:yes:
Tell us what shield(s)you had before and what you think of the 'stad,,,
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:yes:
Tell us what shield(s)you had before and what you think of the 'stad,,,
Ok let me try this again -
I have had 3 windshields so far, Stock, Cee Bailey's 13", F4 customs 18" and now the Madstad 15" clear. I have a RDL seat so I am an inch or two higher in the saddle than the stock seat.
With the Madstad shield fully up and at a 60 degree angle. It's 20 inches from the top of the shield to the Honda logo on the dash. Madstad allows for a lot of adjustment in the windshield which is perfect for a tinkerer like myself. I can definitely see why this windshield is not for everyone, it's definitely unique in the looks department but it kind of grows on you after a while.
I have attached a few pics that may help someone else. Not sure why the pic uploader rotates them arrggghh.
I have not had a chance to test it yet, hopefully I will get out for a ride tomorrow and report back. But so far I am impressed with the quality and the engineering. Not taking anything away from any of the other windshields. I like to Farkle, it's a disease that's my story and I am sticking to it :-)
Put in 1100 miles in the last 2 days and had some excellent opportunity's to high-speed 'tune' WITH the wind wings on.
It's a bit different combining the wings and the Madstad, and tuning one has an effect on the other,,,
Currently running parallel w/base,,, not quite 100% 'back' on rake. Also running the 'middle' set of holes between upper and lower brackets. (This brings the shield closer to base vs the 'top' set of holes that most brackets are sent out with from the manufacturer.)
The wings:
First,,, 'full closed' on the wings moves the air off your hands and out away from Rider. Biggest issue is a bit of pressure on your back/shoulders as the wind is trying to rush in the pocket of low pressure between you and the shield. This same low pressure zone is 'pulling down/disrupting' the stream of air coming up the backside of the shield,,,
That stream is the same one that push's the oncoming air up over your head,,, (Kinda like a 'flip' shield but without all the 'stirring' of the wind)
So,,, Running w/ the wing's 'straight forward/neutral' reduces the width/strength of the 'bubble' and reduces that pressure on your back,,,,
And,,,,, Running w/the wing's positioned so they pull air into the riders area eliminates that pressure on your back and helps to further reduce the pressure differentiation between 'normal' and the area behind the shield,,, With less pressure differentiation, the stream coming up behind the shield isn't 'disrupted/dissipated' as much and tends to stay smoother/stronger in 'pushing' the oncoming air upwards,,,
At high speeds (80ish) I would run mostly 'neutral' or a hair 'open' on the wings and slide the shield higher in the slots. (Should be 'acceptable' in hot weather as there is still some good air circulating at 80 mph,,, You really don't want to be 'blow-torched' with hot air,, just get a good breeze,,) At 50-60, I ran the wings 'full open' (air towards rider) and slide the shield down in the slots to get as much air over the helmet vents as you can handle
Worst problem is ya get spoiled with how quiet it is with the shield up and sliding it down to get yer noggin in some real airflow reminds you of how noisy your helmet is!
As always, each individual's experience will vary, but combining wings with Madstad has it's own set of variables that can compliment each other.
Don't be afraid to experiment with settings you 'think' won't work!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks!
It tends to be a bit more purple in some types of light,,, Eh,,, I like the light that makes it blue the best! LOL!
So, after reading this thread, what do you think of the Madstad system?
If the buying and selling of 6-2-6 from this board is any indication you should just be able to unload them for $550ish and move on. I think trying to do the torque loops is setting yourself up for further heartache, but again that is just my opinion.
Madstad is easily one of the best purchases out there (even with the gripes I had initially for set up), the Cobras are one I am glad to have avoided.
Whats wrong with the Cobra pipes?
Awesome thread and info here! I'll be ordering a Madstad this week... and thanks to you fine folks I know exactly how to place the order.
Its a love/hate thing. Some people love em, but others like me took em off quickly and put em on this site or ebay. I had 100 miles on mine and sold em for $450. The drone was horrible and I like to listen to the tunes. Good call on the Madstad...I had mine installed by dealer and its been a great upgrade
Thanks RB.
