How to clean inside headlight glass?

[COP TZR]

I was curious to know if there are any tips or tricks to clean the inner side of the headlight glass?  Looks to be a sealed unit and the only way in is from the back side where you insert the bulb. 

thanks,

[motoxmann]

what bike?

the older monsters are not a sealed headlight. when you take the glass housing off, there are little metal wire spring clips along the backside border. just push the straight ends of each down a little and to the center of the light, and they pop right out. the the glass comes clean off the housing. I just had to do this a few weeks ago to clean the inside of the glass on my 2000 m750

[supertjeduc]

And take pictures (or else you will never get it right)

[COP TZR]

what bike?

the older monsters are not a sealed headlight. when you take the glass housing off, there are little metal wire spring clips along the backside border. just push the straight ends of each down a little and to the center of the light, and they pop right out. the the glass comes clean off the housing. I just had to do this a few weeks ago to clean the inside of the glass on my 2000 m750

same bike.  I will give it a go.  I had the headlight apart a few years ago and remembered that i took all those springs off, but dont remember having full exposure to the inner side of the glass lense for cleaning.

[sofadriver]

here's what I did on my St4s (couldn't get the lense apart)

go to a plumbing supply store and buy some of those daubers that usually come on the cap of a can of PVC or ABS glue. attatch it to a piece of coathanger or something for extra reach. dump some windex in the light and scrub it clean with the dauber. rinse 2 or 3 times with distilled water.
works like a champ.

[COP TZR]

yup got it apart.  Guess it had never ever been taken apart before.  There was a black gummy gasket between the glass and the back housing. Carefully peeled it apart, and got to the back side of the glass clean.

Replaced those retention clips, but now I can't squeeze it all back together.  Put them back exactly where they came off.   Marked their exact locations.

[motoxmann]

check to make sure the glass is lined up properly with the housing. there is a small round bump on the top or bottom side of the glass that has to mate with a notch in the top or bottom of the housing. the glass should also be labelled "top" on the face of the lens. and the gasket should also have this little notch as well.

[COP TZR]

check to make sure the glass is lined up properly with the housing. there is a small round bump on the top or bottom side of the glass that has to mate with a notch in the top or bottom of the housing. the glass should also be labelled "top" on the face of the lens. and the gasket should also have this little notch as well.

Yup, all done and back on the bike.  I noticed the bump and notches.  It can really only go one way, unless of course you can't read.