The coolant/oil change rant

I put dzus (quarter turn fasterners) in place of the 3 upper fairing screws.. while i like them, it's not as simple as that, because they're really designed to go into something more sturdy for the back piece.
So what happens is when i push it into to turn and lock it, it pushes in the inner plastic piece too. So I have to work my hand inside of both parts to brace the back, so I can push in hard enough on the front.

Still, I like the look. I got the kind with the D-ring loopy thing on them rather than a screwdriver slot, so they're very easy to handle, no tools required.

 

Are you putting it in backwards? They literally slip in. The collar would be on side that the bolt meets "First" and the narrower end will be in behind the fairing. They should fit snug only but not tight. If you had to work at getting it in, you have the wrong size or putting it in backwards, such as the collars side through the hole first.....wrong.

 

I know why you would say. I tried from both ends and it was hard. My well nuts don't look like this.

Shop Standard (SAE) Well Nuts at Lowes.com!

Unfortunately I don't have one out and it is hard to explain. They look like two little balls fused together and then the flat surface. Not sure if they look like that after you put a screw through them and the metal reshapes the rubber ???? I suppose what I would like to know is what M# of well nuts would I get to replace the ones that go bad. I looked in the manual and could not find anything.

And BTW, how is one to place the owner's manual under the seat ? I know it does not fit flat. Am I supposed to roll it ?

 

Take the bolt to Lowes or where ever and fit it to the well nut. If the bolt fits, you have a match. And yes, they change their appearance once they are used and the rubber is pressed. That is how they work.

 

I've always said that if the guy who designed it had to wrench on it, the layout would be totally different! Most likely it would be laid out like an aircraft carrier...

Since I don't have parking for one of those...

 

"I'm an engineer" but yet I can't even figure out how to deal with a basic two piece fastener.......

 

All this talk of replacing broken clips... On my first Viffer ('98 5th gen) I left them all off, except the clips for the two upper inner black covers. The only two fairing clips that I replaced were the ones at the front, on the upper cowl, directly under the headlight: screws and nuts worked perfectly. The fairing screws all went back in, with the exception of two of the ones that hold the lower front cowl to the side fairings. I certainly didn't replace the clips that hold the two side fairings together at the bottom, and they were the first ones I've ditched on the new bike ('99 5th gen).

Did anything ever fall off? No, not even close! It was as solid as a rock! Did it rattle? Probably, but with earplugs in and a loud-ish pipe, I didn't notice anything.