When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Looking for help and ideas from anyone who who has worked through buffeting problems after putting a batwing on a Softail. I have a 2006 Fatboy that I put the hard bags on using the Cyclevisions mounting kit. Very nice kit. I also added a batwing to complete the conversion and that is where things got ugly.
I have buffeting so bad I can't stand to ride the bike anymore. I started with a 6" plain windshield and the bike was seriously unrideable above 60 mph. I tried a set of the fork mounded wind deflectors from Memphis Shades. They didn't help, but depending on how I mounted them I could make it worse at low speed.
Next I bought a set of Harley fangs. I hate the looks, but I figured I would learn to like them since everybody says they work. They helped, but didn't cure it. A 100 mile ride left me with a screaming headache and no desire to try that again.
I then bought a Klock Werks 5" flare windshield, again after reading so many say it solved the problems. I mounted it with the fangs still installed and it was better above 70 mph, but it was way worse at about 40 - 60 mph. Still not usable at highway speed either. I took the fangs off and ran just the Klock Werks windshield. It is better without the fangs, but in no way is the bike ride-able for any length of time at highway speeds.
I then drilled another set of holes in the original flat windshield so I could mount it an inch lower and tried it. This was better, but in no way good enough.
I put the fangs back on with the lower windshield and this is the best combination. Some buffeting at 45-60 and 70 mph is better than 60, but it still isn't good and there is no way I see myself trying a ride of even a couple hundred miles with it like this.
I am about done throwing money at this trying stuff to figure it out. Have any of you run into this? What did you do to work through it?
I spent 9 years trying different things on my VTX 1800 before finally eliminating ~90% of the buffeting with a Batwing and 14" LRS shield, and some custom made lowers that were patterned after Memphis lowers, but longer. But your Fat Boy has different aerodynamic characteristics than my VTX.
So unless you find the person that's done it before you, it's anyone's guess what will work the best and unfortunately it's almost certainly going to be a trial and error process until you happen upon the best solution for your bike. Good luck!
The time, expense and effort is the primary reason I'm leaving my Fat Boy naked. I've found that with the type of riding I now do, with it almost exclusively under 60, I don't need a shield and the lack of buffeting makes the ride quieter and much more enjoyable.
I have a 2002 Fat Boy that is naked. I added bags off a Heritage and did a few mods to it, but it is basically stock. Last year I bought this super low mileage 2006 pretty cheap off a guy that was going through a divorce. More or less the same bike I already had, and not worth a whole bunch in terms of selling or trading, so I figured what the hell, I'll do this this Fat Bagger thing to it. I really like the look of it, and I see that lots of guys have done this, but I don't see where there is much discussion of buffeting problems. I gotta believe someone else has struggled through this.
It might be like windshields I don't have a batwing on my deluxe just the nostalgic windshield, the top of it is in between my upper lip and the tip of my nose, I am looking over the top, very little buffet, with or without a helmet. Just a thought. Good luck, Ride safe.
Do you have any pictures of how it mounts & how tight it fits?
Nests to the headlight/bars exc.
I have a Deluxe with a batwing (no idea who made it {used}).
I did quite a few mods to the inner shell and a few to the outer (the reason i bought used).
I also cut and re-drilled the mounting brackets moving the fairing down & closer to the shocks/handle bars.
The ones I have seen fit so sloppy it is no wonder there is wind issues with allot of them.
When I brought mine home I could fit a tape sideways over the top of the head light.
Now mine sets on the headlight (foam in between).
I do get some wind buffeting (similar to my old 01 FLHT.
The sloppier the fit the more wind you will get through all those gaps.
I dont have a HD Batwing on my 05 fatboy but I do have Memphis Shades Batwing (purchased it when they first came out in early 2006) it is on the bike 70% of the time, rest of the time is either a Full size Memphis Shades Windshield (same size as the HD Nostalgia) or nothing.
With the batwing I original had some buffering but added the Memphis Shades "FLH" Wind Deflectors (they dont mount to the forks but under the "wings of the fairing) it solved the problem for me. https://memphisshades.com/collection...ind-deflectors
I dont have a HD Batwing on my 05 fatboy but I do have Memphis Shades Batwing (purchased it when they first came out in early 2006) it is on the bike 70% of the time, rest of the time is either a Full size Memphis Shades Windshield (same size as the HD Nostalgia) or nothing.
With the batwing I original had some buffering but added the Memphis Shades "FLH" Wind Deflectors (they dont mount to the forks but under the "wings of the fairing) it solved the problem for me. https://memphisshades.com/collection...ind-deflectors
In which of these three configurations do you feel the least amount of buffeting? On the other two, compared to the least what is it like?
In which of these three configurations do you feel the least amount of buffeting? On the other two, compared to the least what is it like?
1. With no windshield, no buffeting, but no wind protection and IMO not nearly as comfortable IMO as using a windshield or Fairing also more tiring on long rides.
2. With the large wind shield , very little buffering but no hand forearm protection. I like the nostalgic look and definitely works well at lower speeds (under 50 mph)
3. With the MS Batwing the overall best wind protection, I had a little buffeting until I mounted the defectors but nothing now form 0-75 mph.
I also have owned a Road King and a Road Glide. The amount of buffeting depends on you size and riding position.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
Batwing on a Fat Boy and wind buffeting
