I've got the original windshield. It keeps me from getting blown off the bike, but my head is definitely in turbulent (noisy and buffeting) air. My hands suffer terribly in cold weather, and I'm looking for either a fairing or a taller windshield and will make some hand guards.
Always thought the Plexifairing might work well, but I'd want to see if the stripes and logos could be removed. About the size/shape of a batwing, but with a taller windshield, covers the grips. The back of the clear Plexifairing can be painted and turns out nice, add a light bar and it looks like a batwing coming at you.
Leather blocks wind probably better than anything you can wear. Then there's heated clothing, gloves, vests etc. I have some 12v seat pads for a couple of the vehicles, always figured I could wrap one around my torso, those things cook. Probably try one for the ATV and snow.
I had the Plexistar 2 windscreen, which looks like they no longer make, basically a Plexifairing without the “lowers”. Hand-guards on it fit better. Photo of it below...
Did a good job keeping me out of the wind, but not as good as a full fairing like the Vetter type.
A pair of good insulated motorcycle pants, jacket and gloves and no problems riding at those temperatures.
I have a fairly small windshield but it deflects the stream right up to the top of my helmet. Most important for me it keeps the wind off my neck. Everything else is covered with gear. The cold has arrived in philly but has not been an issue yet.
For years I used a PlexiFairing 3 and really liked the protection it gave. I switched it out for a National Cycles Low Boy Heavy Duty windshield which also gives good frontal protection but does nothing for my hands.
I think the National Cycles definitely looks better and will give much better protection if you get a serious impact from something heavy vs the PlexiFairing but the PlexiFairing gets the nod in pure wind protection. And as stated earlier, just paint it and it'll look similar to a batwing type of arrangement. But it'll be cheaper.
I'm going to stick with the National Cycles since it is much clearer than the older PlexiFairing (simply due to its age) and since my sister-in-law gave me some good gloves that extend over the edge of my jacket's arm the wind affecting my hands (and what was blowing up my jacket arm) has been almost entirely deleted.
But for you, I'd recommend the PlexiFairing 3. Add on some home made lowers and you will discover you'll much more enjoy those high speeds.
I rock a Slipstreamer S-03 windshield that's about as big as a fairing. It has cover for my hands, rises high enough to get my head completely out of the wind, and even wraps around down behind the turn signals to provide a touch more wind protection. I like it quite a lot, keeps me from getting too fatigued on long trips, I can duck behind it fully in heavy rain, and keeps my hands out of the wind on cool days.
I have a Memphis Shades "shooter" windshield on the Vulcan 750 It is too low to provide any real protection, but it is also low enough that it does not cause helmet buffeting. I mostly have it just for looks and a place to put stickers. I have tried several taller windshields, and they caused EXTREME helmet buffeting. Bad enough that my neck hurt after only a short time, and a roar that sounded like standing behind an F-16 at full throttle take off. Even ear plugs didn't help much. I did discover that if a windshield is a few inches above the top of your head, it will work. But there are problems with that idea as well. First you cannot see over it, and around here a windshield gets really dirty really quick, and the sunlight reflecting off the dirt makes it almost impossible to see through after a short ride. Cars have windshield washers for a reason. The other issue is that a handlebar/fork mounted windshield of any size acts like a sail, and a wind blast can literally yank the bars right out of you hands. (https://www.denniskirk.com/memphis-shades/shooter-14-windshield-mem1619.p230379.prd/230379.sku)
I have tried several windshields over the years, they only ones I didn't have problems with were the really low ones, which don't really do anything. I have had no problems riding without a windshield for hundreds of thousands of miles on the freeway in low temperatures. I wear a full face helmet, a CHP (California Highway Patrol) leather jacket that weighs about 25 pounds, and Widder heated gloves. Yes, for a short ride that super heavy jacket is an issue, it is hard to put on, hard to take off, what do you do with it while it is off, etc. It also restricts your movement on the bike. But on long rides none of that really matters. Absolutely no cold wind gets through that jacket. You can stay warm in it below 32 degrees.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Kawasaki VN750 Forum
411.9K posts
42.1K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to Kawasaki Vulcan 750 motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, reviews, and more!