National Cycle, Inc. | The Windshield Bible

Get the Right Height

How Do I Fit a National Cycle Windshield To My Bike?

National Cycle makes a wide range of windshield sizes and styles. Windshield height is a personal preference, but expert riders and National Cycle recommend that you are able to look just over the top of your windshield to see the road at a distance of 50 feet in front of you.

Generally, this means that a correctly sized windshield mounted to your bike will have a top edge that is horizontally level with the tip of your nose ,or just slightly below eye level.

Other Considerations When Choosing a Windshield Size

1. The Make, Model and Year of Your Bike

Make sure the windshield you want is available for your particular bike. Check our "Products By Bike" page, choose your make/model/year, and verify fitment. More often than not, you will have a wide range of styles and sizes to choose from.

2. Your Height and How Tall You Sit in the Saddle

Two six-foot tall riders may see the world equally when standing, but differently when seated on their bikes. Some riders are all legs, some are all torso, and some are 50/50. Plus, riders with longer arms on the handgrips will carry their head higher than one with shorter arms. Sitting on your own bike, letting the front and rear suspension sack from your weight, and getting a normal, relaxed grip on the bars is the best way to get started.

Have a friend handy to help measure things while you maintain your normal riding posture. A tape measure and a yardstick (or any long straightedge) will be the required tools. Measure the distance from the point level with the rider's nose to the point where the windshield measurement begins, as indicated in the specifications for each of our windshield products:

For handlebar-mounted shields, like our Gladiator™, Deflector Screen™ and Street Shield™, windshield height is measured from the absolute top to bottom and from left to right at the widest point. (illustration 1)
For cruiser shields, like our SwitchBlade®, Heavy Duty™ and Dakota™, windshield height is measured from the top of the headlight cutout to the top of the shield. The top of the headlight cutout is typically 2-3 inches above the top of your headlight shell. So begin at that point and measure upward in a straight line parallel to the rake angle of the forks. (illustration 2)
Metric sport touring screens, like our VStream® Windscreens, are generally measured from the bottom center point of the screen to the top edge, and flat along the surface angle of the screen. (illustration 3)
Bagger touring screens, like our FLH/FLT VStream® and Wave® Windscreens are measured differently. Here, the height is measured from the top of the OEM fairing's windshield channel straight up and vertically to a point horizontally level with the top of the shield. (illustration 4)

3. You and Your Riding Style

The type of riding (commuting, touring, etc.) you most often do and the level of wind blast you are comfortable with are the final determining factors in your windshield decision. Year-round, any-weather riders and long-distance tourers will be best served with a large screen offering ample wind protection. Commuters, cruisers, and warm weather riders will find a mid-size or smaller screen sufficient for their needs.

Riders who want it both ways will find the right solution in either a quick-release windshield or two different sizes of the same shield that can be easily changed when required.

Now comes the most important part: Get Out and RIDE!