[lonewolftx]

My brother had just baught a new 2002 wing. He and his wife were on a trip from Ohio to Las Vegas. They pulled into a motel later one afternoon and parked in front of their room with the Wing pointed east. The next morning they were loading up when they noticed aa place on each side of the side covers where the plastic was melted in a small area. Thinking it was vandalism they went on down the road. Later that day they stopped for lunch and fuel. There they met another Wing rider ans started talking about the incident. Come to find out the other guy had suffered the same thing and knew the answer. Seems that the afternoon sun had reflected off the mirrers and focused on those spots. Wierd but true. This was confermed by a Honda dealer and a call to Honda USA.
Carry and use a top cover.

 

[joe in calif]

I'm not saying it can't happen and of course it happen to your brother but how can the reflection from the mirrors heat the side covers, the mirrors are to high for that,

 

[Chopin]

I'm not saying it can't happen and of course it happen to your brother but how can the reflection from the mirrors heat the side covers, the mirrors are to high for that,

The angle of incident equals the angle of deflection. I'm going to try this with a flashlight, or better yet a laser light. We'll try all angles at the mirror and see where the reflection can hit. I love a scientific experiment.

 

[Matt]

The angle of incident equals the angle of deflection. I'm going to try this with a flashlight, or better yet a laser light. We'll try all angles a the mirror and see where the reflection can hit. I love a scientific experiment.

Please post your findings,"Sherlock"

 

[lonewolftx]

My brother is known as an honest person but as I said, it could have been a vandal. By the way, his bike was black so the surface temp is around 900 deg F at high summer sun.
Besides, I can do the same thing with brake fluid.

 

[Radarsdad]

Ah... another victim of our hellish Las Vegas sunshine (or did it happen elsewhere?)

 

[Wing Down Under]

The angle of incident equals the angle of deflection. I'm going to try this with a flashlight, or better yet a laser light. We'll try all angles at the mirror and see where the reflection can hit. I love a scientific experiment

Chopin , dont forget to take into account that you are in the northern hemispher and the sun shine from the west to the east, were as in the southern hemispher the sun here shines from the east to the west. This calculation if not done correctlly will alter the true findings :

 

[lonewolftx]

Ah... another victim of our hellish Las Vegas sunshine (or did it happen elsewhere?)

"But it's a dry heat"

Somewhere in Nevada I believe.

 

[Radarsdad]

"But it's a dry heat"

Somewhere in Nevada I believe.

I hear that a lot. Fortunately, it's the only heat I've ever known, being a native Vegan.

 

[lonewolftx]

Well guys. I talked this over with Elvis last night when he came to the house. He thinks it could happen.

 

[budoka]

OK, now you guys are starting to worry me. Actualy, sunlight can be very damaging under the right (?) conditions. Just get inthe reflected beam of sunlight from a mirror into your eyes and see how blind it can make you for a moment. Think about that kind of exposure for an extended period of time, especially on a black surface. Cripes, does that mean we have to start putting Coppertone on our bikes?

 

[Chopin]

You might be on to something budoka. Follow that thought.

 

[budoka]

That was a very popular ad for Coppertone some years back, I'm just not going to date myself by saying how long ago

 

[blk93wing]

A buddy of mine had put on an aftermarket windshield on his 82 suzuki and had parked it in the sunlight when at work and the sun had been focused on is gauge cluster and melted it

 

[joe in calif]

Do you have any pictures of the damage you can post?
When I sit on my wing and look through the mirrors I see only a small amount of the trunk, so it's still hard to think how that can happen. I have had my bikes, both my 1500 and my 1800 in heat over 105 degrees and never had that happen. But I guess anything is possible. I know on the 1500 Gold Wings the heat coming through the windshield, (when the bike was parked) has been known to melt a dash board on one or two.

 

[lonewolftx]

Joke guys.
Gotta go now and git a shower. J LO is on her way over.

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

The angle of incident equals the angle of deflection. I'm going to try this with a flashlight, or better yet a laser light. We'll try all angles at the mirror and see where the reflection can hit. I love a scientific experiment.

Just be careful. Don't go and shine the laser light in your eye.. Science run a muck......

 

[Chopin]

I burned a retina in my right eye, but luckily not anything on the bike. From what I can see with my good eye the sun's angle would have to be about 85 degrees in the southwestern horizon, and accounting for the Solar Parallax it is feasible that the penumbra of the sun's corona rays could deflect in excess of 90 degrees from the point of incident. Unfortunately, the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens today so I could not repeat the experiment to verify the results. For those who wish to conduct their own experiment, here is the formula: I = incident; d = deflection; i = inverted reflection coefficient; o = sun degree in angle above horizon; t = temperature differential at reflective surface point.