One thing a lot of people love when riding a motorcycle is feeling the wind in their hair, which is why naked bikes are so popular. For some people the fact that there’s no way to deflect the oncoming blast of air is problematic. If you are the type that likes to tool around in an open face helmet or (heaven forbid) without any helmet at all, and happen to have a bike that does not come with the required equipment, then you’re probably in the market for a windshield.

I’ve taken a look at some of the more popular windshields out there, but do make sure that any one of these that interests you will actually fit your bike. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a completely universal windshield design, but usually one particular windshield will fit a range of popular models.

So without further ado let us have a look and then we’ll see what the best way is to keep the wind out of your hair.

National Cycle Flyscreen

This flyscreen from National Cycle certainly looks pretty good. It’s minimalist design and dark tint appeal to me and I think with the right style of bike it could look completely transformed from its stock looks.

It’s nine inches tall, which should be just enough to throw the worst of the winds over your head without ruining the lines of the bike. You also don’t have to worry about having shattered glass in your face if you get into an accident or if a suicidal pigeon decides to end it all. The fork mounting hardware is also finished in a very nice looking chrome color. So I think its pretty clear what sort of bike this product is intended for. It should be noted however that the back of the screen is apparently not chromed; this isn’t apparent from the photos and may be a deal-breaker for some people.

Thanks to the fork-based mounting system that the flyscreen uses, there’s a wide range of compatible models, mostly cruisers from Harley Davidson and the Japanese Big Four.

Riders who are using this say it does a pretty good job keeping the wind off at chest height, but you may have to tuck a bit at speed to duck under the airstream, depending on how tall you are.

It seems that the flyscreen is pretty easy to install. It looks good and it’s performance and quality seems to satisfy the expectations of almost all people who have bought it.

If this particular unit doesn’t fit your bike, National Cycle has a few more models that fit different ranges. So I think it may be well worth looking into.

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Slipstreamer HD-3 Tombstone

The Slipstreamer represents a pretty affordable option for those looking to add a relatively tall windshield to their bike. The design is vintage and apes the classic look of early American classics.

It’s pretty noteworthy that this product offers a quick-release mechanism so that you can easily remove the windshield if you need to for any reason.

The screen is a respectable 14 inches high, which should throw incoming air high enough to preclude tucking at speed.

There are quite a few models of bike officially supported on the list, but the mounting style means that there are probably many similar models that will also be compatible. There’s also an adapter that allows 7/8” hardware down from the 1-inch standard size.

I think this smoked shield looks pretty damn good and it definitely has that classic look. The fact that it is so widely compatible is a big plus in my opinion, and it really isn’t all that expensive for such a nice tall screen.

There are some complaints about the quality of the hardware; some users are concerned that it needs to be checked every time a ride starts. I don’t know if this is due to improper installation or actual problems with the hardware, but it probably isn’t something that you couldn’t fix with some locking liquid or other similar product.

For the price and versatility I think this is a pretty decent buy, although you may have to add a little extra strength to the mounting points in some cases, especially for bike with a high level of vibration.

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TMS Clear Windshield

I have to be honest upfront and say that I have yet to encounter a TMS accessory that has glowing reviews from people who have bought it. Their stuff tends to be cheap, but not all that cheerful. Still, let’s give this particular product a fair chance and look at it without prejudice.

First of all, it is very cheap indeed. Which may be a good or bad thing, depending on what you get for the money. This screen is meant to go with a range of Japanese cruisers and it really has the right aesthetic for it from my point of view. At 19 inches high this is quite a tall screen, so you really should be well-protected from the wind.

TMS says that this windshield will fit every Japanese cruiser from 1969 to 2012 from the big four Japanese manufacturers. That’s a pretty bold claim, but it seems they’ve simply designed it so that it attaches to the 1″ handlebar. There’s also an adapter to allow the windshield to attach to the 7/8″ bars some bikes come with. There seems to be quite a bit of height and angle adjustability, which means that you should have control of the airstream and can set the screen to fit your bike. All the installation hardware is included in the package; it really does seem like a simple solution.

Users do indicate that the screen is smaller than the pictures would suggest and that it may be better suited to something like a 250cc bike. More worrying than this, though, is the fact that this screen does not seem to be shatterproof. There are also multiple issues reported with the actual mounting hardware and screen stability. Once again it seems that a TMS product has to go on my “avoid” list.

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