Purpose of the gap between windscreen and fairing?

I have an ez pass in there and am looking to add a voltimeter.

Does obstructing the airflow effect handling? Airflow to rider? What is its purpose?

I've stuffed my gloves in there only to have them blown out at me at 50mph.


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The reason for the air gap between the windscreen and upper cowl was said to be twofold.

At lower speeds Honda said that air gap between the windscreen and upper cowl was a pathway for a little more airflow to help keep the rider a bit cooler.

At high speeds though the function of that air gap changed. At high speeds the air that's rushing over the top side of the windscreen travels upward until it meets the top edge of the windscreen,at which point it no longer continues to travel upward for very much longer but actually starts to curve downward. That downward curving airstream hits the rider at a low angle which causes drag.

By simultaneously flowing high speed air on the underside of the windscreen it helps to push that downward curving airstream up higher so that it hits the rider at a much higher angle. This is supposed to help reduce drag and make the bike more aerodynamic as it moves through the air at high speeds.

When Honda released the 5th gen. bikes they made a big to-do about it having a 9 percent lower drag coefficient than the 4th gen. bikes and that air gap at the front of the windscreen was said to have been a big part of it. The 6th gen. bikes simply continued the trend.

 

Cooleaceful
John