Hi guys,
I ordered a 7" windshield from Windvest (yes I am not joking, they are not on their site, but do exist) after that I had tried a 6". The 6" seems to work fine but to be sure I ordered a 7". Today I received the shield but it strikes me that I had more buffeting then with the 6". Now I wonder if it is possible that a higher windscreen causes more turbulence? Anyone has experience?

 

One of the things you can do to verify this is to put the 6 in the saddlebag & take the 7 for long one way ride. When you get to the end, swap the shields & test the 6 going back on the same roads & speeds. Take mental notes & decide.

The recurve style windshields move the air stream upwards above the windshields lip. The 6 could be at a point where you didnt feel it and the 7 is exacly where you do feel it. Alot of the wind that causes the head shake comes from the sides & not the top airflow. So its possible that the shape of the 7 doesnt work as well for you as the 6.

Its often the perception of the rider that makes one size feel different than the other.

The one size & shape you like, the guy next to you may not....

 

The answer to your question can be different depending on what bike it is on and what other equipment is on the front of the bike. I have a very high (21") windshield on my FLHP with absolutely zero wind buffeting issues.

The short answer is yes one inch can make a difference, but it is influenced by many factors, some of which I mentioned. Best of luck.

 

Can a windshield be too high?
I don't know , but I can.

 

The top of the shield should line up with the tip of your nose/mouth area. If your 6 is low enough that the wind gets channeled to your chest where you don't much notice, then you go another inch, and now its channeling into your face. That's one possibility. Many factors are involved. How did the 6 line up with you?

 

Sounds like my wife

 

wind buffeting is a poorly understood phenomena ..It is a combination of air from 5 sides (top bottom, left,right, back) when ever you change any of the first 4 you change the 5th as they are all inter related ...If you look at it like this..you are driving down the road the wind comes from the front over the top of the windshield around the sides and up from the bottom,and they all curve in to fill the partial vacuum that is formed behind the windshield...when everything is ideal, the air all meets evenly in the area of your head and cancel each other out causing a area of dead air...also Ideally this area of dead air is large enough so that when it moves forward/backwards according to your speed you are still in the dead air space...changing the windshield just one inch WILL affect this area of dead and may even eliminate it........When you raise the windshield you force the air over the windshield higher and with higher pressure and effectively make the low pressure area behind the windshield larger and at a lower pressure, which in turn causes the other areas of the front of the bike (sides of windshield, and area under the windshield) to "suck" the air in quicker to fix the imbalance, the worst part is if these areas can't make up the difference quick enough the air also rushes in from the back which is what people call buffeting....So you ask 'what is the cure?'...Well there is none, the best you can hope for is that you get a acceptable balance at the speed you drive the most...and that the approx. neutral air bubble behind the windshield is where your head is (that changes by you height, seat height, seating stance etc.and some other minor factors)...I have been lucky, on my roadking the neutral air bubble was slightly forward for how I sit (I found this out by moving my head all around as I was driving) so I cut 1 inch off of the windshield and it helped some so i went back and cut off another inch and now I have a large neutral air bubble around me when I drive (most of the time)..

 

Having the top of the windshield at my nose screwed with my vision. I ended up with a taller one with no problems

 

If I'm looking through it instead of over it, it's too high for me. But that's my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions.

 

You ever see a windshield on a Goldwing? They must be 3 feet tall.