Why is my dash panel melting?

[MZ5]

I went out this AM to go for a short ride, and saw that my instrument binnacle is melted on the bottom. After riding a few miles through the mist & fog, that area is not warm. What happened? What's behind that spot? Anything I can do to prevent this recurring?

 

[Jelly]

Is it sunlight hitting it whilst stored?

 

[silverhound]

Are you sure it wasn't there before? Generally caused by bright sunlight shining through an aftermarket windscreen. Never heard of one just spontaneously melting from internal heat. If it gets worse/continues it might be a warranty issue. Even if the warranty has expired I would still take in to the dealer since it's such an odd issue.

 

[Old Can Ride]

The sun shining through the windshield gets magnified. Make a windshield cover as it will stop problem.

 

[Heavy-H]

I agree with OCR....... Windshield cover is the ticket in Arizona.....

 

[670cc]

Too much sunshine in Arizona, focused by the windscreen.

 

[Fuzzy]

What windscreen do you have?

 

[bduffey]

While you're deciding what to do about a cover...... park the bike so that it is facing North and South, not East and West. This will keep the screen from focusing the Suns rays.

 

[MZ5]

The bike is garaged at home, and parked in the shade at work. I haven't done anything but commute on it for some while now. Yes, I am certain this was not there when I came home from work the last time last week. I thought I could smell a slight amount of burned wiring smell, but I won't commit either way.

Normally I run Honda's Touring screen on this bike, but I've had the most-mega-sized v-stream on it for most of this winter.

 

[Todd L.]

This can happen with a stock windscreen as well.

http://www.zerogravity-racing.com/pdfs/melting_dash.pdf

 

[itlives]

I'm thinking it was the windshield, also. Garaged at home, shaded at work...that only leaves every where else you may have gone. I've gone into Home Depot and left my bike in the sun for long periods.

 

[Old Can Ride]

I have seen folks just slide a large tee shirt over their windshield when parked. California Scientific Motorcycle Windshields sends you a windshield cover with their windshield. The cover they send looks like a large tee shirt without arms and neck openings.

 

[JDE]

It been a common thing with the V-Stream windscreens. You're not the first to have this happen. Been a few here and even read about it happening to someone on Google+.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[MZ5]

Well, I guess there _could_ have been excessive sun this past rainy week, more than all of the past 2 summers. Do you all experience the windshield-melted dashes when the dash faces south, angled up at the sun, or does some other angle melt them worse for you?

 

[MZ5]

JDE, I didn't see your post before. If this can happen with these screens on cloudy winter days, I'm throwing the SOB into the river once it warms up a bit.

 

[L.B.S.]

JDE, I didn't see your post before. If this can happen with these screens on cloudy winter days, I'm throwing the SOB into the river once it warms up a bit.

It happens more than you think.

BMW F800ST:



"I have a vStream 19 inch windscreen."

"Same happened to me in Miami with a vstream 19"

"Well, i thought it would only happened to the others. It happened to me.
just another skidmarx burnt."

"I have the same size vstream. My dash is melted."

"I have a double bubble screen and have seen the melting take place."

"I have a melted lower left corner under the main computer display."

"Interesting fact. Mine has not been parked out in the sun. Its been in the garage. It's been in the lower 60s here with temperatures at night approaching 40."

Yamaha FZ1:



"I do have the Yamaha accessory touring screen. The weird thing is, that most of this damage happened while the bike was, in fact, covered, shaded by a shelter made of that silver canvas material."


Etc., etc. You can find many instances on the 'net of melted bike instrument pods from sun through, or reflected from, windscreens.


I don't think there has been a recorded instance ever in Vancouver. The drawback is well, there is no sun, lol.

 

[Fuzzy]

Did you have it outside on a Monday? In Vancouver I hear that is what they call a day of sunshine that comes after 2 days of rain.

 

[ld_rider]

park the bike so that it is facing North and South, not East and West. This will keep the screen from focusing the Suns rays.

Unless of course you are <riding> the motorcycle East to West...then you are screwed ;-)

 

[Soarezito]

Living in the tropics and never had that problem.

It is strange because melting is at a spot, but sun/screen don't get much time perfectly alligned either the bike is running or stopped.

 

[mwcogburn]

here is an older thread on the topic http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-general-discussion/7495-melted-speedometer-display.html and an even older one http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-...ermarket-windscreen-melted-my-dash-panel.html

I don't know that they add much but maybe. I am also going to add this to the FAQ thread.