2014 Yamaha FJR1300 ES Bad Dash LCD Burned Display

A few days ago after parking the bike outside for a few hours, the right side LCD display on my 2014 Yamaha FJR 1300 ES was REALLY messed up. It went away after several minutes of driving and I thought maybe it was a fluke thing. Well yesterday it happened again after a short time outside in the direct sun. So this was my attempt to document it for the dealer, where I’ll be taking it to tomorrow to get a new cluster ordered.

https://twowheelobsession.com/2014/10/20/2014-yamaha-fjr1300-es-bad-dash-lcd-burned-display/#

Sounds like the typical reaction of an LCD screen exposed to heat for a while.

Bet you can duplicate it with a hair dryer.

Good luck with a warranty claim.

Now I was looking at an FJR ad that someone had fitted and installed a horizontal flat piece of plastic over the entire dash. I could not figure out why one would want that, but maybe it was to shade the displays.

No, that's just to mount stuff to.

Does sound like the heat is effecting it. It'll cool down and be fine. Wonder how is works with the sun hitting it while your riding? Enough cooling air on it should keep it readable huh?

Yes, as I said, it cools down after several minutes of riding. It's still not supposed to ever do it though. It doesn't do it while riding.

I'm not sure what LCD technology is available to combat that. I've lost several LCD displays in the sun, but they had sit in direct sunlight daily for at least a summer (edit: these were cheap displays on other kinds of devices, not a vehicle instrument display).

Maybe a UV scratch resistant film?

Kaelaria said:

Yes, as I said, it cools down after several minutes of riding. It's still not supposed to ever do it though. It doesn't do it while riding.

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I agree with you, this shouldn't happen. It's a vehicle for cripes sake, it should be able to function in the elements, whatever they may be. What's next, we can no longer ride in the rain? Mandatory covers over the bike any time we aren't riding? It isn't a Harley. Let's hope your display is a minority event.

I seriously hope Yamaha fixes this under warranty. They better, it's a frickin VEHICLE, meant to be outside.

Maybe sunlight reflecting off the screen and focussing onto the display?

+1

Folks that have been here a while will remember that some of the first gen owners were actually melting some of their plastic instrument panels from the sun being focused on them while parked, like a magnifying glass. Never had the problem while riding, just parked in one position.

Best solution then was to put a cover over the bike if parked in the sun. If I'm parking for a short time, like for lunch, I tend to throw my riding jacket over the dash and my tank bag.

IIRC: on the gen 1 the dash melt almost always happened with windshields having the automatic lowering feature disabled and being left out in the sun with the windshield elevated. My lowering device had disabled itself when mine melted. It made me wonder if Yamaha had a sound but unannounced reason to have the windshield lower itself.

Have FJR owners now complained about automatic lowering enough that Yamaha has made it possible to leave the windshield raised with the bike switched off?

When I park in the sun now, I lower the shield and throw my visor rag over the dash. WBill

WBill said:

...Have FJR owners now complained about automatic lowering enough that Yamaha has made it possible to leave the windshield raised with the bike switched off?...

WBill

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I'm afraid Yamaha have saved a few pence by removing the limit switches for the screen (see here), so there's no way they could have the automatic lowering system. Which is one of the few things that are worse on the Gen III.

Meh...

I disabled the auto retract early on on my 1st gen and never missed it in the least. The fact that it isn't there on the 3rd gen doesn't bother me at all either. I tend to set the height where I like it and then only bump it up and down a bit from there based on conditions. What I do miss is the dedicated switches for the screen adjustment. Having to go through menus on the multifunction screen is sort of a PITA. But I'll be OK with it eventually.

I disabled mine on my '06, restored it after a week.

At least the disabling option existed, you had a choice. Now there's no choice.

And (sort of on topic) there's a risk of burning out the screen motor or blowing the signalling system fuse.

Oh, well ...

Before everyone gathers their pitchforks and torches and storms the Yamaha castle over this non-event, LCD screens are VERY prone to fritz-out when they get hot and/or overexposed to UV, and return to normal when they cool down when new(ish). It's the nature of LCD screens.

However, repeated overheat cycles, including sweating it out in direct sunlight, or LCD devices trapped inside sweltering vehicle interiors, can and will permanently destroy the device displays.

It's NOT a "factory defect". It is what it is. You can get all pissed off at Yamaha, claim "It's never happened to me before," demand satisfaction in the Court of the MotoGods, or be pro-active and cover your frickin' display when it's parked in the sun.

Recall!!!

Hmmm...... We have a goodly number of Gen III's here in southern Arizona (including mine) where we have enough sunlight to jump start a nuclear reactor. Anybody or anything stuck inside a vehicle not running with AC will be so dead they'll never get over it. And none of us that I'm aware of have experienced LCD problems. Gotta be one of those rarities that slipped by QC. A new one should fix you right up.

Good luck.

I've heard it said that AZ sun will soften paint, too!

But ONLY for some folks.

AKjitsu said:

Hmmm...... We have a goodly number of Gen III's here in southern Arizona (including mine) where we have enough sunlight to jump start a nuclear reactor. Anybody or anything stuck inside a vehicle not running with AC will be so dead they'll never get over it. And none of us that I'm aware of have experienced LCD problems. Gotta be one of those rarities that slipped by QC. A new one should fix you right up.
Good luck.

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Could you, just maybe, post some video footage of the sun not affecting your dash?

People have a need to see!