Madstad owners! I would appreciate your input.

[C-dub]

It's that time of year again, still. Hot hot hot and it's making me think harder about my shield. I've mentioned it in a hot weather riding thread and one of the things I'm considering is a Madstad shield to replace my stock shield for better air flow management. I e-mailed Madstad support with a couple questions about shield height and the only real help I got was that they warn people to not get a shield that is too short. Okay, but what is too short?

So, I'm asking you, the users for your experience and advice.

I'm 6' and my wife is 5'. I like the stock shield in its lowest position. That makes it so I usually look over the top by a few inches. Sometimes on longer rides I tend to slouch back and down a bit in a laid back way and end up with my eye level just barely over the top or slightly below the top. However, since I installed some highway pegs last fall my reclined position has dropped another inch or so and then I'm looking through the shield.

I asked Madstad what the shield height of the 14" was like compared to the stock 2016 shield in its lowest position. I wasn't specific enough I guess. I was wondering what the upper and lower level of the Madstad was compared to the stock shield in its lowest position. Then I also asked if I had a 12 shield, other than the 2", do I loose anything else with regards to functionality. What I'm thinking is that the lower the better if it will still keep all or most of the wind off me with the Madstad 12" in its lowest position and then I can always go higher to increase wind deflection off me and my wife when she's with me. Or will the 12" not keep any wind off me or allow most of the wind to hit me right in the head or lower.

Is the 14" Madstad in it's lowest position lower than the stock shield in its lowest position? How much lower if it is? I measured the travel of the stock shield and it is 3". They said the Madstad can be adjusted with 2" of travel. Is that sufficient because of the additional ability to adjust the angle?

Also, I'm considering the dark shield because I have a black Wing. I think it would look better and I'll be looking over it, not through it. Since just the shields aren't that expensive I'm also thinking about getting a clear one to change out when I'd like. The only downside to a dark shield I can think of is not being able to see the ground directly in front of me out to 20-30 feet at night as well.

[AZgl1800]

Emails don't cut it.
I called Madstad on the phone and had a very nice visit with them....
Twice in fact, once to order it, and 2nd when I couldn't figure out a mounting feature by the left mirror.

I'm 5' 11" kind of, really about 5' 10" these days. 32" inseam.
they told me to order the one just smaller than the tallest one.
Not looking at their sizing chart, but it works perfect for me.

I am uploading pictures now as I type this, will include them with this post in a bit.

2 inches of travel? I get 3+ inches of travel.

at the lowest setting, the top of the screen is 9" from the top of the plastic GL dash.
at the highest setting, and nearly full vertical, it is 12" above the dash... measuring at the edge trim, not down inside the lower dash slope.

at the highest setting, and at full rear tilt, it looses 1/2 inch in height, or 11.5" above the dash.

At the highest setting, the top of the screen is right at my eyeline, so I tilt it back a bit so I can see over it.
At all settings, the airstream can be directed over your helmet.

at the lowest setting and tilted back, I get air in my face for good cooling, not much, just enough that my Shoei Neotech Modular to air vent performs great.

BRB with Pix.

[AZgl1800]

decided to put the pix in a separate post

Lowest Setting, Mid-tilt

Lowest Setting, Bracket Mid-tilt

Lowest Setting, Side View

Highest Setting, Mid-tilt

Highest Setting, Rear View

Highest Setting, Bracket, mid-tilt

Highest Setting, Side View

Can't comment on tint, I chose clear so I would have the best night vision with it at the Highest Setting, looking thru the screen. As you mentioned, the screens are cheap enough to get more than 1 tint.

Hope this helps.

I can tell you, that I absolutely love this Madstad.
Hotter than hades? drop it to the bottom, tilt it all the way back.

Raining? Pull it all the way to the top, and set the tilt so you can see just above the screen.
The rain will go up and over your helmet, because of the Slip Stream between the two screens.

and yes, the inside screen is BLACK, totally black. does not bother me a bit, it is so far below my eyeline, I don't even notice it.

[AZgl1800]

The factory height adjustment is supposed to be usable, but I have never moved it once since the Madstad was put on.

Knowing, you can loosen the mounting screws and move the entire Madstad assembly up/dn for the length of the OEM adjustments.

What my buddy and I did, was to raise the Madstad to the top, and then I looked at the wall of his barn behind him at a mark we made that is equal to my eyeline height while sitting on the bike, on the center stand.

at first, it was too high, so he loosened the screws just a tad, and slid it down until I can see above the screen at the maximum height with mid-tilt.

that lets me set the tilt full vertical if necessary to block any debris or heavy rain...
or I can tilt it back and get about 1-2 inches of clearance over the screen.

