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Tips,Tweaks, Fixes and Facts: The two-wheeled ownership experience, explained

WINDSCREEN BASICS 101

What they’re made of, and how to properly clean and care for them

BY KALI KOTOSKI

What sometimes goes unnoticed and underappreciated in life is often something right in front of your face, and in motorcycling, that rings truer than ever.

Consider for a moment the utilitarian and sometimes stylish marvel that is the motorcycle windscreen…and then consider the science and technology behind these durable plastic designs.

A windshield offers numerous benefits to the motorcyclist: The right design can double your bike’s comfort level on both shorter and (especially) longer rides, with windblast and the accompanying roar that comes with it reduced dramatically. A good windscreen can shield you from rain and snow and other inclement weather. And they can often (though not always) improve the looks of your bike.

But for all their functional benefits, the windscreen/windshield genre is comprised of typically expensive chunks of plastic that can become damaged and prematurely worn without proper care or maintenance. A less-than-knowledgeable hand can significantly lessen the plastic’s lifespan or turn it so hazy that its purpose is diminished.

Time, then, for a little Windscreen 101.

What plastic is this?

Decades of science have revolutionized plastics and their many applications, with the vast majority of today’s bike-specific screens made of acrylic (often known as Lucite or Plexiglas) or polycarbonate (Lexan). A fun fact is that Lexan was developed for use in space and was the material used for the visor of Neil Armstrong’s helmet when he landed on the moon in 1969.

Boiled down, acrylic is less expensive than polycarbonate, UV resistant, easy to shape and offers great clarity, though it is more brittle than Lexan and more prone to cracking when worked. Lexan is significantly stronger but more expensive, and while it resists chips and cracking quite well, even when drilled, it dents and scratches more easily (more on this in a bit).

To visually identify what type of plastic your bike’s windscreen has we spoke to CEO and President of National Cycle Barry Willey, who’s been in the windscreen business longer than most of us have been riding motorcycles — and whose company is an OEM supplier to BMW, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Polaris, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha.

Willey explained a simple rule of thumb: “The edge of a clear acrylic windshield is always white or light in color,” he said. “For clear polycarbonate, the edge is always black, or at least grey, because polycarbonate is naturally yellow, and

blue has to be added to it to make it an acceptable color — clear.”

According to Willey, the industry standard for manufacturers is to equip new bikes with a polycarbonate windshield, albeit a cheaper, softer and thus more scratch-prone version of Lexan than National Cycle’s many offerings, which utilize a robust hard-coat for durability and scratch resistance. He added that acrylic is the most widely used plastic in the aftermarket, primarily due to its affordability.

Why know your plastic?

Knowing what plastic your windshield is made of makes a world of difference in terms of care. Cleaning your shield with the wrong cleaner or product can lead to disaster, with nearinstantaneous crazing giving that beautiful clear plastic an ugly and dangerous mist coating. Crazing is a chemical reaction that creates tiny cracks as soon as the errant chemical is applied.

“Consumers need to be really careful with today’s cleaners,” Willey said, “because other chemicals used on the bike, such as a wheel cleaner, can immediately damage the windshield.”

The primary guidance for acrylic and polycarbonate windshields is to use products free of alcohol, ammonia and abrasives. Petroleumbased degreasers and alkaline cleaners need to be avoided. Some examples of dangerous windshield chemicals include Windex, Rain-X and Armor All.

“Acrylic windshields are really hard and weather well, Willey said, “but acrylic will still scratch and isn’t as impact resistant as polycarbonate. If something hits it hard enough it can shatter into sharp pieces, which is why manufacturers adopted polycarbonate after the lawyers chased them into it.”

That doesn’t mean acrylic windshields are bad; it’s just something to consider when weighing your investment decision. On the upside, acrylic windshields are easier to keep looking new.

Compared to untempered glass, acrylic is about eight times stronger, with polycarbonate a whopping 200 times stronger. Department of Transportation-approved helmet face shields use polycarbonate, as well as machine-tool safety shields.

“But for manufacturers to keep costs down, they typically don’t hard-coat the Lexan,” Willey said. “And in not doing so, the inevitable static buildup attracts dust and microscopic particles, which will leave urge to give it a quick dry wipe!

What you need here is patience and time and lots and lots of water. Get yourself some liquid dish soap and get the water flowing, ideally at a lukewarm temperature. The key here is to get all the grime to float on the surface, with ample suds and water to eliminate the possibility of any abrasion. This can’t be stressed enough.

Now take a large microfiber towel, the more surface area the better, and wipe it softly dry. It is best to just wipe it down once and completely; don’t keep wiping once it’s dry. And if you’re determined to try some cleaners, follow the DIY golden rule by testing it in a small inconspicuous spot on the windshield first. But soap and water do the trick surprisingly well; just ask your local car or bike detailer. Who’d have thought that given the myriad chemical products on the market?

very small scratches when wiped off. That is why you can see scratched windshields on the showroom floor if they are not cleaned properly.”

However, polycarbonate with National Cycle’s proprietary Quantum hardcoat creates a state-of-the-art plastic that is said to be 30 times more scratch-resistant than acrylic and can withstand a home run swing with a baseball bat.

