Tips to Choose the Best Fairings for Harley Davidson Motorcycles

Even if you love traveling long distances on your Harley Davidson motorcycle, the high-speed winds can make it difficult for you to enjoy the ride. Wind blowing into your face can harm your eyes and make you lose control of your bike. Cruising on highways and open roads is more comfortable and enjoyable if you have a fairing with a windshield installed on your Harley motorbike.

Fairings can also improve your motorcycle’s aesthetics. Several Harley Davidson motorcycles, including the Harley Sportster 1200, the Harley Nightster Special, the Harley Low Rider S, and the Harley Street 750, come with a small nose fairing only for aesthetics. Meanwhile, the Harley bagger touring bikes, including the Harley Low Rider ST, the Road Glide, the Street Glide, and the Ultra Limited, come with full-sized wide batwing-style and shark-nose fairing. These full-sized, wide fairings provide better wind protection and allow you to mount an infotainment system, speakers, and small storage compartments.

If you are looking to customize your motorcycle for a better and more comfortable touring experience, it helps to choose the right aftermarket fairing. This article discusses tips to help you choose the best fairings for Harley Davidson motorcycles.

1. Go for the Fairing with a Large Windscreen

Go for the Fairing with a Large Windscreen

Photo Credit: Motorcycle Powersports News

A fairing with a small windscreen barely stops the incoming wind. Always choose the fairing with a taller windscreen for better wind protection. If you love touring and cruising on highways or live in an area with windy weather, a fairing with a taller windscreen is the right option. A large and wide fairing, like the batwing or the shark-nose fairing, can protect your eyes, face, body, and hands from high-speed winds.

2. Tips to Choose the Best Windscreen Size for Your Fairing

2.1 11-Inch Windscreen

For an average rider about 5 ft 8 in tall, an 11-inch windscreen falls below the chin line and is suited for city travel and daily commutes. However, at speeds above 50-55 mph, wind buffeting can cause discomfort while riding due to the turbulence causing the helmet to vibrate and blur the rider’s vision.

2.2 13-Inch Windscreen

A fairing with a 13-inch windscreen will stop the incoming wind from hitting below the rider’s nose. At highway speeds above 70 mph, the wind starts to hit your face, and at above 80 mph, you will feel the wind buffeting your face.

2.3 15-Inch Windscreen

The 15-inch windscreen greatly reduces wind buffeting as you only feel the wind blow against the top of your head. You can ride your motorcycle above 80 mph without much interference from the wind since this windshield prevents wind from hitting your chest and head. However, in exchange for better protection, the 17-inch windscreen sacrifices aesthetic appeal.

3. Do Not Only Go for the Aesthetics

Fairings installed only for aesthetic appeal tend to increase your motorcycle’s overall weight. However, if you only use your motorcycle for daily commutes and short rides, you can install a small nose fairing, or a head cowl, to give your motorcycle a cool and sporty look.

4. Choose a Fairing That Fits Your Motorcycle’s Style

Harley Davidson touring models are powerful and bulky vehicles with heavyweight touring parts. For touring models, you should go with a full-sized fairing with a large windscreen. However, if you want to customize your Harley cruiser to make it better suited for light touring, a medium fairing would be a better option.

5. Choose a Fairing That Can Fit Different-Sized Windscreens

If you want to make your Harley Davidson motorcycle a well-rounded motorbike capable of long-distance rides, make sure to choose a fairing that can fit different-sized windscreens. This allows the rider to change the size of the windscreen for better wind protection and cruising experience.

