I have them and I'd never be without them. Really kinda puts you in a bubble. Great in the rain too. Never had a problem even at way over 75.

 

They definitely alter the way the bike feels, but they do work.
Just got back from a cross country trip and I firmly believe that I stayed warmer and drier because of them, and the road/wind noise was less as well.
FWIW, I have an '07 Ultra and have removed the factory hard lowers.

 

Funny.....you removed your hard lowers, and mounted fork wind deflectors, I removed my fork wind deflectors (check out signature photo) and bought/mounted brand new lower fairings (check out attached photo)....Well, that's life and this is why we like our Harley-Davidson life-style!

 

made these for my DYNA

 

Thanks guys...Like I said, It could have been my vivid imagaination!
I do like the way they look for certain.
Thanks again
I need to do the pay member thing so I can view pix

 

...Could be my imagination but they seem to work until you reach about 65 mpg.. At 75 the wind actually seems worse. Anyone have the same experience or observations?
Thanks

Suppose it depends on size, bars, position etc.
I wouldn't have bought for my 03 King, on 08 the new tank form factor gave me some kind of sniffin'upwind my sinus hated.
The deflectors worked perfectly at any speed, I couldn't go without !

Good ride,

JJ

 

Want to bring back this old thread. I put a pair of these wind deflectors on my Road King and took a 270 mile ride and when I got home I took them off. I could not tell any difference, in fact, I think the wind swirling may have been worse once you get over 65 and my wife on the back said she had never felt so much heat on her hands and legs before. I am going to keep the fork baffle in and give that a try by itself.

 

Must depend on pilot/passenger height, position and so on...

I confirm, would'nt go without, my wife did'nt mention any difference.

JJ

 

Tried them and took them off as fast as I put them on. Changed the feel of my bike!

 

Right, changes feeling, a bit more air to push, but less in human sensible nose !)

JJ

 

Added them to my '10 RK. Allows me to wear a wider range of helmets without fear of buffeting.

 

I'm more confused now. Talk about differences in opinion over a product. I guess there are many variables. My goal is to minimize buffeting and was considering the deflectors eventhough they are ugly. At least the Kuriyakyn deflectors have some style to them, I wonder how they work? The guy that posted pics of his home made plastic deflectors for his Dyna should be hired by Harley, he did a nice job on those. I've done the windshield thing so I'm looking for options. There are enough used deflectors on the used market so thats the direction I'll go. Hopefully I'm one that likes them.

 

Thank you, I try.

 

I bought a set on fleabay last week, should be arriving soon. I'm just thinking that I will be one of the ones that won't like them...

rkc

 

No one will know better than you.
Give a try.
Be happy.
Have fun.

JJ

 

My personal take on reducing the wind behind a batwing fairing comes for my own experiments and again, they are just my .02!
The right Windshield and full lowers are the only thing I'm finding that truly does it right. I recently tried yet another piece to reduce the turbulence, one of those between the front fork air baffles on my Street Glide. It made the turbulence behind the fairing on my glasses worse. It also caused an increase in engine temperature. I think that may be because it kept air from getting to the rear cylinder? Thats just a guess? I have had 2 windshields, and have compromised by using the Windsplitter. It is the best as a compromise, however, to really calm things down, there is nothing that will do it like a taller shield, no matter the brand, flip top or not. I was going to go with a 6.5 Klock Werks but chose the Windsplitter because it looked similar and was readily available. Also, despite some of the Harley parts bashing that goes on, I personally have always had good luck with OEM products. My
.02, save your money on all of these deflectors and baffles. If you want calm behind the fairing and good handling, purchase at least a 10" shield and some full lowers. The bike will continue to handle as it was designed and you'll have calm and quiet. Or compromise like I did and have wind but not a direct in your glasses wind, good handling and pick up a 6.5" to 7" shield with a flip top.

 

A friend gave me a set. Was out riding with another guy and I was complaining they made things worse. He pointed out I had them backwards,LOL much nicer after proper installation.

