Your mirror might be the cause of your buffeting noise

[pismocycleguy]

I'm running some old model KTM Duke mirrors that I bought in 2003, and some mirror wideners. Seems to work for me.
I've had these mirrors and wideners on 5 different bikes over the years.

 

[mreric]

am back from testing this mirror theory, no is no longer a theory, is a fact. the OEM mirror was causing all the buffeting for me.

I got really short mirror now. they work. i am using the madstad screen 18" , am 5"6 with a long torso.


if you are having buffeting noises, i propose that you try this. it might or might not work for you. as this has to do with you height and sitting position.

this is a MUST TRY!

 

[greenex]

What mirrors did you end up getting?

 

[SergeantChuck]

am back from testing this mirror theory, no is no longer a theory, is a fact. the OEM mirror was causing all the buffeting for me.

I got really short mirror now. they work. i am using the madstad screen 18" , am 5"6 with a long torso.


if you are having buffeting noises, i propose that you try this. it might or might not work for you. as this has to do with you height and sitting position.

this is a MUST TRY!

What mirros did you you get. Photos?

 

[dmerc]

I just cut my stock windscreen down to only cover the instruments. No more buffeting.

Yup, works great! Ride naked!

 

[mreric]

What mirrors did you end up getting?

What mirros did you you get. Photos?

i got these mirror
SPEEDMETAL - Low Profile Mirrors - Mirrors - Add-ons - Accessories - Cycle Gear


they dont quite match the look of the bike, but i dont care. am just happy that i can have a quiet bike ride,

go out when traffic is low and test without mirror ( is illegal in most state) and see if hear a difference. this idea is free to try and if the mirror are the cause then it would cost you about 25 bucks,

the same mirror are for sale on ebay for about $25.

 

[670cc]

I guess if you tried theses RAM mount mirrors you could adjust them to different heights and angles until you got the cleanest air.

http://www.doubletakemirror.com/

 

[mreric]

I guess if you tried theses RAM mount mirrors you could adjust them to different heights and angles until you got the cleanest air.

Doubletake Mirror

cool mirror, but i dont think it will work on the NC due to the u bolts. the parking brake would be in the way. but i have to go home and look at it again. maybe it will work. thanks for the idea.

 

[pismocycleguy]

I used bar-end mirrors on many bikes over the years. I like the lack of noise and the view, but not so great for land splitting or getting through other narrow spaces. I am not using bar end mirrors currently on my NC700X.

 

[bamamate]

cool mirror, but i dont think it will work on the NC due to the u bolts. the parking brake would be in the way. but i have to go home and look at it again. maybe it will work. thanks for the idea.

They have Ram ball bases that fit in the mirror holes. The u-bolt is really for stuff that didn't come with mirrors like dirt bikes and ATVs.
You buy a Ram base for your bike, Ram arm at what length you want, and the doubletake mirror.

 

[houssam2]

am back from testing this mirror theory, no is no longer a theory, is a fact. the OEM mirror was causing all the buffeting for me.

I got really short mirror now. they work. i am using the madstad screen 18" , am 5"6 with a long torso.


if you are having buffeting noises, i propose that you try this. it might or might not work for you. as this has to do with you height and sitting position.

this is a MUST TRY!

I agree with you. The combination of a Madstad Adventure screen, Barkbuster Storm hand guards and the stock mirror was causing all my turbulence. I could feel it just by tracing the turbulence with my hands from underneath the screen up through the hand guards and the mirror and hitting me in the chin, right under my helmet. It was obvious at that point what was causing the turbulence even with a tall 22" screen. The wind going through the gaps between the hand guard and the mirror created this very low frequency drumming turbulence. I solved it by getting the new wind deflectors from Madstad. It blocked the wind coming below the screen enough to eliminate the turbulence almost completely, with the side benefit of greatly reducing the wind hitting my lower torso. Just wanted to list another option for solving the same problem.

