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Panels vs Tank


Eckhard Grohe

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Eckhard Grohe

It seems that the distance between the inserts in the tank has grown as compared to the small plastic panel that is mounted on it. The center screw fits in quite nicely whereas the front insert is too far forward causing the the screw to tilt back and the rearmost insert is too far back causing the screw to tilt forward. What is the accepted communal wisdom as to a solution? Slot the holes in the panel or come up with another solution.

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It seems that the distance between the inserts in the tank has grown as compared to the small plastic panel that is mounted on it. The center screw fits in quite nicely whereas the front insert is too far forward causing the the screw to tilt back and the rearmost insert is too far back causing the screw to tilt forward. What is the accepted communal wisdom as to a solution? Slot the holes in the panel or come up with another solution.

 

Evening Eckhard

 

If you can get the panels & the tank to cool down & be the same temperature then sometimes the screws will go right in.

 

If they still won't start straight then (personally) I use a Dremel with a very small burr bit or a small round jewelers file & slot the holes just enough to get the screws to start straight.

 

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The center screw fits in quite nicely whereas...

 

I always roll my eyes when somebody tells me that they can replace the Tupperware on an RT in 15 minutes. Those screws on the gas tank are tricky. I always set the left and right body panels in place loosely, and then start all 6 of the screws first. Sometimes I need to jocky the panels around a lot to get them all to start without risking a cross-thread. If I am not having success, I will remove both panels again, and loosen the gas tank a bit, and wiggle the tank around to be sure it is seated firmly before starting over.

 

If the gas tank is at a slight angle to the longitudinal centerline, then the screw holes will not line up as you describe.

 

The other screw that gives me some trouble is the rear-most screw on the right side. Again, before I tighten everything up, I jocky the right-side panel around to get the best alignment possible. Finally, having set all the screws in place, I go around and tighten them up. So, it takes me a lot longer than 15 minutes to replace the Tupperware. And I always have to spend a few minutes remembering where the long ones go, and the black ones, and that one really short screw. :dopeslap: Maybe my bike is different in that it has some different size screws to deal with. I think that 10-15 minutes to remove the bodywork is a good estimate once you have done it a few times. But I typically spend the better part of an hour getting it back on. YMMV

 

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Eckhard Grohe

One really short screw???????????????? 1 really long screw under the mirror, 3 medium on the foot plate, and a bunch of short ones all over. No really short one on my bike.

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It seems that the distance between the inserts in the tank has grown as compared to the small plastic panel that is mounted on it. The center screw fits in quite nicely whereas the front insert is too far forward causing the the screw to tilt back and the rearmost insert is too far back causing the screw to tilt forward. What is the accepted communal wisdom as to a solution? Slot the holes in the panel or come up with another solution.

 

 

 

If they still won't start straight then (personally) I use a Dremel with a very small burr bit or a small round jewelers file & slot the holes just enough to get the screws to start straight.

 

+1

 

I did the same thing... but I used a chain saw file.

 

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One really short screw?

 

Yeah, I know... Makes me wonder. I am the 3rd owner of my 2004 R1150RT. I got it when it was already 10 years old with 18k miles on it. With service records from a BMW dealer for most of that time. So, I don't know how many of my body panel screws are original.

 

I have 4 long ones, and like you I put 2 of them under the mirrors. I put the other 2 on the belly pan. I have 4 black screws that have a smaller Torx head. I put two of them in the oil cooler recess, and the other two on either side of the battery, hidden by the saddle. And then I have one short screw that I put into the gas tank where some previous person has partly wrecked the threads, and a short screw won't make the situation worse.

 

As a matter of curiosity, when you look at the black left-side fairing cover, through which the grab handles passes, is your lower "pin" broken off? Mine is. I have been looking at used parts on eBay, and they all seem to have the same problem. I see one new part for sale at $150! Yikes. I think I saw somebody post a fix using a magnet. I might try that.

 

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The broken tabs on the black triangles are common (as is the right side, which isn't captured by the lifting handle, being gone entirely) - there are a couple of threads around on diy tab replacement. Basically, you epoxy on a new tab usually made out of preshaped metal or similar.

 

I have a 99 KLT which pretty much had all the proper abody fasteners in all the proper spots. Recently I took it to a shop to have the clutch replaced, and that required a follow up visit, and now there's an intriguing assortment of mismatched fasteners :/

Edited by szurszewski
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