So what about cleaning?

Imagine you’ve had a long day of riding and have sacrificed a small army of insects on your windshield, along with dust, dirt and whatever other grimy debris you’ve encountered. Absolutely resist the

Polycarbonate Preventative care and upkeep

and acrylic put to A primary enemy of any the test...with a plastic windshield — aside

baseball bat. Tests

show that while from wonky chemicals and dry acrylic shatters, wiping — is the sun’s UV rays. polycarbonate In addition, acrylic windshields flexes on impact and are prone to developing a haze remains unscathed. over time, and even minor scratches can limit visibility. Polycarbonate windscreens can yellow, and eventually the hard-coat can delaminate or flake off. Willey recommends routinely applying a coat of natural carnauba wax on acrylic or polycarbonate windshields. The wax gives an additional sacrificial layer to the windshield and should be regularly applied. It also prevents oxidization, makes the windshield debris and scratch resistant, and allows water to easily flow off. Remember, though, the wax is for waxing and not to be used as a cleaning agent. Once again, however, test in a small area. With proper care, Willey said today’s plastic windshields can last over 10 years, making the investment quickly pay for itself.

Garage

STREET SAVVY LEFT (CORNERS) VS. RIGHT

Despite what you often read, the classic outside-inside-outside cornering line of the track is not the smart move on the street

BY MITCH BOEHM

As a frustrated college kid with a hot new sportbike and no racetrack on which to hone my then-rookie-esque cornering skills, I admit to doing what many of us have done through the years in an attempt to achieve that oh-so-special cornering/g-force feeling on our motorcycles: ride way too fast — and take way too many chances — on curvy public roads.

It was a simple thing for me, too, as, living in Utah, I had twisty canyon roads right down the street, and made good use of them for several years — though, looking back, it’s a wonder I survived it all.

Me and my friends did that classic Sunday Morning Ride thing as much as we could. Get up early, jump on our bikes, meet at the base of one of the local canyon roads, and then let ’er rip for a couple hours.

We watched whatever road-racing coverage we could find on Motoworld (remember that show?); we read Twist of the Wrist, and Jeff Karr and Ken Vreeke’s words in Motorcyclist magazine; and we applied what we thought we knew about braking points and body position and the “racing line” on those wonderfully curvy roads as often as we could.

We studied and bought the latest tires (Pirelli Phantoms and Dunlop K291s/391s were the rage at the time), and ooohed and ahhhed over their shredded edges after a fast ride. We dragged our knees and made sure everyone knew it… We were fast and we were good, dammit, and our motto was “get out of the way, rookies” cuz here we come!

And of course, we were total idiots.

Unfortunately, this thinking — that’s it’s smart and acceptable to ride like that on backroads, and to use the classic “racing line” — still gets written about in the bike media on occasion, and as someone who’s done a lot of street riding and road racing over the last 42 years, I can’t figure it out.

I’m not a safety snob by any means, and on occasion — like when I’m riding in the Alps and traffic is light or non-existent, or I’m on some deserted backroad Stateside — I’ll let ’er rip and get the adrenaline flowing. But for most riders in most situations, it ain’t smart.

Right is Right

I get asked a lot about street-riding lines and strategies, and over time I’ve settled on a few basic rules that seem to work pretty well — unless you pitch

any leaking fluids, or dropped sand or gravel, are likely to be deposited in the middle or left half of the lane thanks to centrifugal force, so staying in the right third keeps you and your tires out of harm’s way.

I find the asphalt on the inside is typically cleaner and grippier, and while entering a right-hander in the left of the lane is workable and gives you a better view of what’s coming at you, moving right as you tip your bike in is in almost all cases the better and safer way to go — especially if an oncoming four-wheeler is cheating over the centerline.

Left is…Well, Left

Left-handers are much trickier. You want to stay to the right of the lane to keep centerline-abusing vehicles out of your life, but because of that centrifugal force/physics thing, the right of the lane is typically dirtier and greasier than the left. So what to do? My advice is to stay right, slow down a bit, and be extra vigilant on the asphalt-reading and traction-feel side of the equation.

Of course, if you get really good at reading asphalt (and you will with lots of miles and experience), you can still have a ton of fun in left-handers. All of which means being reasonably safe on those curvy road rides — and ignoring the outside-inside-outside racing-like blather in the media — is totally within the realm, and you’ll live to tell your grandkids what a hero you were, too.

Now go enjoy the rest of your summer.

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it into a corner completely coated with oil or hydraulic fluid, as happened to me one morning on a Carmel, Calif., backroad during a Kawasaki press introduction. But that’s a story for another time.

Boiled down, I look at right- and lefthand corners quite differently on the street, and the reasons for this come down to cars and trucks — where they can be, and what they spew. Obviously, you have no control over where another vehicle will be on the road as it approaches you, and the same holds true for whatever liquid or gravel they’re carrying, or what’s leaking from their powertrain.

Given these factors, my tactics are different, so let’s start with the easier of the two…right-handers. I tend to keep to the inside of the lane on right- SCAN ME handers for obvious reasons. One,