First chance to do a little bit longer ride on the '06 low rider.

Few buddies and I went up to Lake George on Saturday - around 230 miles each way.

It was an excellent weekend - sunny, incredible scenery with the trees changing, not crowded.

it was cool in the morning time, but quite warm late in the day. Started out this morning in the low 30s... but was almost 70 when I got home to CT.

But I was dressed well for the cool weather, and I have to say, it felt great!

The bike worked perfectly, and I just love the stability / handling of the low rider. Next year I'll add some leather saddlebags and be all set. I used an expandable "T" bag though, and it held quite a surprising amount.

 

Sound like my idea of the "perfect ride".

Just curious... Do you have a windshield on your L'Rider? I've tried several different windshields and have yet to find anything that doesn't cause major buffeting on my helmet. (I wear a Shoei full face.)

BTW, I keep a T-Bags "Universal Helmet Bag" on my rear rack. It's the perfect size for short day trip storage.

 

Hi Towjam,

I have the HD quick detach windshield. It does deliver some buffeting, although it doesn't bother me too much. I actually like to be able to see over the top of the windshield if I want to - and the height is just about perfect. I think I would get buffeting no matter what if it is sized so that I can stretch over the top. My choice was primarly the mounting mechanism, because I like how easy it is to remove (and leaves nothing behind).

Which luggage rack did you get? I ended up with the tapered one, which does fit the Low Rider styling, but it's a pretty small area. Not sure that was the best choice.

How is the '07 going (with my favorite '07 colors)? I ended up keeping the '06 and the dealer ended up giving me a bunch of free accessories - went through quite a lengthy "discussion" on that front. I'm very happy with the bike though, and most of the '07 goodies are on the '06 (except the 96 CI obviously).

 

I've yet to find a Harley that allowed me to see over the windshield and yet didn't have some significant buffeting - even my Road Glide had this problem - although nowhere near as bad as the 3 Dynas I've owned and the quick release windshields. From what I've been told, one major source of buffeting is wind coming up from the underside of the windshield this could be fixed by adding lowers or windshield wings. In any event, I've gotten to where I don't ride with the shield any longer. I don't like the wind blast at 65+mph but at least I'm not seeing double. I've owned several sport tourers which did not have this issue - but they were designed from the ground up with better wind protection so this is not surprising.

To read all the '07 threads on the forum, I guess I got lucky with my '07 - no tranny noise, no mechanical issue, everything is working fine. My only real complaint is the engine heat. It may be a blessing in the winter but in the summer, I stopped using the Dyna as a daily commuter to work. I hated getting into the office and feeling like I needed to take a shower.

 

I do get some buffeting, but I don't have anything recent to compare it to (last time I rode was over 20 years ago on Honda - which I don't remember any buffeting). The windshield does allow for some vertical adjustment (about a 2 or 3 inch space to move it up and down within the triple trees) - have you tried repositioning it slightly to see if there is any difference?

on this latest ride (500 miles over the weekend), I had little buffeting and the windshield was excellent in terms of lessening the wind - I think it would have been harder to deal with the full force wind the whole way.

I have seen a few issues with rear wheel wobble when rolling on the throttle in a corner at high speed. I was just reading up about "True track" - they claim it is due to the rubber mounted engines and not having the right stabilization. Have you ever noticed anything like that?

On the '07 - do you notice a real different from the '06 in terms of heat? I wonder if an exhaust mod (like a power commander) would rich out the mixture enough to reduce the heat?

 

I personaly have had a Sport Tech (similar to a Windvest) and an H-D Quick release on my '06 Superglide. Neither have had major buffeting, both stopped my half helmet from turning into a chin mounted parachute over 60mph. The HD seems to give tons more comfort and less buffeting at hwy speeds. I had to give up the sport tech when I went to some Chubby handlebars. The Sport tech looked better on the bike (less obvious because it mounts on the handebars). But when its a 200+ mile day I'll sacrifice a slightly cooler look for a more enjoyable- less tiring ride.

 

Oh, you betcha'. I've literally spent hours with each of the quick detach windshields experimenting with the different height adjustments. But it's not just windshield height you have to take into account - there is turbulence generated from air coming up under the shield and helmet type can also make a difference.

500 miles with a full windblast would definitely be a challenge for me - especially if facing strong headwinds. I have to disclaimer that I've had several sport touring bikes that had incredible wind protection and I guess that has spoiled me.
I haven't noticed such a problem - with either of my Dynas. But then, I'm not in in the habit of flat-tracking with 'em.

it's been awhile since I had my '06 FXDC so I can't accurately do an apples-to-apples comparison. But I honestly don't remember my '06 Dyna or Road Glide generating that much heat.

 

I had the full size detachable windshield. The height came to just below nose. The buffeting I got was right at eye level and caused very blury vision and head wobble. So I cut it down, and down and down. My windshield is now only 2 inches above the headlight. I alos fabricated a new mount that puts the sheild at more of an angle. This works for taking the wind blast off of my chest but leaves all of my head in clean air. This for me is much more comfortable and a bonus is that it looks much better. I woul dlove to post photos but my computer skills are limited.