 

I can understand why they might not be as effective on a RK. But they work very well on my EG. I also run a taller windshield than on my SG which makes for a better wind pocket. They make very little handling difference on an EG as well.

 

As I mentioned, I took mine off as soon as I got home and I have not had the chance to ride with only the baffle installed. I will be taking the allen wrench along with me though so I can take that out quickly if needed.

JPB7, backwards, that is too funny.

 

I had them on my old RK and the difference was major in a very positive way. No longer would air rush up from around the tank and jostle my helmet around. I installed them in '98 and never removed them, but can't speculate on how they work on a fairing bike. They won't fit my FLHX, so I didn't install them on this bike. I would have otherwise, but probably not since installing lowers.

 

I was at the Harley dealer to buy a pair of front bullet signal lites for my 03 RK and saw the wind deflector on a rack. I posted earlier I would check the used market for them, but went ahead and bought them anyway. I couldn't wait to try them out on Labor day since I had about a 300 mile ride planned in the mountains. However, it started wrong when after installation I noticed I couldn't turn the handlebars much without the deflectors contacting the front crash bars. I mean when I got to about 5 oclock with 3 oclock being the stationary position, contact was made. It was so bad I figured this couldn't be normal. I figured what the hell and proceeded to bend them by slowly turning the deflectors into the crash bar. This worked well, but there is a extra crease in the deflector now. I bent them enough where I had enough clearance to at least turn the bars for both high and low speed stuff, only going backwards at just under full wheel lock is contact made. I wanted to try them out regardless of the bending just to see if they improved the buffeting problem I've been fighting with to the tune of three windshields in the last six months. It was worth it to me to bend them up and if I don't like them I'll take a loss and sell them. The instructions made it sound like all you had to do was make a slight alteration if contact with the crash bar is made. In my case it was a major alteration.

In the looks department they weren't as bad as I had imagined before. Prior to the ride I pumped up my rear shock to over 10 lbs., I mentioned this because it influenced how the deflectors worked later.

Got out to the highway, while accelerating I picked up some vibration which caused some visual blurring, but this was only occurring at a certain rpm, it went away as I went faster. There were a number of cars on the road, the winds were pretty mild, but the cars as we know causes wind turbulence and thats a pretty good test for the deflectors. At around 50-55mph I noticed the front end would get pushed around more than usual by the wind turbulence. It was clear to me the deflectors were acting like a sail or a wing, this caused the bike to push left or right, not badly, but enough to notice. I really didn't like that element, but noticed as well the setting I had on my air shocks was much too stiff. I had to contend with the rear end taking some hits from bumps, not a plush ride at all. I was focusing on those issues more than wind buffeting so I decided to stop and adjust the air pressure in the shocks. I did that and it made a world of difference in my perception of the bike's handling from the standpoint of having the deflectors on. At least now I could give them an honest assessment.

Another factor was my windshield, my current shield is 18" and I have a 19-20" at home. I look over the 18" and actually feel it might be a little too short. The 19" to 20" is a little too tall, the windshield line interfers with my vision in many circumstances. However, it offers the better protection against buffeting.

After riding for about an hour I came to the conclusion the air deflectors did improve the buffeting situation noticibly and it helped I softened the shocks too. That had nothing to do with deflecting wind but it did influence my initial opinions about the deflectors. There is the pushing around issue that takes some getting used to, after awhile I didn't even notice it anymore, I was just happy the wind buffeting was pretty much neutralized.

I'm looking forward to putting the taller windshield back on and see how much more improved the situation will be. If need be I can cut that windshield down an inch and that just might be spot on. I'm trying to get as close as I can to replicating that "quiet zone" right behind the windshield when you crouch down and move forward closer to the shield. All you notice in that position is the quietness of the air and the sound of your motor purring like a sewing machine.

I understand you can't stop all the wind, my goal was to minimize wind buffeting and the deflectors achieved the goal for me. :clap:

Off the subject, but I also replaced my headlamp with a Sylvania 9003 Ultra bulb and its noticibly brighter than stock. Haven't tried it at night, but I think its gonna be good. I got it as a result of reading a thread here about headlight upgrades. I'll upgrade the passing lamps next.

