I like the windshield cut so you can just see over the top of of it. You have an unobstructed view of the road obstacles, other driver threats, and the wind is off your chest and over/around you. Actually, you feel some wind pressure at your back pushing on you a bit forward. I’m thinking that’s one reason why the fuel mileage and speed capability aren’t much affected. It also Cools you in summer. But, only while moving, of course. It is initially weird not having the front of the bike not turn with the bars, though.
Cheers,
+1 on the slightly shorter windshield!
Craig used to sell them in 3 heights until the bankers stole his company from him (during the Windjammer IV series), then there was only 2 heights and a business card to aftermarket windshiled vendors for other heights. I started with the nominal height and switched to the 1" lower one to see just over the top of it. This works best in the rain, as it kicks the water up and over your head while you look thru the non-wetted non-windshield slot. Very helpful in the wet.
The Vindicator came about because the SS with the giant integrated turn signals used up most of the interior room of the fairing: you could not even store your jacket in it with those big lamps aboard. IIRC someone made replacement ABS panels for a while that allowed you to remove the lamps and mount your OEM turn signals instead - it wasn't Vetter - as I saw a few of those 're'converted ones at Sturgis that year. My brother bought his second SOHC4 (CB650K1) with the Vetter complete package (SS fairing) and hated the lamps after he had ridden 50k miles with the Jammer I on his first CB500. But, as he was single then, he just made a big backrest with cupholder on it, instead.
Craig designed the Windjammer using the wind tunnel (and a friendly professor there) at the University of Illinois/Champagne-Urbana campus after his Phantom full-size fairing wasn't exactly what he wanted for the 750, despite it selling pretty well (and cooling the center 2 cylinders more than the 1-4 ones, which greatly improved 750 engine life). It wasn't aerodynamic enough for him: when he made the 'Jammer he also wanted to have removable Lowers so the upper half would fit more bikes with less hardware. The MPG on my K2 was much better than my fairing-less K1 until I removed the Vetter one brief (2-week) period in 1972 to test it myself: then the MPG dropped by 4 in mixed town/hiway riding. That was when I got the -1" windshield, too, when I put it back on. I've not ridden without it since then, it just makes that much sense (to me).
