[Jon A]

HI. I have a 2014 GS LC that I bought used. The bike is in great shape and runs well. I have one problem, the center decorative piece that goes around the gas tank fill neck and runs down the entire length of the gas tank will not lay flat on both sides of the gas tank. The rubber fittings under the trim piece are in correctly. I have about a 1/4 inch space on both sides. I have reseated the trim piece 4 times and it always does the same thing. Has anyone seen this before and if you have do you have any idea as to how to correct this problem?

Same issue on the right side of my 2017 R1200GS. Tried all the reinstallation of panels in sequence to no avail. Not a big deal, and not very noticeable fortunately.

 

[Slow24]

The gap always seems to be bigger on the right side for some reason.

 

[Motormike]

To the OP...yeah it bugged me, too, at first on my '15 GS LC. When I went to change the air filter and put things back together, no matter WHAT I did, I couldn't make that gap go away. Didn't want to get heavy-handed and break a tab or two, so thought I'd just have to put up with it. But, being slightly anal like I am, it bugged me enough to seek a solution.

So, I went here... McMaster-Carr. Got about 10' of part #9141K168 adhesive-backed weather seal. It's something like .125" H x .125" W; $2.38/ft. so not quite 24 bucks for the roll. It comes in black or gray.

As you you can see by the attached photos, a fairly decent fix to the problem!

Cheers,

M'cai
Bend, Oregon USA

M'cai, could you show us a picture with the panel off sometime (don't take the bike apart just for this) so we can see where and how you have applied the trim?

 

[M'cai]

M'cai, could you show us a picture with the panel off sometime (don't take the bike apart just for this) so we can see where and how you have applied the trim?

Sure, Mike...might be a bit before I take that panel off for an air filter change, though...

It was actually pretty simple...when you take the top panel off, there's usually a faint "suntan" line on the underlying surface that you can follow to install the trim. The trim has adhesive on the bottom side so it's fairly forgiving if you need to adjust it. Once it's lined up, press hard to set the adhesive and then the weight/fit of the panel itself does a pretty good job of securing things in place. I just did the sides and not the top and bottom edges because, well, you can't see them anyway.

I've had no issues with the trim "worming" out of position. Being only 1/8" wide, it's a little squirmy when you're installing it, though.

Cheers,
M'cai

 

[Toter]

To the OP...yeah it bugged me, too, at first on my '15 GS LC. When I went to change the air filter and put things back together, no matter WHAT I did, I couldn't make that gap go away. Didn't want to get heavy-handed and break a tab or two, so thought I'd just have to put up with it. But, being slightly anal like I am, it bugged me enough to seek a solution.

So, I went here... McMaster-Carr. Got about 10' of part #9141K168 adhesive-backed weather seal. It's something like .125" H x .125" W; $2.38/ft. so not quite 24 bucks for the roll. It comes in black or gray.

As you you can see by the attached photos, a fairly decent fix to the problem!

Cheers,

M'cai
Bend, Oregon USA

View attachment 28816 View attachment 28813

M'cai,
Thanks for the information. My 2014 did this as well. Have learned over the years not to try to force plastics to fit. Usually doesnt end well, and gets expensive. I ordered the gray stripping from McMaster Carr. I think it is an excellent solution to a strictly appearance annoyance. I actually like the accent line. 30 minute job, as I am slow when applying stuff with 3M adhesive built in. I should have gotten a larger quantity and did the panels on the sides as well. None of them are a tight precision fit like my FJR.

10A400

 

[M'cai]

Toter...yeah, I considered doing the side panel gaps as well, but with those coming off (for various reasons) more often than that top panel, didn't seem worth it.

That and the fact that there's probably a bit more "flex" in those side panel areas from doing off-road hijinks...I can see the trim not staying in place there for any length of time...

 

[JW1]

It looks nice. I just decided to live with it since I can’t really do anything to fix it (Even though I really wish it was right,...it bugs me to look at it).

 

[MiMastah]

.. unless it's just the lighting and photography.. it actually looks sharp. Would be funny if BMW incorporates a version of such trim.