F650/700/800 gs beak alignment

[oldcamper]

While standing on the pegs, I noticed the “beak” on my f-twin gs is not properly aligned with regards to the front wheel center. It appears the plastic frame hoop that everything mounts to is somehow distorted. AFIK the bike has never been down or apart. New plastic frames are a popular item on eBay for about $70, or 1/5 the cost of OEM so this must be a fairly common problem.

Has anyone else noted this misalignment on their f-twin gs?
Is this just poor OEM material quality or is there some other cause?

 

[pglaves]

Just a guess. Crosswinds in Kansas?

 

[pauls1150]

May or may not be related.... but when I reinstall my front fender (1150RT), I have to hold it in position and tighten the bolts a little at a time to prevent it from being pulled off center.

 

[oldcamper]

May or may not be related.... but when I reinstall my front fender (1150RT), I have to hold it in position and tighten the bolts a little at a time to prevent it from being pulled off center.

I was able to get it a little straighter by loosening and retightening the four bolts that secure the plastic hoop to the metal frame tabs, but it’s still crooked enough to bother me. An eBay replacement hoop is on order and it appears the various vendors sell quite a few of them.
Rotax built over 300,000 of those “804” F-twin engines, so the bike itself is pretty common. I was just wondering if there was a known cause for the warping. The hoop frame is just above the radiator, but I would guess that would not be nearly enough heat to affect a reinforced plastic part. It’s entirely possible it was bad from the factory. The misalignment is not all that obvious until it is. Then, it needs to be corrected.