I really hate youtube sometimes. This is one of those times. I searched and searched for a video like yours but wasn’t able to find it until days after I installed the wind deflectors. You did an excellent job at describing what it takes to install these. I went through the exact same process as you did. I did it by myself although 2 more people would have made reassembly much easier.. Harley instructions for these are absolutely useless, as you so very well showed. I think it was worth it to put these on. The most difficult thing for me was realignment and final tightening. I actually got to direct the passing lamp beams to positions that make them useful. They don’t line up all pretty and nice with the headlight like from the showroom floor now but they sure light up my blind spots to the left and right of the road. One is actually a little more high than I like but I haven’t been flashed by oncoming traffic yet. Even still, I’m not ever going to move them again because it’s such a pain. Great video man!! Thanks
Thank you. There are a lot of good videos on RUclips but, I find some projects are oversimplified. Glad you got it done and the effort was worth the result. Ride safe.
Thank you for the review. I was fed up with my helmet buffeting. I use a tall boy seat and can’t stand how badly my helmet buffets at 50 mph and above. The deflectors installed and worked as you said. I’m so happy with them. Keep up the good work
Yeah my helmet buffeting was horrible before the fangs. Riding an hour or two on the highway was exhausting and at times it made me feel nauseous. After installing what a difference! Best $100 I’ve spent on my bike in a long time.
Holy cow... and I thought I was just going to throw these on, four acorn nuts, and experience buffet free air on my next trek, easy as pie. Well, nope. I found the same issue you did as my turn signal/indicator lamp assembly is mounted in the rearward hole. Thanks for the video, your solution will be my long term solution. The commenter's solution by angling the whole bracket up a little, will be my short term solution.
Yes, haha. I had the same thing on my 2000 Fat Boy. What a pain in the arse to get done. It was worth the hassle, solved the blast of air in the chin. Great video, chief.
Thanks! My channel has been idle this past year due to some health issues and this Covid thing. Hopefully, I'll have some new adventures and 'how to' videos again before long. I appreciated your comment.
Had the same issue with putting fangs on my 2000 heritage (previous owner basically turned it into a fatboy so fangs look okay). I needed about an additional 1/8 inch. I said screw it and drilled additional forward holes in the fangs and elongated the factory holes allowing me to push the fangs a bit further back to clear the turn signal indicator lamps. The biggest issue I had was getting additional 5/16-24 hex screws that were long enough to account for the added thickness of the fangs on the outside of my windshield mounts. The Harley hex screws were just barely long enough for the windshield mounts so I had to get new ones off Amazon. The instructions aren’t super clear on this either. If you are using a windshield you have to mount the fangs on the outside of those mounting brackets to be able to reinstall the windshield which kinda sucks. Memphis shields will not clear the fangs if you mount them on the inside of the mounting brackets and have a fat boy head lamp housing (mines big and bulky).
Since the whole mounting bar for the lights will move I loosened all four bolt and rotated the mounting bar up by maybe a 1/4 of an inch not enough to affect the aim of the lights and tightened everything back up with the deflectors. I have a good little gap between the lights and deflector and since the wind will push the deflector even farther back I have plenty of clearance .
Sounds good. I didn't think of that but, I'm so anal I'd have probably worried about the bracket creeping back and having to tighten the acorn nuts to the point that my windshield would be difficult to remove. Good trick, however.
Just installed my fangs on 2014 model. You don't have the issues like with the older models. The lower connection of the light bar has a long horizontal connection you can swing out. They really knock out the head buffeting.
I put deflectors on my Heritage. I had the same experience. Got rid of my glasses shaking while riding with an open face helmet. I can ride in cold weather without my face getting frozen. It also keeps a lot of wind off my legs. Comfort level went way up!
Just added the HD fork mount deflectors on my 2016 RK and rotated the mounting bar up a bit to give a little space for the passing lamps. Definitely reduces buffeting but also noticed a little more heat on my right leg.
