2023 F3-Limited Side Panels no longer Align - what's the trick, or what am I missing?

[mmassow]

On my 2023 F3-Limited I removed my side panels to install LED bulbs, and it appears they don't want to line up correctly after putting them back on. There is more gap near the top than the bottom. Is there a trick to this other than the 4 screws and the 3 plastic retaining rivets? I looked at it closely, and I'm not seeing anything I may have missed. I have removed and installed plastic bodywork on other various motorcycles over the years, so this is not my first rodeo. Am I just anal and this is normal, or did I miss something? Thanks.

 

[djh3]

Looks OK to me. But if you want to see if you can even the step and gap up, loosen all 4 screws, get it where you want it, and snug up the screws at that end first.

 

[mmassow]

Looks OK to me. But if you want to see if you can even the step and gap up, loosen all 4 screws, get it where you want it, and snug up the screws at that end first.

That’s how I put it back together. It minimized the misalignment as seen in the picture. I just want to make sure that there wasn’t a “trick” to reassembly. I really didn’t pay attention to the alignment before I took it apart.

 

[racoon]

I found the same thing with my 24 RT Sea-to-Sky panels. You kind of jockey them into place, and then quick snug down the screws before they move again.

More of an art than a skill.

 

[Mikey]

I would say you're lucky you got them that close!hyea:

 

[PMK]

Leave be, as is for now. Get eyes on several other Spyders, possibly even a new one on the dealers floor. Then compare.

 

[pauly1]

Check that the panel is nested into the notch/catch features on the Fuel Tank cover (long one down the center of the Spyder, in front of the seat). I just reassembled a '23 F3-L after full body paint and had similar issues. Fiddled with the fit, checked the "nesting", getting it as good as I could. It still looked crappy and had a small gap, but after a day or so, everything improved. Also, temperature change and normal movement of the plastic used in the panels affect the imperfection of the alignment. In my experience, the older models (2015 - 2018) had better alignment and fit.

 

[mmassow]

I made it a little better. I checked the fitment to the center piece on the tank. I held the side panel in place while the wifey tightened the two screws by the seat, then the others. It was probably a little misaligned from the factory, and I never noticed.