Bikers - bugs, removal of .........

[P95Carry]

OK fellow biker dudes ........ the bugs are in plenty!  I have a large windshield and these suckers plaster themselves all over - plus mirrors, lights and forks etc.

I have tried Bug Zapper - with some success - also use 409, Windex - all manner of things but - it is still frustrating as heck getting those splats softened to get em off.  I think dried boogers would be easier!

So - fishing in member's cerebral matter - any bright suggestions as to any ''magic'' mix that works for you?

[TarpleyG]

I use some stuff I get at the auto parts store made by Turtle Wax IIRC.  I use it on the front of my truck where I happen to have quite a bit of plastic cavering the headlight area.  Works pretty good too.  Just follow directions on the can.  Also, wax it afterward and it'll be easier to clean next time.

Greg

[P95Carry]

I have thought of waxing but - despite years of biking and bugs - have never felt it would be good to wax the windshield.  Any thoughts on that?  I could wax light lenes, that might help.

Greg - if you find out the name of that stuff you use - let me know could ya?

[Preacherman]

Isn't that what KY jelly is for???

[P95Carry]

Peter - go stand in the corner!!

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Rain-X works great for windshields on both bikes and 4-wheeled vehicles. It doesn't cloud plastic. Bugs are easy to clean off of windshields  and headlamps when properly applied. It also has a little bonus benefit when it rains.  

As far as forks and the backs (windward side) of mirrors, a little wax goes a long way.

Regards,
Rabbit.

[Brad Johnson]

Mix a 50/50 solution of plain old white vinagar and water. Mist the windshield and keep moist for a few minutes (this is the key). The offending guts 'n such will wipe right off. Finish cleaning with Spraway or Invisible Glass.

Brad

[P95Carry]

Great - some more ideas, thx - will try em all.  Someone else just mentioned to me about wiping a half lemon over the mess - no idea if it'll work.

I have some Rain-X Rabbit - I will try that when I next get fully de-bugged - hopefully might make em less adherent.

[garyk/nm]

+1 on the Rain-X. I have always been a fan of it's properties. That said, however, beware a new Rain-x product called Swipe-n-wipe.  I was a guineapig tester for this stuff, and while initial results were fine, the first time I tried to clean my windshield after applying this stuff, I got a huge smear, which won't go away after repeated cleanings.  Even tried Softscrub per Rain-X's 800# and it is still there.  Forewarned is forearmed, eh?

[Guest]

Skin-So-Soft.

[P95Carry]

Skin-So-Soft.

.
Thx for the compliment Barbara!

Heard of this but - what would you suggest as a modus operandi?

[Guest]

Cotton ball? It would only be right.

I guess just use it like anything else..a little bit on a shop towel, rub it on, wait a few seconds to soften up the bug guts and then wipe it off?

[Guest]

OT -

Other uses: http://bridgett.maddoc.net/sales/sss.html

[P95Carry]

Wow - the uber do-it-all product eh!!  Thx for the link

[brimic]

I'm not sure if its 100% safe for a Bike windshield, but I use a bug and tar gel that I got from a auto parts store for taking bugs off our vehicles. If it doesn't harm clearcoat, it shouldn't harm a windshield. Maybe try the stuff out on a pair of cheap safety glasses first to check for damage before using it on the bike.

Coating the windshield with rain-x will make the job even easier next time.

[P95Carry]

brimic - I have some of that bug/tar stuff but have been leary of trying it on an acrylic - tho as you suggest - a test would probably help on safety glasses.

I am gathering lots of new ideas and thx to all.

[Ray]

+1 on the Rain-X. I have always been a fan of it's properties. That said, however, beware a new Rain-x product called Swipe-n-wipe.

If this is on a glass windshield use a COPPER wool or wire pad. Copper is softer than glass. Do not do this with a steel wool or wire pad. Despite rumors to the contrary steel is harder than glass and can scratch it. The copper pad should cut through anything right down to the glass. If you used the swipe and wipe on a plexi windscreen you may be hosed however.

[Morgan]

From my roadracing days:

Prep with Rain-X and/or wax.

Clean the bugs off with cheap furniture polish.  If they've hardened, let it sit a while, then wipe off, then buff clean.

[BillBlank]

Park  your bike in about four feet of ditch water for about half an hour, it's the only thing that ever really worked for me .

If a ditch is not readily to hand then four or five folded sheets of kitchen towel soaked in water and detergent solution pasted to the front of the bike for twenty minutes normally does the trick.

[Monkeyleg]

Ride in the rain for several hours. Takes all the bugs off, puts lots of road dirt on.

[P95Carry]

Great idea Dick - why didn't I think of that!??

[Strings]

huh... last year, cleaning the windsheild was simple: I used (of all things) kids bubbles. Soak a paper towel, wipe on, let sit for awhile, wipe off with wet towel...

 And Dick: have you gotten your bike out yet this year? I'll be in Milwaukee tomorrow with BACA (we're leading off the Walk Against Family Violence). Maybe hook up fer a bit?

[P95Carry]

HR - from what Dick posted on THR - he ain't ridin' out for a while poor fella.  His Doc said no to that and all sorts since his ear surgery.  Dick - commiserations on all that - I feel for you.  Hope it all resolves tho and take care of it.
 
Bonnie and I are out on a run today - so I am off ''bug-collecting'' and tomorrow will experiment some more with all the extra ideas you kind folks have suggested.

[Monkeyleg]

Thanks for the sympathy, P95Carry, even though I'm not looking for it.

Hunter, I haven't even been able to put the rear wheel back on yet. Took the front wheel off in March for a new front tire, then got the orders from the doc to "do nothing." When the Do Nothing period ended, I put the front wheel back on, then pulled the rear for a new tire. Then I got more Do Nothing orders.

Between the outrageous prices the HD dealer charged for new front and rear tires and a new rear wheel, and the bills I've been getting from the doc's, there ain't no road trip for me this year.

I've been logging about 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year on this bike since I got it in 1990, which is pretty decent mileage for a  Wisconsin rider. The last three years have been an exercise in frustration, though: this year, the ear/sinus stuff; last year it was the website startup combined with no money; 2003 was spent tearing the bike down to find a tranny problem, and finally pulling the tranny for a rebuild. March through July 2003 was spent with micrometer and feeler gauges searching for a problem that ultimately was the fault of a shop in Idaho. (Hint: if you're ever in Coure d' Alene, Idaho, do NOT let the guys at "Lucky" Lawrence's touch your bike!).

I'm dying to get back to my favorite state, Utah. US12 from Teasdale Junction to Escalante is one of the most beautiful roads in the country. Maybe the most beautiful. (US 12 from Missoula to Lewiston, ID is another). Hopefully next year it will happen.

The last trip out there was 2002. And the ride home was three solid days in the rain. By the third day, there wasn't a bug to be found on the entire bike. That was the good news. The bad news was that the wiring was so soaked it was shorting to ground in several spots. The bike wouldn't even run anymore. I had to find a cycle shop where I could let it dry out overnight. And I was just an hour and a half from home. Grrrrrrrr!!!

OK, I'm done hijacking this thread. Back to the regular programming.

[XLMiguel]

WD-40 works.  Also once clean, Meguire's makes a plaxtic cleaner and polish that does a great job of removing  micro scratches.  After polish, Rain-X.