How to get better Tupperware alignment

I haven’t actually started this yet but looking for any tips to get a better result (ie: tighter seam) between side panels and front fairing? Thx

I just know a few things about the fairing pieces at this point after taking on and off more than 5 times and less than 10:

1) They look awesome unless you have to take them off the bike which is frequently.
2) Leaving them off the bike and more importantly letting them heat/cool cycle and then trying to put them back on on a cold day is not optimal.
3) Leaving the very bottom piece off allows you to get the other parts off faster and you can ride down curbs easier without scraping the part.
4) The inserts in the tank look to be brass and the threads can be chased with a tap. Likewise running all the fasteners with a die to clean up the threads and oiling them also helps.
5) The original alloy fasteners imo are safer because SS fasteners are more likely to mess up the threads in the tank inserts.
6) Where the big panels line up with the tank inserts can be critical regarding tank mounting fore/aft. If the all the panels like up well up there and you need to remove the tank make marks so you can position the tank exactly as it was.

I curse this bike like nothing I have worked on in 50 years. They must have designing it in CAD with a 1-2mm wiggle tolerance. You have to take lots of pictures of cable/wiring/hose routings as a home mechanic to get it back together properly and I also take notes as to the order of removal and hence reassembly. Especially necessary with the clutch replacement. Hellish bike to work on but when its tip top its a wonderfully fun, reliable and comfortable bike. You pay for riding a piece of art when you have to work on it though there is a certain elegance in the precision of the parts fitting. I still say the following numerous times every time I work on it.

"Who the eff designs s*** like this!"

"Effing german engineers!"

Compared to my K100RT, the body work on my R1100RT is so easy to take off and on.

I do have pictures of the bike on both sides of a pizza box where I put each bolt when I remove the panels. Checking each image before removing the panels prevents me from attempting to take a panel off with one bolt still attached.

Another issue with long term ownership of the R1100RT is that the tank is plastic and it stretches over time. I have had to worm out my six mount holes so the the side fairing panel holes will reach the nuts in the tank which cannot be replaced as far as I know. They appear to be embedded.

I've taken my fairing off well over fifty times by now and over time discovered that by placing the nose screws and between the tank and seat rear screws in first makes linking up all the other ones a LOT easier. And never finish tighten any of the screws until they are all started and threaded in a bit. THEN go around and carefully tight them up by hand with a hand held driver. Don't use electric drivers or ratchets to do this. Be gentle!

happy wanderer said:

Another issue with long term ownership of the R1100RT is that the tank is plastic and it stretches over time. I have had to worm out my six mount holes so the the side fairing panel holes will reach the nuts in the tank which cannot be replaced as far as I know. They appear to be embedded.

I've taken my fairing off well over fifty times by now and over time discovered that by placing the nose screws and between the tank and seat rear screws in first makes linking up all the other ones a LOT easier. And never finish tighten any of the screws until they are all started and threaded in a bit. THEN go around and carefully tight them up by hand with a hand held driver. Don't use electric drivers or ratchets to do this. Be gentle!

Click to expand...

Hmmmm.....fore and aft, most forward. Will give it a go.
To ChrisinSC......I think I understand what you’re saying. As much as I hate (working on...) this bike, I’m beginning to think it’s my favourite bike of all times. And I’ve had the good fortune to have had a lot of bikes, over the years.
Cheers

They clearly put a lot of thought and energy into the design. The placement of the mirrors is really amazing to me. If I sit up properly with straight back and neck I can just move my eyes down a bit and see the mirrors and I have to keep my wrists up in the proper position as well. The bike kind of makes me a better rider in a way.

happy wanderer said:

Another issue with long term ownership of the R1100RT is that the tank is plastic and it stretches over time. I have had to worm out my six mount holes so the the side fairing panel holes will reach the nuts in the tank which cannot be replaced as far as I know. They appear to be embedded.

I've taken my fairing off well over fifty times by now and over time discovered that by placing the nose screws and between the tank and seat rear screws in first makes linking up all the other ones a LOT easier. And never finish tighten any of the screws until they are all started and threaded in a bit. THEN go around and carefully tight them up by hand with a hand held driver. Don't use electric drivers or ratchets to do this. Be gentle!

Click to expand...

So true on needing to worm out the tank holes. I thought I was the only one to do it. I think I have three done at this point. Which are the "nose screws? I'm trying to visualize the procedure you suggest, as, oh yes, I need to remove my 1100 RT fairing once again for a few maintenance jobs. The tank screws are the worst part, as we all know.

By the way, fifty times removal and not broken one of those front tabs off? I can only dream I make it that far.

jconway607 said:

By the way, fifty times removal and not broken one of those front tabs off? I can only dream I make it that far.

Click to expand...

A neighbour was in the garage one day when I was removing the Tupperware and as I was gently moving the bodywork around to slip it off, I couldn't believe the nose tab didn't snap off. He thought he'd help and he pulled the left nose section straight out, no angling and sliding, just pulled it.

Miracle that he didn't break the tab.

Paul_F said:

He thought he'd help and he pulled the left nose section straight out right, no angling and sliding, just pulled it.

Click to expand...

This literally made me cringe.

jconway607 said:

So true on needing to worm out the tank holes. I thought I was the only one to do it. I think I have three done at this point. Which are the "nose screws? I'm trying to visualize the procedure you suggest, as, oh yes, I need to remove my 1100 RT fairing once again for a few maintenance jobs. The tank screws are the worst part, as we all know.

By the way, fifty times removal and not broken one of those front tabs off? I can only dream I make it that far.

Click to expand...

Oh the nose screws (my made up tech term) are the ones in the oil cooler opening in the very front of the fairing which I call the nose. Not sure why now that I think about it...

Yeah, when I was first farting around trying to tune the surge out of my first RT, a Euro 96 model I had that fairing off and on so many times I could get if off in 10 minutes and back on in twenty. Now I have ZTechnik crash bars that add another 10 minutes on each side to do it.

And always open the glove box lid before you start yanking! DAMHIK