Thanks for the pics and comments Bruce, exactly what I needed to make up my mind.
Thanks for the pics and comments Bruce, exactly what I needed to make up my mind.
Bruce, your shield angle and height relative to the faring gasket looks pretty much identical to what I have settled on (plenty of gap between Base and Shield). Just curious if you noticed any difference when you switched from the 8" to 9" Base? My 10" Base is a bit wider than yours. I notice I have a very wide envelope of calm air (well beyond each shoulder and not much air around the hands). Was wondering if you seem to get the same wide envelope?
The Madstad site seems to suggest the calm air is produced by letting some air between the Base and Shield to relieve some of the low pressure behind the Shield. My tinkering (and aviation background) has me thinking quite the opposite. I think the stream of air flowing up and over the front of the Shield creates a lower relative air pressure in front of the stream of air flowing up from the Base. This IMO allows the stream of air flowing up the Base to rise higher than it normally would with a single traditional shield (thus the bubble of calm air up and over your head)
Having tinkered with many different positions and settings, my experience suggests the more air flow over the Base the better. In other words the bigger the gap between bottom of the Shield and Base the better. This gap is user adjustable in two ways: First in the way the Robo Brackets are assembled and Second in how low you adjust your Shield. The Robo Brackets have a series of assembly holes which allow the Shield to be mounted closer or further away from the Base. I have settled on the Furthest setting (max gap between Shield and Base). For those with the shorter 8" or 9" Base you have to be careful not to adjust the shield so low that the Gap between the Base and the bottom of the Shield is choked off.
If you special order the 10" Base it is simply not possible to adjust the Shield so low that the gap between the bottom of the Shield and Base is choked off (this is one advantage to the 10" Base IMO). In the lowest position the bottom of the shield is about even with the Faring Gasket when adjusted Full Down using a 10" Base (this will be true with any height Shield). With the 8" Base and the Shield adjusted Full Down the bottom of the Shield will be about 2" below the Faring Gasket choking off the gap (and air flow) between the bottom of the Shield and Base. I point this out once again for any one trying to decide what height shield to order. Because if you receive an 8" Base and happen to order a Shield that is really too tall for you by mistake, then naturally you will adjust the Shield to the Full Down position in an attempt to see over it. This will choke the gap between the bottom of the Shield and Base and you will not get the wind protection the Madstad is truly capable of.
The Madstad Website Shield height recommendations are all skewed way too Tall. Bruce ended up trading out for a shorter shield and so did I. I'm a Normal Build build 6'-2" guy and the website suggests a 15" Shield. I'm actually using the 11" Shield adjusted up about 1" from the Full Down position and I am looking way over the top of it with great results. I think Bruce is about 5'-10" and using the same 11" Shield now with good results.
Madstad is a small company with a great product. Be aware however they do not have a Goldwing available to them for test rides to tweak the F6B product. So all the Field Testing is being done by folks like us. My advice when it comes to the F6B is to take Madstad's recommendations on Base and Shield heights with a grain of salt. Those of us actually riding with the Madstad will continue to provide feedback in hopes that info will help others get the most out of their Madstad purchase.
I like the appearance of my short base.
Scotrod,Originally Posted by Scotrod
I like the appearance of my short base.
I agree the short Base looks fine, question for me is: Does it provide the same degree of wind protection as the taller Base?
You mentioned in another thread that your short ride on the Interstate with the Madstad did not seem that much different than a standard shield. My bike on the Interstate is Hands Down many times better than the 11" BaggerShield I was running. Before the Madstad I actually thought the BaggerShield was doing a good job. The Madstad just exceeded all my expectations by a wide margin.
On the Interstate I still get some buffeting from traffic but much reduced compared to my BaggerShield. The Madstad also seems to help in reducing to some degree the effect of stiff crosswinds on the rider. It just seems to create a relatively large Bubble of smooth air.
Now I know due to weather you have not had the opportunity to ride that much to dial-in your setup. I'm just trying to provide my observations for others trying to order or dial-in what they have.
Just placed my order, and talked to Mark. He advised that the tall baseplate is now the default for F6B.
Hmm,,,
I need to at least give Mark a 'courtesy call',,,
No worries! Hoping to get more dial-in time SOON!!!!! Always open to helpful tips and what others have experienced!!!!Scotrod,
You mentioned in another thread that your short ride on the Interstate with the Madstad did not seem that much different than a standard shield.
I was surrounded by heavy Houston traffic the entire time. Very poor conditions.
My bike on the Interstate is Hands Down many times better than the 11" BaggerShield I was running.
I was running the 'convertible' in the high mounted position,,, 20.5 inches of shield above weatherstrip
Before the Madstad I actually thought the BaggerShield was doing a good job. The Madstad just exceeded all my expectations by a wide margin.
On the Interstate I still get some buffeting from traffic but much reduced compared to my BaggerShield. The Madstad also seems to help in reducing to some degree the effect of stiff crosswinds on the rider. It just seems to create a relatively large Bubble of smooth air.
Now I know due to weather you have not had the opportunity to ride that much to dial-in your setup. I'm just trying to provide my observations for others trying to order or dial-in what they have.
Just like anything else, what one experiences may not be identical to another, but typically, a pattern of sorts develops!!
Ho Ho Ho. my Madstad will be here before Christmas. Thanks Santa, it's just what I wanted. Even got a call this morning from one of the elves at the Madstad pole. That's customer service.
You're going to really like it. Have fun.
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