Valve cover for an 04 RT

[Malthound]

I'm considering the purchase of an 04 RT that seems to be priced well, but does have some damage to the right side, especially the valve cover, from what seems to be a relatively low speed tipover on a grass shoulder. The reason I say this is the fairing doesn't seem to have any significant damage other than some minor scratches near the mirror. My only issue with the bike is that valve cover, (along with the black thingy) which is pretty well scraped and is something I'd probably like to replace. Is this an expensive item? Any other damage I should look for at the same time?

 

As always, thanks

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Malthound

 

New list price is about $183.00 for the valve cover & about $8.00 for the plastic center coil cover.

 

Cheaper at Beemer Boneyard (when they have them) or on Flea Bay.

 

If the damage isn't too deep the cover can be sanded smooth & repainted.

 

[George S.]

My gut tells me that they had more than 1 drop. A low speed 'tipover' on grass shouldn't severely scratch the head. Grass, dirt, yes. That can be washed off and cleaned off. They probably did drop it on grass, but where else? And if so, what else are they being less than forthcoming about? My '04RT was dropped on both sides by a previous owner in his driveway, and both mirror ends have scratches, so that makes me think yours was dropped on something other than just grass.

[Malthound]

I'm thinking the "tipover" was at a bit more than low speed, although at 20k miles and no damage except to the right side, this could well be the only incident. It looks more like a tipover and slide, but nothing is scratched as deeply as it would be on asphalt or pure gravel. The covers are the real visible casualty, and at a couple hundred bucks for them, as long as I can deal with the rest of the scratches, it should be a good deal. I was mainly wondering if there was other "hidden" damage to look for on this particular bike. If I get closer to making a deal, I'll post pics of the damaged area for more info.

[Quinn]

I've got some scratches on the mirror housing and valve cover of my '04 also, but have decided not to repair them yet. I figure I'm not through dropping it.

 

At a minimum, I'd suggest waiting a year to get used to the bike before repairing cosmetic damage. You may add to the need.

 

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[MotorcycleWriter]

As far as I know, the cosmetic appearance of a valve cover doesn't affect performance. Maybe the guy just had short legs but changed the oil every 300 miles. I used to know a guy that did that...

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Malthound

 

Difficult to tell what else if anything was damaged. In rare cases & if hit on the fairing hard enough it can crack the front frame to fairing attachment tabs.

 

If the mirror was replaced maybe pop it off to see if any damage to the mirror retention pins. If it is original mirror then probably wasn't hit very hard.

 

Most times the valve cover stops most of the tip over weight then possibly a slow roll onto the mirror as a last thing.

 

My biggest concern would be if the bike slid very far on the valve cover & it caught on something that could have cracked one of the valve cover bolt bosses on the alloy cylinder head (under the cover).

 

If the owner will allow the valve cover to be removed look closely at the 4 bolt attachment bosses on the top of the cylinder head for any cracking.

 

Added: if the side case was on the bike during the tip over look closely at that for damage in the latch attaching area & for damage to the case attachment parts on the bike side. Make sure the cover opens & closes OK & that it lines up with the case evenly when closing.