Windshield effect on motorcycle MPG?

[CoyoteX]

I have been trying to read up on a lot of various sites about if a windshield can improve mileage. Everyone just talks about making it a quieter ride and I have not really found anything one way or the other to say if they improve mileage normally.

Anyone know anything about what type or size would be best to improve mileage or do they actually not help any? I don't care about the noise and wind blast, I wear ear plugs when going anywhere longer than 5 minutes ride. If I can pick up a bit of mileage from getting one then I'll prob do it.

[mrmad]

I would think it would have to be a small one to not hurt your mpg. The larger ones are aerodynamic bricks.

[Erdrick]

Am I missing something here? Windshields affecting FE? Unless you were to move to a thinner piece of glass, I don't see how anything could possibly change. You are committed to the size of the opening where the glass is supposed to be mounted. Thicker or thinner glass just makes your car heavier or lighter, respectively.

Am I just not reading this post correctly?

[CO ZX2]

Originally Posted by Erdrick

Am I missing something here? Windshields affecting FE? Unless you were to move to a thinner piece of glass, I don't see how anything could possibly change. You are committed to the size of the opening where the glass is supposed to be mounted. Thicker or thinner glass just makes your car heavier or lighter, respectively.

Am I just not reading this post correctly?

Must be another moped.

[CoyoteX]

I guess sticking Motorcycle in the title might have made it clearer

[mrmad]

I'm pretty sure I recall from an old motorcycle magazine's touring test where they took something like a stock Honda 750 and bolted one of those large windsheilds to it and the mpg's dropped quite a bit. This is from a fuzzy memory (and I have plenty of those), but if I remember right it dropped from 45 to 35mpg.

[skewbe]

My gs1000 took about a 10mpg hit on the highway with a large windscreen.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Based on perusing different message boards...
Bad-
Good-
Better-
Best (aka; ah crap we just turned it into a car)

[GeekGuyAndy]

I bet that rides on a 'cycle engine though

[Hockey4mnhs]

Those last 2 are awsome. the one says 125mpg on it which is pretty good. And the vw has some nice wheel skirts also.