You love riding, you love taking your motorcycle out for a nice little spin around town every once in a while. You enjoy the feeling of the wind blowing through your hair and your bike breaching through the wind at a blinding pace towards your destination. This, indeed, is a pretty picture we all have when we take to riding motorcycles, but it is not always the most accurate one in real life.
Often we find ourselves riding in undesirable terrains, in inhospitable weather conditions and sometimes in bad traffic. Riding in such scenarios is not only difficult but sometimes could be hostile towards your health. I, for one, always believe in taking precautions and being sufficiently prepared to hit the road. Of the many accessories which help you prepare for a long ride, a highly utilitarian and often neglected accessory, are the Long Ride Shields.
Picture yourself riding against the wind pushing against your body at the speed of 70 – 80 mph, or imagine a dusty terrain where the faster you ride, the more mud seems to rise to blur your vision or inclement weather like a torrential rain or a dust storm.
If you have been in any such situation, you could imagine how essential and useful a long ride shield will be to you. Especially in inclement weather conditions when the dust is blowing straight towards your face, affecting your vision, a suitable riding shield can prove to be quite invaluable.
In this article, we give you the long ride shield reviews to help you choose the best one which is suitable if you plan to have a long ride.
Quick Comparison: Top 4 Long Ride Shields
Product | Wind Deflection Technique | Material | Price | Quality | My Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flip up design to push the wind up above the ride | Thick and hardened polymer sheet | $ | A+ | ||
A Flip up design to deflect the wind above the rider | Impact-modified Acrylic which is DOT compliant and shatter-resistant | $ | A+ | ||
Wind tunnel design with a triple split vent system, through the “hips” | Lexan Polycarbonate with FMR hard coating | $$ | A+ | ||
Wind tunnel design with a triple split vent system, through the “hips” | Sporty shaLexan Polycarbonate with FMR hard coatingpe | $$ | A+ |
**Below, you'll find my more detailed reviews about the long ride shields, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.
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Determine The Technique Which You Prefer To Use Windshield
As important as it is to have a windshield, it is equally important to choose the right shield which is suitable for you, your bike and your needs.
Before we get to the features of the right Riding Shield for your riding conditions, you should first determine the technique with which you prefer to use your windshield. This technique largely is differentiated basis whether you like to watch the road over the shield or through the shield, as both have their sets of advantages and flip sides.
Over The Shield
Those who like to watch the road over the riding shield look over the shield by 1 to 2 inches. This is advantageous for 2 main reasons:
The air flows up the shield and gathers up behind the shield, not disturbing your view of the road.
In times of rain or heavy fog, your vision will not be affected as it will be while looking through the shield.
One important disadvantage to consider is that the low flying objects may fly at the rider right above the shield, making it a little tricky.
Through The Shield
The rider watches the road through the shield while the top of the shield is about 2 to 3 inches above the rider’s line of sight. An advantage to this technique is the rider mostly protected from the small objects that fly over the shield at the rider. A considerate disadvantage is again, that the vision will get blurry at the time of rain or fog.
Important Things To Consider Before Getting A Riding Shield
Height
To determine the right height for your bike and riding posture, take the following steps:
Put an object on the ground at the distance of about 50 feet from your motorcycle
Sit on your bike in your normal position
Look over the top edge of the shield by 1 or 2 inches, if you prefer over the shield technique
Look through the shield where the top of the edge is 2 to 3 inches above your eye level if you prefer to use the through the shield technique
Your line of sight should be unobstructed and you should be able to see the object clearly
Mounting
The ideal method is to make sure that the rake of the riding shield goes along rake of the fork. The angle of the mounting usually helps in deflecting the wind blast and deflecting of bugs and small objects over the rider. In either of the techniques you are using the shield with, your mounting should be fine tuned with your requirement of looking over or through it.
Tint
Some riders tend to have an issue with driving into road reflected glare or the headlight. Based on your most used terrain and your riding preferences, you can choose the tinted shield over a non-tinted shield.
To read a little more on how to choose the best riding shield please read here.
Here Are The Best Long Riding Shields
Keeping in mind the points discussed above we have shortlisted a few riding shields which are specification wise the best shields in the market today and can be recommended to any serious rider:
LRS Thresher Recurve
Pros
Easy to mount and Install
Curve helps in clearing the wind from rushing at the face of the rider
Sturdy and looks great
Inexpensive with great value
Cons
The curve does not help for a clear vision if you are not used to looking through the shield
Important Features:
Size: 13”
Colour: Dark Tints
Material: High Impact Polymer
Fits 2015 - Newer H-D Road Glide
Scratch resistant
Thicker material resistant to shock and vibrations
Easy mounting and installation
Anyone that knows riding and shields surely would know the Long Riding Shields (LRS), a veteran in the fields of riding shields. LRS’s Thresher 13 inch model has the signature LRS “recurve” design and brings on the table the very dependable high-quality performance.