That gives the Madstad eyeline level, and able to drop down 3 inches below my eyeline. Tilt it back a bit and it is 4 inches or more below my eyeline.

I have a suggestion, order the taller one in clear, and the darker screen one size smaller.
guarantee, you will be able to fit any situation you want.

[C-dub]

Emails don't cut it.
I called Madstad on the phone and had a very nice visit with them....
Twice in fact, once to order it, and 2nd when I couldn't figure out a mounting feature by the left mirror.

I'm 5' 11" kind of, really about 5' 10" these days. 32" inseam.
they told me to order the one just smaller than the tallest one.
Not looking at their sizing chart, but it works perfect for me.

I am uploading pictures now as I type this, will include them with this post in a bit.

2 inches of travel? I get 3+ inches of travel.

at the lowest setting, the top of the screen is 9" from the top of the plastic GL dash.
at the highest setting, and nearly full vertical, it is 12" above the dash... measuring at the edge trim, not down inside the lower dash slope.

at the highest setting, and at full rear tilt, it looses 1/2 inch in height, or 11.5" above the dash.

At the highest setting, the top of the screen is right at my eyeline, so I tilt it back a bit so I can see over it.
At all settings, the airstream can be directed over your helmet.

at the lowest setting and tilted back, I get air in my face for good cooling, not much, just enough that my Shoei Neotech Modular to air vent performs great.

BRB with Pix.

Now we're getting somewhere. And I even have the same helmet.

It sounds like you have the 14" since there are 12, 14, and 16 inch shields. I had to go remeasure my stock shield because my initial lower point was from the front and along the shield, which wouldn't really be possible for you with this shield. With mine in it's lowest position and measuring straight up from the top of the plastic above the instrument cluster it is 11" I think this means that yours is 2" lower in its lowest setting. That's good news.

Then I raised mine all the way up and remeasured to get an expected 14" with 3" of travel. Overall, it sounds like your 14" versus my stock shield is a 2" drop, but more functional and effective.

Your pictures bring up something I hadn't previously considered. You indicated the under shield that the brackets are mounted to, which in turn holds the main shield does not bother you and is mostly below your line of sight. What about the brackets themselves? Do you just look past them, do they create blind spots, or do you just get used to them and learn to live with them?

Have you wondered if you'd have been happy with a shorter, 12", shield? I think if if I went with a 12" that the range would be 7"-10", lowest - highest. Now that I've typed that out it sounds awful low compared to my stock shield. The theoretical upper height is one inch below my current lowest height. It sounds like I should stay with a 14", the same as what you have. And then there's my, for now, additional 2" in height to start with. I hope that's not all legs since I'm a 34" inseam and we're nearly the same height from the waist up.

[C-dub]

I have a suggestion, order the taller one in clear, and the darker screen one size smaller.
guarantee, you will be able to fit any situation you want.

That might be interesting. If I did that I would start with the clear shield at 14". Then if I wanted the dark one get it in 12". Hmmm

[AZgl1800]

Your pictures bring up something I hadn't previously considered. You indicated the under shield that the brackets are mounted to, which in turn holds the main shield does not bother you and is mostly below your line of sight. What about the brackets themselves? Do you just look past them, do they create blind spots, or do you just get used to them and learn to live with them?

I would be lying to you if I said they didn't bother me...

but, after 2 years of riding behind it, I don't notice them anymore.
the truth of it is, your eyeline is going to be several inches above those brackets, and they will just be a narrow thin strip of black with the two adjustment knobs hanging in space....

But, even so, I don't see the knobs, I am looking down the road 200 feet or 200 yards, not at those brackets.
It will be like the gate in front of my house. It is built out of stone, and curves around left and right to parallel with the road..... I see it, if I start looking for it.... other than that, it is just a feature in front of the house about 350 feet "over yonder by the country road."


.

[Billstigger]

How does it do for the co-rider in terms of buffeting and wind noise? That would be a deal breaker for me.

[AZgl1800]

How does it do for the co-rider in terms of buffeting and wind noise? That would be a deal breaker for me.

I never have a pillion rider, so can't say.
but, with the wind stream "laminar airflow" going up and over my helmet, they "should" be okay.

[Billstigger]

Thanks. Hope someone with a passenger will chime in!! Need all the opinions I can get.

[Curtw]

I have the 14" tinted Madstad shield. I am 6'0" tall. Love the shield. I look over it and no problem with wind. Took a few tries to get the angle where I like it so now I don't want to move it. Wife says buffeting is reasonable. Whatever that means. Besides how nice it works, the tinted shield changed the look of the bike. It looks awesome. I would post a picture if I could figure out how to do that. New to site and tech challenged.

[Billstigger]

Thanks for the input. Was a toss up between this and the F4+2. I think I'll go with the F4.