 

After you add all the wind defectors...shoulda bought a RG.

 

After reading many threads about this subject the RG comes up as one with the most wind buffeting problems. Just sitting on one tells you why, the windshield is too far ahead of the rider. However, I believe the remedy is a taller windshield similar to the RK remedy. Just finding the right height is the 64K question. I was all lathered up at one time to buy a RG in about a year, but now I'm giving it second thoughts. The wind buffeting issue is one thing I have to resolve. I found the RK does offer versatility over the RG, one is the ability to quickly ride with or without a shield. Theres something about cruising down the road without a shield, its a good experience and I do it about 50% of the time. All I need to make that ride better is a driver's back rest, that will relieve wind blast. At this time I'm "converting" my RK to look more like a RG where I can, I really like the RG rear set up.

 

I still own my old '95 EG that has a stock windshield cut down to a level that I can look over it but tall enough that it isn't annoying to see over. On this bike I also have the fork mounted wind deflectors. I also own an '06 SG with a 6" windshield and no fork deflectors.
The difference between the two is dramatic regarding buffeting. The old bike with the deflectors has far less wind turbulence than my SG. I love that hot rodded SG but the old Evo always gets the nod for the longer trips. It doesn't beat me up (wind-wise) like my SG. Those deflectors work very well with the bat-wing fairing.

 

Have bought lots of things off E bay and never got beat up.
Always paid imediately with PayPal.
Some deals didn't furnish tracking info or follow up messages but items showed up in a few days. Got pretty frustrated with them.
Showed the dis-satisfaction with that in the feedback info.
Been lucky I guess.

As for the Chrome Shields I like them on my EG. Had them on my Road King also. They help with the wind in the chest area and the pushing of the knees apart on the road. Not near as tired when on trips with them.

Barney Biker
07 EG
PGR

 

Well, back no my ebay situation, I opened a case last week and I got my refund yesterday with no explanation. I am guessing the seller wanted to get more money for them. I'll look again.

I am also worried about how they will look\function without the windshield...

rkc

 

Ordered these yesterday, in black, will keep you posted.
http://street-glide.com/index.html

 

OK, I got another pair off ebay. Had them on this week and although they "may" help a smidgen, they will be coming off and will be put up for sale.

They don't make a dramatic difference and I don't like the looks of them. Glad I didn't buy a new pair.

rkc

 

Now that I've had on my deflectors for awhile now and have enjoyed the improvement in the buffeting, something I did recently really put the icing on the cake. I installed a Progressive Tour Link and this upgrade with the deflectors nailed it. The link stopped that little bit of movement I was getting when the deflectors would cause the bike to move a little during side winds or the normal turbulent wind you catch on the freeway, from other cars and trucks. The link stabilized all that and now instead of being a bobble head and putting up with the racket of buffeting, I can cruise in comfort as it should be.

I think lowers serves a similar purpose from what I have gleaned from this thread as deflectors. The windshield is also a key element in the mix, if you have a shield that is too short then the deflector's help will be minimal if anything.

The one drawback that I was surprised I haven't heard of is the fact the deflectors got in the way of making full lock to lock turns with the front wheel. The fix is bending them as the instructions indicate, but mine were very restrictive so I took the manhandle approach and turned the deflectors into the crash bars at full stop. This bent them to where the the bike can turn lock to lock but now the deflector has a crease in the metal. Not noticible enough for me to worry about, the problem was fixed.

At this time I love having the deflectors and the touring link combo. I thought at first they would look funky, but they actually look pretty good on the bike. If I had a concern it would be is the deflector deflecting too much air away from the cylinders? I thought about it and figured at cruising or highway speeds theres ample air flying around to keep things cool, dispite the deflectors. At the parade level speeds in stop and go traffic dead air is more of an issue with overheating and the deflector plays no part in that.