Blog- Of course my 2011 Harley Street Glide comes with the stock tinted wind deflector. It works great year around for the most part, but there are very cold times and inclement weather conditions when I wanted a taller windshield.
So, the local Harley Davidson dealership had the Harley Wind Splitter windshields in stock. I purchased a 10” clear (they make a smoked version too) Wind Splitter windshield and had it for about 6 months (Harley Davidson Part #57400092). I tested it out during some very cold and inclement weather at a variety of speeds.
If you don’t know; the windshields on Harley touring models come off and on in about a minute by simply removing the three retaining screws across the front of the fairing, so installation is not going to be discussed in this blog.
The 10” Wind Splitter has a very unique design if you look at pictures and is specifically designed to push the wind up and over the rider. It is also wider than the stock wind deflector. I spoke with an experienced Harley mechanic at the dealership, who stated that the way the windshield is designed to cut through the air will cause the front end of your bike to suck down to the road a bit more, which is a good thing. Let’s just say the windshield has unique curves compared to other regular flat type windshields.
The windshield certainly performed very well in blocking cold wind and rain. I have nothing bad to say about its ability to protect the rider from extreme elements. The wind certainly went up and over me and I was very protected.
I will say that because of the unique curves in the windshield that it can distort a rider’s vision of the road directly low and in front of the bike, which is not where you are supposed to be looking anyways when riding. Depending on your height, there are some spots that can be a bit distorted even farther out front, but overall it is not unsafe or something that can’t be overcome by the rider.
I am 5-08” tall and have a stock seat on my 2011 Street Glide. I found that I will now likely go with the shorter 7” version of the Wind Splitter windshield (Harley Davidson Part #57164-10). I am soon going to demo the 7” version at my local Harley dealership, since I already sold my 10” version. The 7” version should push the wind up and over me during those very cold inclement weather days, yet I will still be able to see over the top of it, thus eliminating any distortion issues out front. However, I will still run my very short stock wind deflector most of the year, because I still like the wind in my face and that feeling of freedom that comes with it!
Overall, I give the Harley Davidson Wind Splitter windshield 4 stars out of 5 stars. You just need to make sure you get the right height that fits your personal needs.
Keep checking back on this website often and listen to all the entertaining and educational Podcasts, as I will eventually write or give a Podcast review on the 7” version after I get it and test it. Heck, maybe I will even do both!
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