[Ljed3]

I'm a big fan of tint. It reduces daytime glare a lot. Full disclosure: I've stopped riding at night.

I purchased my F4+2 before I heard of Madstad and am very happy with the non-scratch hardened polycarbonate, somewhat stiffer and thicker than OEM but still more flexible and less decapitating than the aftermarket acrylic/Plexiglas windshields.

[C-dub]

I have the 14" tinted Madstad shield. I am 6'0" tall. Love the shield. I look over it and no problem with wind. Took a few tries to get the angle where I like it so now I don't want to move it. Wife says buffeting is reasonable. Whatever that means. Besides how nice it works, the tinted shield changed the look of the bike. It looks awesome. I would post a picture if I could figure out how to do that. New to site and tech challenged.

What tint level do you have? The darkest?

I've been paying attention lately to just how much I look through the lower area of my shield. Daytime and night since I ride home from work after dark.

FYI, to post a picture you first have to have your picture on some kind of picture site like photobucket. I think that it is the one I use when I can remember my password. Then link your photo to here.

[AZgl1800]

by Curtw » Sat Aug 01, 2020 7:12 am
I would post a picture if I could figure out how to do that. New to site and tech challenged.

to post a picture here, there are a couple of methods you can use.

If the picture pixel count is small enough, you can load it right into the Editor.

Look below the editor while you are typing, scroll the page down, and click on Attachments.

then click on ADD files.

then select the picture from your PC or cellphone

If it loads up successfully, there will be two boxes to click on, you want the one that says "Place inline",
and it means exactly that. You must mouse to the position where you want that picture to show up, not in the middle of a sentence.


like this:

that is Method #1

Method #2 involves having the picture loaded/hosted on a website, like Imgur or other...


find that picture, right click and choose "Copy Image Location" ( in Firefox ) or other words that mean the same thing if you are using a different browser.

now, look on top of the Editor and click on the Landscape Icon, looks like a tiny mountain, click on that and then use Control-V to insert the URL of the picture, like this.

[Ed Brock]

Hi,
I have some questions about the Madstad windshield. I'm a bit slow on understanding things now, but after reading and rereading plus looking at the excellent pictures by AZgl1800, thank you. I still am confused. I even saw a post from ?? about installing this windshield. In the post the poster (is that correct?) mentioned the removal of the stock shield and the drilling of some holes to mount the new Madstad shield, I hope I got that correct.
But in other pictures, it looks like the Madstad shield is mounted on top of the OEM shield. In AZgl1800 pictures it looks like the Madstad shield is mounted onto a dark short shield. Do you have to cut down your existing shield? Do you mount the new Madstad shield to your existing shield? Is there an option to install a vent in the Madstad shield? Is a vent needed?
Thanks for the help, all I can do for the next couple of months is look but not play, or ride.
Ed

[Rambozo]

The short black shield is part of the Madstad. It replaces the stock shield in the factory mounts. Then the clear portion mounts to that with the adjustable brackets that are part of the kit.

[AZgl1800]

Hi,
I have some questions about the Madstad windshield. I'm a bit slow on understanding things now, but after reading and rereading plus looking at the excellent pictures by AZgl1800, thank you. I still am confused. I even saw a post from ?? about installing this windshield. In the post the poster (is that correct?) mentioned the removal of the stock shield and the drilling of some holes to mount the new Madstad shield, I hope I got that correct.
But in other pictures, it looks like the Madstad shield is mounted on top of the OEM shield. In AZgl1800 pictures it looks like the Madstad shield is mounted onto a dark short shield. Do you have to cut down your existing shield? Do you mount the new Madstad shield to your existing shield? Is there an option to install a vent in the Madstad shield? Is a vent needed?
Thanks for the help, all I can do for the next couple of months is look but not play, or ride.
Ed

The OEM or other windshield is totally removed.

The Madstad mounts to the OEM existing mounting points, and yes, the inner non-adjustable shield is blacker than spades.

when you mount the Madstad, you can position the OEM adjustment higher or lower, but once it is tightened down, the OEM slides won't move. the hardware is too thick. Never been a problem for me.

No vent is needed with the Madstad, as you have the option of lowering, or raising the clear screen, tilting it back or forward to make it more 'vertical'.

It takes a while to learn where you want it.... I change mine on the fly without getting off, to meet the 'new conditions' that occur while riding. ( Madstad says "to not do that" ) usually it is all the way down, and I am looking above the screen by about 4 inches.

If I want wind in my face, I put it all the way down and lean it towards me.
If I want to keep the bugs away from me, I raise it up and push it forwards a bit.

I can always see above the screen if I want, that why I like it so much. Even in moderate rain, the slipstream carries the rain drops over your head.

