Check out our product spotlight on the Flare Windshield by Klock Werks. For more info, visit our partners at Direct Cycle Parts.

INTRODUCTION: The Klock Werks FLARE Windshield is an air-management device designed for the Harley-Davidson Road Glide. The windshield incorporates a patented “hip” design that Klock Werks claims, “re-routes wind away from the rider while creating additional down force on the front-end of the motorcycle”, resulting in what they claim is a, “significant improvement in wind deflection and front-end stability at highway speeds”. The “flip” at the top of the windshield is supposed to reduce buffeting by kicking the wind up and allowing it to flow back as “clean”, less turbulent air for the rider.

BACKGROUND: The initial design of the FLARE Windshield had less to do with form as it did function. During speed trails at the legendary Boneville Salt Flats the Klock Werks team noticed that their Road Glide’s fairing was lifting away from the ground at high speeds, creating a dangerous wobble. This was no bueno–especially when you’re on a motorcycle traveling at speeds exceeding 125mph, as was the case with the Klock Werks Road Glide. Soooo… what did the team at Klock Werks do to fix this problem?

Well, they decided to create a new windshield that incorporated HIPS and LIPS. I know all you married men can appreciate that! The idea was that when fast moving air passed over the “hips” of their prototype windshield, it would create down force, which theoretically would keep the Road Glide’s fairing from lifting during high speeds. The “lip” at the top of the windshield would flip wind up and over the rider. Now all they had to do was prove it to the world!

Fast forward to 2007. The Klock Werks team links up with NASCAR veterans Randy Meyers and Bob Smith, and next thing you know, Mrs. Klock is sitting on a Road Glide equipped with their experimental FLARE Windshield inside the A2 Wind Tunnel owned by Gary Eaker. After a few hours in the wind tunnel, the Klock Werks team learned that A.) The FLARE Windshield worked exactly as expected, and B.) The Road Glide is way sexier than the Street Glide. Ok, they didn’t learn that in the wind tunnel–they knew that already.

Ok, so now that you’ve been “schooled” on how the FLARE was developed, lets get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about the windshield.

THE DETAILS: The Klockwerks FLARE Windshield, which is made in the USA, is made out of Lexan® Polycarbonate and is available in three different heights: 8″, 12″, and 16″. The windshield fits all 1998-2013 Road Glide fairings. The 8″ windshield, designed for those used to riding around with short windshields, retails between approximately $180-$190 and is available in Tint, Dark Smoke, Black, Chrome, and Black Chrome. The 12″ windshield, designed for those  who want a sporty look, but also desire a fair amount of wind protection, retails between approximately $180-$200 and is available in Clear, Tint, and Dark Smoke. The 16″ windshield, designed for tall riders, or for those who frequently travel long distances, retails for approximately $300 and is available in Clear and Tint. Check the Klock Werks website for additional fitment specs.

OUR THOUGHTS: We rode all over San Diego, CA with these windshields and feel that all three heights of the Klock Werks FLARE Windshield have something to offer Road Glide owners.

The 8″ FLARE windshield looks super slick. This has gotta be the sexiest looking windshield ever created–regardless of height. Not only did this windshield provide noticeably better handling at high speeds, but surprisingly it also provided us some wind protection–courtesy of its “flip”. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better looking short windshield than this one.

We really enjoyed the 12″ FLARE Windshield. In our opinion, this particular size offers the prefect combination of  form and function. It’s just all around awesome.  The 12″ maintains the same “hips” as the shorter 8″, which means you keep the same amount of down force on your fairing, but because it’s taller, you get the added wind protection. The only way this windshield is coming off our Road Glide is if Klock Werks designs a new 12″ version with a built in Heads-Up Display. Real talk.

The 16″ FLARE Windshield clearly offered the best wind protection of the bunch. The “hips” on the 16″ are less defined than those on the 8″ and 12″ so the stability benefits aren’t as noticeable. The 16″ also has less of a taper or pull-back than the shorter FLARE windshields. It also only comes in Clear or Tint. These are our only gripes with this windshield. We wish it tapered back further towards the rider and was available in a Dark Smoke like the 12″. That being said, we still think it’s likely the sexiest tall windshield on the market. Most other windshields this height look ugly. We think Klock Werks did a fairly good job of making a tall windshield look good, which is no easy task.

CONCLUSION: The Klock Werks FLARE Windshields are the real deal. All three windshields looked absolutely great on the Road Glide. The added stability provided by the FLARE’s patented “hip” design gave us piece of mind when traveling at highway speeds. While we weren’t doing 130mph like Mrs. Klock on the Boneville Salt Flats, it was good to know that we had something on our bike that was engineered to counter our fairing’s natural tendency to lift away from the ground. V-Twin NOW highly recommends the Klock Werks FLARE Windshield. We encourage you to visit Klock Werks to find the right FLARE Windshield for your Road Glide.