Ok, I'm adding a HD fairing to my Road King, and I am wondering which height shield I need? The stock windshield (21")was too tall, so I bought one 4" shorter and liked it much better, but I think 3" shorter would have been perfect. So what does that equate to on a fairing shield? 4", 6", 8"????

Don't want to start a shield war, but I have never had a fairing bike, and I don't want to end up buying 2 or 3 shields before I get it right. Any recommendations on brands would be helpful, ie; HD, Klockwerks, Cee Baily, etc.

Thanks- Jon

 

The rule of thumb as I know it has been...

1. Measure the height to your headlight center.

2. Measure 25' from your front axle to a point at headlight center

3. Mark the spot on your windshield that your line-of-sight hits.


This gauge is supposed to offer the maximum windshield protection without sacrificing visiblity by looking over your windshield, not through it.

Put the fairing on and measure the opposite way.

 

It is all in what you want. Do you want wind, sand, rain, and bugs in your face? I have the standard shield, 12 inches and just measured it. It is 12.5 inches tall at the center measured from the top of the fairing. I am 6'-3" tall, wear glasses, and when seated and relaxed I look through it about 3 inches or so from top. I can sit up and look over it with no problem when I feel the need. Kinda like this as it gives me protection and can look over it if necessary. Rarely get hit in the face with grit or bugs and it gives pretty good rain protection. Also don't have much buffeting to my glasses like I get when me and my buddy switch up, he has an 8 inch screen on a 2009 Street Glide. Personally, I would not have the shorter one...

Have replaced it twice with HD parts and the last time I got the light smoke color. To me this is better than the clear one at night as it seems to help reduce glare from oncoming headlights and does not reduce night time visibility like a dark smoke color possibly would. The reason for me replacing it was I hate it when it gets pitted from road dirt and sand. FWIW-My scoot has almost 45,000 miles on it and most of them are highway riding...

Next time you see an Electra Glide or three, ask the rider to let you sit on it to form an opinion before you buy one you really don't like because it is too short or too tall...

 

Go tall if you are not sure. Any glass shop can cut it down for you. Personally, I would check out the LONG RIDE SHIELDS. I don't have one, but I think that will be the one I go with when I do buy a new one. They have a new model out that looks promising.

 

Good thread. Definitely do your homework. Stock Ultra was 12". Top of windshield caught me exactly at eye level, drove me nuts.

Took the 12" to a plastics shop to cut it down to 9 1/2", they completely F'ed it up and bought me one from HD.

Then I also bought a 15" (which I never use) but I'm completely covered by.

Said F it and bought a 4".

It gets expensive playing the windshield wars.

 

If you think the 3" shorter would have been better,take a measurement from a reference point on the bike.Also note where the the top of the shield would be in regards to your face.
When you get the fairing installed you should be able to use the reference points to find the shield height.

Finding the right sheild also depends on what you want it for.A lot of riders like the short ones for the looks and others like taller ones for protection.

 

I have a 8 or 8.5" clear view with a tint and re-curve. It works great. Blows the wind up over my head and allows me to see over it comfortably. Still i can hunker down behiend it if required.

 

Thanks fellas! I like the ideas, looks like I need to sit on a few bikes at the dealer and see where I go from there.

 

In my mind, there's no such thing as a perfect windshield height. I usually like to look over it, but sometimes when it's cold and rainy, I want to a taller one to sit behind and stay warm and dry. But alas, HD doesn't offer an adjustable windshield, yet.

So I do like Olde Skool and get one I can see over, but scrunch behind if needed.

One word of caution, if you think you might be changing your seat out to a Tallboy or a Reach model, do it before you get your windshield. Don't ask me how I know.

 

Quick rule of thumb is subtract 10" from the dimension of top of the windshield cutout to where you want the top of the fairing shield. i.e. the stock 21" would be about the same as a 11" fairing shield and your 4" cut down would change that to a ~7". Are you looking through the shield or over it? Sounds like an 8" recurve from Clearview would be a good choice. I always suggest getting an inexpensive 10" one from FastAire and go from there. Easy to cut down, small investment, and easy to mark with tape to see where various heights will be while riding. Keep in mind that recurve shields shields are pretty distorted near the top so you need to be able to look over them IMO. Get a too tall recurve and you may end up selling it within a week.