At speeds in excess of 60mph, I get some uncomfortable wind buffeting on my Road King Classic (with windshield). I want the wind in my face, but my head bouncing around is not ideal, nor is it safe.

I read some of the threads on this forum, and the reviews were mixed on the potential solutions - anything from "man up" to "buy a fairing" were the extremes.

Because I want to keep the classic look on my RKC, I decided to try the HD Chrome Air Baffle (p/n 58520-79TC) - MSRP $26.95 and the HD Chrome Wind Deflectors (p/n 58121-85B) - MSRP $69.95 Both pictured below.

On a scale of 1-10, the buffeting discomfort I was experiencing was about a 7/10.

I first installed the baffle. Two minutes for a non-wrencher like me. I tried it out on a stretch of highway for 5 miles at 70mph. Honestly, I didn't notice anything different, other than the wind sounded different coming from that direction, but my head still bounced around quite a bit.

Next, I installed the fork mounted wind deflectors. Five minutes to install - max. I took the bike back out on the same stretch of highway, and accelerated to 70mph. There was a marked improvement. I decided to go back the other direction as well with the same result. Much better.
Conclusion: The fork wind deflectors work, and they work well. They don't eliminate the buffeting, but the improvement is worth the investment. I can't say the baffle does much, but I'll probably leave it on the bike. The buffeting now is probably a 2/10. It's still there occasionally, but not with the head jarring effect like it was without the fork mounted wind deflectors. I'm not totally thrilled about the looks of the wind deflectors. I think they'll grow on me, but they're not as ugly as people make them out to be. You can't really see the baffle, so it's a not issue from an esthetics perspective.

Questions? Fire away.

 

Sounds like you'd do well with the MoCo's taller windshield out of the accessories catalog. Should be a couple inches taller, which should stop the buffeting off the top of your lid.

 

Good point. I meant to bring up that I thought about swapping out the windshield and going taller.

I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't like looking through vs. looking over the windshield. Personal preference I guess.

 

If you're still experiencing "bad buffeting" when you blocked the lower wind with your arm, you need a tad taller windshield. Just for giggles, try riding without the helmet and see what happens. 3/4 helmet with a shield might be an answer. Even without a shield. Just make sure it's snug. A loose helmet is gonna bounce around no matter what.

 

I got a 10" windshield and it comes up to where I am looking over it but if I slouch I am looking through it ... helped the buffeting a lot.

 

10" windshield? That won't even cover my belly. You must have a fairing on your bike.

 

Try a recurve shield from LRS or one of the other suppliers. Will push the wind up and over ya with a shield you can still see over.

 

The half moon shaped baffle you installed on the triple tree was not designed to do what you want it to do. It was developed and installed on bikes to "aid in rider comfort". It should be removed in the hotter months in order to blow out the hot air under the tank. When installed in the colder months the air that comes over the front fender is diverted downward instead of coming up.
What you need is a taller windshield.

 

Any literature on this from the MoCo?

 

Agreed, the recurve is probably the ticket and perhaps even a taller one at that. I tried one on my Dyna from Clearview, worked pretty well (see post) and it was a similar design to a RK windshield so it is relevant. That said I eventually put on a National Cycle Flyscreen (just 9" tall) and was amazed. They don't make one for a RK but I suspect this thing would produce similar results, called the Wave"