The wind noise with my current helmet and stock windshield is just too much; the noise is deafening. Further, I had it on a long-ish interstate ride last night and was catching bugs and rain drops on my face shield. I'm hoping the Madstad fixes each of these problems.
I don't care for how the Madstadt looks on my bike but there are zero bugs on my faceshield.
I pretty much have to agree with you on this one. Like you, I love the functionality of mine but it does look a bit "funky" IMO. I don't think it's quite as "funky" if you go with the clear screen over the black base which is the combination I finally went with. With that setup, from a distance, you mainly notice the black base which looks like a bagger-style shield and that retains the original design of the F6B.
Interesting. I was gonna say the smaller dark tint looks best.
I read the first two pages of this thread (will read the rest tonight) but people are seeing much reduced noise and buffeting with the small 11" shield right?
I'm 5'9", and I have the 11" Madstadt windshield. It is set so that I look over it mostly, unless I start slouching down. It shoots the air about an inch or two over my head, no buffeting, and I stopped wearing earplugs. It's oddly peaceful on the highway. I have not tried a traditional, taller screen as yet, so I can't compare.
Fyi, Madstad appears to have these in stock. I ordered a dark grey 11" on the 7th and on the 8th (today) Fedex has it in their tracking system.
:yes:
It should arrive tomorrow; it's nice being only 50 miles away from them :icon_mrgreen:
HMMM, Am I the only one with a 15???
Wife has a 13, and I've swapped with her only to trade back again,,, :shrug:
I'm starting small... but will go bigger if I don't get the wind protection that I'm hoping for.
D-shark made an interesting comment earlier... he said his 11" protected slightly better than his 13".
Nope. I hate lookin through a shield,,,
I'm not runnin 60 degrees of rake,,,, closer to OEM rake, so that's probably a good part of it. :shrug:
Tried the wifes 13 @ 60,, the 15 @ 60,,, eh,,, keep falling back to the 15 @ something 'close' to OEM rake,,,
IMHO, this produces the most/strongest blast of air upwards along the back of the shield, which in turn 'pushes' the oncoming air in front of the shield upwards. IMHO, less air 'spin' created as the airspeed on both sides of the shield is 'relatively close'.
IMHO, a shield at 60 degrees is more of a 'plow/pusher' than an extension of the upper fairing,,, but,,, I'm no expert. :shrug:
I have tried the OEM rake as well, and it smoothes out the air for sure vs a traditional shield, but to me it doesn't "pop" the air over your head anymore, just smoothes it out as it hits your face. Different strokes, as they say.
Not to :icon_deadhorse: but I wonder also if you are taller than I think you are. For some reason I am assuming you are roughly the same height as me (6'ish) and even at OEM rake all the way down I would have, what I consider, intrusion into my line of sight with a 15" shield. Of course "intrusion into your field of vision" is also subjective.
I have switched my Madstad around probably 50 different times, much to the eye rolling chagrin of my wife, and keep coming back to my 11" shield at ~60 degree rake and about 1" up from full down. My 13" does put the air further over my head, but it bugs me being "in my line of sight".
I should close this by saying for anyone looking at a Madstad, don't take my constant adjustments to mean the system doesn't work, it does, and fantastically well, I am just a serial tinkerer and constantly think "this is great, but what if I..."
Nope, not tall. 6-0, but with a long torso and an RDL seat that places me a bit higher than OEM.
I tend to ~aim~ the 'air' right at very top edge of my helmet shield. Very little head rattle but still keeps the air moving rapidly over the top helmet vents.
I'm also north of 300 lbs, so I feel a little like an elephant trying to hide behind a phone pole with any 'small' screen,,, :icon_doh:
Another score for Madstad Engineering!
I just installed mine tonight and it's truly a world of difference from the stock F6 windshield. Just like many here have said, I was able to ride around all evening with my faceshield up listening to the radio. It's such an improved riding experience that I really didn't want to get off.
I can confirm the comments here that said these are shipping with the 9 inch base shield and if I understand right, they are the "Goldwing" version; that is, they have the little winglets or extensions on the ends.
At 5'11" with 32" inseam I'm able to set the height of my 11" screen at the midpoint and virtually any angle seems to kick the air stream over the top of my helmet.
