpted from a sales brochure (the brochure can be found at
www.thisoldtractor.com):
The Swanee fairing/windscreen I had on my 1998 Moto Guzzi EV convinced me that I would never have another frame-mounted fairing. It was the second of my two favorite fairings. This light weight unit (<10 pounds) includes “lowers” that hang down along the motorcycle’s fork legs. They limit the amount of air that blows up under the body of the fairing. The Swanee’s mounting hardware makes it easy to adjust the fairing/windscreen angle. This allows the rider to “fine tune” the location of the “quiet air space” on their motorcycle. Similar to the 1000 SP fairing system, the Swanee fairing/windscreen protects both rider and passenger from light-to-moderate rain and head buffeting when riding at speed.
If you have spent much time on motorcycle forums you immediately recognized “lowers” and “angle” issues. How many times have you seen posts from riders wanting to reduce head buffeting caused by “stock” windscreens (“stock” windscreens don’t tend to come with lowers)? Responses to those posts tend to include two suggestions – add lowers and change the angle.
Here is an image of the Swanee fairing/windscreen mounted on my 1998 EV. Please pardon the bug splatters – we were on tour in New Mexico when this photo was taken.
If you look closely at the Swanee you’ll see a “vent” molded into the middle of the fairing where it meets the windscreen. There are two other vents about 100 millimeters above the turn signals (look very closely). These three vents are part of the Swanee’s method of creating a “quiet air space” (the need for windshield venting is discussed ad nauseum at various sites on the internet). The lowers built into the fairing serve to “seal” the bottom; this is the other part of creating that “quiet air space.”
Now to my Valkyrie.
Soon after I bought my Honda I ordered their touring windscreen. I also bought a pair of their “wind deflectors.” (My dealer suggested I consider the wind deflectors since they appeared to be part of Honda’s “package” for providing wind protection.)
The end result? The touring windscreen is a big disappointment (when installed per Honda’s instructions). It has no angle adjustment(s) and causes severe (dangerous!) head buffeting as soon as you hit about 55 MPH. The buffeting severely blurs vision! At 70 MPH it was impossible to see!
And the wind deflectors? They’re an absolute waste of time and money – they simply blow air into your armpits and onto the shoulders of your passenger. To install the wind deflectors you have to drill holes in the radiator cowl side panels (see photo, below). When you remove them (and you will!) you’ll either have to plug the holes in the side panels or buy new ones. Honda obviously did not run the windshield and wind deflectors through their wind tunnel. I really doubt they ever installed them and tried them under touring conditions – they just don’t work!
I called Honda North America and spoke to two different employees about these products. They were quick to let me know they didn’t care that the products didn’t perform their expressed purposes. The second employee ended the conversation by saying, “The Valkyrie is a cruiser. It’s not meant for touring.” Well okay, then. I guess I mistakenly thought the touring windscreen was for touring and that the Goldwing drivetrain was a serious touring platform. Silly me! I just didn’t understand that cruisers weren’t to be used for touring.
After my conversations with Honda NA I went and visited with my Honda dealer. He encouraged me to order and try any solution I wanted; he would return what didn’t work. Needless to say my dealer and I respect each other a great deal. He wanted me happy with the Valkyrie.
Thus began a long period of “windshield trial-and-error.” Nothing fit/worked. I then took a used Goldwing windshield and cut it to fit the Valkyrie (see issues, below). I still experienced head buffeting but my vision didn’t blur – the buffeting was “a nuisance.” The trimmed Goldwing windshield was “good enough” for us to do our 2016 Fall Tour of New Mexico.
During my “windshield trial-and-error” period I began to collect data about air flow around the windshield and the other body parts on the Valkyrie (I’m a scientist-practitioner so I really like data). The results of my study revealed that wind “swirls” about any windshield mounted to the Valkyrie’s handlebars; the pattern of the swirling changes with road speed. The “culprits” contributing to the swirling proved to be the radiator cowls, the headlight nacelle, the plastic parts at the tops of the forks, and the lack of a wind block or “seal” at or about the steering stem (i.e., the triple clamps on the forks).
