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[bikerboy53]

Recently a friend  of mine went down at highway speed. He was wearing a 3/4 helmet with face shield, and both the side of the helmet and the face shield received substantial road rash. After visiting him in the hospital, and later seeing his helmet, my BSR and I decided it might be time to shelve our 1/2 helmets in favor of more face protection.

We bought a couple of 3/4 helmets with face shields. After a test ride or two with the new helmets I noticed an uncomfortable amount of buffeting that wasn't present with my old 1/2 helmet. The buffeting isn't too bad at normal highway speeds (55-60 mph), but bad enough at higher speeds (75+ mph) that I have trouble seeing. Not to mention the headaches it causes. 

Does anyone know of any aerodynamic tricks I can use to get rid of the helmet buffeting? Our bike is a '10 CVO Ultra Classic, with the stock windshield. I have also added the wind deflector under the lower triple tree. I used to see ads for a stick-on strip that ran across the top of the helmet that was supposed to disrupt the airflow over the helmet and prevent buffeting. I don't see those ads anymore, so I assume that maybe they didn't work.

I have thought about a re-curve windshield of some kind, but I'm concerned that it might reduce the wind protection to my BSR, or worse, transfer the helmet buffeting to her instead.

Anybody have any good ideas?

[JCZ]

A modular helmet will cure that problem.

I surrendered to them after I shattered my jaw in an accident.  The only difference between a 1/2 helmet and a 3/4 is now your ears are covered......not going to help your face anymore.

[Skillet]

A modular helmet will cure that problem.

I surrendered to them after I shattered my jaw in an accident.  The only difference between a 1/2 helmet and a 3/4 is now your ears are covered......not going to help your face anymore.

Yep, lost three front teeth and skinned up chin and gashes from a 3/4 helmet in a crash. Still haven't went to a full face or modular yet. Maybe when I get older and grow wiser.

[UFO_HOG]

The only real way to get rid of the buffeting is to change the windshield. The stepped windshields actually work pretty well, you want one just high enough that you can still look over the top. Ask any Road Glide owner how many windshields they have in the rafters of their garage in an effort to stop buffeting.

[bikerboy53]

Thanks guys! I've been thinking of a modular (the Shark looks pretty good), but for the moment I'm still adjusting to the added weight of the 3/4 vs my old lightweight hybrid 1/2 helmet. When we got our first Harley my BSR and I started out with full face helmets, but all our buds were riding with beanies, so we compromised and went with 1/2 lids. Now we're a little older and maybe a little more nervous... 

UFO -thanks for the windshield info. Sounds like I need to start experimentin' with windshields... 

I was hoping there was some little trick I could do to my helmet, or maybe another baffle I could add or take off. Does anybody know if those black, under the seat leg protector baffles affect helmet buffeting? Or passenger foot heat? My BSR catches a lot of heat on her right leg during warm weather.

Oops! Guess I'm kinda jackin' my own thread... 

[Midnight Rider]

Heat...get rid of the CAT with a header pipe.

Helmets?  The Shark is great.  So are Nolan (the new N-104).  The Shark is a true FF or 3/4, while the Nolan is a Flip Face.  Get some kind of Flip Face, IMO.  Then work on the right windshield for the new setup.

[Dead_Reckoning]

Recently a friend  of mine went down at highway speed. He was wearing a 3/4 helmet with face shield, and both the side of the helmet and the face shield received substantial road rash. After visiting him in the hospital, and later seeing his helmet, my BSR and I decided it might be time to shelve our 1/2 helmets in favor of more face protection.

We bought a couple of 3/4 helmets with face shields. After a test ride or two with the new helmets I noticed an uncomfortable amount of buffeting that wasn't present with my old 1/2 helmet. The buffeting isn't too bad at normal highway speeds (55-60 mph), but bad enough at higher speeds (75+ mph) that I have trouble seeing. Not to mention the headaches it causes. 

Does anyone know of any aerodynamic tricks I can use to get rid of the helmet buffeting? Our bike is a '10 CVO Ultra Classic, with the stock windshield. I have also added the wind deflector under the lower triple tree. I used to see ads for a stick-on strip that ran across the top of the helmet that was supposed to disrupt the airflow over the helmet and prevent buffeting. I don't see those ads anymore, so I assume that maybe they didn't work.

I have thought about a re-curve windshield of some kind, but I'm concerned that it might reduce the wind protection to my BSR, or worse, transfer the helmet buffeting to her instead.

Anybody have any good ideas?

From my old Ride, no fairing but with windshield.
I read this in a different bike forum andgave it a try.

When you are clipping along, briefly cross your left arm over your chest.
Did the buffeting decrease?
If so, then try lowers.
In my case that was the cure, I installed lowers.

Not sure if that is and option for you.

[PASN YU]

Freedom Shield.   

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Freedom Shield.   

X2  they make awesome shields and it cured my wind buffeting problems 

[spada84]

Klockwerks fixed my issues.  BSR says it's good as well.

[grc]

I'm still waiting for one of the windshield companies to come up with a version that directs air up the inside of the screen to fill the vacuum that forms directly in front of the rider.  I had a screen on a bike years ago that had that feature, and it was amazing how much difference it made in terms of buffeting.

In the meantime, the answer seems to be either a taller shield or one of the recurved shields to throw the air up over you (where it may affect the passenger however), or ride a naked bike without a windscreen.  A lot of full face helmets work fine on their own to reduce buffeting, but not so much in the dirty air coming off the edge of a windscreen.


Jerry


btw, for those unaware of what I'm talking about, consider the vacuum that forms behind a van or SUV or other big flat vehicle that sucks all the dirt and junk up onto the back of the vehicle, and then consider those roof deflectors that direct air down the back window to fill the vacuum that naturally forms behind the vehicle.  Same idea.

[miker]

Added 1 inch(11.5)  and went full faced...Arai Profile...

[Fireguy]

I had a modular helmet but was a little heavy and noisey for me. Got a Shoei Quest full face and love it. Most places will let you buy it and return it if you dont like it. Nothing to loose.

[miker]

10-4 FG...

The nolan modular I tried was heavy and noisy, my head is fat enough already...and out of round....I bought at cycle gear and they have a 7 day return policy...The Arai Profile is for oblong noggins like mine...super light, lots of vents, lots of money. 

[Midnight Rider]

I'm still waiting for one of the windshield companies to come up with a version that directs air up the inside of the screen to fill the vacuum that forms directly in front of the rider.  I had a screen on a bike years ago that had that feature, and it was amazing how much difference it made in terms of buffeting.

Jerry...On the RG, the Cee Bailey windshield indirectly accomplishes this, if you don't use the original gasket, or install the chome trim piece on the bottom of the shield....or use the HD rubber mounting inserts.  Cee Bailey provide their own rubber grommets (actually, well nuts) to mount the shield, which are made of a harder material and have a "lip" on the outside edge of the insert.  This lip is about 1/32-1/16th thick, so when installed properly, the bottom of the shield stands slightly off the surface of the RG fairing...not much, but just a bit.  Of course, there's no way for me to actually measure how much air comes up the back side of the windsheild into the "void" you mention (well, there is, but it would look funny riding down the road with a anemometer), but I think it's just enough to remove at least some of the vacuum created at speed, and thus benefits the rider at least some with regards to buffeting.  The Cee Bailey is made of aircraft quality material, so is very rigid.  I'm not sure how much air the BSR gets, but she's a newbie and doesn't know any difference.  No complaints so far.