https://rifle.com/Motorcycle-Windshield-Selection-Guide.aspxFlips, Flares and Recurves
Q: Does Rifle offer windshields with a flip at the top?
A: No. Rifle can certainly design and build a similarly styled windshield equal to, or of better quality at an affordable price. However, our conclusions and opinions are that these designs have no or very limited improvement over designs with a "clean" shape like ours (vs. dirty), and may introduce many unforeseen negatives or potential safety issues into the final product.
Rifle has been designing and building motorcycle fairings and windshields for a very long time (since our days at Vetter in the 70's) and have ridden and tested virtually every motorcycle since then, evaluating windshield designs for looks, rider and passenger comfort, fuel mileage, handling, and safety in all riding conditions.
Windshields with this design sometimes use the term "flip", "flare", "recurve", "wave", "contour" or trade names like "Wind Splitter". Many come from China. A windshield with a flip may be just be a marketing decision, saying to the customer "buy ours because it is different"; "ours is different that's why we charge more".
We have found that a "flip" style windshield can push up the air higher over the top, but with an very unacceptable trade-off, more turbulence and buffeting. Adding this to to all the other negatives, including our reading of the many negative customer reviews of incorrectly sized windshields (too short) with flips and flares, building a "dirty" windshield is not the way to go. Some flips are so radical, that they end up being 90 degrees or more to the ground. No way these work and for sure they will reduce gas mileage.
Radically changing the direction of a windshield curve (shape) for styling, performance or clearance reasons creates a "seam" that usually introduces a distortion at the seam. Many windshields with this seam also have additional flaws and mark-off introduced during the molding process at this seam. A windshield that is distorted at or near the top or side edges could create a safety issue forcing the rider to look through the distorted part of the windshield in certain riding conditions, like riding on roads with many elevation changes and curves. Riding on these roads should be "fun".
To independently confirm our conclusions, just check out the latest touring bike options from the OEMS, like the new Honda Gold Wing, or the new Yamaha Star Venture, etc. These new bikes have unquestionably been tested for tens of thousands of miles, many computer simulations and time in wind tunnels. These were built for long-distance comfort. If a flip or flare had any significant benefit you would see them offered. You may see them on smaller bikes with little windshields, but for sure they are styling decisions only, designed to convince new buyers the little windshield will perform like a larger windshield (it won't).
