Clearview Windshields

[kjenckes]

Good evening,

I have read about everything I can find here on the clearviews. I read one really great post and sent the poster a pm with some questions. I since have seen his last activity was 2012. D'oh!. He is my height and bought the 2" taller shield. I know all the thoughts and theories on see over and why, etc. I am interested if anyone that bought the taller one and has some miles/years behind it could answer these questions for me so here is a cut and paste:

"Good morning,

Your post from 2011 on the Clearview windshield is the best I found. I'm hoping you could answer a couple of questions for me. Now its 5 years later:

Any issues pop up with the taller shield?
Did you stay happy with the lack of buffeting or did that change?
Would you buy a different height if you bought it again?
Do you think the standard height with the recurve would have done the same for you?
How about passenger's experience?

Thanks. I am 5'11' and average torso. My stock windshield is at my mouth/nose and I look over it mostly. I would like less buffeting as it's blurry at highway speeds."

Thanks,
Kevin

[Top Cat]

I don't know who the original poster was back in 2011 but I have had the Clearview recurve top 2" taller and 2" wider for many years.

Any issues pop up with the taller shield?
No

Did you stay happy with the lack of buffeting or did that change?
I had buffeting with the stock shield and the Clearview until I put a clear plastic piece on the top half of both my front engine guards.

Would you buy a different height if you bought it again?
No, I like looking just over the Shield.

Do you think the standard height with the recurve would have done the same for you?
No

How about passenger's experience?
Cindy has her own bike.

[tonik]

I had it on my 1600, I am 6 1 and got the one that per their measurements would put the top of it at the tip of my nose. So I do not think it was the super tall one, one step below. It helped with the buffeting, you can clearly feel the air is well above your helmet just by putting your hand on the top of the helmet. There is no air impact. Yes you need the recurve.

But the major cause of your buffeting is the air that is hitting the front edges of the tank then rolling up your chest and lifting the helmet from below. You can feel this and test it by taking your arm and bending it so your forearm is straight across your chest. You will feel the air blasting you arm and the buffeting will stop.

So, the windshield will help, but the real fix for this is larger lowers on your front forks to force the air that is hitting your tank to go up and over the windshield.

Gadjet's article on it has a couple of sources.

http://www.vulcangadgets.com/files/buffetshield.html

Chuckster sells them also.

http://www.chucksterscustoms.com/Home/ProductDetail?PartNumber=CC-K-LL

[tonik]

I will add I am a huge fan of Clearview. I ordered one for my Voyager while the dealer was getting it shipped. I drove it home and put it on.

[VulcanD]

Did you stay happy with the lack of buffeting or did that change?
I had buffeting with the stock shield and the Clearview until I put a clear plastic piece on the top half of both my front engine guards.


Can you elaborate on what you out on your engine guards? I have my windshield all the way up and large oversize lowers and still have more buffeting than I want. Did you use chaps? Some kind of deflector?

Thanks for any help.

[Top Cat]

Can you elaborate on what you out on your engine guards? I have my windshield all the way up and large oversize lowers and still have more buffeting than I want. Did you use chaps? Some kind of deflector?

Thanks for any help.

I had chaps for cold weather and noticed the buffeting disappeared all together.
So for warmer weather I didn't want the whole area blocked.
I made half chaps out of the clear plastic I used for my lowers.
I attached them with zip ties. I know some people would think that is kinda cheezy (shut up Norm) but to me, form follows function :D
I will post a pic tomorrow if your interested.

[VulcanD]

I had chaps for cold weather and noticed the buffeting disappeared all together.
So for warmer weather I didn't want the whole area blocked.
I made half chaps out of the clear plastic I used for my lowers.
I attached them with zip ties. I know some people would think that is kinda cheezy (shut up Norm) but to me, form follows function :D
I will post a pic tomorrow if your interested.

Love to see a pic. Appreciate the help TC.

[VulcanJeff]

Have you taken a look at Clearview's return policy? They will give you a full refund as long as you DON'T remove the protective film from the shield. Of course you will be paying the return shipping charge. Their customer service is top notch, by the way.

I can't offer any advice for your specific scenario as I don't know your bike or its shield. No matter which height you get, you should opt for the recurve, in my opinion. If aesthetics is a concern, note that the recurve is very subtle. Very. I don't find that it detracts whatsoever. Though very subtle in the visual sense, it is also very effective. And doesn't cost extra, woohoo!

The big advantage to recurve is it allows you to run a shorter shield than would otherwise be required to adequately shoot the air stream over your head. But, if a guy doesn't mind, or even prefers, looking through the shield at all times, then such a height is going to shoot the air stream over your head anyways which relegates recurve to moot status.

