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Help needed on valve cover guards installation


motoleo

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I just bought a 99 R1100RT with 6000 miles on the odometer and it's like brand new. Just had the 6000 mile service done and replaced the front tire due to left side wear.

 

I also purchased a set of used plastic valve cover guards but they arrived after the service was done to the bike so now I'm going to install them. I see where the 3 bolts that hold the guards on are but my question is:

 

Is there any way to install the guards without taking all the plastic panels off?

 

2 of the bolts are easily accessable but the one in the rear is close to the body plastic. Has anyone shortened a 5mm hex head wrench and was able to get in there and remove the rear bolt for the guard?

 

Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks,

Motoleo

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I just bought a 99 R1100RT with 6000 miles on the odometer and it's like brand new. Just had the 6000 mile service done and replaced the front tire due to left side wear.

 

I also purchased a set of used plastic valve cover guards but they arrived after the service was done to the bike so now I'm going to install them. I see where the 3 bolts that hold the guards on are but my question is:

 

Is there any way to install the guards without taking all the plastic panels off?

 

2 of the bolts are easily accessable but the one in the rear is close to the body plastic. Has anyone shortened a 5mm hex head wrench and was able to get in there and remove the rear bolt for the guard?

 

Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks,

Motoleo

 

Motoleo, it’s going to be pretty difficult to install those valve cover guards without pulling the Tupperware off.. Even with the plastic out of the way those bolt holes don’t line up easily.. You might even have to soak the cover guards in hot water if they haven’t been on an engine before..

 

Twisty

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Motoleo, i hadn't thought of hot water before, but when i installed mine I had to leave them in the sun for a bit, I got lucky, it was a Hot Cali sun that day.

When new and cold the plastic is too stiff to force.

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MichiganBob

This will not sound encouraging, but in my humble opinion, you might as well get used to the regiment. The panels come off for a number of procedures and the less you fight it, and the more times you do it, the quicker and more natural the process becomes. I can pull off both panels in less than 10 minutes and it makes maintenance a whole lot easier. Plus you can visually check for leaks and such while you have a clear view of all that scary stuff under the tank and above the motor. I have a plastic box with small compartments that is numbered and a schematic of the bolts, For example, the front bolts on the tank are 1, the middle one's are 2 and so on. I bought a nice cordless small driver from Sears that takes the bolts out in no time. If you have metric allen sockets, one of those thumb ratchets also works well and you tend to not overtight and strip the little suckers this way. Just my two cents. Good luck.

 

Bob

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Thanks for the helpful tips and insight...I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and take off the panels. I also have some cable to use on the mirrors as a precaution in case the come off or I hit them against someting so I'll do both jobs at the same time.

 

Motoleo

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SteveSardone

the instructions that came with mine suggested removing the middle section only to make room to reach the bolt. I had it all off anyway to do a service so don't know if it works.

 

Steve

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the instructions that came with mine suggested removing the middle section only to make room to reach the bolt. I had it all off anyway to do a service so don't know if it works.

 

Steve

 

Well I guess that is worth a try.

Thanks,

Steve

 

Motoleo

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