[Ed Brock]

Okay, your explanation makes since. I do like the idea that IF needed you COULD adjust the shield on the fly. Of course you would want to keep your hands on the handlebar at at all time. He He. People who have this shield discuss the bars not being in your vision, or you get use to it nd your eyes ignore it. But what about that black shield? How is it at night?
Thanks for your help as always. Have a great holiday.
Ed

[blupupher]

I have had my Madstad for just over 2 weeks and 1400 miles on my GL1500.
I tuned out the black bars in the first 10 minutes of riding. Same for the black lower shield. Just not an issue for me.
My shield is the light tint (I wanted medium, but they are out of stock of that for another month). I can't tell a difference at night with the light tint compared to looking over the shield. In the daytime, it does reduce road glare a bit, but still wishing for the medium.

I went with the 12" on mine, but think the 14" would have been fine as well.I am 5'11" with a 28" inseam.
The 1500 and 1800 are slightly different in seat height though, so can't compare the 2 bikes.

Here is a video of me with the camera on my chin (helmet cam starts @ 0:30), so my view is a few inches above the camera. All the way up, I am just looking over the shield when scanning normal distance.
You can even see my adjust the shield @ 2:12 in the video (was all the way up, about mid tilt, moved it all the way down, tilt stayed the same, got a lot more airflow with it down.


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[AZgl1800]

I never noticed the black shield, it is below the dash anyway.

the vertical bars took a few hours, and then they just "disappeared"...

when your eyes are looking down the road, you are not looking at the windshield.
you are looking above it.

as for adjusting it on the fly?
I always have the cruise on, hold the left hand grip, and adjust the knobs with my right hand.
isn't hard, once you get used to it.

[Ed Brock]

Thanks guy for the good information.
I do like how easy it is to adjust the height on the fly, proper lawyer language followed of course.
Do you get any more air coming in from the sides of the shield? It looks a bit narrower then the OEM one, could be the pictures I have seen versus reality however, that's why I'm asking. I saw one where the owner had their shield made wider to cover more of the sides, the shield width covered a small portion of the mirrors. No shield wings added, the shield itself was wider. While I like that idea, I later wondered how it extra width worked on very hot days. I think the dark portion may help with sun glare on the dash.
This seems be be a good thought out product. Owners of this shield seem to have only good things to say about it. NICE.
Stay sfe.
Ed

[AZgl1800]

Thanks guy for the good information.
I do like how easy it is to adjust the height on the fly, proper lawyer language followed of course.
Do you get any more air coming in from the sides of the shield? It looks a bit narrower then the OEM one, could be the pictures I have seen versus reality however, that's why I'm asking. I saw one where the owner had their shield made wider to cover more of the sides, the shield width covered a small portion of the mirrors. No shield wings added, the shield itself was wider. While I like that idea, I later wondered how it extra width worked on very hot days. I think the dark portion may help with sun glare on the dash.
This seems be be a good thought out product. Owners of this shield seem to have only good things to say about it. NICE.
Stay sfe.
Ed

I don't recall having 'more air' from the sides, might be, but I have Baker Wings under the hand grips, and down the side to the foot pegs.
For me, I have a temperature issue, if it is more than 84* the ride is over, so I place all the winds and the Madstad to give me as much air on my chest as I can get.

[C-dub]

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Thanks for the video.

I started having a little deja-vu then looked at your location and noticed the Willow City Loop in the upper left corner of the video and realized I've been on that road at least in the area before when going between Fredericksburg and Llano. We did hit some of the side roads instead of staying on 16. We did some of 1631 and 1323 and probably Althous-Davis Rd. up to 962, but who knows now. We weren't in any hurry getting home.

I appreciate your opinion on your 12" shield and that you might like the 14" just as well. That's probably due to your longer torso in relation to your inseam. So far, I'm still about 6', but with a 33" inseam. While sitting, you're probably a little taller in the saddle than I am.

[blupupher]

...

I appreciate your opinion on your 12" shield and that you might like the 14" just as well. That's probably due to your longer torso in relation to your inseam. So far, I'm still about 6', but with a 33" inseam. While sitting, you're probably a little taller in the saddle than I am.

Yeah, that was my concern when I ordered it that even though I am right at the tipping point between the 12" and 14", my longer torso would put me more towards the 14".
Like I said, the 12" seems to work fine, but even all the way up and angled forward, I still get wind on the top of my helmet. Next time I have the front trim off, I am going to move the bottom shield up higher and see if that is better.
Either way, I am very happy with the Madstad so far. My 1200+ mile trip would have been miserable with the Tulsa Tall I had before, never had any issues with buffeting or heat. When the cold comes we will see how well it works for blocking the cold.
I still may end up ordering a 14" medium tint shield in the future.