See No Evil – How To Buy A Touring WindshieldMay 27 '07 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line The cheapest or first windshield you find might not do the trick for you. Remember: size, shape, and angle make all the difference in the world.
It Might Be Time! There comes a time when being thrashed and throttled around, feeling like you are doing 200 chin-ups an hour, eating bugs, and feeling the rain run down your neck all lose their allure. Sometimes even the windshield that came on your motorcycle does not seem to work. That is the time when buying a windshield moves to the top of your accessory list. But before you grab the first one you see at your local dealer, the cheapest one around, or the coolest looking one on the internet, there are some things you might want to consider. What Does The Windshield Do? Should you have not already noticed; a motorcycle is not a car. A motorcycle windshield is not a window for viewing what might be outside the box you are riding around in. There is really a whole bunch of that aerodynamic stuff going on with even an unfaired or “naked” bike that affects the riding experience. That slab of Plexiglas or Lexan in front of you channels the airflow around the vehicle rather than stopping its path directly with your chest. On any vehicle the power train is pushing against and through a solid wall of air. In this case, it has to do with what the physics teachers make you memorize during the first weeks of classes. No matter what you want to think, Newton wrote it down and now it is the law. To build every ego on two wheels, air sees your chest as the most massive part of your body. In other words, the largest single item resisting that wind is your combined upper body and head. Once you reach 20 or 30 mph a rider is pulling his body through the resisting force of the wind, using all those same muscles you use for chin-ups. Back to those aerodynamic bits, a motorcycle windshield directs the resistive force of that solid wall of wind around the equally resistive force of your chest. It is a lot like the curved or pointed bow of a boat. Style Is Important The “look” of your motorcycle really does need to match the type of riding you plan on doing. If you want a bike for sport touring, then you will want a smaller café style windshield. The café style got that name from European riders who would race from café to café (tipping a glass at each café). It is very small, and shaped like a bullet for maximum air penetration. While not overly protective, it reduces the amount of force the power train must produce to overcome the resistance of the air. Those arm and chest muscles do somewhat less work, and your can ride faster on a slower motorcycle. For a touring motorcycle, the windshield needs to be larger. Height reduces the pressure on your head and neck, while width reduces the pressure on your chest and arm. Those two dimensions pretty much control your protection from searing wind, pummeling rain, and low nutrition content bugs. So Bigger Is Better? Just like in other of life’s pleasurable activities, it is not the size of the windshield that makes the difference, it is what is what is done with the size. The overall size does affect the blocking force of wind hitting your body, and will make riding less work (holding on in the pressure of the wind blast). Your motorcycle power train does have to pay a price in the added resistance of the larger surface area (that Newton guy continues to enforce his laws), while huge, flat windshields are usually not very attractive. So the compromise comes with shape. A curved shape affects the ability of the windshield to "cut" through the air, and will effect buffeting of you and the bike. With less force needed to cut that air, there is also a less abrupt change to the air flow around you. Kind of like closely following an eighteen wheeler, a wide and flat windshield will produce buffeting air around your body. Buffeting air is almost as uncomfortable as a solid full force of air. The amount of curve, and how far around your body it directs the airflow, will tell you how much protection and comfort you will get for your Plexiglas dollar. For even more mass reduction and protection, some designers use compound curves at the top and edges to gently redirect air and flying insects. Oh yeah, those curves can greatly enhance the overall lines of your pocket rocket. Angles are important too! Your high school geometry teacher tried to tell you angles were important, and he was right. A “straight up and down” windshield will stop some of the wind, but it will be harder to push through the air, and the area of protection will be greatly reduced. Windshields that meet the air less abruptly will extend the calm air behind it by as much as two or three feet! More comfort and less work for the engine are great paybacks for a little geometry and aerodynamics. There Is No Windshield Wiper! It is not unusual for non-riders to wonder how you can ride in the rain without a windshield wiper. Those folks rarely know that a motorcycle windshield is not something you are supposed to look through. A motorcycle windshield is something designed for you to overlook! Remembering that the first thing it does is to direct the wind over and around the rider, it should be easy to see how it also redirects rain over and around the rider. Looking through those couple of inches above and beside the windshield will return a clear, unobstructed view of the road ahead! So here is where a bit of measuring comes in handy. You need to have a windshield that allows you to look a couple of inches over the top without straining or slumping. The mounting system should allow for this adjustment, and some motorcycles have mechanisms for changing the height and angle of the windshield while riding. Most aftermarket models come in either stocked or custom heights too. All Together Now Slapping either the cheapest or first windshield you find onto your motorcycle might not do the trick for you. Remember: size, shape, and angle make all the difference in the world for a touring motorcyclist.  |
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