A question for all Windshield Cleaning / Care

mo650chopper

A question for all the people running Windshields, What cleaning and polishing techniques do you use? From my understanding it's not good to use any product containing alcohol or amonia, like window cleaners. I use to use Pledge type products but I hear they have alcohol or amonia in them as well. Maybe a quality wax to help bead rain and keep the bugs from becoming one with the windshield?

xs650mike

I clean acrylic (Lucite, Plexiglas) or polycarbonate (Lexan) windshields (and face shields too!) with plain ol' water as recommended by the manufacturers. Wet it down and let it soak for a bit to loosen up the bugs, crud and bird poop. Then just scrub it gently with a soft wet rag, use lots of water and be gentle! Polish with another soft dry rag (old t-shirts work great). If it's really dirty a solution of mild dish detergent will soften up the crud a little faster without damaging the windshield. Plexiglass scratches very easily so be extra careful when scrubbing. Lexan is hard and doesn't scratch quite as easily but the scratches are nearly impossible to remove whereas on the softer Plexiglass fine scratches can be easily polished out with jeweler's rouge.

xs650mike

Last night I installed the full size windshield on my XS11 in preparation for the cold weather to come and noticed some minor clouding due to PO putting his gloves on top of the instruments and scratching the shield. That's when I suddenly remembered how we polished plexiglass on airplanes in the Navy...good ol' NeverDull metal polish. This is the impregnated cotton wadding that comes in a can. A few minutes work and my shield was a good as new. This stuff is the ticket for getting the cloudiness out of your windshield and for keeping your brightwork bright.

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