Windshield cleaning technique. What's yours?
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,250
Likes: 0
From: St. Cloud Minnesota
Carnuba Wax and cleaner. Or Bug Slime works. I tryed the Pledge did not work as well as the Carnuba Wax.
Also I thought that I read the Windex was not good for your windshields. ?
Also I thought that I read the Windex was not good for your windshields. ?
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 899
Likes: 2
From:
My windshield is pretty low and I don't look through it so I just let the bugs build up and the only time I wash it is when I wash my bike. I am of the opinion that people do more damage to their shields by continually cleaning the bugs off.
I was at a gas station in Calif a few weeks ago and some guy on a rental Ultra was gassing up at the next pump. Idle chatter. While I'm concentrating on trying to keep the gas in my tank with a higher pressure nozzel and holding that frickin foreskin up, I catch some movement out of the corner of my eye and here this guy starts squirting some unknown **** out of a huge spray bottle on my windshield. I know he thought he was being helpful but by the time I got "stop" out of my mouth, he had it all covered. I just rinsed it off and nothing was harmed and I guess some people think everybody wants to wash their bike shields off like they do their car.
I like the wet towell method - put a wet towel on and spray it a couple of times to keep it wet. Softens all the crap up pretty good. Then just wipe off.
I was at a gas station in Calif a few weeks ago and some guy on a rental Ultra was gassing up at the next pump. Idle chatter. While I'm concentrating on trying to keep the gas in my tank with a higher pressure nozzel and holding that frickin foreskin up, I catch some movement out of the corner of my eye and here this guy starts squirting some unknown **** out of a huge spray bottle on my windshield. I know he thought he was being helpful but by the time I got "stop" out of my mouth, he had it all covered. I just rinsed it off and nothing was harmed and I guess some people think everybody wants to wash their bike shields off like they do their car.
I like the wet towell method - put a wet towel on and spray it a couple of times to keep it wet. Softens all the crap up pretty good. Then just wipe off.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 8,852
Likes: 2,494
From: Decatur, Alabama
dichotomy
Pronunciation: \dī-ˈkä-tə-mē also də-\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural diˇchotˇoˇmies
Etymology: Greek dichotomia, from dichotomos
Date: 1610
1 : a division into two especially mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or entities <the dichotomy between theory and practice>; also : the process or practice of making such a division <dichotomy of the population into two opposed classes>
2 : the phase of the moon or an inferior planet in which half its disk appears illuminated
3 a : bifurcation; especially : repeated bifurcation (as of a plant's stem) b : a system of branching in which the main axis forks repeatedly into two branches c : branching of an ancestral line into two equal diverging branches
4 : something with seemingly contradictory qualities <it's a dichotomy, this opulent Ritz-style luxury in a place that fronts on a boat harbor.
I didn't know what a dichotomy was so I looked it up and figured I would post the definition for the other two or three guys who also were scratching their heads about it. When I first saw the word I thought that maybe it was something they did to child rapists in prison but I was wrong. Anyway, now on to the question at hand:
The easiest way to clean a windshield is to properly prep it before it gets dirty. I treat my windshield, (and the entire bike) with a product known as REJEX. Get it good and clean first, wipe on the REJEX, let dry, then wipe off. It keeps the windshield "slippery" so that nothing sticks to it. When I clean the bugs off it, they wipe off quite easily with a damp microfiber towel. REJEX is good for anywhere from 6 months to 1 year before reapplication is necessary. It has been used in the aircraft industry for years. I don't work for REJEX, just trying to pass on the information as it was passed on to me.
Pronunciation: \dī-ˈkä-tə-mē also də-\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural diˇchotˇoˇmies
Etymology: Greek dichotomia, from dichotomos
Date: 1610
1 : a division into two especially mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or entities <the dichotomy between theory and practice>; also : the process or practice of making such a division <dichotomy of the population into two opposed classes>
2 : the phase of the moon or an inferior planet in which half its disk appears illuminated
3 a : bifurcation; especially : repeated bifurcation (as of a plant's stem) b : a system of branching in which the main axis forks repeatedly into two branches c : branching of an ancestral line into two equal diverging branches
4 : something with seemingly contradictory qualities <it's a dichotomy, this opulent Ritz-style luxury in a place that fronts on a boat harbor.
I didn't know what a dichotomy was so I looked it up and figured I would post the definition for the other two or three guys who also were scratching their heads about it. When I first saw the word I thought that maybe it was something they did to child rapists in prison but I was wrong. Anyway, now on to the question at hand:
The easiest way to clean a windshield is to properly prep it before it gets dirty. I treat my windshield, (and the entire bike) with a product known as REJEX. Get it good and clean first, wipe on the REJEX, let dry, then wipe off. It keeps the windshield "slippery" so that nothing sticks to it. When I clean the bugs off it, they wipe off quite easily with a damp microfiber towel. REJEX is good for anywhere from 6 months to 1 year before reapplication is necessary. It has been used in the aircraft industry for years. I don't work for REJEX, just trying to pass on the information as it was passed on to me.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,326
Likes: 2
From: scurry, TX
After a weekend ride in Arkansas and lettign the bike sit for a couple of days, I had lots of critters on my shield. I used (for the first time) Pledge and Wow! Those dead critters nearly came alive and jumped off by themselves. I'm a believer in Pledge. Shines painted areas really nice too.
Got the idea from Touring section. I love this forum.
Got the idea from Touring section. I love this forum.
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Road Master
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 967
Likes: 3
From: Eastern Massachusetts
I only wash the windshield before I ride. After I'm done riding, I don't really care if I can see through it or not. Since I'm getting ready to ride, I don't have a lot of patience for hot towels or multiple passes. I spray something wet onto the windshield and I wipe it off. Then I get on and ride.
The only thing that passes for technique with me is that I always wipe the windshield up and down, never side-to-side or in swirls. That's because if it does scratch, up and down scratches cause fewer problems at night with on-coming headlights.
The only thing that passes for technique with me is that I always wipe the windshield up and down, never side-to-side or in swirls. That's because if it does scratch, up and down scratches cause fewer problems at night with on-coming headlights.