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No windshield = Better ride ?

7K views 47 replies 25 participants last post by  tohefan 
#1 ·
I’m 6 ft 4” and was getting a crazy amount of buffeting even with the windscreen all the way up.. like my jaws hurt it was so bad open face full face or half lid.

I know I know ... lowers but I just bought the bike oct 3rd (it now has 502 miles on it) I don’t feel like cobbling together something and real ones are out of $ range right now ..

so I took the windshield off .. it’s soo much smoother it’s crazy even with my open face helmet it didn’t bobble at all till I hit 80 mph on the highway

Anyone want to chime in with their thoughts ? Let’s beat a dead horse lol
 
#3 ·
I loved how my C50 looked without a windshield. Tried for a few months to keep the look ... but the wind pressure wore me down. Not to mention what it feels like to collide with a large bug at 70 MPH!!

Chuck, do you have lowers on yours? I found them to be a necessity to get rid of the darned buffeting from the OEM windshield.

.
 
#4 ·
Only other bike I’ve had that had a windshield was my old gold wing and my Honda shadow .. my triumph chopper, XS650 , kz440 and vstar 650 none of them had windshields I’ve ridden 70+ not knowing a difference bugs hit the vest or jacket

had a bee hit me in the eye once behind a face shield and glasses bout flipped over my handlebars ?? .. no my bike dosent have lowers
 
#5 ·
Oddly, my ride on the c50 was smoother without the windshield and my helmet was more still and quiet up to about 60mph. Loved it. But, at 70mph, it is time to hold on for dear life. Not a problem for an hour but not so much for 2+ hours. So much riding here on the freeway is at about 80mph and at that speed, it was a challenge to ride for very long. As always, the setup on bikes depends on how you use them most of the time.

I did have lowers on my bike - $100 and you can have them plus the installation parts. They are chrome lowers.
 
#6 ·
I own a naked bike now, and it really wears you down once you get over 60mph. I also tried riding my C50 without the shield and only a half helmet once. There is no way I'll do that again. I guess I just haven't developed a taste for bug juice.
 
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#8 ·
Windshield and lowers here. Still had bad helmet buffeting but it was on the top of my helmet. The lowers did eliminate the buffeting from underneath the helmet but a visor clamped on to the top of my windshield took care of the top. Took a lot accessories to get myself in the bubble but now it's smooth sailing.
 
#9 ·
Riding without a windshield is incredibly fatiguing. You are literally spending hours holding yourself in position on the bike and trying to NOT become a kite. The faster you go, the harder you need to hold on.

I rode without a windshield on my LS650 for about a year. At slow speeds, it wasn't an issue. Once I hit the highway, it was a completely different ride. I've moved on to a bike with a fixed full fairing and I will never go back to a naked. Ever. I can ride anywhere, at any speed, in any condition comfortably.
 
#10 ·
I too preferred the shieldless look when I got my first ride 04 vol...great for town riding but on the open road above 60 mph found myself holding on instead of just steering the ride...like Skrap, you feel the difference at higher speeds...and when colder temps hit...fall/winter, the shield makes the ride a lot more comfortable...invested in a shield, figured I'd remove it the next riding season when the warmer temps came, but found myself preferring the ride w/the shield and 14 years later still riding anything I own w/a shield.

Funny thing tho...on the Volusia didn't need lowers, when I went to the c90 had to get them.
 
#12 ·
I did the same thing. I had a switchblade on my C50. I reasoned that I could pull it off when the weather was nice and I was riding around town. Rode the bike for about 5 years and only took the shield off once. Realized that riding without one sucked and put it back on.
 
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#13 ·
I also found early on that riding without a windshield was too tiring on long stretches of highways. I felt like I was hanging from the grips.

Watching those weather reporters on TV getting blown around by 70MPH winds? I tell people that's just what I deal with everyday when I ride to work. :laugh:

I installed a smaller Memphis Shades on my last bike. It did a lot to alleviate the wind on the chest, but it took quite a bit of finagling to get the angle just right to cut down on the buffeting.

My C50 came with a stock windshield that was much larger. The resultant turbulence was truly annoying. At 75+ it would flip my faceshield up.

I had some Memphis Shades lowers installed, but although it was an improvement, it was still far from ideal. I then lowered the windshield down a bit to get closer to the lowers, which were as high as they could go without hitting the turn signals...and...

Problem solved. No, the updraft has not been eliminated completely, but that's a good thing. I don't mind some breeze on hot summer days. But the buffeting is down to a bare minimum and riding is much more enjoyable.

The lowers were worth it, but it all came down to trial and error to get everything adjusted for the best results.
 
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#20 ·
My cousin and I both had Vols at the same time. He took his windshield off and asked me to ride it. One and done for me. Never saw the need to take my windshield off. Hated the constant pressure on me. Not a relaxing ride at all.

Would like to try a full fairing.....
 
#24 ·
I've owned cruiser-style bikes in the past that lacked windshields, so when I bought my '08 C50 last year intending to do a lot of long-distance riding I was happy to find one with a Memphis Fats shield already installed. Yes, I needed lowers to reduce the buffeting, and have finally added a small adjustable deflector on top to eliminate the buffeting entirely up to 80 MPH. Longest trip I have made on it so far was just over 300 miles and honestly I would have been worn slap out by the halfway mark without the windshield. Of course, if all I used the bike for was around-town riding or sub-70 MPH highway travel, I'd probably be just as happy without, but for long Interstate trips the shielding is a must. Given the full-upright, arms-spread-wide riding position of the cruiser my body becomes just a giant sail without it.
 
#28 ·
At 6ft and with a windscreen with the top level with my nose (apparently how its supposed to be) I got a lot of buffeting.
Bought some big lowers, helped the problem about 80%, still some buffeting coming from above the windscreen.
I do quite a bit of highway so the screen is a must for me. Ive read about people buying much smaller fly screens, to keep the wind off the chest but not the head, as a result the buffeting hits your neck more so than your head so it feels less severe than a full length screen.

I just pop in ear plugs and deal with it, can comfortably sustain 80mph for hours at a time. A more streamlined helmet will also help
 
#29 ·
just make a set of lowers the store bought lowers aren't long enough for me, it took all of 45 min. to cut sand and install my lowers for under $20.00
 
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#30 ·
I have OEM windshield on 2008 C50, lots of buffeting above 55 MPH.
I've installed Memphis shades MEM5804 deflectors and MEM9898 kit per advice on this forum. Had to play with the angle and location, it took quite some time, and in the end, no buffeting. I still get air flowing over my full face helmet, but no more brain shaking buffeting.
 
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