Since I got older my bike needs have changed. I no longer can tolerate wind buffeting and other little aggravations such as helmet buzz.
This was not always the case, I never had a windshield all the years I rode and I started riding when I was on the tail end of 16.

After I returned to riding after raising a family, I had changed and bikes had changed.
I’ve went through 4 different bikes with different windshields and one day I was down at the local biker hangout and there was a guy there with a new MS batwing on his Harley.

I walked over and was looking at it as he walked out to get on his bike to go. I asked him how he liked the batwing. He said he would never go back to a windshield.
That was when I bought the batwing I have now including a 9 inch shield.

Buying a batwing alone got rid of a lot of the wind buffeting, but my goal was to slip down the super slab and not be bothered by wind at all. I ended up adding the little wing extensions MS sells separately, and the factory lowers I got through the dealer at half price of $129.00.

That got rid of the most of the problems but I still had an irritating helmet buzz. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to irritate me.
I held my hand over my head at 70 and the wind seemed to be slipping on over my head so I resolved myself to the fact it was not going to get any better and to live with it.

A while back I started working on the Mustang seat to get maximum comfort out of that and I hollowed out the seat to put in lots of gel pad and memory foam.

The affect this had was that it lowered me in the seat another inch, and Saturday the sun came out and I hit the super slab, the weather was 36 degrees as I brought the bike up to 70 then 75 and on up to 80. The helmet buzz was completely gone.

I was finally slipping down the freeway on a really comfortable bike with no wind irritations or seat irritations and I love it.

I knew at the outset that I could have achieved this by buying a Goldwing. Goldwings are designed from the ground up to do this, but I’m just not a Goldwing man.
At first I didn’t like the batwing look, but it’s grown on me.

The point I want to make is that there is that sweet spot that can be achieved with these fairings without having cross winds affect it, nor buffeting or irritating helmet buzz.

The fairing has to be at the right angle in and just the right height and still be able to see over the shield. For those of us who have gotten older and want our comforts on those long rides, or even short rides, this can be achieved on the Roadie, but it sure doesn’t come off the showroom floor that way.

I’ve had enough different bikes that I’m not easily impressed, and when I brought the new Roadie home last summer I wasn’t all that impressed, it felt a little too heavy for me and it was just another bike, but as I have worked with it, got used to the weight and got rid of the little irritations I am truly impressed. The bike handles like a dream on curves and is comfortable as any Goldwing when you set it in the wind.

River you must be a mind reader. I went for a good ride yesterday and I was thinking about why I would want a fairing as opposed to my Memphis Fats windshield. I've never ridden a bike with a fairing,(actually this is my first windshield) and I just don't know what the advantages/disadvantages are. I'm betwixed and between right now. Does it really keep that much wind off of you?

River
From the 1st ride on my bike out of the dealership, I noticed the air hose blowing up my face feeling. After many smart and helpful people on this site educated me on different ways to mitigate or solve this problem. I put on the HD chrome lowers(life changing experience for the better) Then I moved to an HD fairing with a 10" shield,same thing as you experienced,it changed the ride to better.
I use the tall windsheild and lowers only in cold weather along with crash bar chaps and replace during hot weather with no lowers and a 4" windshield for appearance(because the 4" is like not having a windsheild at all.
I too have reached that spot where I have my cruiser dialed in. Now all I have to do to it is the expensive stuff,like wheels.

Have fun n keep safe.
Southwest

Bushman52 wrote:
River you must be a mind reader. I went for a good ride yesterday and I was thinking about why I would want a fairing as opposed to my Memphis Fats windshield. I've never ridden a bike with a fairing,(actually this is my first windshield) and I just don't know what the advantages/disadvantages are. I'm betwixed and between right now. Does it really keep that much wind off of you?

yes, it does when you get it all dialed in. I think as far as functionality it doesn't make a difference as to what batwing it is, so whatever turns a person on.