I’ve had Madstads on my bikes going back to my old 2012 CVO Ultra, and have one on my current Road Glide. They do exactly what they’re advertised to do: give a calm pocket of air behind the shield while still maintaining airflow to the rider. As a bonus, they’re adjustable for changing weather conditions, passenger considerations, or what have you. They’re pricy, but they’re several different windshields in one package, and they just flat-out work better than any other windshield out there.
When I got my Pan Am, I was less than happy with the stock screen and adjustment mechanism. I could see what Harley was trying to do with it, but the result was a fiddly, flimsy-feeling solution that worked, but not well. I’m on record on the forum(s) stating that I would order a Madstad the second one became available, and had contacted the company back in March (well before I got the bike) to see if they’d be making one.
Thanks to a post on Facebook, I saw that they were available and – using their measurement guide – figured out what size I needed and placed my order. I’m 6’2” tall with a 34” inseam for reference, and based on their chart and what they suggested a rider measure, I went with a 22” shield.
About a week later, my Medium Gray system showed up. You save the existing slotted plate, but the entire mounting and adjustment system is replaced with metal. Removal of the stock parts and installation of the new pieces is relatively intuitive. I’d been emailed a revised set of installation instructions, but even those were missing a step, and were somewhat vague……And there were 4 metal washers included with the kit that didn’t seem to have a home.
I got on the bike, set the shield all the way down and back (like on my Road Glide), and immediately thought, “this is too tall”. I did a quick ride (30 minutes or so), and found that I had an amazing bubble of air around me, but my jacket vents (Harley Innovator) were flowing a ton of air. Put my wife on the back, and she was in heaven. Even though I was looking over the shield, and could see the pavement roughly 25-30 feet in front of the bike, I was getting nearly no air in my helmet vents (Schuberth C3Pro). Raised the shield up all the way and tilted it forward, and I’d bet the 2 of us would have stayed dry in a thunderstorm. But the lack of airflow concerned me, as it was fine in the upper 70s, but I felt my head would cook during the summer.
So I took a few pictures and sent a feedback email to Madstad. They very courteously responded and thanked me for the pictures. And then the next day my phone rang. Dennis from Madstad called to talk about my feedback, and we had about a 10 minute conversation about what they were trying to do with the shield, their measurement procedure, and what would work. My response to him was that the shield I had would be fine for bad weather and 2-up riding, but that I thought the 20” would probably be more versatile for someone with my build. The next day we spoke again, and he suggested that I try the 18”, as shorter would look better, and might work just as well. So an 18” was heading my way.
In the meantime, I did a 5-day solo trip to Roanoke. Weather was low-60s through mid-80s. I was in a Carlsbad suit for the majority of the trip. Once again, airflow to my jacket was outstanding. When it was chilly I appreciated the tall shield. Passenger was ecstatic with the lack of buffeting out back. But when the temperatures crept into the 80s, I was wanting for more airflow. And on a hooligan ride up 311 north of Roanoke, the tall shield was mucking with my line-of-sight as I was hunched up carving corners. But – and this is important – at speeds well into the triple-digits the shield didn’t budge. No flutter…..Nothing. You can’t adjust it while you’re moving, but replacing all that plastic with metal pays dividends.
Got home yesterday to the 18” shield sitting in my garage. Popped it on this morning, set it all the way up and all the way forward in order to mimic the 22” as closely as possible. Set up that way, it does 90% of what the 22” does at full down and back. Passenger wasn’t quite as taken with it like this, but it was still a vast improvement over stock. And my helmet vents were breathing. With the 18” all the way down and back, I got all the air I could possibly want, and it was still smoother and quieter than the stock screen in any position. Playing with it some more, I found a happy medium (for me) that balanced ventilation with silence.
So based on all of this, what do I think? It’s money well-spent. Madstad makes a quality product and their customer service is top-notch. Depending on what you plan on doing with your bike, your size needs will vary. If you’re built like me and want one shield to do everything, I’d suggest going with a 20” shield. You’ll get enough air on a hot day with it all the way down and back, and be able to block weather (and keep your passenger happy) with it all the way up and forward.