Here are some specifics.
Regarding the radiator cowls – these pieces appear to have been designed more for “form” than “function.” When you remove the cowls from the bike you quickly realize they take up a lot more room than they need to; there’s lots of empty space at the top and front ends of the cowls. I believe this was done to achieve two design goals – a shape that “rounds down” from the edge of the fuel tank to the top of the radiator (see red arrow in photo, below), and a shape that extends the line defined by the shape of the headlight lens (see yellow line in photo).
The shapes of the cowls severely limit the effectiveness of any windshield on a Valkyrie. To clear the tops of the cowls when the steering head is turned lock-to-lock, either the bottom edge of the windshield has to be raised significantly, or the bottom corners of the windshield have to be beveled up at a pronounced angle. Either arrangement allows for unmanaged airflow around the bottom of the windshield. This contributes to head buffeting.
The shapes of the cowls also limit the potential to mount “lowers” from near the bottom of a windshield. When the front wheel is pointed straight ahead the front edges of the cowls extend well past the fronts of the fork legs (see the above photo). Wide lowers simply will not fit on the fork legs with the cowls extending that far forward. Even if they could be mounted, wide lowers would immediately run into the cowls if the forks were turned. So, in my opinion, the size and shape of the radiator cowls is a problem.
If you look closely at the headlight nacelle on a Valkyrie you quickly discover “screens” on both the left and right sides. These screens allow air to blow across the heatsink mounted on the back of the LED headlight. Without this airflow the headlight might overheat and be destroyed. But, this airflow is not managed (directed) after it cools the headlight. This lack of management allows this airflow to contribute to head buffeting.
The headlight nacelle contributes to difficulty mounting lowers from a windshield on the Valkyrie; the nacelle is so big it gets in the way. The other plastic parts at the tops of the fork legs add to this problem. The nacelle and other plastic parts restrict the width of the spaces between the fork legs and radiator air intakes to approximately 50 millimeters or so. And the plastic parts at the tops of the forks limit access to the fork tubes – a prime location for attaching lowers mounting hardware.
The three “culprits” discussed above are highlighted in the following photo. Radiator cowl issues are marked with yellow arrows on the left side, and headlight nacelle and plastic parts issues are identified with the red arrow on the right. When you look at the image notice the small gaps between the radiator air intakes and the plastic parts at the tops of the forks; either of these gaps is made smaller when the front wheel is turned in that direction.
The last of the “culprits” listed above is the lack of a “seal” that limits airflow from under the bottom of a windshield or fairing. Similar to the above, the shapes of the radiator cowls, the headlight nacelle, and the plastic parts at the top of the fork legs make attachment of an effective seal difficult.
It has been my experience that an adequate “seal” at the bottom of a fairing may eliminate the need for traditional lowers. This is especially true if there is a fairing element similar to the lowers included in the Moto Guzzi 1000 SP system.
So, what am I going to do about all of this? First I’m going to build smaller radiator cowls that limit interference with possible fairing/windscreen function and design. My goal is to develop a pleasing shape that removes the extra space at the top and front of the cowls. I will also incorporate a simple flair at the rear of the cowls; this will emulate the flair of the Moto Guzzi 1000 SP lowers.
Once the cowls are modified, I will remove the headlight nacelle and plastic parts at the tops of my fork legs. I will then develop a vented fairing design that provides excellent rider protection and a “seal” at the bottom. This fairing design will incorporate a headlight nacelle that solves those nacelle problems noted above.
As I do these things I will continue to incorporate surfaces that direct air flow into the radiators. I believe that approaching design and development in this manner will eliminate the need for “traditional” lowers while significantly limiting head buffeting.
I will document my progress as time allows.
Cheers!
Bill
