Tired of top helmet buffeting

6662 Views 33 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Offcenter, Dec 30, 2018

EL Pistoffo

Discussion Starter · Oct 1, 2018

I've been dealing with buffeting on the top of my helmet for a few years now riding my Suzuki C50. I tried for months to get rid of it with no luck. I tried a laminar lip airfoil, raising and lowering windshield and lowers. At speeds over 50mph or so, the vibration gets annoying and causes blurred vision. If I tuck my head down and forward a bit it all goes away. The best I ever got was to tilt the windshield top-forward. It helped shoot the air over my helmet a little more but not enough and I have to look through the windshield which I'm not a fan of. It also made the windshield behave more like a wind-sail in the crosswinds. I have a factory windscreen and Memphis lowers.

So i'm thinking of giving it one last try to. I'd like to try and adjustable clip-on windscreen visor such as the Puig or MRA x-creen. Though I don't like looking through the windshield, especially if it's getting water sprayed on it or rain, I hate blurred vision even more. Anyone have experience with these? Any tricks to keep water beading on windscreens?

Thx

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jag13

· #2 · Oct 1, 2018

I've always used Armor All on windscreens and sunglasses lenses with good luck, but you have to make sure you completely buff it to eliminate streaks in vision. Remember to never use glass products that contain ammonia as it will quickly eat up plexi. As far as the helmet vibration, it sounds to me like the helmet itself is the wrong size/fit for you. A properly fit helmet should not allow for that kind of movement.

EL Pistoffo

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 1, 2018

jag13 said:
I've always used Armor All on windscreens and sunglasses lenses with good luck, but you have to make sure you completely buff it to eliminate streaks in vision. Remember to never use glass products that contain ammonia as it will quickly eat up plexi. As far as the helmet vibration, it sounds to me like the helmet itself is the wrong size/fit for you. A properly fit helmet should not allow for that kind of movement.

I use a similar product called Original Bike Spirits Spray Cleaner and Polish https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EW86GS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It leaves an armorall like shine and I always buff it dry so it might do the same trick.

My helmet is a Shoei Neotech modular helmet and it's the right size for my big head. My helmet doesn't move around on my head. It's the wind gblasting across the top of my helmet that vibrates the helmet along with my head in-turn blurring my vision.

Major Sphincter

· #4 · Oct 1, 2018

2 cents worth here.

I had a similar problem on a road glide. Standard wind screen let wind hit the top of my helmet and drove me nuts. The shorty screen was like not having one at all and the tall screen was like some giant protect-all that I had to look through. In my opinion, one never wants a wind screen high enough to cause you to look through it to look down the road. So what I did was very scientifically road with the standard screen and lowered my head ever so slightly until the buffeting quit. I then estimated how many inches that was. I bought the taller screen, placed the standard screen on top of it and slid it up the inch or so necessary to meet my scientifically arrived art measurement. I placed masking tape on the plexiglass surface of the larger screen and then marked where I wanted it cut. I took it to a glass shop where they quickly said "I can't promise it won't break." to which I responded, "It's trash without being cut anyway so give it your best shot." They cut it. It didn't break and the problem was solved.

Advice worth every penny you paid for it.

Hope it helps.

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vistavette

· #5 · Oct 1, 2018

1st; you're never going to get rid of the issue 100%, it's just something you have to deal with on bikes like this. You can minimize the effects though. Does leaning forward help at all? On my '07 Vulcan 900 I modified the bracket to allow the windshield to tilt back a bit more. The other thing you can do is make it shorter. Yes, you will get more wind but it might be "cleaner" air and not shake your head. Try sitting on something to raise you up an inch or so and see if its better.

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EL Pistoffo

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 1, 2018

vistavette said:
1st; you're never going to get rid of the issue 100%, it's just something you have to deal with on bikes like this. You can minimize the effects though. Does leaning forward help at all? On my '07 Vulcan 900 I modified the bracket to allow the windshield to tilt back a bit more. The other thing you can do is make it shorter. Yes, you will get more wind but it might be "cleaner" air and not shake your head. Try sitting on something to raise you up an inch or so and see if its better.

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I agree with you that making it shorter would likely work. It's currently adjusted to it's lowest which gives the least head buzz. I'm not going to cut this windshield though. I plan on selling the bike within the next year. Looking to get a better bike (FJR1300).

vistavette

· #7 · Oct 1, 2018

EL Pistoffo said:
I agree with you that making it shorter would likely work. It's currently adjusted to it's lowest which gives the least head buzz. I'm not going to cut this windshield though. I plan on selling the bike within the next year. Looking to get a better bike (FJR1300).