Have you looked over the how-to on Clearview's site that describes how to determine a general height? I found it to be pretty accurate - at least it was accurate for my preference. Adding recurve to the height resulted in a darn effective shield. Note that my preference was to look OVER the shield, not THROUGH.

At any rate, that's my 2 cents. Apparently the CV folks know how particular riders can be. The fact they provide a 30 day (or is it more than 30?) 100% refund policy speaks volumes. Just don't remove the protective film or you will be subject to a 20% restocking fee.

[tonik]

One thing to add, if you are planning on the tip of the shield to be higher than your eyes the re-curve might not be the way to go. It will distort your vision. But I still vote for a re-curve, at the tip of your nose.

[Top Cat]

Love to see a pic. Appreciate the help TC.

VulcanD, here are the pics of the half chap I made from Lexan as promised.
They stopped the buffeting completely.
Please disregard the dirtiness of of my bike. :D

[VulcanJeff]

One thing to add, if you are planning on the tip of the shield to be higher than your eyes the re-curve might not be the way to go. It will distort your vision. But I still vote for a re-curve, at the tip of your nose.

Very good point, tonik. The recurve does distort things a little bit. It may or may not be a factor for everyone. If mine was taller - which it doesn't need to be - but if it was, I would probably grow tired of the distortion.

I would venture to guess that most people want to look over a windshield rather than through it all the time. I think the recurve option best benefits those who want to look OVER. Clearview's estimation is that by having recurve, a person can probably go with a shield that is an inch or two inches SHORTER than one without recurve.

My best advice for anyone ordering one? Do the "50 foot test" that Clearview specifies on their site. Consider the height of the current windshield and figure out how much taller you might need to go and whether or not recurve will help or hurt you. Best of all, they do accept returns with no restocking fee as long as the protective film is intact and there is no damage.

Also, a guy might save a few bucks if he asks about blemished product. The shield I bought was apparently a returned item (perfect condition) that had a discounted price. Yay! It didn't have recurve but they slipped it into the line and had it pressed at no extra charge.

Also x2, the first one I bought from them was a blem. It had a real small smudge less than the size of a dime in an inconspicuous location. Hell, 15 minutes into a ride a guy is probably going to have bug splatters that are worse than the smudge. It was a great price on a real nice shield. It was tinted and it had the multi-position vent in it. I was stoked!! Turned out to be too tall for my liking. I was stuck peering through it at all times. That was the biggest problem I had with it. The tinting wasn't to my liking either, especially at night. If it had been short enough to look OVER instead of THROUGH, I might have tolerated it. As for the vent, I had heard how well it works to eliminate the vacuum effect behind the shield. Personally I didn't find it to be all that effective but the biggest problem I had with the vent was the noise it promoted.

[kjenckes]

You guys are great. Thanks for all the advice. I like the half chaps as well. I have the full ones for cold weather and can't stand them over, roughly 70 degrees and this seems like a decent compromise. I think I will get the standard size with the recurve.

[VulcanJeff]

You guys are great. Thanks for all the advice. I like the half chaps as well. I have the full ones for cold weather and can't stand them over, roughly 70 degrees and this seems like a decent compromise. I think I will get the standard size with the recurve.

I highly recommend getting the extra width. They refer to it as 1" over or 2" over stock width. Is there a 3" over? I think there was for my 1500 Classic. I went with the max width they offered and love it.

Good luck, keep us posted! :tup:

[tonik]

I like the half chaps as well.

You could make some half chaps out of dang near anything and just zip tie it to the bars for testing. Heck some old plywood laying around would work for testing.

[Top Cat]

You could make some half chaps out of dang near anything and just zip tie it to the bars for testing. Heck some old plywood laying around would work for testing.

That is exactly what I did.
Pattern of card board then ply wood till I got it right.
Than Lexan.

[tonik]

Just got a coupon code from Clearview. Good until the 11th for 20 bucks off.


WB20

[rick6375]

Just got a coupon code from Clearview. Good until the 11th for 20 bucks off.


WB20

Am looking into getting a recurve in the next 2-3 weeks. How did you get the coupon code, would be nice to get the $20 off myself?

[Peg]

There have been a couple more offers since that "WB20" $20 off, and looking back through my inbox, it's clear :D that they make 2 or 3 discount offers each & every month.

Send them an email: info@clearviewshields.com, and ask to go on their mailing list. You shouldn't have to wait long before they send you an offer you can't refuse?