 

[MiG Angel]

I wanted to share my experience with the buffeting issue. I have been experimenting a lot with the Madstad system lately because I was never completely satisfied with it; I removed the winglets because they syphoned air up and under my helmet drying out my eyes and bent the backplate so as to catch air and force it upwards as opposed to around it. I kept being uncomfortable. Next I tried removing an oval shape from windshield so it could hit the backplate and force itself over my head. After experimenting for many days and angles and heights the problem persisted. I was convinced it had something to do with the mirrors now. I re-angled the winglet tabs and reattached the winglets and the problem went away completely. I figured out what was happening, the wind was hitting the brake reservoir as well as the barkbusters hardware and creating violent buffetting that was causing me headaches and discomfort. The winglets dispurse the air out of the way before they get to those bits and since I angled them in a different position they no longer forced air inside my helmet. I have some mirrors on order and will experiment further when they arrive but I think I have already found the solution to my buffetting woes.

 

[Tarmack]

I wanted to share my experience with the buffeting issue. I have been experimenting a lot with the Madstad system lately because I was never completely satisfied with it; I removed the winglets because they syphoned air up and under my helmet drying out my eyes and bent the backplate so as to catch air and force it upwards as opposed to around it. I kept being uncomfortable. Next I tried removing an oval shape from windshield so it could hit the backplate and force itself over my head. After experimenting for many days and angles and heights the problem persisted. I was convinced it had something to do with the mirrors now. I re-angled the winglet tabs and reattached the winglets and the problem went away completely. I figured out what was happening, the wind was hitting the brake reservoir as well as the barkbusters hardware and creating violent buffetting that was causing me headaches and discomfort. The winglets dispurse the air out of the way before they get to those bits and since I angled them in a different position they no longer forced air inside my helmet. I have some mirrors on order and will experiment further when they arrive but I think I have already found the solution to my buffetting woes.

Could you post some photos of your set up, please.

 

[GunNut37086]

You guys all bring up some interesting points.

I had horrible buffeting with the stock screen in the high position, but none in the low position or with my Puig touring screen/visor combo or my 18" Vstream. I figured it was just screen height/width/shape that mattered. The mirrors are a new variable that I didn't consider, but now that you mention it: I added the eBay knockoff version of those SW-Motech mirror extenders about the same time I was trying to fix the buffeting noise. That could be a contributor.

Similarly, a friend is about the same height as me, has the same bike as me, and has tried the same windshield setups as me. Se has the buffeting issues that I don't have. She has no mirror extenders and also wears earplugs.

I'm not sure how much weight each variable has, but the earplugs are a no-go for me. I can't wear them because I can't tolerate the low frequency bone conduction noise that seems to be isolated when I wear them. It's a sensation that feels IDENTICAL to the buffeting I had before I fixed my windshield issues. I tried them again recently and couldn't believe I got a headache within the first 100 miles with the earplugs and got no headache the rest of the 800 mile trip without them. I know they work for many people, but they don't for me. I have to wear electronic ear muffs at the shooting range instead because of this.

 

[Deleted member 5383]

I wear ear plugs less than I used to because I got rid of a lot of wind noise by putting open cell foam in the ear-cups of my particular modular helmet so that my dumbo flaps are resting against it (with very slight pressure). In less than the hottest weather I also wear enough around my neck to plug the air coming up at the sides of the helmet neck hole. the area in the front chin curtain area doesn't seem to contribute noise unless I raise my head way up so that for me and my helmet at least, is not a problem.

 

[FezUSA]

I'm 5' 9", 30" inseam and riding the 2016 with OEM seat & shield. I have SW-M Kobra guards that I recently installed - no difference in noise (worse or better). I've changed my helmet which was a big improvement in wind noise, but I still feel that there's room for improvement. I can't hear the engine once I'm over 50mph. I do wear NoNoise Motorcycle plugs which helps reduce the wind noise. I'm considering getting the Madstad for cooler weather coverage as well as hopeful that it helps with the noise issue. Not sure whether to go with the 18" or 20" version though.

