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[2UP3DOWN]

Really… I’m not kidding….   

My FLHRSE5 came with that Wind Splitter windshield which was removed seconds after being parked in the garage.  Instead I purchased the tried and true HD Stock windshield 19”.

The Wife finally jumped on for her first maiden voyage.  Me on her FLHX  and her on the new King, using our Scala’s to chat while on route.  Once we got up to speed, she started complaining about a high pitched whistle coming from the bike somewhere… and sure enough I could actually hear it in my ears using the Scala Comms…  The faster she rode the louder it got.

At a gas station we swapped bikes and I rode it to get a handle on where it was coming from.  Sure enough, a very high pitched shrill of a noise was coming from somewhere up front, obviously had to be the windshield.  I ran my hands all around the windshield while riding. I moved my hand around the nacelle and every place I could reach which I figured was everywhere…  and nothing I could do to make the whistle go away.

To the Harley Shop we went.  I removed the windshield and went for a quick spin and sure enough the whistle was gone.  Back at the shop I put the shield back on, I let a mechanic ride it.  Again, the whistle was there and the mechanic said it was the loudest whistle he’d ever heard coming from a King with a windshield, suggesting that some noise or whistle he’s heard in the past.  But this whistle was so loud it was very disturbing. We tried adding washers to the quick detach mounts to change the position of the vertical spacers… no effect.  The shop is now ordering another windshield in three different sizes.

WTF..?  Is this for real..?  My last RK had a windshield and never whistled…   Have any of you ever dealt with this…? Gotta be something silly right..?   

[sesto123]

I replaced mine with a standard Harley windshield after about a week. No whistles at all from the standard. I also installed the front baffle on the forks. No whistles and now no buffeting either.

[roadking53]

Maybe you could find someone else with a Road King and swap windshields. That would tell you if it was the windshield/windshield frame or the wind being diverted to another part of the bike and causing the wistle.
I swapped mine out and don't have a whistle. I did go with a LRS shield though..

[ultrarider123]

Maybe it's the MoCo's new Deer whistle windshield...

Seriously, never heard that one before.  Good luck with the new shield and let us know if that one whistles, too.

[2UP3DOWN]

Maybe it's the MoCo's new Deer whistle windshield...

Nice..!   Come to think of it, I didn't see any deer out while I was out riding... must have worked 

This morning I took some blue painters tape and masked off both vertical metal strips and the horizontal strip on the outside of the shied.  I had noticed a paper thin gap on both verticals that I thought may have been contributing to the whistle.  No such luck...  Just got back from a spin and she's still making that loud shriek. So it's got to be some sort of buffeting around the shield to hardware... 

Gonna swap out the shield with others, as recommended and see what happens.  God forbid I have to re-install that silly wind splitter again...   

[SGME9]

I don't have any whistle on mine at any speed up to 100 mph. Sounds like I am one of a very few who really like this windshield.

[2UP3DOWN]

Problem solved folks.

OK ...   here's the rub...   This is a new bike and we all know what we do do when we bring home a new bike.  We put new chit on it as fast as we can... tuners, pipes, chrome etc.  And that's 'zactly what I did.

I didn't add a whole bunch yet, most of the goodies I bought are still in a pile on the floor in the middle of the garage. However...  aside from the new wind shield, I also added a ....   nacelle trim ring to the head lamp...

After following everyone's good advice that I've gotten and still getting that damn whistle I had a revelation.  What did I add recently and that is when I had the bright idea to go for a spin with that ring removed. 

Low and behold, whistle gone...   Sorta embarrassed by the whole thing, but live and learn I guess.  Maybe my dumb luck will help someone else down the road.  When the ring is installed, there is a quarter inch gap that run completely around between the lamp and the ring.  Makes a great giant bug catcher...  but all the air getting forced into the nacelle must be forced through a whistle generator, and there-in lies the problem.  Ring off... problem solved.

Every bagger I've ever owned has had that decorative chrome ring installed and never had a whistle.  So now, I've got to come up with a solution to pack  the interior of the nacelle to alter the wind/air flow and I'm sure the whistle will be gone.

Thanks for the assist.

Matt

[2UP3DOWN]

I don't have any whistle on mine at any speed up to 100 mph. Sounds like I am one of a very few who really like this windshield.

I prolly shouldn't be too harsh about that wind splitter...  it is oddly interesting to look at and considering Harley's predictable never changing accessories etc, it's sorta nice to see a new concept and design. It kind of grows on you...  The wind in the face is probably my biggest objection, however here in central Florida during the heat of summer, it may prove to be a bigger asset than I realize at the moment.

But the real value is that wife likes it...  She can ride with that one, it's shorter and so is she     I'll keep the tried and true HD Shield which works better for me.

Gotta love a Road King... so versatile...

[SGME9]

Did the chrome ring come with strips of foam used to fill the gap?

[2UP3DOWN]

Did the chrome ring come with strips of foam used to fill the gap?

I didn't see any... was it supposed to..?

[SGME9]

I am not sure, but when I got corning lights they had foam strips in the packaging for putting around the lights and I could not see where it was needed and the directions didn't say anything. So I was just wondering if the rings came with it also.

[FLSTFI Dave]

Have the trim ring on my head light nacelle and do not get the whistle.  Then again I still have the wind-splitter on.

[Billy]

I Had the same issue on my 07 SERK  I had to put foam around the nacelle and that fixed the issue       Billy

[FLSTFI Dave]

I Had the same issue on my 07 SERK  I had to put foam around the nacelle and that fixed the issue       Billy

Great Idea, I know what I will try now if I ever notice the whistle on mine.

[2UP3DOWN]

I Had the same issue on my 07 SERK  I had to put foam around the nacelle and that fixed the issue       Billy

Since my original post here and on another forum I frequent, I've gotten just a couple responses from folks who've had this happen to them...  appears to be a pretty obscure problem...  Haven't yet added foam to inside of the trim ring.  It's on my list...