Headlight lens cracks

[Greb]

I put on the Cee bailey headlight armor this spring. Today I noticed that my headlight lens on both sides are cracked all over. Serious crazing and brittleness. I'm not sure if this is from heat build up or the simple green I've used to clean them lately.

This summer was the first time I've used simple green on the bike and I thought it would be safe.

I'll try to get pics later but I'm positve these aren't impact type cracks but more from heat build up or chemical damage. I've only used the Honda spray polish and simple green on them.

Anyone else seen or heard of this problem? Is it the Cee bailey armor not letting them cool? Or did I cause myself an expensive repair using the wrong cleaning agent? :angry2:

 

[juniorfjr]

Polycarbonate lenses sometimes will do that. Looks like little stress cracks. Don't know why, hopefully someone much smarter than I can tell us.

 

[bramfrank]

Mine has crazed twice - Yamaha replaced the first one and is supposed to be replacing the present one under my extended warranty . . . . the crazing is INSIDE the reflector assembly in my case.

My best guess is that while I'm refueling the reflector assembly is cooling off, drawing ambient air into the assembly through the breathers that are on the rear face of the reflector.

The air behind the fairing is probably laden with fuel vapor from the tank, which crazes the polycarbonate.

This would be indicative of faulty design.

 

[HaulinAshe]

I use Simple Green (diluted) and Honda Cleaner also. My 2007 developed cracks/hazing within the first year. YES warranty replaced it. It's nearly four years old and no further symptoms.

IMO it has almost nothing to do with environmental factors and nearly everything to do with some bad moulding runs.

 

[Ignacio]

And talked about here and other places with +lens +cracks in the search.

 

[Bounce]

Been running their armor on my '03 since '04 and don't have the problem.

I don't use Simple Green. On clear plastic (like the lenses, windshield, and face shield) I use Mothers Clear Plastic Cleaner/Polish. A product designed for that use and not something that might be too aggressive.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

My 07 lenses cracked vertically starting from the top down about 3/4" long. Mama Yama replaced under warranty

 

[Greb]

I'm positive now these cracks were caused by some kind of reaction to simple green. I've never seen a crack of any kind on my headlight lens until today. It was definitely an overnight kind of deal and happened after a few hours of riding the other day.

I liberally sprayed the front of my bike down with a water/simple green solution and let it sit a few minutes to free up the bugs, sprayed again and wiped down everything to include the Cee-bailey headlight armor. I normally take the two minutes to pull the C-B armor and wipe the headlight lens and armor front and back. This particular day I was lazy and left the residue on the lens that snuck behind the armor.

Now with the headlights on you can see distinct drip paths of the simple green and where the headlight cracked on those drip paths.

My advice is don't use Simple Green for your plastics

It is hard to see in the pics but along with the fine crazing cracks there are big cracks that go all the way through as well. This is a 400+ dollar part and I don't have YES.

 

[bramfrank]

So, the cracks on on the exterior? Can't really tell from your photos, But there's no simple way for something manually sprayed on the front of the reflector to work its way inside - it needs to be 'inhaled' (so to speak) through the rear breather.

Mine are crazed internally.

 

[garyahouse]

I put on the Cee bailey headlight armor this spring. Today I noticed that my headlight lens on both sides are cracked all over. Serious crazing and brittleness. I'm not sure if this is from heat build up or the simple green I've used to clean them lately.

This summer was the first time I've used simple green on the bike and I thought it would be safe.

I'll try to get pics later but I'm positve these aren't impact type cracks but more from heat build up or chemical damage. I've only used the Honda spray polish and simple green on them.

Anyone else seen or heard of this problem? Is it the Cee bailey armor not letting them cool? Or did I cause myself an expensive repair using the wrong cleaning agent? :angry2:

My 05 was loaded with cracks the day I bought the bike a month ago. Not sure how they got there.

Gary from Tampa

 

[HaulinAshe]

It's not Simple Green. I'd take a picture of my 2007's headlight lenses to prove it to you, but that bike's 350 miles away right now.

It's been receiving the same Simple Green frequent cleaning all its life. Yet the replacement headlight lenses, despite close to three times (3x) the Simple Green cleaning exposure, have yet to show a single hazing or crack.

The problem is with the molding process and Yamaha had a bad run.

I am sorry to hear you don't have YES. It is a very expensive part and a total PITA to replace.

 

[Bustanut joker]

I'm with Jeff here. Simple green on the 'shield and lens's for four years and no Ill effects..

Keep the windshield deicer of the shield though :dribble: :blink:

:jester:

 

[Afast03nNJ]

Def. not the Simple Green. I've been using that stuff for years and have never had an issue with anything plastic. It definately gets the bugs and brake dust off easily.

 

[Greb]

The cracking is exterior. I used the simple green numerous time previous to this as well with no ill effects.

The mistake I made this time is that I didn't wipe it off the lens. Somehow with the residue on there and the heat of the lamps it cracked the lens. Not sure how but I'm convinced this is what happened. The cracks follow a distinct pattern consistent with where the simple geen solution dripped down under the headlight armor. The crack literally appeared out of nowhere, it wasn't a gradual onset.

I wonder if speaking with a Yamaha rep would do any good? At least to get a discount on a new headlight assembly. This is the first quality issue I've had with the FJR.

 

[Ignacio]

I wonder if speaking with a Yamaha rep would do any good? At least to get a discount on a new headlight assembly.

Don't you have Y.E.S. coverage? You have an '08 and it would be covered.

 

[Greb]

I wonder if speaking with a Yamaha rep would do any good? At least to get a discount on a new headlight assembly.

Don't you have Y.E.S. coverage? You have an '08 and it would be covered.

I screwed up, missed window for YES

 

[Ignacio]

I wonder if speaking with a Yamaha rep would do any good? At least to get a discount on a new headlight assembly.

Don't you have Y.E.S. coverage? You have an '08 and it would be covered.

I screwed up, missed window for YES

Cool.

Then you might try talking to Cypress. Honey approach with the honesty you just showed might help.

 

[Greb]

I wonder if speaking with a Yamaha rep would do any good? At least to get a discount on a new headlight assembly.

Don't you have Y.E.S. coverage? You have an '08 and it would be covered.

I screwed up, missed window for YES

Cool.

Then you might try talking to Cypress. Honey approach with the honesty you just showed might help.

Just got off the phone with them. They can't do anything for me. This is one of those cases where YES would've paid for itself. Live and learn

 

[mcatrophy]

Has anyone considered heat being the cause of crazing? I ask because I noticed on my '06 just the start of crazing, right in the middle of the lens, where the beam from the bulb is pretty concentrated. (Sorry, no pics, bike is gone.)

My bike often has dirt and bugs on its front, these would tend to hold heat on the lens, as would any other opaque substance.

A cleaning fluid left on might appear transparent to light, but could well stop infra-red.

This could explain the sudden onset, also crazing on either surface - I would expect both inside and outside to get similarly hot, crazing would probably start on whichever surface was more stressed from its original moulding.

Just a thought.