Did you have to bend the fork deflectors out a little to stop them from hitting the lowers when turning the handlebars? I had to do that on my 2007 Ultra.

I had them on my 2001RK, my 2002 Electra Glide Classic, and my 2009 RK. As of yet, I have not put them on my 2015 Ultra, and I can feel a LOT more wind buffeting on me.

BTW, it gets pretty toasty down here at the Coast in Charleston, Savannah, Myrtle Beach, etc. in the Summer months and early Fall. And it's not a "dry heat" either!! LOL!!!

 

+1 for the DK Custom cooling wings. I have them on my 2013 Triglide and they reduce buffeting very noticeably.

 

Hi all,

My '17 SGS had a very bad buffeting issue for me, at 5'11". I tried several things to see what would work. I placed fingers atop the windscreen until the buffeting was greatly reduced. That left me needing a 7" front windshield, which I installed. I also bought and installed the factory Harley chrome fork wind deflectors.

These two things worked extremely well for me. I can now enjoy the ride and I can tolerate the looks, even though I like the looks of the shorter factory windscreen better.

Now the ride is very pleasant, with only a slight, occasional buffeting, usually in very high wind conditions. I must admit, I was a bit disappointed that these things needed to be done, since for me, the SGS was a purpose-bought ride for longer road trips. I still have my '13 Breakout if I want to get blasted by the wind on shorter rides!!!

Anyway, FWIW, these changes worked very well for me.

Take Care,

JJ

 

How does the fork deflectors affect the cooling of the Rushmore Wetheads?

Beary

 

So I reached out to DK Customs to see what kind of combinations could be had to reduce buffering but Not increase engine temps.

Here were my questions to DK Customs.
1. Will cooling wings accomplish the same decrease in wind buffering as the fangs?
2. Will cooling wings AND a tank lift (DK custom products) accomplish the same decrease in wind buffering as the fangs?
3. If fangs are installed, will the installation of the cooling wings offset the engine heat increase due to the fangs?

Here are Kevin from DK Customs responses:
1. The fangs do the best job at reducing buffeting. The downside is they increase engine heat by 25 degrees & more.
2. Just the tank lift and CDW's combined will reduce buffeting about 75% as much as the fangs by themselves.
3. The Tank Lift and CDW's combined will reduce engine temps by about 25 degrees, and together with the fangs will cancel each other out heat wise.


In the end it sounds like we have hit on most of the options and combinations to reduce buffering.
The cooling wings and tank lift are $85.85 combined and they will reduce the buffering as well as decrease engine temps.
The fangs are $89.99 and will reduce the buffering the most but increase engine temps.

Hope this helps everyone. It has given me something to think about. Being located in the midwest, we don't get as hot as the south and south west regions so maybe I can withstand the increased engine temp if the buffering is reduced the most by the fangs. But it is also nice to know that there is a way to counter that engine temp increase with the installation of the cooling wings and tank lift.

Now on to making a decision.....

 

That is the best post on this subject I have seen in years. Thanks for your effort ajnigli.

Beary

 

Only thing I didn't try is a tank lift.
Engine heat is down on my priority list. Buffeting with a FF helmet is probably number one. Heat that hits me from exhaust radiation and/or the heat that comes from the wind as it exits the engine fins and hits my legs is number two. Some of the devices used to blow air on the engine, even lower fairings eventually that air exits as HOT air.
Right now all I use is short fangs to let more cool air hit my legs. This has been the best (coolest) riding season I've had, very enjoyable.

 

So I purchased the fangs and installed them today. Install was easy, had to move the right passing lamp forward a little as the fang hit it. Oddly enough I did Not have to adjust the left side but maybe because I moved the right that is moved the left as well as it is one bar.
The only trouble I had was when I tightened it to 17 ft pounds like the instructions said, I could not get my windshield to slide back on. I had to loosen all 4 acorn nuts and try different amounts of tightness to get the windshield back on. This was the first time I took the windshield off so maybe it was always like that. I typically don't remove the windshield anyway so not too concerned. I'll just keep an eye on the acorns so they don't fall off.

With the fangs installed I had to test them out.
Bike conditions: 2013 RKC, stock windshield and I run 70 mph on the highway.
Rider conditions: 5'9", half helmet and ear plugs.
Weather conditions: 87 degrees with a real feel of 97 degrees, humidity 70% with the winds coming out of the west at 9 mph.
Test Ride: I rode about 35 miles in all 4 directions, N, S, E, W, with various speeds, both highway and in town riding. I hit 70 mph in all 4 directions.

Observations: They work very well. I could instantly felt a pocket of calm air from my chest to the windshield where little air was passing through. That pocket was also a warmer in temp but very calm.
I could feel more heat on my leg area too, on my hamstrings and especially right calf during the in town riding as well. Highway riding was a little warmer as well but not as bad as in town riding.
I definitely noticed less air buffering at my head and I heard less buffering in my ears as well. This was what I wanted to reduce, the buffering in my ears. There was still some buffering but it was more calm and less violent. On the highway I did peak my head above the shield and the buffering was like it was before the fangs so I know there is a difference.
My final confirmation is that I have a bluetooth speaker that I got off amazon a year ago as one review said it would work on motorcycles. Well it doesn't. At 55 mph, the buffering would drown it out and the speaker was useless at highway speeds. That was before the Fangs. With the fangs I could hear the speaker clearly up to about 60 mph. At 70 mph, I could still hear the music but it was less intelligible. Some songs were better than others; slow or more quiet song didn't do so well over louder, more upbeat songs. I used Amazon Prime Music, Halestorm station. I was still able to hear it at 70 mph so I am happy that longer rides can be had with music instead of using headphones. I've used headphones and still do but I still feel/hear the buffering. I'll have to test them out with the fangs to see how they work. I use "Plugfones" head phones and they have served me well on my country rides.
I do not know what the affect will be on my MPGs as I was in the middle of a tank but on most weekend rides I go through a tank so I should find out in a few weeks or so. I have been averaging 39-40 mpg so I have a bench mark.
I may have felt some additional wind gusts from passing cars but I can't say for certain. I thought I felt more vibration in my handle bars but I was on a highway I don't ride so I think it was the road. When I did get to a highway I have ridden before, I did not notice the vibration. I will need more highway time to properly address this concern.

Final vote: I am pleased with the fangs and they don't look as bad as I thought they would either. As my bike is vivid blank the chrome is a nice addition to the rest. I do think I will be investing in some DK Customs cooling wings though as I want to make sure air is getting to the engine like before and hopefully cool down the heat that is now on my legs.

These are my observations and of course not everyone will get what I got but I am very pleased with what I got and now I need to get a real sound system installed so I can enjoy the ride even more.

 

Did you buy the Harley brand, or DK Customs?

 

Here is a LINK to a Report on heat regarding the Twin Cam, the Twin Cooled and the M8. (there is a section just for the Wetheads...they have their own unique heat challenges)

Many folks think that if they are comfortable and the bike is running down the road, they don't have a heat issue...and it may be true, they don't...but likely their engine does have a heat issue, and is not running at full power because of it.