After several hours of riding the instrument panel develops black space around the edge of the panel. Sometimes the black begins to grow inward more and more. The problem goes away after ample cool down of the machine. Anyone else noticed this problem? Any fixes?

 

You're speedo is defective. Warranty will take care of it.

 

It happens on both the 500 & 700???????

 

ohhh.... I have no idea then. Never heard of it before. Any similar mods that you made to both bikes? Being in Phoenix, I don't imagine you're riding in extreme temperatures...

Put the speedo in diagnostic mode (see service manual if you don't know how) and monitor the voltage as the bike warms up. Can you correlate your LCD problems to any voltage fluctuations?

 

If the instrument panel is a LCD (liquid crystal display) and I believe it is, then placing it in direct sunlight could possibly be causing what you are describing. I notice you're in Arizona so this may be the case. I guess you could tape a flap of some sort over it temporarilly to see if this is what is happening. My bicycle speedometer/computers do this when in direct sunlight. They seem to clear right back up when I get them back into shade. Doesn't seem to damage them, just makes them a little harder to see when they're out in the sun. Hope this helps.

 

That sounds like the issue. I should have explained myself a bit better. It is the LCD panel and we do GET A LOT OF SUN! It's been 80 degrees here for about a week. I let you know how they run when it gets to 105.
Another question: I put K&N air filters on both and now I get sputter while in reverse on both. The sputter doens't occur when pressing the reverse power boost button. Any experience with this???

Thanks for your help!

 

Yes Sir. The sputtering/backfiring will occur in reverse without pressing the override button. It is a built in rev limiter designed to reduce you speed and power in reverse unless you consciously choose to override that. If you don't get on the gas too hard in reverse the sputtering should be minimal.

 

duhles.......
Big Dummie is 100% right......It has nothing to do with the K&N......Just keep an eye on the K&N air filters if you do alot of riding in dusty conditions........They clog up pretty quick......I had that happen to me last summer, it was very dusty out oneday I was out and the rpm's slowly started to decrease....Then it would barely stay running......The filter was really dirty and needed to be cleaned immediately.......There was also a little bit of "gummy up" just inside the throttle body which I cleaned with 3M throttle plate and intake cleaner and a Q tip......That was all it took and the rpm's came back to were they should be, right around 1150 for my machine........Hope this helps a little
John

 

All the comments have been a great help... THANKS! I'll keep a close eye on the filters because if Arizona has a lot of anything, it's dust. Had to replace my stock filter after 3 rides. Tried to shake, vacuum, and use compressed air to remove the dust. Didn't even put a dent in it.

 

duhles.........
Be very careful using compressed air when cleaning your air filters......It's not recommended.....K&N sells a filter skin which you might be interested in.....It slips over the air filter.....Item # PL1003PK I believe......The K&N's should only be cleaned with the recharger kit that usually comes with them.....It's pretty simple, just follow the directions and you should be good to go.......
John