Speedo lens clarity

rideon67 · Nov 3, 2010

Riding a new 09 with the sun at my back I noticed that the speedo & tach were hard to read. It looks like someone has wiped the lens with a dirty cloth and left swirl scratches that refract the light when the sun is directly behind. You cannot see the scratches in artificial light or when the sun is at any other angle. This is the 1st time I've noticed it since buying the bike a couple months ago so going back to the dealer is probably a waste of time.

Is there some way to polish out these very light marks without completely taking the lenses out and replacing them? I've tried Slipstream cleaner/polish made for motorcycle wind screens, but it didn't solve the problem.

Dj Brady · Nov 3, 2010

Try Plexus. It's a plastic polish used to buff scratches and sun-bake off plastic headlamp assemblies. It works on my windscreen and I think it would be just fine on the gauges.

RadioHowie · Nov 3, 2010

Probably a crap job of pre-assembly cleaning at the gauge manufacturer. Swirls are probably on the inside of the gauge glass and all the Plexus in the world isn't gonna clean that off without disassembly.

Good reason to tear the nose apart and learn how things are put together up front.

Dj Brady · Nov 4, 2010

RadioHowie said:
Probably a crap job of pre-assembly cleaning at the gauge manufacturer. Swirls are probably on the inside of the gauge glass...

I hadn't thought about that possibility but buffing the outside is always worth a try..

most scratches come from errant gloves wiping moisture off a dew laden display.

FuzzyRider2 · Nov 4, 2010

Will this method work for face shields on helmets? After a while mine get a number of fine scratches which refract light at night. Thanks!

Dj Brady · Nov 4, 2010

I would have to imagine so. I've not used it on a face shield but I'd test it on an old or broken shield first.

It

ionbeam · Nov 4, 2010

RadioHowie said:
...Swirls are probably on the inside of the gauge glass...

I just had my meter assembly apart and my gauge lenses were swirled on the inside, the outside was smooth. I was shocked to see how swirled the inside surface was, it wasn't really apparent to me until I had it apart.

One of my previous motorcycles had the gauge lenses get so cloudy that I couldn't see the instruments. Using a plastic polishing kit I started with a course compound and worked my way from finer and finer to a final polish. It worked magnificently, the plastic lens were almost invisible. During my first ride in the bright sun I found that the lenses made perfect mirrors reflecting a dazzling bright light back to my eyes, searing my retinas and totally obscuring the instruments. A few years later they began to haze up again and returned to being readable in bright sun light. YMMV, just thought I would mention that there is some risk to a brilliant polish job.

AVGeek · Nov 4, 2010

I've been looking for Plexus (I've been using the Cee Bailey's polish I got with my last windshield for my Gen 1, but its no longer in usable condition). What retailers carry it?

Dj Brady · Nov 4, 2010

I got mine at Oreillys

RadioHowie · Nov 4, 2010

FuzzyRider2 said:
Will this method work for face shields on helmets? After a while mine get a number of fine scratches which refract light at night. Thanks!

It works magnificently on face shields. Won't hurt them at all.

ionbeam · Nov 4, 2010

Plexus Plastic Cleaner

Finally - the most effective polish you can use for your motorcycle and bicycle!

Cleans:

Face Sheilds
Helmets
Goggles
M/C Fairings
Saddlebags
Polished Metals
Plated Metals

Several of my local motorcycle shops sells Plexus, you may want to call around and see if any local to you stock it.

RaYzerman19 · Nov 4, 2010

Plexus is good for cleaning and waxing plastic, but it won't remove scratches. Use Novus #2 for that, available at some bike shops, I think Harley dealers have it. It is a fine abrasive that smoothes out scratches and eliminates some. For heavy scratches I believe you use Novus #3 and work your way back. Novus #1 is like Plexus, no abrasive in it.

JimNtexas · Nov 4, 2010

My FJR came with a kind of a drip shaped stain on the inside of the clear plastic lens. I didn't notice it at first, but once I became aware of it it bothers me.

How difficult is it to remove the speedometer lens for cleaning?

ionbeam · Nov 4, 2010

JimNtexas said:
My FJR came with a kind of a drip shaped stain on the inside of the clear plastic lens...How difficult is it to remove the speedometer lens for cleaning?

Very4

Bustanut joker · Nov 4, 2010

I'm just wondering why anybody would wear a speedo with a lens in it.

If yer manjunk needs a lens to be seen, I don't think a speedo is going to help....

:jester:

rideon67 · Nov 4, 2010

ionbeam said:
One of my previous motorcycles had the gauge lenses get so cloudy that I couldn't see the instruments. Using a plastic polishing kit I started with a course compound and worked my way from finer and finer to a final polish. It worked magnificently, the plastic lens were almost invisible. During my first ride in the bright sun I found that the lenses made perfect mirrors reflecting a dazzling bright light back to my eyes, searing my retinas and totally obscuring the instruments. A few years later they began to haze up again and returned to being readable in bright sun light. YMMV, just thought I would mention that there is some risk to a brilliant polish job.

Yep, that's what I was afraid of.

Good flat Glass is made by floating molten glass on another more dense liquid (maybe mercury?) I imagine plastic is the same where the surface is not modified after it hardens. If so, There is probably no way to polish enough to remove any trace of surface imperfections. The finer the abrasive the more/smaller the scratches.

dcarver · Nov 4, 2010

No way could you scratch the inner side - I'd risk a dealer rejection.. you never know, they might be hurting for warranty money and say yes.

RossKean · Nov 5, 2010

rideon67 said:
...Good flat Glass is made by floating molten glass on another more dense liquid (maybe mercury?) I imagine plastic is the same where the surface is not modified after it hardens. If so, There is probably no way to polish enough to remove any trace of surface imperfections. The finer the abrasive the more/smaller the scratches.

Not related to the discussion, but flat glass is made by floating on a bath of molten tin. I expect that the plastic lens is made using a simple molding process and there should not be extensive surface imperfections, unless the mold is dirty or otherwise damaged. Doesn't seem likely, but it is possible.

user 213 · Nov 5, 2010

The Novus stuff is good. Another good product for removing fine scratches from plastic is Mequiers. Start with the #17 Clear Plastic Cleaner, then move to the #10 Clear Plastic Polish. This combo is legendary in the Miata venue for turning opaque plastic rear windows into amazingly clear ones. Don't scrub, just gently rub with a clean cloth. A soft, clean cloth is a big part of the clean/polish process. Don't just keep working with the same spot on the cloth, move it around so you aren't grinding the dirt you just cleaned off one spot into another.

Speedo lens clarity

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