HELP - can't get antenna gasket back in properly - any ideas?

[captcharles]

I was checking the antenna. It seemed loose. Sure enough, the dealer never screwed it in to the socket. The rubber gasket was the only thing holding it on. I figured out why. The socket couldn't be reached from the way the gasket was blocking it. So I pulled the gasket out. Big mistake. Can't get the gasket back in place. It folds inside so no access to the socket. This is ridiculous.

Anyone have any ideas how to get this back together without taking half the bike apart to get to the backside of the mount?

I ended up screwing the antenna into the socket and just slid the gasket down the outside. Not very water tight.

Please, please.

TIA

[Deanna777]

I was checking the antenna. It seemed loose. Sure enough, the dealer never screwed it in to the socket. The rubber gasket was the only thing holding it on. I figured out why. The socket couldn't be reached from the way the gasket was blocking it. So I pulled the gasket out. Big mistake. Can't get the gasket back in place. It folds inside so no access to the socket. This is ridiculous.

Anyone have any ideas how to get this back together without taking half the bike apart to get to the backside of the mount?

I ended up screwing the antenna into the socket and just slid the gasket down the outside. Not very water tight.

Please, please.

TIA

caprcharles,

What year is your spyder?

Try a 7 mm deep socket wrench over the screw at the base of the screw( that screws into the antenna).

Sorry I don't have any pictures of the above.

Deanna

[captcharles]

It's a 22 RTL. I don't understand your reply. The gasket won't fit back into the hole. If it cram it in the skirt on the bottom is folded in the way and you can't even see the mount socket. It looks like to you have to dissemble all the Tupperware around the antenna hole to move it away from the "socket" where the antenna base screws into.

[pegasus1300]

squirt it with some Windex and use something dull to work the lip of the gasket back into the hole. The Windex should dry and leave no residue

[captcharles]

I can get the skirt of the gasket in the hole but it's folded and I can't get the antenna in the hole. Doesn't seem like there's enough room between the tupperware and the antenna mount plate for it to go in between. That's what I meant about having to do major surgery on the plastic pieces to replace the gasket.

[pegasus1300]

Can't you just slip the gasket over the top of the antenna and slid it down to the hole it should go in?

[captcharles]

Tried that. Not anywhere near enough room to push between the hold in the body and the body of the antenna.

[pegasus1300]

Maybe someone else has some ideas, sorry I didn't.

[captcharles]

Thanks for trying. I appreciate it.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I was checking the antenna. It seemed loose. Sure enough, the dealer never screwed it in to the socket. The rubber gasket was the only thing holding it on. I figured out why. The socket couldn't be reached from the way the gasket was blocking it. So I pulled the gasket out. Big mistake. Can't get the gasket back in place. It folds inside so no access to the socket. This is ridiculous.

Anyone have any ideas how to get this back together without taking half the bike apart to get to the backside of the mount?

I ended up screwing the antenna into the socket and just slid the gasket down the outside. Not very water tight.

Please, please.

TIA

I went to a Parts FICHE' that shows your antennae ( 22RTL )..... un-fortunately it Doesn't show that rubber washer as part of the assembly. .... Mike

[captcharles]

Here's picture. I pulled the "gasket" up to show the offset of the antenna in the hole to see that there's no way (that I can see anyway) to push that lower "skirt" gasket in the hole with the antenna in place. I can get the gasket in the hole without the antenna but it folds over on itself once it's in the hole. I tried different "lubes" and nothing.

20230521_193828.jpg

[pegasus1300]

the only other thing I can offer is BRP got it in there somehow so there is a way.

[Peter Aawen]

Here's picture. I pulled the "gasket" up to show the offset of the antenna in the hole to see that there's no way (that I can see anyway) to push that lower "skirt" gasket in the hole with the antenna in place. I can get the gasket in the hole without the antenna but it folds over on itself once it's in the hole. I tried different "lubes" and nothing.

20230521_193828.jpg

I dunno if this'll help much, but for whatever it's worth....

You can see the hole in the panel isn't symmetrical, and the recessed collar that's between the wide base flange/skirt thingy & the bit of gasket that's left sticking out of the top of the panel is shaped to match that hole - I have a somewhat vague (possibly deliberately blanked?? ) recollection of being extremely frustrated in much the same manner you're describing, until I lucked on the 'trick' (or fluke? ) of feeding the wide flange/skirt bit in deliberately out of sync with the hole shape while twisting the whole gasket by the top bit (the bit that's meant to stay on the outside of the panel ) so that juuust as the last bit of the flange/skirt got pushed/twisted down thru the hole, the angle on the recessed bit moved into its final matching position in the hole... While ever the odd shape of the recessed bit of the gasket didn't match & fit EXACTLY into the odd shaped hole, the gasket flange/skirt wouldn't go in/stay in - it ONLY worked once the very last twist & bit of a push in brought the odd shapes of the gasket's recessed collar and the hole into alignment that it finally sorta 'clicked' down, fully in, and into place.... If any of that makes any sense to you?!

And until I did that one, I thought it was a pain getting the antenna gasket on the earlier RT's to fit!! So after that ^^, the next time I got asked to help with fitting one of those bloody antenna gaskets, I piked out - too hard! (that's one of the few joys of being TPI Retired - being able to pick & choose what you wanta work on! ) But I did suggest that while I didn't know if it'd be any better &/or easier, they should try "taking half the bike apart to get to the backside of the mount", lubing the gasket up, & feeding it up from the underside.... Only I'm not sure that it worked that way either - I'm pretty sure that I've since seen that particular Spyder with an antenna that now has the wide part of the gasket flange lightly & neatly siliconed to the outside of the panel!




Mind you, if you're open to it... another alternative that I now KNOW works, is to get & fit one of the a/mkt Shorty Antenna's, I think Lamontster has them - they at least have a gasket/grommet/boot thingy that fits & seals a whole lot easier, and the shorter antenna doesn't get in the way anywhere near as much!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Here's picture. I pulled the "gasket" up to show the offset of the antenna in the hole to see that there's no way (that I can see anyway) to push that lower "skirt" gasket in the hole with the antenna in place. I can get the gasket in the hole without the antenna but it folds over on itself once it's in the hole. I tried different "lubes" and nothing.

20230521_193828.jpg

Yours looks just like mine ..... If I wanted this done and didn't want to dis-assemble to do it ( which is how it was orig. put together I would slide it off the antennae and trim the large rubber area at the base. My rubber BOOT was a pretty tight fit.... so it doesn't need much to keep it in there.... then use liquid soap & an opened paper clip wire and push it back in ..... good luck .... Mike

[Mikey]

Mike has a good idea there, because with this picture that type of gromet is made to be installed from underneath and pulled into the hole like a valve stem on a tire! If that compartment where the antenna is can't be opened up so you can tighten the antenna with the gromet in place then your paced with making that bottom edge of the plug small enough to tuck in with Windex or soapy water! I put a set of aftermarket antennas on my bike, they came with new gaskets that I could install from the top with a screwdriver and Windex. Good luck with this job!!!!

[Quickdraw]

Here's what I would do. I'd take a pair of needle-nose pliers, the type you use for electronics, and squeeze one side together and get it in the hole. From there, I'd use a flathead to start working the rest of it in the hole.

Here's a pic of the pliers I'm talking about.

pliers.jpg

[K80Shooter]

By the time you spend hours trying to find a way to do it without pulling the saddle bag off, you can pull it off and install it from the underside as it was intended to be.
Bite the bullet and do it the correct way to start with, you can then make sure your antenna is grounded correctly while you're in there.

Or take it back to where you got it and have them redo it, it's under warranty.

[Valkrocket]

"Or take it back to where you got it and have them redo it, it's under warranty."
Best idea yet!

[oldguyinTX]

I recently replaced the OEM antenna with a shorty from Spyderpops. There was no gasket like the one you illustrate in your picture. The boot that came with the shorty fit way better than the OEM, and as far as I can tell it seems to be watertight. But getting the stock antenna off was an adventure in and of itself. That darned yellow thread lock that BRP seems so fond of fought me all the way. Had the same issue on my 2013 RTL when I had to replace the stock antenna.

[chipveres]

I daresay the only way to get that gasket in the hole is from the bottom. Even then it will require lubrication.

Chip
2020 RTL
"Stella by Starlight"

[Deanna777]

It's a 22 RTL. I don't understand your reply. The gasket won't fit back into the hole. If it cram it in the skirt on the bottom is folded in the way and you can't even see the mount socket. It looks like to you have to dissemble all the Tupperware around the antenna hole to move it away from the "socket" where the antenna base screws into.

captcharles, OK. I thought there was a screw screw holding the antenna, my bad! Sorry

Deanna