Thanks for the video .. I'm about to buy some for my 2019 RK and glad to hear they help with the problem. Hey maybe HD changed the design by 2019 to make it easier??? haha But I am a 62 yo mechanic and have plenty of those Tiwaneezeeee tools around for just that same fix! Again yours was my kind of informative video , and gonna hit that subscribe button for future
Thanks, Tom. Maybe your later model light bracket is different and it won't require as much effort for the installation. My RK is a 1998 model. I don't put up "How To" videos (as a rule) although I've been modifying and wrenching motorcycles for many years. The reason I made this one (and the one on the motor mount) was that I just couldn't find a lot of detailed information in one place. Anyway, good to hear from a brother biker in the 'half-century-plus' category! I'm a 72 yo semi-retired engineer and I'd be interested to know how yours comes out. Good luck and ride safe.
@@tla5859 My original discipline was structural/civil but at least 50% of my career has been mechanical!!! LOL My dad was a Mechanical Engineer with U.S. Steel and owned a machine shop, too. So, I got a good baptism in that. (Just comes with the territory, I suppose.)
@@RidgeRunnerMusic Well the job is done... HD hasn't changed a thing between your model and mine. I did try another way, took out the passing lamp, removed the wire from it's plastic connector and thought the wire would fit thru the stud, just so I wouldn't have the turn signal to deal with... wrong won't pass thru stud, if I had a new terminal I would have cut it and crimped on a new terminal. Oh well would love to hear how much a dealer charges to put on the deflectors Haven't had time for much of a ride to see if they help, I'm sure they do. But I kinda like the looks of them.. Thanks for you help, it did make the difference. Took a pic but I guess I can't post it to you... Later Tom
@@tla5859 Glad the video was of some value and you got it done. Hopefully they will help. My bike came with the half-moon deflector between the forks below the yoke. I know it contributes to eliminating some of the air coming up around the tank. I guess it still comes factory installed on the later models. I haven't looked on the 2020 Road Kings but, I'd be interested to check next time I'm at the shop. H-D has cut a lot of corners on the later models and that could be one of them. I'd planned to buy a new RK this year but, the 2020 line has been a big disappointment for me.
Thanks for the notes amigo, this was helpful and I'll tell you why. I put some tin HD ones on my 02 Roadking a long time ago, which as I remember wasn't much of an issue. However, I bought the new thicker HD fangs for my 2019 FLHXS, and they do not fit if you have the bullet-style lights on an auxiliary light bar. Unfortunately, I had mine powder coated before I tried to mount them, now I am working on another solution short of welding a tab on the end and moving them down the leg a couple of inches or so. I will look to see if I can move the lights or the bar, but I don't remember if this is possible since they changed everything on the newer models. Take care, CA
Good luck, Bro! I hope you can do it without welding. I've done many bike projects and ran into little surprises like this. Stay safe and rock and roll!
Yea they definitely work especially on street glides that air coming up between the tank and fairing is awful and these things definitely solves it I know some say it does not cool the engine as good but I don’t know you’d think the way they turn in would it’d push more air between the forks over the front cylinder instead of between the tank and windshield r fairing because that’s a lot of dirty air that’s coming over the tank I know it’s to technical to worry about but if you look at the ones few sales that goes in front of the tank it’s really the same concept just in front of the tank and smaller
Thank you. You probably will have the same clearance issue. I've not researched the reason there are 2 holes in the light bracket. Possibly the same bracket was used on multiple models (for manufacturing efficiency) and there were reasons the passing lamps were mounted in one or the other. I don't want to come off as bashing H-D. I'm just glad there was a solution because these things do reduce the head buffeting quite a bit. Good luck and ride safe.
Thank you. The two holes in the light bracket may have been designed for other reasons and other models using the same bracket during factory assembly. I just don't know.
I really hate youtube sometimes. This is one of those times. I searched and searched for a video like yours but wasn’t able to find it until days after I installed the wind deflectors. You did an excellent job at describing what it takes to install these. I went through the exact same process as you did. I did it by myself although 2 more people would have made reassembly much easier.. Harley instructions for these are absolutely useless, as you so very well showed. I think it was worth it to put these on. The most difficult thing for me was realignment and final tightening. I actually got to direct the passing lamp beams to positions that make them useful. They don’t line up all pretty and nice with the headlight like from the showroom floor now but they sure light up my blind spots to the left and right of the road. One is actually a little more high than I like but I haven’t been flashed by oncoming traffic yet. Even still, I’m not ever going to move them again because it’s such a pain. Great video man!! Thanks
Thank you. There are a lot of good videos on RUclips but, I find some projects are oversimplified. Glad you got it done and the effort was worth the result. Ride safe.
