Madstad for F6B

[d-shark]

If I had not received the taller Madstad base shield by mistake that allows full up & down bracket adjustment of the shield that would have been an immediate deal breaker for me. I looked hard at the Windbender which is a very nice product with a claimed vertical adjustment of 4". I want to be able to slam the shield down when riding mountain twisties and up on long interstate hauls. Which I assumed both of these products were capable of prior to my Madstad purchase.

For me Madstad edged out the Windbender with it's simple yet elegant rake adjustment. If you compromise the vertical adjustment range of the Madstad then I think I would have to go with the Windbender.

[Bruce B]

If u get a madstad and look thru it, u missed the point and might as well get a tall cheap shield. U should be looking way over it...

You're right, and I do look way over it. I really just wonder if I should stick to the medium gray rather than the dark for visibility to the 8 and 4:00 positions on slow parking lot, etc. situations.

[d-shark]

Bike with 11" shield at 60 degrees, set approx 1" up from full down.


Windshield full up,red tape 58" (my eye level).


Windshield approx 1" up, red tape 58" (my eye level).


Windshield full down, red tape 58" (my eye level).


Windshied full up, 60 degree tilt.


Windshiel approx 1" up, 60 degree tilt.


Windshield full down, 60 degree tilt.


Beautiful day today in Central IL, UPS delivered shield at 3pm so I got out for 2 hours of riding. First of all the 11" shield adjusted approx 1" up from the lowest height setting and tilted at 60 degrees is every bit as effective as the 16" shield was despite the fact that I'm looking well over the top of it. Wind protection is also good set in full UP and full DOWN positions. In the full UP position I have to sit up just a tad to see over the top of the shield. So with this combination (tall base shield & 11" shield) this works good for me being 6'2". The full height adjustment range is usable for me.

With my old 11" Baggershield the stereo was useless above 55mph. Today on the interstate at 75mph I enjoyed the stereo without having to crank it to ear blistering levels. Also tried my Half Helmet which produced a ton of wind noise with the Baggershied. Only slightly more noise with the helmet compared to no helmet.

Photos from the riders seat give you an idea of how the tall base shield looks relative to the forward field of view. I think a rider would have to be very short for the taller base shield to present any kind of forward visibility problem. I personally like the proportions of the tall base shield and 11" top shield. At my request Madstad shipped me a top shield with the gentler bottom contour which looks better IMO.

[Mustangjake]

My opinion for what little it counts. The Madstad looks like it is about 3 inches forward of the stock shield and less of a angle most likely why u need a shorter 1.

[Scotrod]

The smaller shield does look better!!!

D-Shark, what's your inseam?

So far, it looks like I'm either an 11 or a 13 shield sze w/Madstad.

[d-shark]

Scotrod,

I am 6',2" tall with an average to perhaps slightly longer torso length and 34" pant inseam. To select the proper shield height you have to first know exactly which base shield Madstad is going to ship to you. I received the 10" tall base shield by accident (as measured from the bottom of the faring gasket to the top of the base shield). Mark at Madstad said they should have shipped a base shield that is approx 2" shorter as seen in this thread on Bruce's bike.

If you look at Bruce's bike he has his brackets adjusted approx 2" UP to get the bottom of the shield approx even with the faring gasket. My guess is that the top of his 13" shield is approx 13" above the bottom of the faring gasket. This leaves Bruce with only 1" of additional UP adjustment (so the full usable adjustment range for Bruce is 13" to 14" above the bottom of the faring gasket). So if you get the shorter base shield as Bruce did then you have to choose your shield height very carefully because of the very limited height adjustment. When I discussed the limited height adjustment the shorter base shield imposes with Mark at Madstad, Mark seemed to think it was no big deal, I have to disagree, (that would be a deal killer for me).

In my case I have the taller 10" base shield so when the brackets are adjusted all the way DOWN the bottom of the shield is approx even with the faring gasket. I can set my 11" shield so the top of it is anywhere from 11" to 14" above the bottom of the faring gasket. I appear to get excellent wind protection through that entire adjustment range with the taller base shield. My concern is that a shorter base shield may degrade wind protection when the shield is adjusted full UP? I have no way to prove this, so make your own choice.

It was interesting in my conversations with Mark, he stated the Madstad windshield heights they manufacture are simply that, the height of the windshield when placed on a table measured from top to bottom (they make no reference to a point on the bike). On the other hand Goldwing owners when discussing windshield height tend to assume this means the height of the shield measured from the faring gasket to the top of the shield. This is not the case with the kit Bruce received. If he adjusts his 13" shield to full DOWN the top of his shield will be approx 11" above the faring gasket and the bottom of the shield approx 2" below the faring gasket. My point here is that Goldwing owners may be thinking apples while Madstad is thinking and shipping oranges.

I'm taking the time here in an attempt to help forum members understand their choices. I also hope this will be useful and constructive feedback for Madstad. When I originally ordered this product I wanted a shield I could adjust from 11" up to 14" in height (as measured from the bottom of the faring base gasket to the top of the shield). Madstad recommended I order their 16" shield despite the measurements I provided and concerns I expressed about 16" being too tall (granted Mark assured me they would replace the shield at no charge if it did not work out and he has).

