Windshield question

[Beachbum]

So our new bike is a 91 Royale. The windshield that is on it is fogged very badly. Aftermarket options are a slipstreamer that is 22” or an 18” Cee Bailey a member has listed here. My question is which would be the best option for a 6’2” rider who hates wind buffeting? I am fond of no windshield, but I’m going to have my wife as a passenger so I have to think of riding two up as a consideration.

 

thanks, Robert

[uhfradarwill]

So our new bike is a 91 Royale. The windshield that is on it is fogged very badly. Aftermarket options are a slipstreamer that is 22” or an 18” Cee Bailey a member has listed here. My question is which would be the best option for a 6’2” rider who hates wind buffeting? I am fond of no windshield, but I’m going to have my wife as a passenger so I have to think of riding two up as a consideration.

 

thanks, Robert

 

I'm 6'1" and ride with my wife, who is considerably shorter than I, on an 89VR very often.

She says that she feels very little wind on her due to the windshield but mostly because she hides behind me.

Will

[bongobobny]

Bigger is better, IMHO...

[videoarizona]

On my 89, my wife said the buffeting was minimal with the standard windshield, so that would be my first recommendation. If your wife and you are happy with the original, then find a replacement.

If you have the need to see over the windshield then compromise will be needed. A tad lower than the normal shield but with a recurve might satisfy both of you. The 2 we here seem to like the best are F4 and Clearview. They both come in a variety of sizes and widths. I believe both still give a discount to us. I know F4 does but I haven't purchased from Clearview in 2 years. All of my scoots had/have Clearviews with vents. F4's are better in terms of durability when cleaning.

[zagger]

One option, which I have done for myself, is to buy the taller windshield and then cut it down so that your eyes are just looking over it when you are in your normal riding position. Looking through the shield is always bad due to bugs stuck on the surface. Mark it with tape for the correct height and then cover it with masking tape and draw whatever nice curve for the top edge that you like. I bent a metal yardstick against the surface to give me a nice curve to trace with a pencil onto the tape. The plexi cuts easily with a bandsaw (I would avoid saws that have a back & forth motion since they are likely to crack the plastic) and then you can clean up the edge and fit it closely to your marked line with a belt sander. After you take off all of the tape, you can hand sand the edge of the plexi to get rid of the rough corners along the cut (being careful to not scratch up either surface). If you don't have a bandsaw, then perhaps you can find a shop to make the cut - takes less than a minute. Hand held belt sanders are not super expensive and buying one wouldn't be too crazy.

 

Once the shield is at a height where you can look over it and see the road ahead, try riding the bike and check for buffeting. If you reach up over your head with one hand while riding, you can easily feel the turbulence that will shake your head. As long as the turbulence is an inch or two above your helmet, you should be good to go. Note that the faster you go, the closer the turbulence will get to your head. If you do have buffeting, the airflow can be raised by adding lowers on the front forks. I did all of this on my Honda Sabre and my windshield/fairing situation is totally comfortable. My Venture is completely different and I had zero issues with buffeting even though the shield is very small.

 

Good luck!

zag

Edited September 21, 2018 by zagger

[dna9656]

I got the bigger one and like it very much! Get their cleaner too.

[cimmer]

I ordered the wider and taller Clearview windshield for the Venture. I also had the vent installed in it and had a gray tinted to it and enjoy it very much. I do look thru the windshield but I dont find that an issue with it effecting my vision. The vent adds a lot of air flow when I am riding on hot days and it is adjustable to the amount of air flow.

I am not sure if they are still offering the windshields for the 1st Gen Ventures still or not but it might be worth a call to them to see.

If you like to see how it looks on the bike I would be happy to post a photo of it for you also.

Good luck

Rick F.

[Beachbum]

Thanks for all the input guys! I went ahead and ordered the taller windshield, I’ll be sure to post up how I like it.