Installed those on my ultra limited. Game changers. Buffeting totally gone now after years of trying windscreens of differ designa
so your bike had lowers? i thought they woundt fit bikes with lowers
Thank you for the review. I was fed up with my helmet buffeting. I use a tall boy seat and can’t stand how badly my helmet buffets at 50 mph and above. The deflectors installed and worked as you said. I’m so happy with them. Keep up the good work
Great! Glad they work for you. Ride safe!
Yeah my helmet buffeting was horrible before the fangs. Riding an hour or two on the highway was exhausting and at times it made me feel nauseous. After installing what a difference! Best $100 I’ve spent on my bike in a long time.
Holy cow... and I thought I was just going to throw these on, four acorn nuts, and experience buffet free air on my next trek, easy as pie. Well, nope. I found the same issue you did as my turn signal/indicator lamp assembly is mounted in the rearward hole. Thanks for the video, your solution will be my long term solution. The commenter's solution by angling the whole bracket up a little, will be my short term solution.
What year is your Road King?
@@byzantine1107 2005. BTW I returned the deflectors, they weren't effective enough to make them worth it to me.
@@bradh5613 Just bought a set. Looks like on my 2014 I can swing the lower part of the of the turn signal assembly out.
Yes, haha. I had the same thing on my 2000 Fat Boy. What a pain in the arse to get done. It was worth the hassle, solved the blast of air in the chin. Great video, chief.
Thanks! My channel has been idle this past year due to some health issues and this Covid thing. Hopefully, I'll have some new adventures and 'how to' videos again before long. I appreciated your comment.
Had the same issue with putting fangs on my 2000 heritage (previous owner basically turned it into a fatboy so fangs look okay). I needed about an additional 1/8 inch. I said screw it and drilled additional forward holes in the fangs and elongated the factory holes allowing me to push the fangs a bit further back to clear the turn signal indicator lamps. The biggest issue I had was getting additional 5/16-24 hex screws that were long enough to account for the added thickness of the fangs on the outside of my windshield mounts. The Harley hex screws were just barely long enough for the windshield mounts so I had to get new ones off Amazon.
The instructions aren’t super clear on this either. If you are using a windshield you have to mount the fangs on the outside of those mounting brackets to be able to reinstall the windshield which kinda sucks. Memphis shields will not clear the fangs if you mount them on the inside of the mounting brackets and have a fat boy head lamp housing (mines big and bulky).
Very informative and well done! cheers
Since the whole mounting bar for the lights will move I loosened all four bolt and rotated the mounting bar up by maybe a 1/4 of an inch not enough to affect the aim of the lights and tightened everything back up with the deflectors. I have a good little gap between the lights and deflector and since the wind will push the deflector even farther back I have plenty of clearance .
Sounds good. I didn't think of that but, I'm so anal I'd have probably worried about the bracket creeping back and having to tighten the acorn nuts to the point that my windshield would be difficult to remove. Good trick, however.
Just installed my fangs on 2014 model. You don't have the issues like with the older models. The lower connection of the light bar has a long horizontal connection you can swing out. They really knock out the head buffeting.
Good job!! Always a challenge working on Harleys~!
I put deflectors on my Heritage. I had the same experience. Got rid of my glasses shaking while riding with an open face helmet. I can ride in cold weather without my face getting frozen. It also keeps a lot of wind off my legs. Comfort level went way up!
Just added the HD fork mount deflectors on my 2016 RK and rotated the mounting bar up a bit to give a little space for the passing lamps. Definitely reduces buffeting but also noticed a little more heat on my right leg.
Mine fit fine without any trouble, I also have the triple clamp "ashtray" deflector, hopefully when I remove that I won't feel as much heat.
