just out of curiosity blokes do your fatty's have solid front and rear rims (front mainly) as ive heard they can contribute to road drift in cross winds, don't no how true this is but could understand the physics I guess
would any owners with front solids support this fact/theory
just wondering that's all
cheeeers

Mine has solids front and rear FLIPDOG. Not sure it would matter all that much. With the speed the wheels are going around at they would be like a solid even with spokes I would imagine. I have heard that theory before though.

Just traded my vulcan nomad for my o7 fatty with holy wheels. Well i can tell ya I never had any problem with cross winds or any winds really with the nomad. Im riding my fatty home after trading the nomad and i nearly crapped on the seat after hitting some strong cross winds.....felt like i was on ball bearings. so obviously a fatboy thing I would say. Getting used to it now tho. By the way the nomad had solids front and rear.

Way, way late to this thread, but I thought I would add a perspective.

Not just full face helmets, but even the shape / model / size makes a difference as will as making your neck "ride fit".

I started on sports bikes over 20 yrs ago and whilst I had ridden quick before, the first time I hit the expressway was a shock, I hadn't noticed wind buffeting before. I must have looked like a bobble head doll. As I had to ride the expressway every day for a few weeks I didn't notice after about a week. I have just returned to riding after a few years break, now riding a harley (vastly different riding position) and I was a bobblehead all over again for a few weeks.

When I started I had a $100 AGV (Large) full face with a shell the size of a house. Didn't know any better. Borrowed my wifes $700 (medium) Shoei. HOLY CRAP! what a difference. So quiet, so much less neck strain. I wish it wasn't full of mould when it came out of the shed after no use for 3 years. Buying a new bike meant I needed a new helmet, so when the salesman said "anything else you need?" I said "yep, gimme one of them and one of them and some of them" Got one of those cheap ass Harley helmets. Big shell, gettin blow around, so noisy that after a few hours of expressway riding my ears are ringing and full of wax the next day. They are not as good as the old Shoei was.

On the subject of windshear, I had an incident many years ago on a sportsbike. Howling westerly winds whilst riding into Sydney from the north across the Sydney harbour bridge. I was on my little Yamaha FZR following about 30-40 metres behind a Triumph Tiger. I was laughing like a loon as we hit the main deck of the bridge because we both had our bikes cranked over just trying to ride in a straight line and stay in our lanes. Then as he got level with the bridge pylons the wind changed direction back the other way and he shot across the lane into what would have been oncoming traffic, trying to compensate and then getting hit with the westerly again and shooting back across the road past where he started. I had only been road riding for about 2 weeks, so it is fair to say that I was extremely scared when i did the exact same thing a few seconds later.

If that is what happens on a tiny little 250, good luck on the fatty! Weight might be on your side, but it'll probably still behave like a sheet of gyprock. Not trying to scare you or anything, but can I watch?

I think there comes a time when practbility over comes what looks cool. I'm thinking of a screen myself for 07 FXSTC for long trips. something I was in denial of even when mates said "why don't I get a screen for the long trips",,,nah fuck that I like a naked looking bike!!

now I'm singing a different song I have done the same 1080ks one way trip for personal buisness 3 times this year and as I would rather ride than drive heading south from Central Qld your pushing into a south eastly wind all the way sometimes getting flogged more times than others and I break the trip with an over nighter and beer. comin home with the same sth/east wind up my arse totally different and have come home in the one day,,,very thirsty though.....

I have a dorky looking clip on clear screen on my open face helmet as my precription glasses are to strong to have a wrap which I have tried but at 62 I care less about what people think these days.

cheers Jimmy.

Went for a spin with a fairly fierce northerly in my face today. No real issues I wear a full face on long rides and it helps a lot with the wind whilst riding my 07 fatty. What I noticed today though was the wind was hitting my legs and blowing them that hard that I had to tense up a bit to keep em straight. After about 80 ks traveled I was rooted, legs hurting re tensing up and holding them together. Now I get it that the fatty will always be prone to copping a wind bashing and I accept that, however I have seen the fork mounted wind deflectors and was wondering about opinions on them.
Do they redirect the wind away from the leg area? or is that not what they are intended for. I dont want/need a screen as I can deal with the wind in my face its just my stumpy little legs that copped a flogging today so wondering if there is a cure or its all just too bad.
Thanks.

