Head buffeting
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,926
Likes: 193
From: ohio
It's real, never really had it till last trip, helmet law states Tenn and NC, it can be almost nauseous at high speeds and effected my vision, maybe the helmet, shield, or ?, Wore helmet before in New York and I didn't feel it, so maybe different shield I had on, you must have always had perfect set up
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,883
Likes: 809
From: Ormond Beach, Florida
On my '18 Heritage in stock mode, overall wind buffeting was very bad. I'm not sure I was getting "helmet" buffeting, but I found Wind Deflectors (Fangs) and a Freedom recurve windhield made the bike much more stable and comfortable to ride.
My '19 SGS was much more stable in stock mode, but I did get a excessive amount (to me) of wind in my face over the short 4" stock Batwing Fairing windshield. Again, I would not call it "helmet" buffeting, but the wind would move my head around a little at higher speeds. I replaced the stock windshield with an 8" Freedom Recurve and now the wind flips up and over my head. I can ride at all reasonable speeds with my regular prescription Sun glasses without the need to use the pull down visor on my half helmet.
I like "Wind Therapy" as much as most other riders do, but I don't like having my face blasted with wind carrying all kinds of stinging road debris. With the Recurve windshields I don't get that too much.
And, I am able to see OVER the windshields on both bikes.
My '19 SGS was much more stable in stock mode, but I did get a excessive amount (to me) of wind in my face over the short 4" stock Batwing Fairing windshield. Again, I would not call it "helmet" buffeting, but the wind would move my head around a little at higher speeds. I replaced the stock windshield with an 8" Freedom Recurve and now the wind flips up and over my head. I can ride at all reasonable speeds with my regular prescription Sun glasses without the need to use the pull down visor on my half helmet.
I like "Wind Therapy" as much as most other riders do, but I don't like having my face blasted with wind carrying all kinds of stinging road debris. With the Recurve windshields I don't get that too much.
And, I am able to see OVER the windshields on both bikes.
Last edited by FrankEV; Jun 17, 2019 at 01:36 PM.
I found wind coming under the tank and up my chest causing head buffeting. The solution was DK Custom cooling wings.
http://www.dkcustomproducts.com/cool...dk-cdw-trg.htm
They are surprisingly inconspicuous, but extremely effective.
With the exception of a seat, they wings are the best comfort based modification I have made to my Ultra Classic.
http://www.dkcustomproducts.com/cool...dk-cdw-trg.htm
They are surprisingly inconspicuous, but extremely effective.
With the exception of a seat, they wings are the best comfort based modification I have made to my Ultra Classic.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,557
Likes: 235
From: Texas
I am starting to think this bad wind buffeting phenomenon was born when people who did not start out on a street bike without a windshield or fairing experienced the entire "wind in your face" experience...complete with all the bad things that comes with the freedom. I started out on street bikes without windshields and buffeting is normal and expected. Sometimes it can be a real ****, but it was the Yang for the Yin of wind therapy, just another part of the ride. Bugs in your teeth was a reality, not a novelty.
I have been reading and hearing about wind buffeting over the last decade but I do not recall it ever being a topic for discussion before except talk about the wicked cross winds in the mountains and deserts and passing semi's. I don't know if it is a new thing or just a topic I was not aware of until social media, and I suppose I am still pretty naive on the subject. I have recently moved on to touring bikes and I was having some discomfort with the wind coming off the front fairing and hitting me in the face which was different than the wind hitting your entire upper torso. It was pretty annoying and I knew from reading all these discussions that it was probably the cute decorative 8" strip windshield. Looked great on the bike but was worthless as a windshield. I played around with different windshields and ended up with a recurved LRS. It works great for deflecting the wind over my head and the ride is much more comfortable now, but the recurve sucks for rain...a band of rain drops always forms right across eye level and that sucks big time...
I have been reading and hearing about wind buffeting over the last decade but I do not recall it ever being a topic for discussion before except talk about the wicked cross winds in the mountains and deserts and passing semi's. I don't know if it is a new thing or just a topic I was not aware of until social media, and I suppose I am still pretty naive on the subject. I have recently moved on to touring bikes and I was having some discomfort with the wind coming off the front fairing and hitting me in the face which was different than the wind hitting your entire upper torso. It was pretty annoying and I knew from reading all these discussions that it was probably the cute decorative 8" strip windshield. Looked great on the bike but was worthless as a windshield. I played around with different windshields and ended up with a recurved LRS. It works great for deflecting the wind over my head and the ride is much more comfortable now, but the recurve sucks for rain...a band of rain drops always forms right across eye level and that sucks big time...
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,883
Likes: 809
From: Ormond Beach, Florida
...I have recently moved on to touring bikes and I was having some discomfort with the wind coming off the front fairing and hitting me in the face which was different than the wind hitting your entire upper torso. It was pretty annoying and I knew from reading all these discussions that it was probably the cute decorative 8" strip windshield. Looked great on the bike but was worthless as a windshield. I played around with different windshields and ended up with a recurved LRS. It works great for deflecting the wind over my head and the ride is much more comfortable now, but the recurve sucks for rain...a band of rain drops always forms right across eye level and that sucks big time...
Vision in the rain sucks no matter what kind of windshield you have. I look over my shield, so any build up on the shield doesn't bother me. However, what I really need is a tiny motorized windshield wiper for my helmet face Shield.
Figure how to do that and you can become a millionaire in a hurry. Just saying!HD Forum Stories
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Tourer
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 378
Likes: 100
From: PA
I am starting to think this bad wind buffeting phenomenon was born when people who did not start out on a street bike without a windshield or fairing experienced the entire "wind in your face" experience...complete with all the bad things that comes with the freedom. I started out on street bikes without windshields and buffeting is normal and expected. Sometimes it can be a real ****, but it was the Yang for the Yin of wind therapy, just another part of the ride. Bugs in your teeth was a reality, not a novelty.
Without going into the physics behind it, the short answer is that a fairing or shield makes a pocket a low pressure air, buffeting is felt when the high pressure air coming over or around the shield/fairing hits the rider just right (or wrong in this case). The high pressure air causes turbulence and it can feel like someone has ahold of your helmet and is shaking it. My next bike will be a road king.
Last edited by PPearl; Jun 18, 2019 at 11:47 AM.