Thanks for the video .. I'm about to buy some for my 2019 RK and glad to hear they help with the problem. Hey maybe HD changed the design by 2019 to make it easier??? haha But I am a 62 yo mechanic and have plenty of those Tiwaneezeeee tools around for just that same fix! Again yours was my kind of informative video , and gonna hit that subscribe button for future
Thanks, Tom. Maybe your later model light bracket is different and it won't require as much effort for the installation. My RK is a 1998 model. I don't put up "How To" videos (as a rule) although I've been modifying and wrenching motorcycles for many years. The reason I made this one (and the one on the motor mount) was that I just couldn't find a lot of detailed information in one place. Anyway, good to hear from a brother biker in the 'half-century-plus' category! I'm a 72 yo semi-retired engineer and I'd be interested to know how yours comes out. Good luck and ride safe.
@@RidgeRunnerMusic Well it helps me, I will let you know the outcome. Retired, engineer as in ?
@@tla5859 My original discipline was structural/civil but at least 50% of my career has been mechanical!!! LOL My dad was a Mechanical Engineer with U.S. Steel and owned a machine shop, too. So, I got a good baptism in that. (Just comes with the territory, I suppose.)
@@RidgeRunnerMusic Well the job is done... HD hasn't changed a thing between your model and mine. I did try another way, took out the passing lamp, removed the wire from it's plastic connector and thought the wire would fit thru the stud, just so I wouldn't have the turn signal to deal with... wrong won't pass thru stud, if I had a new terminal I would have cut it and crimped on a new terminal. Oh well would love to hear how much a dealer charges to put on the deflectors Haven't had time for much of a ride to see if they help, I'm sure they do. But I kinda like the looks of them.. Thanks for you help, it did make the difference. Took a pic but I guess I can't post it to you... Later Tom
@@tla5859 Glad the video was of some value and you got it done. Hopefully they will help. My bike came with the half-moon deflector between the forks below the yoke. I know it contributes to eliminating some of the air coming up around the tank. I guess it still comes factory installed on the later models. I haven't looked on the 2020 Road Kings but, I'd be interested to check next time I'm at the shop. H-D has cut a lot of corners on the later models and that could be one of them. I'd planned to buy a new RK this year but, the 2020 line has been a big disappointment for me.
I had the same wind deflectors on my totaled 2017 RK. took em off. they will now go on my 2020 FLHP RoadKing. It is a P.I.T.A. but well worth it.
Thanks for the notes amigo, this was helpful and I'll tell you why. I put some tin HD ones on my 02 Roadking a long time ago, which as I remember wasn't much of an issue. However, I bought the new thicker HD fangs for my 2019 FLHXS, and they do not fit if you have the bullet-style lights on an auxiliary light bar. Unfortunately, I had mine powder coated before I tried to mount them, now I am working on another solution short of welding a tab on the end and moving them down the leg a couple of inches or so. I will look to see if I can move the lights or the bar, but I don't remember if this is possible since they changed everything on the newer models. Take care, CA
Good luck, Bro! I hope you can do it without welding. I've done many bike projects and ran into little surprises like this. Stay safe and rock and roll!
Yea they definitely work especially on street glides that air coming up between the tank and fairing is awful and these things definitely solves it I know some say it does not cool the engine as good but I don’t know you’d think the way they turn in would it’d push more air between the forks over the front cylinder instead of between the tank and windshield r fairing because that’s a lot of dirty air that’s coming over the tank I know it’s to technical to worry about but if you look at the ones few sales that goes in front of the tank it’s really the same concept just in front of the tank and smaller
Good explanation of the problem and how to solve it. I have a 2013 RK and I think I would have gneiss same problem.
Thank you. You probably will have the same clearance issue. I've not researched the reason there are 2 holes in the light bracket. Possibly the same bracket was used on multiple models (for manufacturing efficiency) and there were reasons the passing lamps were mounted in one or the other. I don't want to come off as bashing H-D. I'm just glad there was a solution because these things do reduce the head buffeting quite a bit. Good luck and ride safe.
Thanks
All this seems like bad engineering. But you’ve made it. Congrats and thanks.
Thank you. The two holes in the light bracket may have been designed for other reasons and other models using the same bracket during factory assembly. I just don't know.
I'm gonna need longer akern bolts.
What year is your Road King?
1998
1998
That’s too much teejus for me. Good video though.
LOL! It was almost too much for me. I guess being old, I have more patience these days.