[GOAM]

I have a 2021 Scrambler with a Puig windscreen mounted to it. The other day I rode it to work and on returning from a lunch ride noticed the speedometer face had curled up and caused the needle to stick! I called my local dealer to inquire if they had seen this before and they commented that the windscreen may have caused it. Yikes!! The needle is stuck at the top of the curve and you can see cracking in the face. Hopefully they cover it under warranty.

 

[BlitzSchnell]

How is the windscreen supposed to have caused that ….. how fast were you going in order to contact the clock face with the wind screen … 300 ? …….. Blitz

 

[Chris<CJ>]

Plastic will distort with sustained heat and the windscreen can act as a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun's rays to a point.
Could be the cause, but to me that is stretching it.
Am sure that BMW uses good optical quality dial screens and the windscreen would have to be curved and kept at a certain angle to the sun's rays for a significant period of time.

Have never heard of this happening with any bike!

 

[GOAM]

They claim the sun can cause it. I keep the bike in the garage and at work it is in covered parking (lucky me) Only time it was out in the sun was when I went to lunch, I rode to work in the dark. Wonder why it never happened on my RT? Hopefully its covered under warranty as the speedo is expensive.

 

[BlitzSchnell]

Plastic will distort with sustained heat and the windscreen can act as a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun's rays to a point.
Could be the cause, but to me that is stretching it.
Am sure that BMW uses good optical quality dial screens and the windscreen would have to be curved and kept at a certain angle to the sun's rays for a significant period of time.

Have never heard of this happening with any bike!

OK … my head went in the wrong direction, I was thinking dynamic physical damage like very high wind … the optical angle could makes sense … it would be a stretch for the reason you mentioned, the focus point would need to be sustained to create enough heat .. 👍🏻 as the sun moves so does the point of focus … perhaps a piece of thermal print paper ..(cash register paper).. taped to the target lens and left for an entire sunny day in the same spot where you think this could have happened could reveal the track, if any. I know a fella that mounted a crystal ball to the dash board of his Van and it burnt to the ground. That’s as good as 360° magnifying glass and he set the dashboard on fire in about an hour in the sun…… it’s was the fact it was a sphere and would maintain the focus no matter where the sun was as long as it was line of sight …… so it COULD happen ….. it’s going to be hard to prove …………. ……………………………… Blitz

 

[Sundodger]

looking at your photo, the hub of the needle has melted like a lozenge. It would take a pretty high temperature to do that I suspect. One side seems to have been affected a lot more than the other and with the speedo needle at rest, ie the bike parked up, it would be the side that was uppermost. I think that the sun refracting/focussing through a screen could indeed be the culprit.
Years ago I had a Lotus Elise and the upper dashboard panel warped, cracked and twisted from the effects of the sun. It was a common problem reported on the forum and owners called it the swiss cheese effect. I've heard of something similar on a GS Forum too and it came down to an aftermarket screen focussing the sun onto the clocks.

 

[Sundodger]

Here's one of a few posts about the potential problems associated with swapping screens, and this was a guy who only swapped one BMW screen for a taller BMW screen.
I recently posted a question about the Adventure screen melting the instrument cluster on my R1200GS and found that this was a common problem and should be covered by the warranty. Well guess what. If I’d purchased an Adventure with exactly the same instrument cluster and had the same problem BMW would replace the cluster under warranty. BMW however do not follow the same principle when it comes to the standard GS with an Adventure screen. According to the agents BMW do not consider it a recognised retro fit part. Well considering I opted to pay more than double the price for a GENUINE BMW Adventure screen as apposed to a Givi or similar, purchased it from a GENUINE BMW dealer and it came in a GENUINE BMW package this doesn’t really ad up!

 

[GapRunr]

The sun heating and magnifying through the edge of a windshield has been well documented to cause burning and melting on many different bike forums. Dozens of people on the PC800 list used to leave a T-shirt over their screens when parked in the sun. I've seen it on several different bikes with aftermarket windshields. On the PC800 it was happening with the optional factory tall shield.

 

[BlitzSchnell]

Well @Baloo that’s enough to convince me …. Maybe a Sox on my clock …. That’s clock ..😉🤔✌🏻😎 …………………..Blitz

 

[Baloo]

@BlitzSchnell
What? Wait. I wasn't even in the country when it happened.

 

[Norbi]

@BlitzSchnell
What? Wait. I wasn't even in the country when it happened.

@Baloo no matter where you were, it’s always going to be your fault! Right, @BlitzSchnell?

The cool thing about this forum is that you always learn something new. Who’d have thought?

And the reasoning of BMW with the above ADV screen is ludicrous. Wow.

 

[Junglepig]

That settles it...You are going to have to get a new bike.

 

[BlitzSchnell]

@Baloo no matter where you were, it’s always going to be your fault! Right, @BlitzSchnell?

The cool thing about this forum is that you always learn something new. Who’d have thought?

And the reasoning of BMW with the above ADV screen is ludicrous. Wow.

What ….! Wait ….! …I thought “Ludicrous” was a cherry flavored cough drop lozenge …….. 🤔 Answer: Look for some shade fellas ….. 😎

 

[Chris.]

Yikes.. would a slightly OEM tint in any screen fix this kind of thing?

 

[BlitzSchnell]

Yikes.. would a slightly OEM tint in any screen fix this kind of thing?

I don’t think a tint is going to help, by the time you got it dark enough to make a difference you’d have difficulty seeing it ,.. maybe a clear polarized glass on the clock face …. Or something as simple as a cover for the instrument cluster … I’m assuming the lens effect is occurring in the edges of the windscreen where the material swells into an edge bead so why not tape or paint the edges … …………………………………….. Blitz

 

[gene_apodaca]

Well.... Live and learn. I would have never guessed the screen can focus sunlight to the point parts get damaged. Reading the first few posts, I was certain some were off their rockers. Now, I'll just refrain from adding a wind screen to my bike. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[Baloo]

Well.... Live and learn. I would have never guessed the screen can focus sunlight to the point parts get damaged. Reading the first few posts, I was certain some were off their rockers. Now, I'll just refrain from adding a wind screen to my bike. Thanks for the heads-up.

Oh yeah, some of the old rear windows and cars would actually light fires if the sun hit it, right

 

[gene_apodaca]

Oh yeah, some of the old rear windows and cars would actually light fires if the sun hit it, right

I get that. Those are glass windows and they can easily focus sunlight. I don't see even optical quality plastics being able to do that unless the plastic is above average thick and curved Juuuust Riight.

 

[Baloo]

I get that. Those are glass windows and they can easily focus sunlight. I don't see even optical quality plastics being able to do that unless the plastic is above average thick and curved Juuuust Riight.

I have lit fires were the plastic magnifying glass.

 

[GOAM]

Dealer won't warranty it, crap. Anyone want a slightly used windshield? Only burnt up one speedo