gaaa PLASTIC! How? How?

Removing body work on my R1100RT to install a new battery. Why is the left panel hanging up? Feels like there's one more fastener under the radio box/glovebox area.

I haven't done this in quite some time and mostly all I can recall is that it's tricky both off and back on again.

help is appreciated.

Did you check the fastener just inside the cowl for the oil cooler? Located just under the headlight - it's inside the opening for the radiator that cools the oil.

Not tricky, just takes a little patience...
Sometimes the plastic just behind the shark fin will catch on the cylinder fins;
also verify that the screw at the bottom inboard corner of the speaker location is removed. Some folks say it's not really necessary to remove this one, but it will give you more wiggle room, so for one screw, it's worth doing.
You did pop off the mirror and pull the screw in there, right...?

It should take you thirty minutes to pull the tupperware.

As you do this, pay attention to screw length and placement. Reasonably, taking your time, it should be about an hour with hand tools and 1/2 that time with power tools.

It is a chore.

If you get mad at it, you can get both sides of the Tupperware off in about ten minutes. Then it will take you hours to figure out what screw length goes where.

Thanx, all

thanx, got all the above mentioned fasteners (14 total) off, two longs duly noted and mirror off, and etc, but it hangs at the glove box. The whole section wiggles

maybe I just need more wiggle and patience

but thanx


and P.S. I found a bunch o' videos on youtube...they're moderately helpful. some bAD cam angles, but not bad overall

The long nut inside the glovebox is removed?

26667 said:

.. it hangs at the glove box. The whole section wiggles

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Mine hangs at the glove box too. I always open the glove box and help the tupperware over its outside edge with a few wiggles. Relieves the stress on the lower fairing protrusion which hangs up on the left cylinder.

Steve, the nut inside the glovebox only needs to come off if the tank is to be removed, not the bodywork.
Doug is right on; I always open the glovebox before lifting & finagling.

Pauls1150 said:

Steve, the nut inside the glovebox only needs to come off if the tank is to be removed, not the bodywork.
Doug is right on; I always open the glovebox before lifting & finagling.

Click to expand...

I knew I have removed it before for some reason

yeah, the old wiggle & finaglin' usually gets it done.

You have to lift it up so it unhooks from the fuel tank center piece. Also there is a hook built into the side panel forward of the mirror that has to be released. I also open the glove box to help maneuver the thing off.

PAS said:

You have to lift it up so it unhooks from the fuel tank center piece. Also there is a hook built into the side panel forward of the mirror that has to be released. I also open the glove box to help maneuver the thing off.

Click to expand...

Ah ha! Another feature designed by the intern. Or maybe they sent the side stand designer to go do body panels.

The top front left side of the RT fairing panels is the hardest part of an otherwise simple job. As mentioned the hang up points are:
- the long screw under the mirror
- the short screw in the nose of the fairing (oil cooler opening)
- you MUST unlock and open the glove box to get it off
- remove the one allen screw that holds the intake snorkel to the bottom of the glove box
- there is a plastic tab in the top section in front of the glove box that will hang up unless you:
- grab the front near the oil cooler opening
- make sure the rearmost fixed screw under the seat is out of the captured nut it click turns into
- pull the rear back just a wee bit and push the left front down just a wee bit
- once there you need to lift up the part that straddles the top of the tank because it always hangs up there
- pull the whole thing up just a bit and towards you while keeping the tab out of the slot it fits into. Jiggling up and down at this point helps.

Do in that order and comes off easy.

Once you know where all the screws are and with a bit of practice the entire fairing can be removed in under twenty minutes tops. I've watched Mike at Ozzies do it in five.

Mike's not just fast

He knows his stuff...a very professional tech who's always willing to explain his work. Long live Ozzie's BMW in Chico, CA.

HIGH -Larry -ass!!!!:

happy wanderer said:

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Do in that order and comes off easy.

Once you know where all the screws are and with a bit of practice the entire fairing can be removed in under twenty minutes tops. I've watched Mike at Ozzies do it in five.

Click to expand...

you guys slay me

I have a lowered shifter and for my bike, that is another place to remember to maneuver around or else the lower body work gets caught there.

Good inför for the next Ahem...victim Added this to the "tag cloud".
OM

Another tip that I picked up from one of the wizened oilhead veterans here - have a board (card or wood) with numbered holes that match the diagram in the manual. Put the screws in the corresponding numbered hole as you remove them. Makes correctly putting the panel back on much easier.

all done

New battery installed, tupperware shined up and put back in place. Initially, I was a little embarrassed to have needed to ask, but good to know that others have had similar head scratching moments, and of course the help was appreciated. A good opppo' to give everything a spring once-over visually and see what else winter has done, look for dead mice, and vacuum the gravel and bits of dust out of the air filter box.

Plus, having Simple Greened and Plexused the daylights out of it, now it's easier to remember which side to keep up

This might even be a bigger hoopla to change out a battery than the old airheads where you had to actually take the frame apart.

P.S. finally 75 degrees in Chicago

gooner said:

Another tip that I picked up from one of the wizened oilhead veterans here - have a board (card or wood) with numbered holes that match the diagram in the manual. Put the screws in the corresponding numbered hole as you remove them. Makes correctly putting the panel back on much easier.

Click to expand...

A couple of days ago I was travelling home from Illinois and a gas line worked its way loose. Fortunately I had the lid from a Wendy's coffee cup handy which served as a small, deep sided dish for holding all of the right side's tupperware bolts.