Online: Soapbox2627

speedo fogging

  • wello
    wello
    4 years ago
    been taking the sportglide out recently and noticing the lower half of my speedo is fogging up .. directly above the digital readout  , no idea why and it only does it when riding it seems . soon after i stop for a while it dries up again.
  • WideglidingNZ
    WideglidingNZ
    4 years ago
    yes my lowrider S does the same apparently HD wont do anything about it either 
  • wello
    wello
    4 years ago
    really ..how old is your bike

  • RossW
    RossW
    4 years ago
    Quoting wello on 19 Oct 2020 12:17 AM

    been taking the sportglide out recently and noticing the lower half of my speedo is fogging up .. directly above the digital readout  , no idea why and it only does it when riding it seems . soon after i stop for a while it dries up again.

    Its a known issue that seems to have no solution. Mine does it too on warm sunny days. Going to take it up with the dealer at the next service.
  • WideglidingNZ
    WideglidingNZ
    4 years ago
    Quoting wello on 19 Oct 2020 01:25 AM

    really ..how old is your bike


    not quite a year old
  • XLstretch
    XLstretch
    4 years ago
    My 2012 883 Sportie has done it nearly from day 1 just got fobbed off when mentioned it to the dealer years back

  • Smokey61
    Smokey61
    4 years ago
    Yeah, "not fit for purpose" is the phrase you need to know. The real problem is finding a replacement that won't do the same.

    All bikes do it, they say, but can't say I remember any fogging on my old Evo speedo.
  • fatbat
    fatbat
    4 years ago
    I’ve had kwaka, Yamaha and bmw bikes and no foggy speedos in any of them. The harley evo softail I had also didn’t have any problem. But I’ve had twin cams and all have had that issue which is pretty poor and frustrating when they’ve been the most expensive bikes of the lot 
  • wello
    wello
    4 years ago
    yep the warranty expires next jan as well, 
  • Soapbox2627
    Soapbox2627
    4 years ago
    I have often wondered if you could drill a hole in the glass, give it a day in the sun then fill the hole with some clear epoxy
    just a thought
  • wello
    wello
    4 years ago
    Why
  • Daffy
    Daffy
    4 years ago
    My 2011 Deluxe does this. A bit annoying but wave a heat gun over it preferably turned on and it goes away for a while. Used to annoy me but I realised it shouldn't take away the pleasure of riding and just deal with it. Might be a bit different if it was still under warranty. Usually worse after washing the bike.
  • Big Steve
    Big Steve
    4 years ago
    Both my bikes do this.

    I read that if you unbolt your dash/console and turn the whoel thing over and leave upside down it in the sun for a while the condensation evaporates out.

    Apparenrtly there is a vent on the underside that doesn't quite do its job when mounted the right way.

    Am yet to try it myself but the theory sounds solid.
  • Sidney
    Sidney
    4 years ago
    The water vapor condenses with ambient temperature changes and humidity.
     .. places like coastal NSW/QLD & NT, I imagine, being prime candidates.
    Popular cure seems to be to grab 'the flames' hairdryer, wack it on a mild setting and heat up around the offending part ...AND not get too close to the paintwork/plastics.
    Another one is put a light globe close to where the moisture is and leave it on over night or for a couple of days, depending on how bad the condensation is... that suggestion c/- of an article from MotorBike Writer
    https://motorbikewriter.com/remove-speedo-condensation/

    HD doesn't seem overly concerned by the problem.... no great surprise there. ;-(
    Needless to say, your really screwed if your out of warranty.
  • petebob
    petebob
    4 years ago
    08 dyna. Done it from new. Doesn't bother me.
    Pretty common occurrence in many situations. Car windows, house windows, me spectacles......

  • Mungrel
    Mungrel
    4 years ago
    I have had my Fatboy for 16 years and 90,000 km and it has had condensation fog form in the speedo, particularly if riding on a hot sunny day, since forever. I have tried various things mentioned in this thread over the years, none of which permanently resolve it. Harley dealer told me no exposed instrument cluster can keep out 100% of moisture. It's a 'design feature'. Piss poor reasoning if you ask me, but there it is.  I mean we can send man to the moon, no wait, Apollo 13 had condensation issues too! :-)
  • Smokey61
    Smokey61
    4 years ago
    Quoting Mungrel on 22 Oct 2020 09:12 PM

    I have had my Fatboy for 16 years and 90,000 km and it has had condensation fog form in the speedo, particularly if riding on a hot sunny day, since forever. I have tried various things mentioned in this thread over the years, none of which permanently resolve it. Harley dealer told me no exposed instrument cluster can keep out 100% of moisture. It's a 'design feature'. Piss poor reasoning if you ask me, but there it is.  I mean we can send man to the moon, no wait, Apollo 13 had condensation issues too! :-)


    Older Harley speedos never fogged up. No other bike I've owned, Harley, Triumph, Norton, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, ever had fogging in the speedo.

    They never needed rain covers for their seats or had warnings about riding in heavy rain affecting the electronics either. You could change your bars in 15 mins for $100 total.

    Thousands of dollars to tune, thousands to repair, thousands to replace, but apparently it's "progress".

    Harley died with the Evo.
  • Mungrel
    Mungrel
    4 years ago
    Smokey61,
    maybe that's because the older speedos were all mechanical? There was no need to totally seal them when internals are cable driven cogs, dampers and magnets? It's still BS though. 
    I reverted my 1450 Twin Cam back to an evo style S&S gear driven cam years ago. That was considered 'progess' when introduced, a cam chain with shitty tensioners that disintegrate and fail over time! 
  • fatbat
    fatbat
    4 years ago
    Quoting Mungrel on 31 Oct 2020 03:21 AM

    Smokey61,

    maybe that's because the older speedos were all mechanical? There was no need to totally seal them when internals are cable driven cogs, dampers and magnets? It's still BS though. 
    I reverted my 1450 Twin Cam back to an evo style S&S gear driven cam years ago. That was considered 'progess' when introduced, a cam chain with shitty tensioners that disintegrate and fail over time! 

    Doesn’t explain why cheaper Japanese and German made bikes with much more tech don’t fog up on their speedos 
  • fatbat
    fatbat
    4 years ago
    Quoting Mungrel on 31 Oct 2020 03:21 AM

    Smokey61,

    maybe that's because the older speedos were all mechanical? There was no need to totally seal them when internals are cable driven cogs, dampers and magnets? It's still BS though. 
    I reverted my 1450 Twin Cam back to an evo style S&S gear driven cam years ago. That was considered 'progess' when introduced, a cam chain with shitty tensioners that disintegrate and fail over time! 

    Doesn’t explain why cheaper Japanese and German made bikes with much more tech don’t fog up on their speedos