A sizeable windscreen – if not a full batwing fairing – protects against windblast, which is often exacerbated by a cruiser’s relaxed fists-in-the-wind seating position. And some manufacturers stuff the bar or frame-mounted fairing full of niceties, like a comprehensive radio tuner/CD player and/or MP3 combo along with switches or switch blanks ready for auxiliary lighting and so on.
The idea, it would seem, is that a bagger cruiser is ready to take you considerable distances in comfort, yet not sacrifice too much of the cruiser appeal, allowing you to cruise casually down the ’strip on Saturday night without looking like you’re ready to ride coast to coast.
In lot of ways baggers makes sense. We get it.