Freedom Shields
Freedom Shields - Eval
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 902
Likes: 152
From: Georgia
Freedom Shields - Eval
I just purchased the Freedom Shields 9 Ultra in the dark tint for my 2011 Harley FLHTK. I am 59 and using a reach seat and the line of sight is perfect for me. I was immediately impressed by the quality of the new windshield. It is superior to the factory Harley windshield in fit, finish, strength and overall appearance. It looks like what Harley should be putting on their bikes.
Because I could do a test run if I leave the protective film on, I thought I would try it under all my riding situations. I rode for about 3 hours and put about 175 miles total on it today. I rode some back roads at 45-60 miles per hour and I rode some interstate at 75-80 miles per hour. I took my half helmet and my full face so I could check both out. On my half helmet I was surprised to find a gentle breeze mostly on the sides of the helmet and on the full face I had no noticeable wind noise. In Utah we have a lot of canyons and the wind sometimes gusts to as much as 65 mph. I purposely rode in the canyons and one notoriously windy area to see how it handled the wind. THAT WAS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE! The wind was still there but the bike didnt move around as much and I could feel the wind hitting me and trying to blow me off the bike but it didnt grab the handlebars like the Harley windshield does. This was a huge improvement in keeping control of the bike.
Next noticeable improvement was when on the interstate and passing huge tractor trailers I didnt have as much turbulence as normal. It may be because I dont have as big a Sail as with the Harley but you feel slight pressure as you pass the rear of the trailer but nothing after that. I usually get bounced around when passing the big trucks all the way passed them.
On another note, it seemed that my engine noise was noticeably louder than it normally is with the Harley windshield and I finally deduced that the new windshield had better acoustics in the bubble behind the fairing and less wind noise meant I could hear other things better. I actually dont use the radio that much and forgot to even try it.
I wondered how I would like the dark tint but I love it. It is dark and looks great on the Candy Root Beer bike but it was very easy to see through if you have to. I also found that the 9 was almost exactly at the height of the tip of my nose and gave me plenty of room to comfortably see over it without having to move around. Another bonus that I never thought of is because there is a big difference between the dark tint and seeing clear road ahead is the fact that I didnt follow cars quite as closely as I did before. If I got close enough that I couldnt see the car in front of me without looking through the dark tint, I backed off a little until I could see them clearly without looking through the windshield. Thats just a little safety bonus for me.
When I got home I pulled off my full face helmet and set it down and then looked at the front of the bike. The fairing and the windshield were covered in hundreds of bugs I collected on the trip which is pretty normal this time of year. The surprise came when I looked at the front of my helmet and it only had a couple of tiny bug spots on the entire helmet. I was very surprised because at least 5 to 6 inches sticks up above the windshield and it really proved to me that the wind was moving above my head like it should. I put pictures of the bugs below to show the difference.
Because I could do a test run if I leave the protective film on, I thought I would try it under all my riding situations. I rode for about 3 hours and put about 175 miles total on it today. I rode some back roads at 45-60 miles per hour and I rode some interstate at 75-80 miles per hour. I took my half helmet and my full face so I could check both out. On my half helmet I was surprised to find a gentle breeze mostly on the sides of the helmet and on the full face I had no noticeable wind noise. In Utah we have a lot of canyons and the wind sometimes gusts to as much as 65 mph. I purposely rode in the canyons and one notoriously windy area to see how it handled the wind. THAT WAS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE! The wind was still there but the bike didnt move around as much and I could feel the wind hitting me and trying to blow me off the bike but it didnt grab the handlebars like the Harley windshield does. This was a huge improvement in keeping control of the bike.
Next noticeable improvement was when on the interstate and passing huge tractor trailers I didnt have as much turbulence as normal. It may be because I dont have as big a Sail as with the Harley but you feel slight pressure as you pass the rear of the trailer but nothing after that. I usually get bounced around when passing the big trucks all the way passed them.
On another note, it seemed that my engine noise was noticeably louder than it normally is with the Harley windshield and I finally deduced that the new windshield had better acoustics in the bubble behind the fairing and less wind noise meant I could hear other things better. I actually dont use the radio that much and forgot to even try it.
I wondered how I would like the dark tint but I love it. It is dark and looks great on the Candy Root Beer bike but it was very easy to see through if you have to. I also found that the 9 was almost exactly at the height of the tip of my nose and gave me plenty of room to comfortably see over it without having to move around. Another bonus that I never thought of is because there is a big difference between the dark tint and seeing clear road ahead is the fact that I didnt follow cars quite as closely as I did before. If I got close enough that I couldnt see the car in front of me without looking through the dark tint, I backed off a little until I could see them clearly without looking through the windshield. Thats just a little safety bonus for me.
When I got home I pulled off my full face helmet and set it down and then looked at the front of the bike. The fairing and the windshield were covered in hundreds of bugs I collected on the trip which is pretty normal this time of year. The surprise came when I looked at the front of my helmet and it only had a couple of tiny bug spots on the entire helmet. I was very surprised because at least 5 to 6 inches sticks up above the windshield and it really proved to me that the wind was moving above my head like it should. I put pictures of the bugs below to show the difference.
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 324
Likes: 1
From: Northern CO
I also have a freedom shield. I am 5'10, and it works as designed. I don't feel any turbulence around my head or neck, and I can wear my half helmet all day, something I couldn't do with the stock Harley EG shield.
I also ran the stock street glide shield the bike came with. and it caused my glasses to vibrate so bad I couldn't see at all at anything over 50 miles an hour. The 7 inch shield is only 3 inches taller, looks better on the bike i think, and works exceedingly well.
This is literally the best looking windshield I have ever seen. It has highly polished edges, and is really durable. I ran it for about 15000 miles last year and it looks new.
I also ran the stock street glide shield the bike came with. and it caused my glasses to vibrate so bad I couldn't see at all at anything over 50 miles an hour. The 7 inch shield is only 3 inches taller, looks better on the bike i think, and works exceedingly well.
This is literally the best looking windshield I have ever seen. It has highly polished edges, and is really durable. I ran it for about 15000 miles last year and it looks new.
Thread Starter
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 902
Likes: 152
From: Georgia
I haven't tried it with a passenger yet but it appears to be a calmer area so I'm hoping it will be back there too. I'll try to test it out this weekend if we get dry weather.
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 152
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Just curious if you had a chance to hit the road with a passenger yet?
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Thread Starter
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 902
Likes: 152
From: Georgia
I actually did this weekend and she didn't notice any problem at all but she didn't ride with the stock windshield so there is nothing to compare it to. Wish I could be more help.