I have been in the process of preparing to convert my SG to the RG fairing. (gathering the parts list, research, etc.) I'm doing all the work so the cost for parts will be around $1200 plus paint. Selling some of my SG parts will recoupe some $$. Now, after test riding the RG for 4 hours, I came away feeling that the RG handled much better than the batwing fairing, hence the change. However, there has been alot of discussion on this and other forums fromsomeRG owners who can't seem to find a windshield that truely solves the buffeting problem with the sharknose fairing. I hear owners not real content with the Clearview and hoping this new KlockWerks shield is the solution? Some have even expressed thoughts about going back to a batwing Ultrato get rid of the buffeting. Now, I only had 4 hours on the RG which is different than owning one and riding it every day.I am just 6' tall andI have a Clearview 6.5" recurve on my SG and feel it provides very good wind protection while being low enough to keep the sleek look of the bike. I get a little wind but no real buffeting.

So, I may be getting some cold feet here about the conversion, but I'm not a fan of big bulky/tall windshields and don't want to end up needing one of these big windshields to do the same job as my 6.5" Clearview does on my batwing? Is the buffeting on the RG something that seems to be unsolveable without putting a car-like windshield on the sharknose????

 

I'am in the process of figuring out a windshield for my new roadie. I had a road glide two bikes ago and had forgotten about the bad buffeting. After coming off my ultra to the road glide with a stock height windshield, I gotta say I'am not impressed. The buffeting around the ears is worse than no windshield at all! If I find something that helps reduce it I will be happy because I like the bike otherwise. So I dunno what to tell you, stick with the proven bat wing or try to find a road glide windshield that works, tough call.

 

Having owned both, I like bat wings much better. The RG is the best handling bagger, it's not just the fairing, it's the bars, too. But they catch cross winds like a sail. The protection on my ultra is the same at 80 as it is at 70. On the RG, the faster I went, the worse it got.But I love the way they look.

 

As with any test drive or comparison, you need to go out and log a few miles. A Harley bagger is a perfect example. If you're not used
to it, and you just ride one around the block, chances are you won't like it. The stationary fairing RoadGlide more than an E/Glide. It takes
a little time to get used to the fairing not moving. I had a brand -x bike with a frame mounted fairing. Once I got used to it, it was great.
You need to go out and put some miles under your belt. I have spent the day on an Ultra. It was absolutely awesome !!!

I did ride a short distance (15 miles aprox) on an 07StreetGlide. The ride with the shorty shocks wasn't a bit better than my Heritage. The little wind deflector on the batwing didn't work as good as the regular windshield on the Heritage (No comparison what so ever to the Ultra.) As far as the rest, the bigger motor, the 6 speed, the steering and sitting posn is all A+ !!

As soon as we get our Calif weather back, I'll rent a RoadGlide (for a day or two). I've only ridden one 2 or 3 miles, and I didn't really care for it, but I didn't
even have a chance to settle in. The stock windshield was deadnuts in my line of sight. That sucked.

Almost everyexperienced rider I've spoken with who has owned both (EG & RG) and logged some serious miles on both prefers the RG overall (handling, etc)

Gotta find out for myself

 

no problems with buffeting on my RG. love the protection but i have the older style fairing, wonder if that makes a difference?

 

I have had winshields on other bikes but never a fairing bat wing or shark nose. I never had a bike where wind wasn't part of the ride.
In my younger days I would never put a windshield on a bike because I thought it spoiled the bikes looks.
So for years I got beat up by the elements. I finally got sick of that and added windshields on my bikes. Always detachable as I still hated the look.
Windshields gave some protection but not like being in a cage. I still knew I was outside and on a bike and got a little beatingbut not as bad.
Now I have a Road Glide I think I have died and gone to heaven.
I have never owned a Bat Wing so I can't say if they are better or worse.
I don't understand the term buffeting. If I am being buffeted I guess I am so used to being beat on it dosn't feel so bad.
Maybe once I get used to having real protection I will startto understandthe finer points of having a fairing and will be looking tweak things to make the ride even better. Right now I'm just happy with the bike as it is.

 

Aslan, my story is very similar to yours, except I wound up with a bat wing. I must say though, first time I rode my buddy's RG (couple years before I got my FLHT) I knew right away what buffeting was. I loved the bike but the buffeting was really bad, and was a major factor in me opting for an EG.
I'd like to try one again some time, with a different sized windshield. I didn't dig the looks of the RG at first but they're growing on me...

 

Well I am one of those soon to be converts. Went from the batwing to the Road Glide and getting ready to go back to the batwing. There is no denying that the RG handles so much better. But the buffeting and lack of protection from the elements is what is turning me back. I didn't realize it until the colder months how much I prefer the batwing. Still wish I could have both.

 

I'm one of those who complained about the Clearview windshield, and then partially recanted once I discovered that the problem was not the windshield, but rather wind coming up from below thefairing and along the sides of the helmet. I was just disappointed that the -1" Clearview did not have the same dramatic effect on my new Road Glide as it did on my Road King. I am still running with the Clearview because it is lower than my natural line of sight, allowing me to look over the windshield and it's of much higher quality than the stock windshield. It manages wind almost exactly the same as the stock windshield with perhaps a little less wind on the hands since it is 2" wider than stock.

I think the problem with the wind can be resolved with fairing lowers, and others who have installed them indicate that this is the solution. So I'm getting ready to order them - I think (pretty expensive experiment). But when riding the bike and using my hand to determine where the turbulence is coming from, it does seem to be coming up from below, and it seems logical that the fairing lowers will make a big difference.

That being said, I still consider the Road Glide to be the best Harley I have ever owned. I'm a big guy, and the overall size of the bike seems much less "claustrophobic" than the batwings because the fairing is larger and more forward than the others. No doubt about the improvement in handling - the handlebars feel lighter at every speed since the wind presses against the frame and not the forks. It is amazing the difference the frame mounting fairing makes even at slow speeds around town (hold your hand up into the wind one day at 30 mph and you'll be surprised at the amount of force the wind makes even at "around town" speeds).

Quality of fit and finish with the Road Glide, like all the Harley's, is terrific. I think the Road Glide is the pinnacle of the line, and a very comfortable touring bike. It will be interesting to see if the fairing lowers provide TOO much protection from the wind - I don't ever want to forget that I'm riding a motorcycle, and my goal isn't to mimic the characteristics of the Gold Wing.

 

Lowers will stop the buffeting.They made a big difference on mine.Most of the wind is comming up from the bottom.