RT Owners - How To Get The Rubber Gasket Dimples Through the Windscreen Holes

[88bmwjeff]

RT owners. How do you get those rubber dimples - for lack of a better word - through the holes on the windscreen. Perhaps, I'm trying to do things in the incorrect order. The screen is already attached to the via the center clamping plate installed. Any hints and suggestions with regards to the proper sequence of tasks would be helpful.

Thanks,

 

[20774]

I've seen this before, but just don't know where. So, I went to the start of the Airhead threads and used the Search this Forum link. I went to the advanced search and typed in "windshield" and used the username "lkchris" because I seem to remember him having some good ideas. Give that a try.

Here's one that I found that might be helpful:

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?61773-Windshield-Nipple-Installment

In one of the responses, someone suggests checking out Matt Parkhouse's article in the July 2012 ON. That should be in the online archives if you don't have it. He talked about a fairing replacement. I did a quick check and I'm not sure it will be to the point...he was working with a S-type fairing.

 

[88bmwjeff]

Thanks Kurt. Unfortunately, Matt's article in the July 2012 issue was about replacing an S faring windscreen, which is not similar to an RT screen.

 

[20774]

Try searching using the word nipple. Check the tag cloud, too.

 

[omega man]

Never seen the project. You can try wrapping a piece of fishing line around the rubber, feeding it through the hole, slowly dragging the line through the hole in a circular motion. Think shoehorn.
OM

 

[kbasa]

There's a specific tool for this. Siebenrock sells it, when they have it in stock. Someone else may sell similar, but trust me, you need to the tool to do this. The rivet plastic is soft and it will fold over. The rivet tool has a curved face that fits flush against the rivet body and holds it securely while you use the center section to push the plastic pin into place.

https://www.siebenrock.com/en/miscellaneous/tools/3518/revit-tool?c=668

These folks might have it: https://www.bmwbayer.de/en/product?info=2124&country_preselect_country=AU

30 Euros, isn't too spendy.

I've used a tool like that when I installed the windshield on my R100 and it's really the best way to do it.

 

[lee]

Try searching using the word nipple. .

With that search he might get sidetracked and forget about the windscreen

 

[88bmwjeff]

I'm sorry I wasn't clear. I have the gasket and dash properly installed. There are rubber nipples on the gasket that need to go through corresponding holes on the windscreen. See photo. However, in some areas, there's very little room to pull the nipples through, and there doesn't seem to be much room once they're pulled through.

 

[kbasa]

You push them through from the front, not pull them through, though you might be able to help get the seated by pulling on the backside to get the little "legs" through all the openings. The round dome should be on the outside of the shield and the tool pushes that wiggly plastic thing down into the rivet. You then cut them flush with the dome so they look like this:



It's just about impossible to do without the tool, so you'll sometimes see folks that have used a bunch of nuts and bolts to put it together. Don't forget the rubber gasket if RT's had that like the RS/S models. The tool has a hole in the middle that allows the "rivet" leg to slide up in there. It's completely encased in the tool, so as you push on it it goes directly through the rivet instead of trying to bend to the side and make you order more rivets.

I hope that's helpful. Judging by the photo above, you have them in backwards.

 

[kinterridge]

The tool is also available from Boxer2Valve, they also have the video to view: https://www.boxer2valve.com/rivet-tool-for-dashboard.html

 

[88bmwjeff]

It looks as though some are confusing the RS and S fairings with the RT fairing.

Kbasa, the gasket is not in backwards. The gasket is molded and it would be hard to install backwards. There are holes in the gasket for the rivets and the gasket fits in between the dash and fairing. The nipples are not lined up with the rivet holes, so they are not supposed to be pushed (or pulled) through the rivet holes.

kinterridge, I watched the video with the tool for the rivets and they do not install the S fairing windshield/screen in the video. From what I seen, that tool, while very helpful with regards to the copper rivets, does not appear to be very useful for installing the nipples--at least from what I can see of the tool on the videos and photos.

 

[kbasa]

It looks as though some are confusing the RS and S fairings with the RT fairing.

Kbasa, the gasket is not in backwards. The gasket is molded and it would be hard to install backwards. There are holes in the gasket for the rivets and the gasket fits in between the dash and fairing. The nipples are not lined up with the rivet holes, so they are not supposed to be pushed (or pulled) through the rivet holes.

kinterridge, I watched the video with the tool for the rivets and they do not install the S fairing windshield/screen in the video. From what I seen, that tool, while very helpful with regards to the copper rivets, does not appear to be very useful for installing the nipples--at least from what I can see of the tool on the videos and photos.

This might help. I tried to have it up at the start of the relevant portion (about 44:00), where he installs the windshield using the rivet tool. I hope that's helpful.

 

[88bmwjeff]

Thanks Dave,
That helped me understand what everyone is talking about. But, I can tell you that BWM designed something different for the RT windscreen, so that tool won't help. The only video I saw with the installation of the RT windscreen was by Brook Reams, but he skipped over the portion with getting those nipples through the holes. He only said it's a royal pain.