Vstream windshield

One more Report:

Stock vs Tall Tulsa vs V-Stream all in the same day.

We have been using two Tulsa's on our '01 Wing for the past 8 years now. The Stock windshield caused way too much buffeting for the wife who is only 5' tall. First we got the Tall Tulsa which wasn't quite enough for her then to the X-Tall Tulsa which worked out well. The X-Tall has been modified slightly, that is shortened a little so that it is 1/2 way between the Tall & X-Tall height which minimized my Helmet Strikes on the top edge. :twisted:

Over the 8 years on the '01 we have used up several different helmets and are now using Shoei MultiTec's.

In addition we have a Sidecar that is on & off the bike but has been on for a few months due to my back/leg trouble. What the Sidecar does to complicate the windshield-helmet-passenger issue for the wife on the back of the bike is to force wind inward from the right side and create a lot of Wind Noise along with some Buffeting. Note the the dogs have the sidecar to themselves and the wife rides on the back of the bike. I would use the HD term but would likely get kicked. :roll:

Another complication has to do with the Shoei MultiTec helmets that are much more sensitive to Wind Noise than any of the preseding helmets were. I think most of that has to do with the Top Vent and Poor Seal on the ChinBar.


On to the comparison:

First Note that the Tulsa is a one position only windshield & the others were mounted in the Fully Up positions to equalize the results. The whole test was aimed at finding the best of the three for the wife in the passenger seat where the Wind Noise and Buffeting is by far the worst.

Today started out with the modified Tulsa X-Tall which causes a lot of Wind Nose for both of us in the Shoei Helmets, with the worst being for the wife. The Wind Buffeting being minimal for both of us.

The Tulsa was removed and the Stock Honda unit re-installed. At 35 MPH the wife started complaining about Buffeting and a lot more Wind Noise. At Hiway Speed she was ready to get off the bike and walk home. :no:
I had forgotten how much she complained 8 years ago about the stock windshield. For me, being closer to the windshield than she is, it was much more comfortable than the Tulsa without much Noise or other notable problems, kinda odd but true.

Off came the Stock windshield and on went the V-Stream, which I borrowed from Doyne at APEX Sports, and off we went again. The wife reported that the Buffeting was gone at Hiway speeds, even when we were in some Semi WindWake :!: :-D
In the process of testing the total comfort level she reported that there was still some Wind Noise coming off of the sidecar from the right but was better than the Tulsa --- AND that she could hear the radio much better in her headset than any other arrangement so far. :yes1:

After todays test rides I asked the wife which of the four windshields should stay on the bike, either of the Tulsa's, Stock OEM or V-Stream.
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V-Stream :thumbup: :thumbup:

For myself both the Stock OEM and V-Stream are equal in both Noise and General Comfort levels.

BTW I wasn't botherd by the slight vibration of either the Stock or V-Stream windshields, which is normal with Lexan compared to the more rigid Tulsa. I expect that when the sidecar is removed again the problems the wife has noted with wind from the right side will go away and she will be totally comfortable. As it is the V-Stream has minimized the issues for her with the Hack bolted up.

As a result of todays test runs Doyne may not get his V-Stream back.



ps I just had to add this info. The V-Stream vs OEM in full up position measures 2" higher and 1 1/2" rearward at the top center.

chazzman said:

I think the flexing at highway speeds for several miles would be quite annoying. When it was completely down it performed pretty well.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure why yours was flexing so much. In our case with the V-Stream in the full up position and under the same conditions it has less flex than the OEM shield does.

One has to remember that Lexan is more flexable than Plexi and that goes along with it's safety over the more rigid shields like the Tulsa.

Even with the Tulsa's there is some flex and if you let it it to will drive you nuts, even more so with the distortion that the Tulsa has in it's border area which is why I cut my X-Tall Tulsa down a little to avoid it.

Over all I find the V-Stream very plesent to look through at any legal speeds and the wife quit complaining about the wind noise behind the Tulsa's with our Shoei MultiTec's that seem to be the most sensitive to wind noise.

With the V-Stream in the full up position I can either look over it or through it and have found it to be the best one I have had over the past several decades for use at night. Very Clear in the dark of night both in town and out on the open road with only the bikes lights. Far better than the OEM under the same conditions too.

BTW I do have one problem with the V-Stream, I can hear the CLUNK while shifting much more now that there is less wind noise to block it out.

More input on the V-Stream under some EXTREME conditions:

Today I took the rig (bike+sidecar) to one of my favorite Diner's for breakfast. Temp was 36-deg with 30 to 60 MPH Gusts. 4:

Under these conditions I stay off the -I- and away from the big rigs (Semi's) keeping to city by-ways. I was on two Parkways running at 50 MPH with those Gusts up to 60 MPH from the front, rear & side (quartering).

While I don't recomend riding in 2-Wheel mode under these conditions the Hack rig does just fine as long as there isn't any Wind Wake from Semi's to contend with. :22yikes:

Anywho the V-Stream did "Flex" a little but not much at all compared to what I have had with both the OEM and Tulsa in the past under similar conditions on the GL1800. It Flexed a little more than the Tulsa, not much, and was Much, Much better than the OEM ever was. :thumbup:

I think that the extra thickness along with the re-inforcing V-Rib on the sides makes this the most stable upright Lexan windsield I have ever tried to date and I have had a few in the past 49 years. :1st:

While I view Function over Fashion the shape of the V-Stream was kinda odd to me at first, HOWEVER that "Odd Shape" due to the side V-Ribs is growing on me as a Positive Function rather than simply Fashion. :biggrin:


All the above is JHMO