[tonik]

What Peg said, just get on their mailing list. I am on it because I purchased previously. I will certainly post up the next time I get one.

Or email them and say 'I am not on your mailing list but I want to buy can I get your current 20 dollar off code'

Bet they say yes.

[rick6375]

Email sent. Thank you tonik and Peg for the info.

[Woofie64]

I might be a little late to the party here, but I bought a recurve with the vent. I noticed that in certain wind conditions, opening the vent one click also helped reduce the buffeting, as the air moving through the vent relieved the low pressure pocket and helped to smooth it out. I would recommend ordering it with the vent.

[TNrookie]

I'd kinda be interested to know what size that folks ordered and your corresponding height. I always had the "standard" shield and have never had the fairing to contend with. With my Suzuki Volusia/C50 I had a 17" Memphis Shades. With the Nomad, I lowered it to pretty much all the way so I could look over the top edge (I'm 5'7" on a good day).

Looking a buying a Voyager and ohmygoshthatwindshieldishuge. Will definitely want a smaller one and I figure a good starting point will be the experts here on the forum.

Thanks in advance!

[xlock]

As mentioned in the other thread, I've never been disappointed with Clearview's size recommendations...here's the link for the Voyager you're looking at:

http://www.clearviewshields.com/motorcycle-windshield/kawasaki/voyager-1700-vaquero/

[xlock]

Here's a medium Clearview on my Vaq...I'm 6'4" and it alleviates all buffeting.

[tonik]

6' 1 and I went with the large. It is perfect, right at my nose. As mentioned above their measurement system is spot on.

[0vationdave]

I am 6'5" and went with the large as well. I probably could have gone with the x-large, but I have been happy with it. I rode 625 miles in one day on a trip last spring and and it was a lifesaver.

[Peg]

And sure enough... another Clearview discount offer just dropped into my inbox. Valid from today until 2 Feb, for $30 off.

[owcow]

I would order another clearview in a heartbeat. Great product and service. I went with a +2 in height and width with recurve and vent. I also found as other haves that opening the vent really cuts down on the buffeting coming up behind the shield. I'm 5'11 and have it set right at nose level. This is on my 1500 nomad.

[talon]

You have probably already made up your mind, but I agree about Clearview shields. I am 5'10" and I have the Small Light Gray with Vent on my 2012. Love it. I would get another if I needed to. The vent is great, but it does prevent you from being able to add windshield bags if you wanted those. Other than that, no issues. I wear a half helmet and no problems with buffeting.
https://scontent.fmci1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10462376_4972554807603_4770619261039406502_n.jpg?o h=f8c356c747d22c5c6b3a15c5d8ff2974&oe=5727E819

[TNrookie]

Ok, so what's with the "+2" and "-2" stuff? Is that a custom thing? I've looked at their website and I see they measure windshield height a bit differently (from off switch), but could someone explain?

[recumbentbob]

It's width.

Choose Width

+2 Inches
2 Inches Wider than Stock

[carolinakid1]

I am 6'2" and got the recurved windshield 2" higher and wider. It solved my buffeting issues. I also got the vent installed in the shield.

[Erilflynn]

I'd kinda be interested to know what size that folks ordered and your corresponding height. I always had the "standard" shield and have never had the fairing to contend with. With my Suzuki Volusia/C50 I had a 17" Memphis Shades. With the Nomad, I lowered it to pretty much all the way so I could look over the top edge (I'm 5'7" on a good day).

Looking a buying a Voyager and ohmygoshthatwindshieldishuge. Will definitely want a smaller one and I figure a good starting point will be the experts here on the forum.

Thanks in advance!

I'm also height challenged (5'7" and that's a stretch). Would like to get one for my new Voyager but am afraid even the small will be too tall for me and right in my line of sight. I've heard the small is approx. an inch and a half taller than the Ma Kaw 12". Can anyone confirm this or shorter riders chime in? Also on the Clearview site do not see any options for recurved, extra wide, etc. All I see is size, shade and vent options. Is the recurve standard? Thanks for your patience.

[jtk]

Call them at Clearview, they can will make it anyway you want it and are very helpful in figuring out what you need. I have got several from them and have been very happy.

[schoeney]

I have the CV Large with vent. Very happy with it.

I have wondered how well the CV type with "cat eyes" performs. Any of you have the cat eyes instead of the vent? I think the cat eye version looks better than the vent.

I read a review from a different forum and the poster stated the cat eyes do not let in very much rain and the little rain that does get through doesn't go to the rider. But I would not rely on just one review.