I'm considering switching from soft lowers to HD's fairing lowers, but don't want to spend the money if they don't provide better weather protection. Would like to hear opinions from riders who have used both.

 

If you do a lot of cold weather riding then get the hard lowers. If you only ride in cold once and awhile get the soft ones and save your money.
I have a set of soft lowers that I keep in a saddle bag in case I need them.
Harley warns to take off the soft ones if the temp is over 50.
The hard ones can stay on as I guess they give a better air flow and you won't over heat your engine.

 

The hard fairings "order" the air flow and contribute to better cooling in warm weather.

I've tested this myself- and oil temps are consistently cooler in the heat of summer in Phoenix.

I've just ordered a set of fairing lowers for my 09 FLHTC color matched and a great price at zanotti's ( with a wait...)

The glove boxes are the perfect place to keep gloves and hat- and stuff you may want while riding.

great protection from the rain, keep the legs warm in the cold weather.

had the fairings take a couple of rocks that might have been painful and once, a dove.

so all positives from me.

I'll be selling a set of the soft one's soon ( came from previous owner of the 09)

MK

 

I think the the HD lower fairings stears the air away

 

I have used soft lowers and now have the hard lowers for my '08 Road Glide. The soft lowers did a good job of protecting my legs from cold and rain, but were less aerodynamic than the hard lowers. Maybe it was my imagination, but the soft lowers seemed to drag the bike down because they are sticking out there like sails. The hard lowers seemed to flow air around my legs and did not have a noticeable effect on performance (again, this is subjective and may be my mind's way of justifying the expense!).

But the hard lowers sure look better!

 

Never used the soft lowers but hell I think they'd be fine protection if you wait until the temps are pretty much staying 50 or lower to put them on.I just wouldn't want to be taking them on and off all the time.If I owned a R-King that's probably what I'd be using.

The vented lowers on my FLHTCU stay on all year long,works for me living in Northern Illinois.

 

Your signature picture looks like an 09-up Road King. I have both an 07 Road King and an 09 Ultra, which of course has the hard lowers.

I use the soft lowers on the Road King, since I like to ride it to work as long as possible through the season. Those soft lowers do a terrific job of keeping my legs warm on the ride to work, and then I take them off at lunchtime (two minutes), assuming that it's going to be above 50°F for the ride home. I don't see how hard lowers would keep your legs any warmer. And on a Road King, you don't have a batwing fairing to keep your upper body out of the weather anyway.

My point here is that by adding hard lowers to a Road King, you are taking away some of what makes a RK a RK, namely the simplicity. If I could only own one bike, it would be a RK. If your objective is to stay warm, then the soft lowers will do the job at least as well as the hard ones. If you want the well-defined looks of color-matched lowers, then yes, the hard lowers probably look better than the soft ones.

 

Personally, I feel the soft lowers work better to block the cold air from hitting your feet & legs since very little air is coming through the area between them. That's born out by the lessor engine cooling which is why they are supposed to be used in cooler weather only. I like the fact they can be stuffed into a saddlebag until needed.

 

Get the hard lowers You wont be disappointed

 

Added hard lowers just prior to our last lengthy trip, economy actually went up from 38mpg to almost 43mpg; engine oil temp went down from 245/250 to 230/240 in the same temperature bands but with more weight on the bike. I appreciate the reduced air stream at my legs and of course for the cooler rides they will be handy but I still get air flow across my knees and some to the inside of my legs so I do not expect greatly reduced wet ride in rain but I could be wrong.

I am keeping these on!