My advice would be to order the taller Base Shield, that way if you adjust a 11" or 13" shield full DOWN, the top of the shield will be approximately 11" or 13" above the bottom of the faring base gasket. Then you have a full 3" of upward adjustment (14" and 16" max height respectively) with no apparent loss in wind protection as far as I can tell.

[Scotrod]

I'm 6-0 w/30 so ~roughly~ the same as 6-4 w/34 (Dad's 6-4 and we are the same height at the table. Different story after he stands up! LOL!)

I have a 'convertable' baggershield which is 19 in the 'raised' position. (11 low, I believe) No problems at all seeing over it @ 19.

Seen some 'Goldwing' shields measured as overall length, including the portion below the rubber strip, while F6b shields are sometimes measured rubber strip up. (Baggershield does this on there website.) Probably a result of OEM Wings having 4 inches of shield adjustment while F6b's have none.)

The range of adjustment you prefer seems to be similar to what the Windbender set up does. Madstad costs less and comes with rake adjustment 'standard'. I can't say there is any clear-cut advantage in function of one system vs. the other as I've never had either one.

[d-shark]

Scotrod,

Based on my limited riding experience so far with the Madstad there is not a huge difference in added wind protection for the rider when adjusting the rake from the stock angle to 60 degrees as recommended but there is some improvement. Ability to adjust the rake seems to benefit the passenger more than the rider in my case. Just to be clear, the air is very calm at the rider position at just about any angle and or height. I will have to report back after my girlfriend has had more time to critique what's going on from the passenger seat.

I looked hard and long at the Windbender which appears to be a fine product and they have many happy customers. I just went Madstad because it had what I thought was a more elegant rake adjustment already built into their Robo Bracket system. So far I am very happy I spent the extra money for this type of windshield system. It simply adds to an already great F6B riding experience.

[d-shark]

A brief update since installing the shorter 11" Dark Grey Madstad Shield in place of the original 16" they originally recommended. I mentioned earlier the 11" shield is every bit as effective for me the rider as the 16" shield was. Yesterday had the girlfriend on the back for an afternoon ride for the first time with the 11" shield. We tried all different angles & heights, turns out with the shield at approx 60 degrees and raised approx 1" from it's lowest setting is the best for both of us. I should note we were not wearing helmets of any kind.

She stated she could not detect any reduction in wind protection with the 11" shield compared to the 16" shield and that both were vastly better for her than the 11" Baggershield installed before the Madstad. She made the observation that when she leans forward to speak into my ear there is wind noise, but when she sits back in a natural passenger position it is much quieter. She commented that at 70 mph she could hear the radio and that really the only wind noise she could hear is the wind rushing over the windshield.

So instead of wind or perhaps more accurately TURBULENCE constantly pummeling the ears there is more of a light fluttering about the ears. We can both hear the engine and trany which is louder than most would realize once the wind noise is gone.

The BaggerShield is a good traditional fixed windshield. I had the adjustable version but never used the top extension since I do not like looking through a shield. Compared to traditional fixed shields, Madstad really kicks wind protection up several levels and can spoil a rider real fast. My girlfriend and I are enjoying a great motorcycling experience (The F6B) even more now.

[Bruce B]

A brief update since installing the shorter 11" Dark Grey Madstad Shield in place of the original 16" they originally recommended. I mentioned earlier the 11" shield is every bit as effective for me the rider as the 16" shield was. Yesterday had the girlfriend on the back for an afternoon ride for the first time with the 11" shield. We tried all different angles & heights, turns out with the shield at approx 60 degrees and raised approx 1" from it's lowest setting is the best for both of us. I should note we were not wearing helmets of any kind.

She stated she could not detect any reduction in wind protection with the 11" shield compared to the 16" shield and that both were vastly better for her than the 11" Baggershield installed before the Madstad. She made the observation that when she leans forward to speak into my ear there is wind noise, but when she sits back in a natural passenger position it is much quieter. She commented that at 70 mph she could hear the radio and that really the only wind noise she could hear is the wind rushing over the windshield.

So instead of wind or perhaps more accurately TURBULENCE constantly pummeling the ears there is more of a light fluttering about the ears. We can both hear the engine and trany which is louder than most would realize once the wind noise is gone.

The BaggerShield is a good traditional fixed windshield. I had the adjustable version but never used the top extension since I do not like looking through a shield. Compared to traditional fixed shields, Madstad really kicks wind protection up several levels and can spoil a rider real fast. My girlfriend and I are enjoying a great motorcycling experience (The F6B) even more now.

I'm getting the same great results with my 13 inch Madstad. I couldn't be happier with it. I'm changing from the light tint to the dark gray, just because I like the looks better. Looking way over the top, the dark color isn't an issue. Since we have somewhat different base shields, our mounting looks bit different but that doesn't matter. We adjust for the desired result. My dark gray replacement will arrive on Wednesday and I'll post some pics for comparison.