In a recent thread I reported that I had just tried a product that promised easy removal of bugs, soot, and other contaminants encountered while riding. At the time of this post I hadn't run into any love bugs, which I consider the acid test for any such product. The product is Rejex, a polymer treatment for paint, chrome, plastic windshields, glass, and any other non-porous surface. It was originally designed for use on aircraft to protect wing surfaces from exhaust deposits and bugs, but has taken on a new life with car, boat, and motorcycle enthusiasts. Just do a search on it and read the reviews, most of which are glowing. This is the product's webpage:

http://www.rejex.com/rejex.html

I decided to give this stuff a try and ordered three bottles for me and two friends, all of us now enduring the love-bug scourge here in S. LA, which is a bi-yearly event all across the Deep South. These varmints are filled with acid guts, are attracted to sunlight and exhaust fumes, and love to commit suicide by colliding with our cars and motorcycles. They dry to a concrete-like consistency that is very difficult to remove, and the acid PH can wreak havoc with fine paint jobs. Since they taste bad to all creatures and nothing eats them, it gives them a great defense mechanism that insures their long-term survival. When the guts dry it is like trying to remove concrete from your car or bike, which makes a product like Rejex attractive if it works.

Got a good dose of love bugs today after applying two coats of Rejex earlier in the week. I can say that it lives up to the hype, and a damp rag is all it took to remove the dried remains with little or no rubbing. This is a departure from the norm, which usually means soaking for 20 min. with a wet towel and then having to rub repeatedly and hard to get them off. Regular bugs wipe off with a dry rag, or at most one swipe with a damp rag. We'll see how well it holds up with time, but word is that 4-6 months is the norm if it is applied according to the instructions. Application of Rejex requires <85°, a cool and clean surface free of old wax, and a curing time of 12 hours away from the elements (rain or sun). This isn't hard, even in summer, by applying in the early evening and leaving overnight in a covered garage or carport. Longer curing time, which is related to a lower surface temperature, translates into a more durable finish--and warmer temperatures mean shorter curing times. My garage was about 80° when I made the applications. Since it rained for the next two days I applied another coat the next night. Before applying I gave the surfaces I was going to treat a "dawn wash," which is a cleaning with dawn dishwasher liquid and water that removes all old wax.

The shine is about the same as I've learned to expect with NuFinish, perhaps a bit deeper, which is a very good all-purpose wax I've been using for years. I used the Rejex on areas subjected to bugs, like the front fender, fairing, windshield, headlight, fairing lowers, crashbar, and forks. The rest of the bike got the usual NuFinish treatment. One thing I have noticed is that the Rejex-treated surface totally repels water, which rolls right off like a windshield treated with Rain-X.

The only downside is that Rejex is not cheap, but I'll be on record saying it is worth it. The best price I found was from http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/4943, which totaled about $18/bottle (16 oz.) for three bottles including shipping. For one bottle it would probably be ~$20 since shipping for three was more economical. The product has a shelf life of two years, and heat is the enemy, so store it in a cool place. I will be ca

 

The love bugs haven't hit us yet but will. How far do you figure a bottle will go?

 

I know what I am ordering tonight!! Thanks for being the guinea pig!!!! Great review.[sm=thanx.gif]

 

This is from their site:

• A typical single-engine airplane tip to tail
• A 35’ boat or RV
• 3 regular SUVs or large sedans
• 4 economy or sports cars

If so, I would think this would take care of the frontal area of a fairing bike many times over. I barely put a dent in this bottle doing two applications to the fairing, lowers, forks, windshield, headlight, and crashbar. With applications every 4-6 months I would think it would degrade (2 years) before you finished a 16-oz. bottle. They also make a 12-oz. bottle.

 

What would be the downside to doing the whole bike if 16 oz. would go bad before you used it anyway? It sounds like it gives a decent shine.

 

That's exactly what went through my mind after reading rickoshay45's reply and after seeing what a 16-oz. bottle will cover. I think I may do it over the whole bike, as you suggest. It should make dusting and other cleaning easier between applications. I just waxed the rest of the bike and will have to do a "dawn wash" on it too. Some people have used it on wheels to make brake dust stick less readily and make cleaning easier. Will also work on chrome. It supposedly can tolerate 600° surfaces so heat shields would not be out of bounds.

At first my rationale was to do only the frontal surfaces to make the bottle stretch, but as you pointed out that may end up wasting some in the end. Of course, if you want to treat your car(s) or boat, that adds another variable.

 

Come on over to the west coast of FL. Those darn love bugs have been out for a couple of weeks now.

Very nice review iclick. I have been using Rejex on the front of the car and truck for a while. I found it at a local boating supply store. It does make bug removal much easier. For some reason I haven't gotten around to trying it on the SG yet.