Warning! Aftermarket screen + Sun = melted plastic
 

Taking the bike out Friday morning for my commute I noticed that I have a dime- sized (5p piece-sized) deformed spot in the black gauge plastic, to the left and north of the right indicator light...and I'm pretty sure it happed this way:

It was a warm and sunny day in Seattle on Thursday, and the sun was still strong when left work at 5:30pm. As soon as I got home I parked the bike just inside my garage and put it on the rear stand to wipe and lube the chain.

The crucial things to note are that the sun was shining in through the garage door and the bike was pointing in the opposite direction to the sun.

I think the inside of the screen gathered the suns rays like a parabolic mirror and focused them intensely onto this particular spot. I'm pretty sure this is when it happened otherwise I would have noticed it before parking the bike.

The screen is a standard profile Iridium Powerbronze screen. It looks VERY sweet so I am loath to replace it, but I wil l definitely be more careful next time... :(

There was a warning in one of my bike magazines about double bubble screens setting fire to clocks and gauges with the concentrated solar rays

This happens with the stock screen as well.
I had the clock faces replaced under warranty.

Now I have a dark tinted double-bubble and hoping it won't happen again.

wow...I had no idea. I thought this problem was limited only to certain double bubbles.
I am now carrying a few sheets of newspaper to line the inside of the screen, when it's sunny.

thanks guys i didnt know any of this,just gona buy a screen as well.

try a Google search with the search term "powerbronze melted"...loads of hits. This is not as uncommon as one might think

Actually it wasn't that bad in my case.
You can see a picture here: http://forum.svrider.dk/album_pic.php?pic_id=909
It's just above the window for the left indicator.

But once you notice it, you'll see it every time you get on the bike :evil:

Doesnt perspex act the same as glass in sunlight?..IE if you place glass over dry grass in the hot sun eventually the grass with set alight?.

Prob best to carry a small cloth under the seat and place over the screen or clocks when parked in the sun..or failing that try and park in the shade, although thats not always easy to do.

Had a similar thing happen to my mobile a while ago, left on car seat whilst sitting outside having a picnic at a car meet and it wrecked the screen on my phone... :roll: