Need help/advice on Reinstalling this side panel... Anyone?
Hello!
I just got my Ryker last night. I finally drove it home and my halfway frozen right leg knocked this off. I can't seem to find the part in my owners manual nor how to refit it on any YT video I've seen so far.
It looks like it just snaps in, but it's not doing that no matter how much I push on it. Anyone have any ideas? I could just leave it off, and it's going to be a bit before it warms up enough to drive back up to where the dealer is to get them to do it. But honestly, I'd rather learn how to fix it myself.
Thanks!
Last edited by Peter Aawen; 11-28-2023 at 04:54 PM.
Reason: Expanded title to briefly ask the question... ;-)
There should be a peg on the bottom of it that slips into a hole on the piece just below it and two pegs on the top that push into the lower part of the seat (they are very snug).
2023 Ryker Rally - Heritage White III
Sport Windshield
GPS Holder
There should be a peg on the bottom of it that slips into a hole on the piece just below it and two pegs on the top that push into the lower part of the seat (they are very snug).
Maybe? put a little dab of Vasolene on those pegs also
You might heat the parts with a hair dryer first, if you can. Makes things less brittle and easier to flex, reduces the risk of breaking off a tab. Good luck, let us know how it goes.
Any chance of taking some photos of, say, the inside of the panel and where it matches up, one that shows the lugs, the areas where they may connect to and the like. Could have anything under there, rubber grommets - steel clips....who knows.
Without that info unless you know about that part, well its a total guess.
There's no disputing that a picture can save a thousand words!! Given what I reckon I can see in that pic, Greijedi, then it looks to me very much likethe rubber grommets that SHOULD be in the holes on the frame for the pins to go in to are actually stuck on the pins already!
So that means you aren't gonna be able to stick them back in the holes without using A WHOLE LOT of force - possibly a 'panel breaking' lot of force!! (Or maybe just a very long run-up?! ) I reckon you're going to need to pull the rubber grommets off the pins on the panel; push them back into the holes on the frame; and only THEN will you be able to push the panel back into its place & get it to stay, with the pins sliding into the rubber grommets and gripping them to hold the panel firmly where it belongs!
Many owners find those rubber grommets come out or get pushed out, altho for most it usually that happens when you try to put the panel back on, so the grommets end up going inwards &/or ending up on the ground, or lost.... . Even after stripping them off the panel's pins & putting them back into the holes in the frame, you might need to find a way of making sure the rubber grommets stay in place in the frame - some use just one small dab of silicone in the groove around the outside of each grommet where it grips the frame, letting it set before putting the panel back; some use just one zip-tie per grommet thru the main hole in the grommet to secure it to the frame, but to do that you need to be close enough to another hole or the edge of the frame to let the zip-tie reach (it looks like you should be able to do that ); and there's a variety of other ways to do it...
But right now, to get that panel back on and secured, you need to take the grommets OFF the pins on your panel and put them back INTO the holes in the frame; then using a bit of Windex or dish washing liquid as a lubricant that'll only last a short while & not contribute to the panel falling off later, push the panel back on, making sure the pins go back into the grommets & secure it firmly!
Good Luck!
Last edited by Peter Aawen; 11-30-2023 at 06:56 PM.
Any chance of taking some photos of, say, the inside of the panel and where it matches up, one that shows the lugs, the areas where they may connect to and the like. Could have anything under there, rubber grommets - steel clips....who knows.
Without that info unless you know about that part, well its a total guess.
Thats why I suggested.... Any chance of taking some photos of, say, the inside of the panel and where it matches up, one that shows the lugs, the areas where they may connect to
I agree, usually rubber grommets should be in some sort of holder on the ride not the plug in the plastic panel, but then I for 1 am still in the dark and making a guess.
Last edited by Peter Aawen; 11-30-2023 at 10:22 PM.
Thank you for this response! I am going to try to put the rubber grommets back in. As far as making them stay in, would there be a reason to need to have the grommets come off again? I assume if I switch out the seat that would be the only time I'd need to get the grommets off, but that's all I can think of. Otherwise I will try to make them as permanent as possible.
All good. Without seeing it and having a guess...
I think you need to remove those rubber rings off the tabs and fit them to those holes.
They may have a slot around the outer edge or formed mound or something to keep them fixed to the bike to properly secure them.
They stay on the bike and the tab slides out when you pull the panel off.
A spray with some silicone will make them slippery and easier to fit.
Then pop the panel on. Should be a press fit to slide inside the rubber rings.
Thank you for this response! I am going to try to put the rubber grommets back in. As far as making them stay in, would there be a reason to need to have the grommets come off again? I assume if I switch out the seat that would be the only time I'd need to get the grommets off, but that's all I can think of. Otherwise I will try to make them as permanent as possible.
I truly doubt you'll ever need to have the grommets come off again, but if you ever need to or want to remove any of those side panels again, or for that matter, remove any other panels that are held on in a similar way (& there's quite a few of them on my Spyder, so I suspect there's at least some on other Spyders & Rykers too! ) then there's a VERY good chance that despite not needing or wanting them to ever come off again, they will anyway!
I don't really know of ANYONE who's actually WANTED the grommets to come off (except for maybe a couple of people who were completely stripping the frame... ) but I'd guess that a fairly high percentage of those who've ever removed a panel, voluntarily or otherwise, off one of these things has had at least one of the grommets on their machines come off/out! Them coming off when you really don't want them to do that is yet another one of those 'great concept, poorly executed' things BRP seems to pride themselves on installing in our Spyders/Rykers & many other devices they make, despite the numerous complaints!
But there will be times that you want the panels to come off, so you REALLY don't want to permanently affix the panels per se, rather just the grommets. I've gone down the 'small dab of silicone' path, and I've never had a grommet treated that way come off again unless I wanted to take it off; in which case the small dab of silicone has been easy enough to peel off, clean out of the groove in the grommet & off the frame; and replace when I've been ready for it to go back again!
Last edited by Peter Aawen; 11-30-2023 at 10:43 PM.
I managed to get the grommets back in. I have some silicone coming, because I will need to take the panel itself off for an install (possibly, bags are ...a problem), but I don't want the grommets go run away with it. Thank you!
before you put the grommets back into the holes where they belong, dab a little silicone into the grommet's groove, then install them. Let the silicone dry overnight then install the plastic piece. The grommets will stay put from then on.
When you work on the panels it is handy to have a set of trim tools to help get the pins out without breaking anything. The door panel trim tool is probably in Wally World for about $5 or maybe the bargain bin at a discount auto parts store for $3. A whole set of the trim tools is not much more than $10.
Need help/advice on Reinstalling this side panel... Anyone?
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Originally Posted by StalkyTracker
Given what I reckon I can see in that pic, Greijedi, then it looks to me very much like the rubber grommets that SHOULD be in the holes on the frame for the pins to go in to are actually stuck on the pins already! 
) I reckon you're going to need to pull the rubber grommets off the pins on the panel; push them back into the holes on the frame; and only THEN will you be able to push the panel back into its place & get it to stay, with the pins sliding into the rubber grommets and gripping them to hold the panel firmly where it belongs! 
. Even after stripping them off the panel's pins & putting them back into the holes in the frame, you might need to find a way of making sure the rubber grommets stay in place in the frame - some use just one small dab of silicone in the groove around the outside of each grommet where it grips the frame, letting it set before putting the panel back; some use just one zip-tie per grommet thru the main hole in the grommet to secure it to the frame, but to do that you need to be close enough to another hole or the edge of the frame to let the zip-tie reach (it looks like you should be able to do that 
); and there's a variety of other ways to do it... 
Them coming off when you really don't want them to do that is yet another one of those 'great concept, poorly executed' things BRP seems to pride themselves on installing in our Spyders/Rykers & many other devices they make, despite the numerous complaints! 
