Thinking about a windshield... will it slightly improve MPG?

[Upgrayedd]

Anyone run windshields here?

I'm all about getting good mileage. It'd be nice in the winters too. Not a real tall one, just medium height.

[dan50]

90GTVert put one on his Taotao. He got a big one to be effective. You will probably want a big one. A small one won't help much at keeping the wind off of you.

Some guys say they get 2-3mph more with a windshield. At the least, it won't slow you down.

My motorcycles had fairings with windshields and it does make a difference in comfort, yet you still get the open air feel of the ride.

[stuckchuck]

here's a pic of mine i only put it on road trips of 100+ miles or so, it helps with road debri, wind, rain, and bugs. i think a large w/s strait up and down would have a bad aerodynamic effect on a slow or underpowerd scooter. mine is a Harley sportster windshield and had to mod the brackets to fit but its the only one i could find that didnt look like a "dumb" scooter windshield.

[stuckchuck]

as far as mpg go i havent tested to see. but i can tuck behind it and get a few more mph out of it but i can also tuck lower than the winsshield.

[moofus02]

I think the windshield helped my cruise speed so it should help mileage. Directs air around me instead of using my clothing like a parachute. Much more comfort on cold mornings

Sent from my SPH-L720 using proboards

[90GTVert]

I used a big windshield that covers the area I'm in for the most part when riding normally.




I found that cruise speed and fuel economy remained the same. The only thing that suffered were tucked down speeds. With the big windshield there it does exactly no good to tuck down so cruise speed and max speed are now basically the same thing for me.

I think grouping all windshields together as one is a mistake when considering speed and fuel economy. A windshield covering a similar area as you at a similar angle may be slightly more aerodynamic than your body, but at scooter speeds the effect should be minimal. If you were to install a smaller windshield that leans back a bit and you ride around tucked down behind it, then you'll see a big aero advantage vs riding sitting straight up and you should get improvements in fuel efficiency and speed. Consider what is important to you before you choose a shield, but don't buy a big shield like mine if your goal is going faster or using less gas.

Something like I have is purely for comfort. I don't really like windshields when it's warm, but it makes a big difference in cold weather (assuming you get one that covers you pretty well). The big shield was a bit to get used to at first. I was used to leaning forward at times and now I smack my helmet into the shield if I do that. Side and tail winds feel a bit odd with the extra area there too, but I got used to it.

[flqu06]

www.midwestmotorsports.net/scooter-accessories.html

Cheapest around. I cannot live without mine!

[Upgrayedd]

I have decided to wait on the windshield. The only ones under $40 I found were 15" tall, and that's way taller than I'm wanting. I may reconsider in the future, maybe getting one and chopping it down, or just grabbing a small piece of 2x2 plexiglass or lexan from lowe's and shaping one up.

I did do a couple of small mods today. There was an extra running light on my front nose below my headlight, and two vent holes further down on the front nose close to my turn signals. I deleted the light, and covered that hole and both vent holes with thin black plastic scored from a couple of coffee can lids. Made the front end just a bit more aerodynamic, and shaved a little weight via the light.

I've long had a habit of removing nonessentials as many other shade-tree mechanics do. I like the ones that improve fuel efficiency as well.

I've done minimal improvements to my dodge grand caravan's aerodynamics, damming off the unused air ducts on the front bumper (the smaller grill for the radiator is still open) and I've taken some weight off of her over the years as well (only one back bench now instead of 2). None has added up to a lot with her and I'd likely gain a bit more with some of those flat hubcaps, but just with the extra air ducts dammed off on the bumper and the bits of weight removed here and there, I get 26mpg highway out of her, which is 2mpg above the epa rating, with 256,000+ miles on her.

I doubt I'll get 100mpg out of my scooter with the hills and mountains here, but if I can squeeze up closer to 80mpg that works for me.

[Upgrayedd]

Also - thanks for the feedback, links and ideas, I appreciate it very much

[defenestrate]

I was going to say, you may or may not notice power, speed or mpg improvements, but your incidence of bugs smacking your face or helmet will go down considerably as long as you mostly keep your head below the top of the shield at speed.

[\\-olf]

I installed a windshield early on, I did notice improvements in speed and power, and it's more comfortable riding, I can't say much about the MPG but it cuts resistance so in theory it should increase mpg slightly.
There is only one drawback, if you park on a windy day the windshield can act like a sail and the scooter can fall over, I had that happen once even though the centerstand was used, the wind was around 30 mph with gusts to 40 ish, less than that has not caused a problem.
I think mine was around $39, it's not a full sized model and the top is a little below my line of sight, it could be large but remember the wind tip over issue if you go larger! It has not gotten scratched or brittle/cracks in it, and it's been on the scooter for almost 2 years now which I run year-round here in Iowa, the cold has not made it brittle either.

Also, the windshield came with mounting hardware, on mine the lower brackets were thin and had a large hole for the mirrors to pass through, trouble was, from vibration and wind movement one of the brackets fatigued and cracked in that weak area by the hole. I fabricated a new pair out of 1/4" thick aluminum and never had another issue.
Only think I didn't like was this HUGE brand name/logo on it, Yun-Ming, I managed to get most of it off.