6. Choose a Lightweight Fairing

A wide and heavy fairing can increase your motorcycle’s overall weight. A heavier front end can also make handling and steering difficult. Therefore, installing a lightweight fairing made of carbon fiber or fiberglass will better improve touring performance without compromising handling and cornering capability. Examples of lightweight fairings installed on sports and super sports bikes are:

6.1 Avio Fiber Fairing

The Avio Fiber fairing is used as a cover for aircraft. The Avio Fiber fairing is better than the carbon fiber fairing in the following ways:

Lighter
More flexible
Stronger
Does not crack or break easily

6.2 Carbon Fiber Fairing

Carbon fiber is a widely-used material in automobiles, spacecraft, and military vehicles. It is popular due to being extremely lightweight. The fibers are made of carbon atoms that are molded and heated at high temperatures to produce rigid and lightweight motorcycle parts. The advantages of carbon fiber fairings are:

Ultra lightweight
Chemical resistant
Heat resistant
High tensile strength
Rigidity

7. Choose a Fairing That is Easy to Install

A motorcycle fairing that is easy to install and remove will be more affordable. But make sure that you choose a fairing that is compatible and fits perfectly on your Harley motorcycle.

8. Best Fairings for Harley Cruisers

Harley cruisers can transform into ideal touring bikes if fitted with a few aftermarket parts, including fairings, a windscreen, and a backrest. The different types of fairings best suited for Harley cruisers are:

8.1 Road Warrior Fairing

Road Warrior Fairing

Photo Credit: @Pinterest

A Road Warrior fairing with a 13-inch windshield will fit perfectly on a Harley Low Rider S and other cruisers. It is not a wide fairing, but it can be installed on middleweight to heavyweight vehicles.

8.2 Quarter Fairing

Quarter Fairing

Photo Credit: @Mitchell's Modesto Harley-Davidson

Another fairing suited for middleweight Harley cruisers is the quarter fairing. Its design is reminiscent of the classic fairing style and can fit different windscreen sizes.

8.3 Krater Fairing

Krater Fairing

Photo Credit: @Holy Death Shop

The Krater fairing is suitable for Harley Davidson Softail, Dyna, and Sportster models. The Krater fairing also supports the installation of spoilers on top of the windshields to increase size since they cannot mount a large windscreen.

8.4 Gauntlet Fairing

Gauntlet Fairing

Photo Credit: Pinterest

The gauntlet fairing can improve a Harley cruiser’s look with its aesthetic appeal, but offers little wind protection and does not have a headlight cover.

8.5 RWD TXR Fairing

RWD TXR Fairing

Photo Credit: @Rebels Den Cycle

The TXR RWD (Russ Wernimont Designs) fairing can be fitted with speakers for a fun riding experience. It is a little bit wider than the quarter fairing and provides better wind protection due to being fitted with a slightly taller windscreen. It is not a full-sized fairing like those installed on Harley touring bikes, but it looks perfect on cruisers without adding too much weight. The TXR RWD fairing has a single windshield size that cannot be changed.

8.6 FXRT Fairing

FXRT Fairing

Photo Credit: @Pinterest

The FXRT fairings are wide fairing suited for long-distance rides that can be fitted with an audio system and other electrical features. However, the FXRT fairing has a base price of $1,500 due to being built with unpainted fiberglass. The FXRT fairing provides better wind protection, and enough space to install multiple electrical components is lightweight and sturdy and costs $1500-$2500.

9. Final Words

Harley Davidson motorcycles are popular among motorcyclists due to being built for comfortable long-distance rides. They are fitted with parts that ensure a quality riding experience and level of comfort. Harley Davidson and other custom builders produce a wide range of stock and aftermarket parts to customize Harley models.

If you love touring on a motorcycle, a fairing is one of the most important parts to have installed on your bike. However, for better wind protection and a fun riding experience, the motorcycle fairing should include a windscreen and be wide enough to install speakers and other electrical components. The tips and types of fairings covered in this article can help you customize your Harley motorcycle to improve its touring capability and performance.

If you want to transform your Harley cruiser into a better touring model, Viking Bags has several aftermarket parts. These parts include fairings, sissy bars, handlebars, sissy bar pads, seats, and crash bars. There are also different luggage options to increase storage capacity, including the sissy bar bags and saddlebags.