Yeah - a new bike would solve it! I recently replaced my '09 Harley Ultra after 9 years and 90,000 miles; the one requirement for me was an electric windshield as I was sick to death of dealing with the compromise of a fixed height shield. I wound up with a BMW 1600GTL because I found a used one for a good price but anything similar would have worked

EL Pistoffo

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 1, 2018

vistavette said:
Yeah - a new bike would solve it! I recently replaced my '09 Harley Ultra after 9 years and 90,000 miles; the one requirement for me was an electric windshield as I was sick to death of dealing with the compromise of a fixed height shield. I wound up with a BMW 1600GTL because I found a used one for a good price but anything similar would have worked

The 1600GTL is a beast of a bike. I sat on one a couple of weeks ago. It was actually a good fit but way expensive. I did test ride an FJR1300 last year. Rides real nice and it's at the max seat height for me.

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vistavette

· #9 · Oct 1, 2018

EL Pistoffo said:
The 1600GTL is a beast of a bike. I sat on one a couple of weeks ago. It was actually a good fit but way expensive. I did test ride an FJR1300 last year. Rides real nice and it's at the max seat height for me.

I love the way the FJR looks - super nice bike... I like Yamaha in general as a company too; I think they make quality merchandise. I've played a number of their pianos, owned one of their guitars years ago, and I own a high-end set of their drums. I only wound up with the BMW because it's a 2015 that had 1,260 miles and I paid $15,250 for it. I couldn't pass it up.

jag13

· #10 · Oct 2, 2018

Sorry, I misinterpreted what you were describing. I thought you were describing the helmet moving separately from your head. Now that I understand the issue, I agree with others posts that a lower windscreen is the answer. More direct wind, but changes the area of turbulence.

EL Pistoffo

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 2, 2018 (Edited)

vistavette said:
I love the way the FJR looks - super nice bike... I like Yamaha in general as a company too; I think they make quality merchandise. I've played a number of their pianos, owned one of their guitars years ago, and I own a high-end set of their drums. I only wound up with the BMW because it's a 2015 that had 1,260 miles and I paid $15,250 for it. I couldn't pass it up.

That's a great price on the BMW. The new one I saw at the dealer was $27k.

jag13 said:
Sorry, I misinterpreted what you were describing. I thought you were describing the helmet moving separately from your head. Now that I understand the issue, I agree with others posts that a lower windscreen is the answer. More direct wind, but changes the area of turbulence.

Yeah, I figured as much. It may just stay as it is. In reading through lots of posts on the net concerning this subject, some folks seem to be able to solve this issue for the most part. Usually through better windscreens though I find it's usually on different types of bikes like sport tourers. Maybe cruisers are just not as good on rider wind protection as other types of bikes, particularly bikes with fairings. It just makes me want the FJR even more.

hogcowboy

· #12 · Oct 2, 2018

I have a adjustable windshield on my Indian and I still had to get a recurve shield to boost the airstream higher. If I put the shield too low I begin to get buffeting now so a slight bump up I'm good and can see over the shield. So adjustable plus recurve was my solution but then my Indian isn't in the sport category either. Point being, you do what you have to.:thumbsup:

EL Pistoffo

Discussion Starter · #13 · Oct 2, 2018

hogcowboy said:
I have a adjustable windshield on my Indian and I still had to get a recurve shield to boost the airstream higher. If I put the shield too low I begin to get buffeting now so a slight bump up I'm good and can see over the shield. So adjustable plus recurve was my solution but then my Indian isn't in the sport category either. Point being, you do what you have to.:thumbsup:

What do you mean by recurve? My bike is also a cruiser.
That's what i'm trying to accomplish, pushing the air stream just a little higher while avoiding a raised windshield blocking my vision. That's why my original post asked about adjustable wind-visors. They may be able to push the air a bit higher while avoiding or minimizing view obstruction. I know I didn't have much luck with the Laminar Lip airfoil but the wind-visors are a little different.

vistavette

· #14 · Oct 2, 2018

EL Pistoffo said:
What do you mean by recurve? My bike is also a cruiser.
That's what i'm trying to accomplish, pushing the air stream just a little higher while avoiding a raised windshield blocking my vision. That's why my original post asked about adjustable wind-visors. They may be able to push the air a bit higher while avoiding or minimizing view obstruction. I know I didn't have much luck with the Laminar Lip airfoil but the wind-visors are a little different.

A recurve is when the top of the windshield has and extra bend/angle at the top that is steeper than the angle of the rest of the shield, which allows a shorter shield to block air like one that is a bit taller. They're not cheap for your bike though. Given that you've decided to sell it I'd recommend either living with what you have until you replace the bike or cutting the windshield down a bit. They're easy to cut with a Dremmel or saber saw.

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boomerguy

· #15 · Oct 3, 2018

On all of my motorcycles (no sport bikes) I adjusted my windshield so that the top was level with my upper lip and tilted at the same angle as my forks. This always worked; I looked over the top of the windshield and never had a problem with helmet buffeting unless I was too close to an 18-wheeler on the interstate, either in front of me or beside me. The rest of the time the air passed smoothly over the top of my helmet. My helmets are full face and open face.

EL Pistoffo

Discussion Starter · #16 · Oct 3, 2018

boomerguy said:
On all of my motorcycles (no sport bikes) I adjusted my windshield so that the top was level with my upper lip and tilted at the same angle as my forks. This always worked; I looked over the top of the windshield and never had a problem with helmet buffeting unless I was too close to an 18-wheeler on the interstate, either in front of me or beside me. The rest of the time the air passed smoothly over the top of my helmet. My helmets are full face and open face.

My windshield is angled with the forks too. I've adjusted mine from low to high setting though I can't recall exactly where that sits in relation to my face. I can't get rid of the top buffeting.

If I angle the windshield forward enough by taking the upper adjustment slots out of the screws it improves it but then I look through the shield and it get pushed around a lot by cross winds. Oh well. It is what it is. :sad:

aTahmission

· #17 · Oct 3, 2018

The shape of the helmet can play a big part in buffeting, even when tucked in on an aerodynamic sport bike. I traded out my old Arai Corsair for an AGV Corsa R, and the difference in buffeting is not insignificant. A helmet shaped aerodynamically with spoilers and air foils have a big impact on stability.

EL Pistoffo

Discussion Starter · #18 · Oct 6, 2018 (Edited)

Well I gave the MRA X-creen Tour visor a try and I gotta say it was a success. I rode around for a couple hrs today at speeds up to 80 mph with no helmet buffeting and clear vision which is oh-so nice.

The adjust-ability of the visor is a plus because you can configure different airflows, from being totally in the bubble to having the airflow directed to the rider (in a calmer manner than without the visor).
It's also the clamping version so no holes through my windshield and I can transfer it to another bike should I choose.

The drawback IMO is that for good wind protection (bubble) I have to look through the visor. The visor is optically pretty clear, especially compared to the Laminar Lip. It's more of a glare issue and an anti-glare coating on the inside would have been very welcomed but it's a small trade-off for a steady head with clear vision. If it's adjusted for rider airflow, line-of-sight through the visor is minimal.

So after MANY attempts to rid myself of this issue I think it's finally done.
I'll be doing a 2-up ride with the wife down to Key West at the end of the month so I'll see how well it does with more ride time.

Here's the rider view through the visor (adjusted for good protection):

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vistavette

· #19 · Oct 6, 2018

EL Pistoffo said:
Well I gave the MRA X-creen Tour visor a try and I gotta say it was a success. I rode at speeds up to 80 mph with no helmet buffeting and clear vision which is oh-so nice.

The adjust-ability of the visor is a plus because you can configure different airflows, from being totally in the bubble to having the airflow directed to the rider (in a calmer manner than without the visor).
It's also the clamping version so no holes through my windshield and I can transfer it to another bike should I choose.

The drawback IMO is that for good wind protection (bubble) I have to look through the visor. The visor is optically pretty clear, especially compared to the Laminar Lip, so it's a small trade off for a steady head with clear vision. If it's adjusted for rider airflow, line-of-sight through the visor is minimal.

So after MANY attempts to rid myself of this issue I think it's finally done.

Here's the rider view through the visor (adjusted for good protection):

Those are nice, though a bit expensive. I had one on my Triumph Tiger...wish I would've kept it when I sold the bike

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EL Pistoffo

Discussion Starter · #20 · Oct 6, 2018

vistavette said:
Those are nice, though a bit expensive. I had one on my Triumph Tiger...wish I would've kept it when I sold the bike

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Yeah it was pricey but it works so it was worth it. I'll be keeping mine when I sell the bike.

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