Yep wind deflectors on the forks help a lot. If you run a screen for long trips, the wind deflectors are worthwhile even for stopping the wind coming up under and at the sides of the screen

Thanks fatbat, might need to track some down.

as a recent fatboy owner I find the stock bars position me like a windsock, much less fatigue running with the wind than into it. Playing with longer risers to lift the bars and bring it back a little, and if that doesnt work some 1.5" Burleigh tbars or midwesterns may help break up the wind before the chest gets hit. Cant bring myself to a screen atm.

Christ - if he doesn't want a screen so What

 

The wind buffeting .....I know how you feel ( I did a post on it not that long ago ) 

Why all the attitude . I fitted a set of street slammer bars and find that a LOT better than stock bars 

Burleigh Bars are great but boy are they pricey 

 

Memphis Shades have some great options screen and fairings even with tunes built in ?? You can look like a bagger boy !! with little $$ outlay and cut the wind also.

 No , I did a screen shot off there website Hilly, they make some nice gear to set off softtails,easy custom mod.

www.memphisshades.com/

 

 

Just got back from 1700 k round trip to Canberra on the fatty. had a HD Wind splitter screen on and it worked a treat. No wind around the head, no bugs and even helped keep the rain off a bit on the way home. Its quick release so comes off in a matter of seconds. I saw shit loads of HDs with all manner of screens fitted due to the amount of Ks some of the riders did to get there. My opinion only but I wouldn't ride that far without one, it made the ride far more enjoyable.

Agree, Binnsy. I have the HD detachable.  Only 500k this weekend on the Fatty, but bugs, rain, wind, the screen helps with it all. The diff??? no sore neck/shoulders, you can ride longer, the bug shit stays on the screen, and is easily cleaned, and, if you use Rain-X or similar you retain most of your vision and keep a lot of the H2O off you. Yeah, they're not the most attractive accessory on your bike, but I still reckon it's the best $300 I've ever spent in raising rider comfort. If your going to do some serious kays, shell out for one, and take it off for your local trips. Stuff what anyone else thinks. I'm used to bagger punters giving me shit all the time, anyway! Your cue, Timmy!

Yeah carm on Timmy....uvverwise I'll have to do the jobbie for yez!

Hi Binnsy

I have a 15 Fatty and I just did a round trip syd - phillip island with a detour to port campbell 2800Ks I have the full screen which is not bad except you have to look thru it, nice in good weather but we had 1 day of rain from port campbell to phillip island and i couldnt see thru my visa and screen so i took it off. ended up finishing the trip with no screen and you can feel the fatige after day 2. 

I have tried the shorter screen that i can look over but the head bobble was un bearable even at 80Ks. 

Do yo look over the split screen?

How Tall are you?

Do get any head boble with the split screen?

Hi Binnsy

 

Thanks for the info thats great i'm 5'9" so that would probably work fine as i have a lower seat than standard.

 

Cheers

Scotto

Thanks Binnsy,

Nice bike!

The layback on the screen looks better than the straight up and down that mine is.

I had a 2011 Heritage for a few years and one of the first things I did was take the quick detach screen off, I had it shortened to try and stop the buffeting around my helmet but it made little difference... The screen stayed off for the four and a half years I owned it and buffeting was never an issue without it. I recently picked up a 2010 Fatboy Lo and can't believe the buffeting on that bike, I may try higher bars similar to the Heritage but a screen is looking to be a good option. Hard to believe the difference considering the 2 bikes are quite similar.....

I recently picked up a quick detachable screen 2nd hand for my Fatty, appears to be off a roadking  but I made it fit with some custom brackets out of ali.

The reduced pressure on your chest and shoulder and head are all welcome ? another thing I noticed is the reduced wind noise ripping through my open face helmet. My head always rang after wearing the open face if I forgot my ear plugs, but I don't even need them with the screen fitted. I too fitted it for the longer trips, but have only had it off once since fitted.

I do get a bit of choppy/buffeting type of wind, depending on wind direction but overall much less than without the screen. A friend rode mine recently, and picked himself up a screen a couple of days later he liked it that much.

DocGreen