I was a little concerned about the looks but after installing it, I'm actually kind of proud of it. It's a purposeful, industrial look that goes well with the bike IMO. I haven't seen this on the pics posted (maybe I wasn't looking hard enough) but "Madstad" is now engraved very tastefully at the bottom of the outer shield.
I feel like this was money well spent. Thank you sincerely to everyone in this thread, particularly the early major contributors... you know who you are :icon_biggrin:
:icon_biggrin:
But,,, but,,, but,,, it doesn't LOOK COOL!!!!! :icon_laugh:
Hell, if half of us were honest with ourselves, we'd look in the mirror and give up on 'looking cool' altogether!!! :crackup:
:icon_biggrin:
Once a person learns to laugh at themselves, and not take life too seriously,,, :yes:
:clap2:
:banana:
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Beats the hell outta :old: :furious:
Due to work and other things I've not been able to follow the forum much the last few months. Thought this might be of some interest to those considering a windshield purchase. Originally I had the 11" Baggershield and went to the 11" Madstad which was a Night & Day improvement over the Baggershield and I've done over 12,000 miles with the Madstad since.
Recently my girlfriend & I had a chance to ride a friends 02 Goldwing. I think it might have been a stock shield, it set 17" from the faring gasket to the top and had a vent. I'm 6'-2" and look well over the 11" Madstad. The 17" Goldwing shield was right at my line of sight by comparison. From my perspective as the rider wind protection was similar to the much shorter Madstad (no real difference IMO). My girlfriend however as the passenger said she was getting noticeably more wind compared to the Madstad. I should mention that we had been riding My F6B just minutes before taking out the Goldwing so the comparisons were back to back.
Opening and closing the windshield vent did not improve nor degrade wind protection for either of us as far as we could tell. The test ride was at interstate speeds.
Interesting to know; I haven't seen much other feedback from the passenger perspective.
Thanks for sharing.
Here's what another Madstad owner said:
Ride each way was over 1k miles a day, what I learned.
I have several windshields for this bike, all of them except the Madstad will soon be for sale. My 11" shield worked like a champ, especially in the rain.
Riding in the rain on the bike is no issue, in fact, the protection was so good that I could ride thru some 3 to 5 mile showers without even getting wet. As long as I was moving at highway speed, the water would go around and over me. Extended showers I used the rain suit.
http://hondaf6b.com/showthread.php?3...-Franklin-ride
There were (2) Madstads that sold at the auction for DIRT cheap,,, If both our bikes weren't already 'Madstad-equipped',,,
Heck, I should've bought one anyway just for parts!!!:banghead:
i have bought my share of windshields and i have come to one conclusion..
at some point you try and justify the purchase to yourself...
its close to this but better for that
jeez.....when did we forget the days of no windshields
ill be the first to say my choice is the BEST for me
do i want anything else...maybe
am i waiting for the white elephant that looks cool and still protects me from the elements..
naw...im over it
now my needs are simple
radio on 13
no wind whistle in my helmet
and a vent for warm days...
the important thing is i ride every day
and its still makes me giggle...
18k...small price for this much dam fun
What I didn't mention about the Madstad, and why it's my choice over several others relates to all the things in the above post. I can hear my radio, I look well over the shield, it doesn't suffocate me. In fact because it's adjustable, and it's the 11", I can lower the thing and get as much air as I want. I have found the nirvana position though, and if I need more air, I just open the Baker air wings. I really like it.
I'd say Madstad owes this thread more than one sales commission. My 11" dark smoke should be here Friday.
Many thanks to you guys who did the early major hashing out and testing of this product. I can buy this with confidence having been able to read a very extensive ongoing review. Great work!
I understand they work fine, but in my opinion they are just to ugly and busy for my tastes..But to "each his own as they say"...and I am happy some folks like them a lot.....
UGLY!!???!!
When you're as ugly as I am, ANYTHING looks fine!!!! :yikes:
:crackup:
I adjust mine 19 different ways for each different condition,,,, How fast I'm going, how much air I want/don't want, how quiet I want it to be,,,
So versatile, it makes the Popeil Pocket Fisherman look like a stick with a string! :shock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fh_YwAnv7w
I wonder if you can still buy those.
Yep, WallyWorld sells them.
Ronco-Pocket-Fisherman