sun damage, or some other cause?

[jtk1531]

left office in the evening and noticed the right rear corner of the upper fuel tank cover lifted up away from the fuel tank.
top right corner of the plastic piece seemed to have warped out of shape.
taking the plastic piece off, the bracket underneath it wasn't damaged. and couldn't find any other damage anywhere else. initially i thought someone sat on top of the tank and caved in the plastic piece with their weight. after i took the plastic piece off, seems like heat damage to me.

i guessed it might have happened slowly over a few weeks, i usually park it outdoor where it catches direct sunlight for a few hours around noon. other than that, it stays in buildings' shadow.

anyone else had the same kind of damage on their bike?

[jtk1531]

side view

[ZG]

 
 
Where do you live JTK and how hot was it where the bike was parked? Direct sunlight or not and for how long was it parked there?

[MrPepsi]

Do you have an aftermarket shield on?
Mama kawi blames the melted speedo needles on that.

[B.D.F.]

I would be skeptical that it might be somehow related to KiPass.....?

Sure does look like it deformed from heat. If the bike is still under warranty it might be worth asking a dealer- the bike should not melt in the sun of course.

Brian

left office in the evening and noticed the right rear corner of the upper fuel tank cover lifted up away from the fuel tank.
top right corner of the plastic piece seemed to have warped out of shape.
taking the plastic piece off, the bracket underneath it wasn't damaged. and couldn't find any other damage anywhere else. initially i thought someone sat on top of the tank and caved in the plastic piece with their weight. after i took the plastic piece off, seems like heat damage to me.

i guessed it might have happened slowly over a few weeks, i usually park it outdoor where it catches direct sunlight for a few hours around noon. other than that, it stays in buildings' shadow.

anyone else had the same kind of damage on their bike?

[Conrad]

Solar covers can be your friend.

Nelson Rigg UV-2000 XL

[jtk1531]

Do you have an aftermarket shield on?
Mama kawi blames the melted speedo needles on that.

i have the original shield on. using a torch light to experiment around while the bike is on the sidestand (how i usually park it), there is an angle where the sun can hit that spot through the shield.

[jtk1531]

 
Where do you live JTK and how hot was it where the bike was parked? Direct sunlight or not and for how long was it parked there?

i live in malaysia, outside temp goes up to 35 degrees celcius on a hot day. probably not as hot as the summers in other regions.
i park the bike outdoors but near to multi-storey buildings, i leave it there for 8-9 hours per day. it's mostly in the building's shadow, except for maybe a few hours of direct sunlight.

[jtk1531]

I would be skeptical that it might be somehow related to KiPass.....?

Sure does look like it deformed from heat. If the bike is still under warranty it might be worth asking a dealer- the bike should not melt in the sun of course.

Brian

yeah, i'll give it a try at the dealer, the bike's only 5 months old.
power of the dealer's kipass will probably brush away warranty claims such as this. kawasaki gives them a bigger fob than us consumers.

[jtk1531]

Solar covers can be your friend.

Nelson Rigg UV-2000 XL

i have the same cover from a previous bike. guess i have a good reason to start using it again.

[wendel]

i remember the issue of the sunlight damaging the digital display on the dash. I always cover my bike with a half cover if I am leaving it in the direct sunlight for any time.

[Shoe]

A full cover will prevent this.

Beware of covers that don't cover the front fender. You'll end up with a sun faded front fender and the rest of the bike looking like its a different shade.

Also beware of covering your bike on a windy day.

I have experience with both of these issues.

[Jay]

A full cover will prevent this.

Beware of covers that don't cover the front fender. You'll end up with a sun faded front fender and the rest of the bike looking like its a different shade.

Now that's handy info!

[KawiG]

Like your thought process on the idea of the light being concentrated through the windshield....I think you're on to something!

[jtk1531]

noticed more damage after going through the right side of the bike:
- side mirror & wide angle mini-mirror that's attached to it.
- right side-panel, this panel seems to have "pulled back" a bit. taking out the bolt that's nearest to the tank, the hole don't line up anymore, i have to pull it slightly before i can put the bolt back in.

[jtk1531]

more side panel view, and a shot of a normal looking wide angle mirror (attached to the left side mirror).

[maxtog]

noticed more damage after going through the right side of the bike:
- side mirror & wide angle mini-mirror that's attached to it.
- right side-panel, this panel seems to have "pulled back" a bit. taking out the bolt that's nearest to the tank, the hole don't line up anymore, i have to pull it slightly before i can put the bolt back in.

That really does look like windshield sun lensing damage.

[ZG]

Dang!! 
 
That got cooked for sure!

[wipfel]

So you're saying some aftermarket windshields can act like a magnifying glass and focus the sun onto the bike?

[Jay]

So you're saying some aftermarket windshields can act like a magnifying glass and focus the sun onto the bike?

Not necessarily just aftermarket windshields.
This has been a topic of discussion both here and on the other site:

UPDATED Sun Burned my LCD Display
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=4784.0

Do a search with "melted" on the other site for some interesting reading.

(If this bike is a 2012, it could be latent radiation damage  )