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Lexan Refinishing.

9K views 76 replies 24 participants last post by  ob1quixote 
#1 ·
I am going to try to fix the OEM windscreen from the '85. It's in pretty bad shape but this is a test, this is only a test...

Years ago, I buffed up my original and used it for some time, more than a year, I think, before I bought a new shield which is still on the bike, but looking very used. That will be picture #1.

Pic #2 is the first tools to be used.

Pic #3 is the work shield after a quick wash.

Pic #4 is after washing a couple times, with Comet, using the scrubber side of the sponge, then again with comet and the sponge side.

Pic #s 5 & 6 are the view through the shield before the Comet and what you are not seeing.

A question: Has anyone tried this, and is sandpaper going too far as a starter course? I can't remember, but I think I sanded that first one and then hand rubbed it with polishing compound, then wax. It was no where near as bad as this one from the '85.
 

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#70 ·
I don't think the sanding pad on a drill is the right tool. It will grind the shield, you need something like a DA sander , duel action. I would sand it by hand with wet dry paper and water, then go thru the grits until you can buff it with compound and then polish. I would use foam pads for buffing. To polish a shield right you will spend more money on supplies than it would cost for a new shield plus a lot of hard work.
 
#71 ·
For safety reasons i think you should toss them away and get a new one.

sanding polishing its a pita, using wax and other compounds may work temporarily but if you get caught in the rain i would be very afraid of it washing out leaving you with a hard to see trough windshield PLUS rain water. thats a recipe for disaster.
 
#72 ·
My '85's OEM W shield was a hardcoated Lexan, but the hard coating had peeled in places. I polished it all over, but the hard coated parts looked very different from those places where coating was missing. I trashed it soon afterwards, went with Slip streamer wrap around. Did not like distraction of "blotches" of just polished Lexan.
 
#73 ·
Many years ago I removed the hard coat from my 86 with polishing compound, then used rubbing compound and then a finer compound like Mothers. Now I just use an occasional wax with/cleaner to re-polish it. Yeah, it was a lot of work but it's kinda neat to have the original shield and it works fine.
 
#74 ·
I made the mistake of doing the raindance. stripped off a lot of the coating, and can't get it uniform again with regular polishing, and I'm not into sanding it or other harsh chemicals. No issue seeing through it, just has kind of a cosmetic splotchy look depending on how the light hits it.
 
#76 ·
I restored an original '82 GL1100 windscreen last year. The hard layer pealed off easy. I used a polish mashine set on minimum speed (800rpm) and a thick 10" foam pad. I tried several compounds, but the one that worked best were some water based cutting compound called Farecla G3 (course) and G10 (fine). This is a polishing compound without chemicals or wax. The trick with using water based compounds is that you can keep the viscosity thin and constant by adding a little water as you progress with a spray bottle. It also helps with cooling so you don't risk burnmarks. Rinse the pad and the screen often during the process and reapply fresh polish, as any dust particles will leave scratches. Once you are happy with the result you can simply wash the compound off with water and perhaps a little dish wash soap.
The result was perfect, but I have to say that, as some one here mentioned, the Lexan is very soft. You can almost scratch it just by looking at it. I finished it off with a coat of hard wax and it seems to help a lot.
I dont think I would use any sanding paper at all even on deep scratches. It just takes a little longer with the polish machine, but eventually it will also remove the deeper ones.
It took about 4 hours of work to get it nice. Is it worth the it? sure, if you already have the materials as I did or if you want to keep your bike 100% original.
 
#77 ·
Thing thing about using abrasives is the quality. If there is one 80 grit grain on your 120 paper, you have problems. Dont buy cheap abrasives. So says the guy who has a paint and body shop.


I use Super Assilex for my paint correction, and I use that same on polycarbonate.


Once the hard coat is cleared from your windscreen, I would suggest Super Assilex blue. then yellow, then green, then orange with a final pass of peach. Change directions with each grit so you can see the scratches from the previous grit disappear..Use it wet or dry, but be sure to dry and examine the scratch pattern before changing grades. Dry will be more difficult to see the changes; wipe it with a damp cloth and dry to inspect/



Final polishing with 3M Super Duty compound, followed by 3M Perfect-It.


Here is an Assilex assortment to get you started.
https://smile.amazon.com/Eagle-U191...super+assilex&qid=1559353882&s=gateway&sr=8-4



Once the hard coat is gone,
 
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