Featuring an aggressive flip up design to push the wind up above the rider, with the substantial width to ensure a wide coverage, the LRS Thresher can indeed boast of fine designing. The material is thick polymer sheet hardened to absorb shock and is scratch resistant.
Mako Windshield Harley
Pros
The air deflection is very effective
Easy to install and mount for replacement
Great design and complete coverage
Cons
Can only be used as a replacement to your stock shield
Important Features:
Size: 12”
Colour: Dark Tints
Material: High Impact Modified Acrylic
Fits 1998 -2013 Road Glide Non-CVO & Road Glide CVO 2000-2010 FLTR
Scratch resistant
Thicker material resistant to shock and vibrations
Easy mounting and installation
This LRS Mako Windshield is meant for replacement only. It uses, the mounting devices used by your stock riding shields for installation as there is no hardware packaged with them. This shield is great because of its effective design which wide coverage and wind reduction, and high-quality production. The Mako Shields have been made from aircraft grade, impact-modified Acrylic which is DOT compliant and shatter-resistant.
Dark enough to keep you comfortable in the face of glare, the Mako Windshield is designed to stay tough against impact and scratch ever so less.
Klock Werks KW05-01-0328
Pros
Looks tough and highly stylish
Tough quality, has great durability
Easy to install with pre-drilled sockets
Deflects air great and redirects it well too
Cons
Not very economical
Important Features:
Size: 12”
Colour: Dark Smoke
Material: Lexan Polycarbonate with FMR hard coating
Fits 15+ FLTRX, FLTRXS
Wind tunnel design
Easy mounting and installation
Another replacement shield, this Klock Werks Flare shield is great for 2 reasons; it has a special wind tunnel design with a triple split vent system, through the “hips” on the sides that ensure that the wind is effectively redirected. It also has a great design to flip up the wind across the width of the shield to ensure the wind in front of the rider is less turbulent and clean.
A shield with great style, the Klock Werks pro-touring flare is crafted from hard-coated polycarbonate for longer durability and higher quality. It is also quite easy to install with the help of the stock mounting devices.
Check this video for a detailed description.
Klock Werks KW05-01-0327
Pros
Deflects the air very well
Easy to mount using the stock shields hardware
Keeps the bike steady on a long ride
Great design
Cons
Not high enough if you are a tall rider
Important Features:
Size: 12”
Colour: Dark Tints
Material: Lexan Polycarbonate with FMR hard coating
Fits Harley Davidson Touring/Dresser, Road Glide Ultra FLTRU/FLTR
Wind tunnel designed with the patented “hips” on the sides
Easy mounting and installation
The Klock Werk Pro-Touring Flare is another fine product reputed for its wider coverage for great wind deflection and technical superiority. The patented design "hips" on the sides of the shield push the wind to keep the rider’s vision clear and head unperturbed. It also puts a downward force to the front of the motorcycle for improved stability of the ride.
This is another replacement shield in place of your stock shields and brings great style and value to your bike. Made from the polycarbonate material the windshield is good enough to take a high impact without shattering. This shield is easy to install and most users find it very useful in practice.
For a detailed view of the installation of this riding shield watch this video.
Finalize Your Best Riding Shield
For a great design and technique to redirect and deflect the wind so that the riders rides in comfort, the Klock Werks KW05-01-0327 Windshield is my winner of the four. But then, this is only per my preference and all riders would/should have his own.
Product | Wind Deflection Technique | Material | Price | Quality | My Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flip up design to push the wind up above the ride | Thick and hardened polymer sheet | $ | A+ | ||
A Flip up design to deflect the wind above the rider | Impact-modified Acrylic which is DOT compliant and shatter-resistant | $ | A+ | ||
Wind tunnel design with a triple split vent system, through the “hips” | Lexan Polycarbonate with FMR hard coating | $$ | A+ | ||
Wind tunnel design with a triple split vent system, through the “hips” | Sporty shaLexan Polycarbonate with FMR hard coatingpe | $$ | A+ |
All the 4 discussed long ride shields are great products and provide great value to the riders. However since all bikes are different from the other, all riders are different, so are the requirements of all the riders. To help you find the best shield per your requirement, we have lined up all the important factors to help you decide:
Conclusion
Now that we have all the best options of the Long Ride Shields reviews, it’s time to take the next reasonable step; pick the most suitable one for you. Remember, we ride best when we ride prepared.
Go ahead and let us know how it went.