Black, plastic retainer screw, left side lower fairing. How does it function?

[009jim]

hey folks, On my camhead RT, I recently had fairings off for the service. The lower left side fairing, has 12 steel screws, but also has one plastic retainer screw up the top at the front just near the handlebars. This plastic fastener cannot be seen unless you remove the upper left fairing. When I removed the left lower fairing, I simply turned the plastic fastener anticlockwise and it came out and I easily removed the fairing. 

 

When I put the fairing back on, I simply put this plastic fastener in the hole and turned it clockwise and it seemed to be tight. However, after I rode the bike a few miles, this fastener has come loose and the fairing rattles at certain RPM ranges. I can hear the noise and put my finger on the fairing and it stops rattling.

 

If I reach up under the front, I can feel that the plastic fastener is still there, it has not fallen off, but it is not tight.

 

Before I remove the upper fairing to rectify this, I am seeking advice as to how this plastic fastener functions. Does it screw in, or push in, or something else? I don't want to screw it in again and only find after a few miles that it again comes loose.

[jdub53]

It's a 1/4 or 1/2 (can't recall exactly at the moment) turn fastener, that's installed into/retained by a removeable female insert/receptacle just as you found when first removing it. It isn't a really tight fit like a screw or bolt, but should remain secure once fastened.  Reference items 8 & 9 (lock & lock insert) in this fiche (Click on frame 46-0915) :  R 1200 RT, 2010-'13 Frame, Body, Fairing, Luggage (46) | Bobs BMW Bob's Motorcycles (bobsmotorcycles.com)

 

The first time I removed my RT's fairing after buying, I found that instead of the receptacle (lock insert) being inserted into and retained by the corresponding hole in the fairing, whoever had last installed it had the receptacle under the fairing - possibly in an attempt to make the fastener tighter since now it had to pass through two fairing pieces. I installed everything correctly and have never had an issue with the fastener staying secure.

 

Don't know if this will be of any help to you...

[dirtrider]

7 hours ago, 009jim said:

hey folks, On my camhead RT, I recently had fairings off for the service. The lower left side fairing, has 12 steel screws, but also has one plastic retainer screw up the top at the front just near the handlebars. This plastic fastener cannot be seen unless you remove the upper left fairing. When I removed the left lower fairing, I simply turned the plastic fastener anticlockwise and it came out and I easily removed the fairing. 

 

When I put the fairing back on, I simply put this plastic fastener in the hole and turned it clockwise and it seemed to be tight. However, after I rode the bike a few miles, this fastener has come loose and the fairing rattles at certain RPM ranges. I can hear the noise and put my finger on the fairing and it stops rattling.

 

If I reach up under the front, I can feel that the plastic fastener is still there, it has not fallen off, but it is not tight.

 

Before I remove the upper fairing to rectify this, I am seeking advice as to how this plastic fastener functions. Does it screw in, or push in, or something else? I don't want to screw it in again and only find after a few miles that it again comes loose.

Morning 009 Jim

 

That fastener has a series of teeth that lock into the plastic socket, I believe it also has a conical plastic washer molded into the top that keeps tension on the panel it retains  (I have removed/reinstalled many but never really looked closely at how the fastener works).

 

It is possible that you didn't push it in hard enough (far enough)  to preload that conical washer so the teeth could have engaged one notch above the position required to put pressure on the retained panel. 

[009jim]

I fixed this two days ago and it's still secure after riding 400 km.

 

It turns 1/4 turn only. If you turn 1/2 turn it comes loose, and then another 1/4 turn it is tight.