Or is it just something you live with?

Apparently I picked this one up riding home grime Rossmeyers yesterday…


I put the electrical tape there so the camera would focus and for perspective that ding is about 1/4” above it.

 

I just googled "scratched windshield hdforum". Looks like Novus might be best bet.

 

I might hafta get drunk to see if I can get your picture into focus.

 

IIRC, Harley-Davidson windshields have a coating on them. Once you buff out that coating you'll have a larger distortion.

 

You remembered correctly…

 

oh no!

 

Yep...shields trashed.

 

I've used Novis fine scratch remove to clean years of buildup off with no damage and a much clearer windshield. Use the proper product with gentle pressure and you shouldn't have any issues.

 

Ouch, looks like you killed it man.

 

Both True & False...but that's also why I'm not entirely depressed because out of this somewhat expensive mistake I've learned some valuable lessons and gained a wealth of knowledge regarding windshield materials and coatings as follows...

There's 2 types of materials commonly used to make windshields....Polycarbonate and Acrylic...and the short story of differences between them is that while PC is more resistant to shattering and/or cracking?...as a standalone material it is very susceptible to hazing and yellowing from UV rays unless?..."a coating is applied"....and such is the case with my '22 FLHCS 114 stock windshield which BTW?....I can't just order the shield itself...Harley only sells it as an assembly complete with brackets for $560 while my deductible is $500 so I'm calling it a wash but that's okay and here's why...

It's true that you may be able to both clean and remove "fine scratches" from the extremely thin UV coating that a PC windshield requires with a very non-aggressive polish however?...if that scratch is deeper than a few thousandths of an inch deep or like in my case is a road pebble ding that was like .005-.01" deep?...you better learn to live with it cause you're screwed.

And the above is why there are a good number of premium aftermarket windshield manufacturers that expound the benefits of Acrylic over PC with the reasoning that Acrylic has UV inhibitors built into the material itself and therefore requires no thin coatings which in turn means that if this pebble ding of mine...(or any scratch deeper than "fine")...was in acrylic instead of coated PC?...I wouldn't be shopping for a new windshield right now and it would've taken me maybe 30 minutes to polish that pebble ding out and this thread would've been a success story instead of what it is....a learning opportunity.


Sure did! LOL! Ya know?...it was a "That first scratch on a new car moment" for me so I immediately grabbed my fine grit scotchbrite and my polishing compound I'd had so much success with many times before polishing out things like scratches and chem attacks from DOT brake fluid on clear plastics such as gauge cluster covers (and apparently acrylic windscreens) on sportbikes but?...not this time and within my first few light passes with the scotchbrite and seeing the material change?...I got that sinking feeling knowing I just screwed up.

I'm looking at "Freedom Shields" (premium motorcycle windshields)...they are a bit pricey but have the best warranty and are a recurve type shield made of thick, optically correct acrylic and seem like the way to go as dings and scratches can be polished out of such.