Here is the original post I put up about buffeting on my 2009 Road King Classic, and the results of having a custom shield made by Clearview Shields.

Summer 2009

‘I spent 2 days doing experiments on my RKC because i was having terrible buffeting issues. I even ordered the replacement / stock height windshield from Clearview w/ recurve, and was shocked when I put it on, and the buffeting got worse! I was so frustrated, that I grabbed the shield on the corners with my hands, and lo and behold, the buffeting stopped! WTF?!? That started me moving my hands into different positions, and then making a cutout of my shield that was the stock height, then a little higher, and the stock width, and then a little wider. I moved it around until I found out what the issue was... the air coming straight past / over the corners of the shield was getting churned by the air rising off the shield itself, and pummeling my head – what I later learned to be a Von Karman Vortex, which is what the swirls coming off the tip of a jet airplane wing looks like. That, combined with the negative air pressure behind the shield (vacuum) only needed one thing... a higher shield with a more squared off corner section, which I have had Clearview make for me - it is shipping tomorrow, fingers are crossed that this is it.’

10/26/09

The shield is on, it is 1.25” higher than stock (so it has gone from 19.5” to 20.75”), ½” wider on each wide, and the top is squared off and rounded like a Triumph Rocket 3 shield, but a little more rounded in the corners – it also has the recurve. The shield is well below my line of sight, and I could probably have it be ½” higher since I am 6'2'' and ride bolt upright most of the time, and still be out of my way in most riding conditions.

So here are the results:

I took the bike straight to the highway, got her up to 80 mph, it was windy as hell outside… and…. NO buffeting! There was a forceful stream of air that was moving just over the top of my helmet, and a little air was making it to my head, but not in the corners / side of my helmet like before. Also, with the shield a little wider, most of the air was being pushed just outside of my hands, and if I held the inside of my grips, there was practically no wind at all… just a very light breeze. This is with 12.5” apes that are 36.5” wide… NICE. One last point of interest… there is no vacuum pulling me forward on the bike, so this is the ideal setup.

The total cost for the shield was $211.00, plus shipping. If there is someone out there who wants this shield, I would sell it to them at a discount, and then have CV make me one that is ½” higher since I am going to be putting my bike into storage soon for the winter, and can wait the 4 weeks… let me know! I hope this helps…

Andrew

 

That's kinda strange, at least for me. I've own 3 Road Kings since 2000 and I've never experienced any buffeting at any speed and I have traveled all over the US on them.

 

I have heard that from some riders - may I ask how tall you are?

 

Curious, how tall are you?

 

Well, I guess you could say the problem IS all in our heads. Seriously, you're a very lucky man because it does take away from the enjoyment of the ride when your vision is blurred due to buffeting.

 

6'5".......

 

I did the opposite cut my shield down about 2-1/2 inches mainly because I did not like looking through the windshield, the side effect though was that I got less buffeting. The edges of the windshield are more squared, I did not really taper the cut and it squared it off. Maybe this helped with buffeting? BTW I'm 5' 10".

 

Hmmm... I wonder if you are so tall that your head is getting 'clean' air, and is above the area that has all of the buffeting. Perhaps us wee little people have the pleasure of wrestling with the issue. I think that the shield I have on is probably perfect for those between 5'10 and 6'2''....

 

Maybe I don't know. I just know that I honestly have never had it happen on the RK's and truly didn't know it was an issue for some. That's one reason I like them. Now my 2010 SG is a different story as I get buffeting on it alot, esp at Interstate speeds and even with the factory HD screen replaced with a 6.5" KW windshield. Course I don't know of anybody that doesn't getting buffeting on a Batwing bike at one speed or another.

 

A friend of mine just sold his 08 RK just couldn't stand the buffeting any longer. I'd guess he's about 6'1" or 2 , I rode the bike ( I'm 6'4" ) thought it was one of the nicest bikes I've ever ridden.
Now about the buffeting on my RG