However, this weekend while riding I happened to partially stand up to stretch while on a long ride - at 55mph. As soon as I got to about 5-6" or so off my seat the buffeting/noise almost disappeared! I could suddenly hear my engine!! There was still some wind noise, but I expect that - I'm on a NC not in a car or even on a Goldwing! I'm not looking for silence, but the noise level that I experienced at that height would be wonderful if I could get it while seated!! So how do I do that? If I go with the Madstad, that's a taller screen, so is that not going to mean I'd have to stand even higher to get that quiet spot? Or is it also wider and that's where my noise/buffeting is coming from, around my stock screen and through my bars /mirrors?? Is this where the little side deflectors come into effect? Like I mentioned I have the Kobra's, but adding them didn't make it better or worse. If I remove the mirror's and the noise level improves, what are my options? I see there's wideners and I see that there's replacements available - the Doubletake Adventure seems like a nice option, but also very similar to the OEM - so where's the advantage (from a noise standpoint)? i don't want to spend $$$ on the SW-M wideners and find that they don't help, nor wait 4-8 weeks for some Chinabay knock-offs to arrive! Just thinking out loud here and trying to determine the best way to proceed!

 

[draco_1967]

I've found that the windscreen either needs to be barn door sized to get my helmet out of turbulent air completely (very quiet, but hot in the summer and ugly; or it needs to be short enough that my helmet is in clean air, which on the NC was a home-brew screen just shorter than stock. It was nice and cool in the summer, kept me out of buffet buffetting air, but was bad at keeping bugs, cold, and rain off.

I have the barn door option on my FJR now...

 

[bvogel7475]

What helmet are you riding with? I ride with a Shoei GT Air and have a 20" Madstad windshield set to the lowest position and don't have any buffeting. I did get a little bit of buffeting with my Shoei R1200 that is 14 years old. I remember how awesome it was when I switched from an HJC to the Shoei. Night and day comfort and sound dampening. The GT air is not only more aerodynamic than my Shoei R1200 but it is super quiet. Shoei knows what they are doing when it comes to helmets. You pay more, but my comfort and safety are worth the extra 200-300 dollars.

 

[FezUSA]

Scorpion EXO AT950 size L. When I started riding a few years ago on a PCX150 the dealership outfitted me with a Bell Revolver EVO modular, size XXL!! The only measuring stick was a verbal "is that comfortable?"! This time around I measured and looked at head shape and moved down 2 sizes to an L.

On the ride to work this morning I used my R hand to feel the wind. It was smooth above my head and choppy/turbulent around my neck. I tried to follow the turbulence to the source - it seemed to be coming from between my stock small (2016) screen and the parking brake lever, as well as near my mirrors.

What helmet are you riding with? I ride with a Shoei GT Air and have a 20" Madstad windshield set to the lowest position and don't have any buffeting. I did get a little bit of buffeting with my Shoei R1200 that is 14 years old. I remember how awesome it was when I switched from an HJC to the Shoei. Night and day comfort and sound dampening. The GT air is not only more aerodynamic than my Shoei R1200 but it is super quiet. Shoei knows what they are doing when it comes to helmets. You pay more, but my comfort and safety are worth the extra 200-300 dollars.

 

[DirtyDog]

Just got back from a week ride and have a little input.
I'm 5'9", have a puig windshield with a cheap amazon wind deflector.
The deflector did the job ok, canceled out about 1/2 the buffeting.
On my last day home, I was riding through Mesquite NV, 116 deg, very strong head winds. The whole windshield and deflector got pushed back into my face.
Stopped as soon as safe and found 3 of the 4 screws/grommets holding the puig to the bike had failed. Trekked a few miles to a hardware store and got some standard bolts to hold everything together. Worked good.
Later that day, one of my mirrors came loose at the base, I had just got gas and didn't want to stop. After riding for about 20 miles, I realized that most of the buffeting was gone on the side where the mirror was loose and pointed back at me(just the left side).
So I stopped and loosened up the right mirror and pointed in back towards me (from the base) and almost all of the buffeting was gone!
Now I'm sure that the mirrors are definetly part of the buffeting problem!