One thing that probably won’t work with the shape of the shield is adding a second set of holes. The “wings” on the side would drop too low and probably hose up the amazing job that they do directing airflow.
Get one, you won’t regret it.
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When I got my Pan Am, I was less than happy with the stock screen and adjustment mechanism. I could see what Harley was trying to do with it, but the result was a fiddly, flimsy-feeling solution that worked, but not well. I’m on record on the forum(s) stating that I would order a Madstad the second one became available, and had contacted the company back in March (well before I got the bike) to see if they’d be making one.
Thanks to a post on Facebook, I saw that they were available and – using their measurement guide – figured out what size I needed and placed my order. I’m 6’2” tall with a 34” inseam for reference, and based on their chart and what they suggested a rider measure, I went with a 22” shield.
About a week later, my Medium Gray system showed up. You save the existing slotted plate, but the entire mounting and adjustment system is replaced with metal. Removal of the stock parts and installation of the new pieces is relatively intuitive. I’d been emailed a revised set of installation instructions, but even those were missing a step, and were somewhat vague……And there were 4 metal washers included with the kit that didn’t seem to have a home.
I got on the bike, set the shield all the way down and back (like on my Road Glide), and immediately thought, “this is too tall”. I did a quick ride (30 minutes or so), and found that I had an amazing bubble of air around me, but my jacket vents (Harley Innovator) were flowing a ton of air. Put my wife on the back, and she was in heaven. Even though I was looking over the shield, and could see the pavement roughly 25-30 feet in front of the bike, I was getting nearly no air in my helmet vents (Schuberth C3Pro). Raised the shield up all the way and tilted it forward, and I’d bet the 2 of us would have stayed dry in a thunderstorm. But the lack of airflow concerned me, as it was fine in the upper 70s, but I felt my head would cook during the summer.
So I took a few pictures and sent a feedback email to Madstad. They very courteously responded and thanked me for the pictures. And then the next day my phone rang. Dennis from Madstad called to talk about my feedback, and we had about a 10 minute conversation about what they were trying to do with the shield, their measurement procedure, and what would work. My response to him was that the shield I had would be fine for bad weather and 2-up riding, but that I thought the 20” would probably be more versatile for someone with my build. The next day we spoke again, and he suggested that I try the 18”, as shorter would look better, and might work just as well. So an 18” was heading my way.
In the meantime, I did a 5-day solo trip to Roanoke. Weather was low-60s through mid-80s. I was in a Carlsbad suit for the majority of the trip. Once again, airflow to my jacket was outstanding. When it was chilly I appreciated the tall shield. Passenger was ecstatic with the lack of buffeting out back. But when the temperatures crept into the 80s, I was wanting for more airflow. And on a hooligan ride up 311 north of Roanoke, the tall shield was mucking with my line-of-sight as I was hunched up carving corners. But – and this is important – at speeds well into the triple-digits the shield didn’t budge. No flutter…..Nothing. You can’t adjust it while you’re moving, but replacing all that plastic with metal pays dividends.
Got home yesterday to the 18” shield sitting in my garage. Popped it on this morning, set it all the way up and all the way forward in order to mimic the 22” as closely as possible. Set up that way, it does 90% of what the 22” does at full down and back. Passenger wasn’t quite as taken with it like this, but it was still a vast improvement over stock. And my helmet vents were breathing. With the 18” all the way down and back, I got all the air I could possibly want, and it was still smoother and quieter than the stock screen in any position. Playing with it some more, I found a happy medium (for me) that balanced ventilation with silence.
So based on all of this, what do I think? It’s money well-spent. Madstad makes a quality product and their customer service is top-notch. Depending on what you plan on doing with your bike, your size needs will vary. If you’re built like me and want one shield to do everything, I’d suggest going with a 20” shield. You’ll get enough air on a hot day with it all the way down and back, and be able to block weather (and keep your passenger happy) with it all the way up and forward.
One thing that probably won’t work with the shape of the shield is adding a second set of holes. The “wings” on the side would drop too low and probably hose up the amazing job that they do directing airflow.
Get one, you won’t regret it.
