Rolling through Raleigh on the 2025 Harley-Davidson® Street Glide® Ultra, there’s one upgrade you notice right away—and it’s not just the deep, rumbling Milwaukee-Eight® 117 engine or the sleek batwing fairing. It’s the new clear windshield. This isn’t some minor tweak in design. It’s a major improvement for long-haul riders, highway warriors, and anyone who knows the struggle of wind fatigue all too well.
H-D® didn’t just throw a taller windshield on the bike and call it a day. This upgrade was engineered with precision. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) testing and wind tunnel analysis went into perfecting the shape and positioning, and the results speak for themselves. Compared to standard Street Glide® windshields, this one is four inches taller, and that extra height makes a world of difference when you’re eating up miles on I-40 or winding through the rolling countryside of Wake County. The days of constant helmet buffeting, that exhausting turbulence shaking your head at speed, are all but eliminated. According to H-D®, this windshield cuts helmet buffeting by 60%, and when you experience it firsthand, you realize just how massive that improvement is.
Raleigh’s roads throw all kinds of wind conditions at you. Riding through downtown, you get sudden gusts funneled between high-rises. Out on U.S. 1, you’re cutting through open stretches where crosswinds try their best to shove you around. And if you head up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, mountain winds are a whole different challenge. With this new windshield, those sudden blasts are less of an issue. The airflow is directed up and over, leaving you sitting in a smoother pocket of air rather than bracing against an unpredictable force.
The real game-changer comes at highway speeds. If you’ve ever done a long ride to the Outer Banks or headed west toward the Smoky Mountains, you know how fatigue sets in when you’re constantly fighting wind pressure. With this windshield, that fatigue is noticeably reduced. Less turbulence means less strain on your neck and shoulders. Instead of gripping the bars like you're hanging on for dear life, you settle in. Your posture improves. The ride becomes more relaxed. And let’s be honest—a relaxed rider is a sharper, safer rider.
Visibility is another big win. Some riders worry that a taller windshield might create a distorted view of the road, but that’s not the case here. The optical clarity of this shield is top-tier, meaning you get an unobstructed, natural line of sight. If you're watching for road debris on a backroad or tracking taillights on a busy stretch of I-540, you won’t find yourself adjusting your head position to compensate for distortion. It simply works, seamlessly blending into the ride without distraction.
And then there’s the unexpected bonus—the sound. Anyone who’s ridden the 2025 Harley-Davidson® Street Glide® Ultra knows that the infotainment system is a big part of the experience. Cranking up your playlist or following turn-by-turn navigation is much easier when wind noise isn’t drowning everything out. With the redesigned aerodynamics of this windshield, there’s less turbulence hitting your helmet, which means less noise fatigue over time. Your music is clearer, your intercom communication is more effective, and you don’t have to blast the volume just to hear the next song.
To fully appreciate how much of a difference this windshield makes, picture yourself heading out at dawn, cutting through the crisp morning air as the city wakes up. The sky shifts from deep blue to soft orange, and the roads stretch out ahead, promising adventure. There’s a chill in the air, but instead of bracing against the wind, you settle in, enjoying the ride without battling turbulence. Long-distance rides become less about endurance and more about pure enjoyment, where every mile flows smoothly under your tires.
The impact of this upgrade becomes even clearer on multi-hour rides. Fatigue isn’t just about the physical act of sitting in the saddle—it’s about how much energy you spend adjusting your position, fighting wind resistance, and dealing with constant noise. With this windshield, those struggles fade into the background, letting you focus on the ride itself. More time on the road feels effortless, and you arrive at your destination ready to ride again, not desperate to stretch out and recover.
H-D® understands that a great ride is about the overall experience. Every part of the bike contributes to that, and the windshield is one of those elements you don’t fully appreciate until you ride with one that truly works. It’s the difference between feeling the wind work against you and having the wind work with you, guiding you forward without unnecessary strain.
If you haven’t experienced the difference yet, it’s time to see for yourself. Raging Bull Harley-Davidson®, just outside Raleigh, has the 2025 Harley-Davidson® Street Glide® Ultra ready for test rides. Get in the saddle, roll onto the open road, and feel what it’s like to ride without fighting the wind. It might just change the way you look at long-haul touring.