Last night I added a Battery Tender pigtail to my bike. First time I've removed any bodywork.

Had little trouble getting the grill off, nor the battery cover, etc.

Trying to reinstall, and everything goes fine ... except I can't seem to get the grill's 2 'projections', as the manual calls them, to seat back into their holes. They're lined up for sure; I can reach around behind and feel that ... but I cannot get the projection to plug into its hole.

Any tricks? Lube?? (easy boys!) ... I tried pushing firmly with one hand on the backside ... and even gave it a 'pop', but nothing.

Help!

A dab of Silkolene on the projections and the receiving grommets will make removal and installation much easier.

Also make sure the rubber receiving grommet isn't stuck on the tab instead of seated in its hole where it belongs!

Hadn't heard of Silkolene, TB; had to Google it. Do you mean just motor oil? ... or do you mean something else they make?

Maybe he meant Silicone. That aught help. Just rubber friendly lube is all it is. Beware of using on parts that fit tight. Most if not all silicone lubes cause rubber to swell just a wee bit (which is why it's used to seal orings in some applications).

Lil bit of grease, vaseline, make sure the o-rings are actually still seated in the holes and not around the male end cause that won't work. Put your finger where one is an leave it there as you put it in place, then put pressure right where your finger is .... should slide right in there.

OK, thanks guys Will report back .. even though this is prob super elementary for y'all

Remember ... I'm the same guy who crushed his new Muzzy mid pipe flanges, not realizing I needed to re-use the OEM gasket

When I took mine out the first time they did not want to seat going back in, tried a couple of times and was just not right. I pulled them back off and looked and the grommet had gotten deformed. I pulled it out and straightened it all out and this time put some wd40 on the projection. Things all slid together nicely that time. This is not the simpliest of plastics to remove and reinstall on these things.

When I took mine out the first time they did not want to seat going back in, tried a couple of times and was just not right. I pulled them back off and looked and the grommet had gotten deformed. I pulled it out and straightened it all out and this time put some wd40 on the projection. Things all slid together nicely that time.

OK, great, thanks ... glad I'm not the only one have a kinda hard time

This is not the simpliest of plastics to remove and reinstall on these things.

Could not agree more! Seems excessively complicated, but maybe that's to generate some work for Kawi mechanics, I dunno. And ... I might glad these things don't come off so easy at 180+

Got it guys, thanks!

First, I compromised and went with soapy water

... and ... turns out I hadn't noticed that the lower hole's grommet had come out of its home and was lodged on the projection itself (facepalm). Took it off and inserted it back into its hole, soaped up both grommets and projections, and wah-lah, she popped right back together. All good now, and with a Battery Tender, too.

Thanks again y'all!

"This is not the simpliest of plastics to remove and reinstall on these things"..LOL!.Aw...once ya take stuff off and reinstall...it's a piece o'cake...everything fits really well...just gotta make sure yer not forcing anything too much.I'll take this bodywork over my 07 any day.

What grn says. Bikes body work are engineered to specific tolerances. Regarding body work, if it's not lining up, or holes, or fitting correctly, it's because it's not being installed correctly. If you're putting more than about 5 lbs of pressure it means you're not understanding how a part is attached to the bike especially during removal.

After tearing my bikes body work down to the gas tank and upper fairing, in some ways I can understand why people posts they broke some tabs and stuff, but then in some ways I still can't. The key is to remember it's a motorcycle, and the body work is plastic, and if you're forcing something you're doing it wrong.

I followed the service manual for dissasembly. It's rarely explicit exactly what to do, mostly showing where screws and fittings are but not really how to remove parts. I think there was one place it forgot a screw.

But that's where experience with how sportbikes are put together (amazing how little's changed in 15-20 years) came in and was able to figure out how to get it apart without breaking things. It took some time to get it apart and I took breaks if I got frustrated. It was apart ~ a month, but I got it back together mostly from memory in probably 2-3 hours. It would've went a little faster but I forgot the order of assembly a couple times.

Lot of fun to work on!

If you're putting more than about 5 lbs of pressure it means you're not understanding how a part is attached to the bike especially during removal.

... or the projections and/or grommets have become dry ... and may even be a little stuck to each other.

... or a grommet has come out of its hole and needs to be re-seated.

I will say, now that I'm familiar with the grills' removal, I'm really thinking about buying the '14 OEM matte black bike's red grills ... could easily swap them out. Cost is the deterrent, ~$315 at Honda East Toledo. Partzilla doesn't have 2014 parts posted yet for the ZX14R.

* Last updated by: extrapolator on 12/12/2014 @ 8:01 AM *

Sorry don't know how to copy the web address into here, but There is a really good you tube video on Brock's site on how to remove the fairings on a ZX14r Step for step makes it super easy.

Yep...that is a good vid.Watched it before myself.Course...I've had all my plastics off already several times...so it not guesswork anymore.Gotta watch them tabs...especially that Tank cover/midfairing projection...where it attaches to the subframe area.EASY to snap that grommet tab if it aint lined up and you start pushing in on it.And those two L shaped tabs on the front of the midfairing...One other place...on the INSIDE where the ram ducts go into the motor...right in there on the midfairing,there's two tabs that sit into two cutaways in the black plastic piece right there.If you don't get those sitting in there...the fairing will NOT snug up as it's supposed to...almost unnoticeable...but it will stress the inner plastics along there...possibly cracking the midfairng after a while of heat and cold cycles.You have to have the upper inner fairing off to see em.I don't think any of the 'how-to' vids have ever shown that...those tabs WILL snap off...I know that much.And the seam will NOT be closed in there.Will also make sliding that midfairing into the hooks and keepers much harder.

Prob this one:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Iw8JSVZ-H0

* Last updated by: extrapolator on 12/12/2014 @ 9:56 AM *

No, I meant Silkolene. It's a high grade grease that's fantastic for axles, bearings, etc. It also works very well on those rubber grommets to keep them from popping off with the male posts.

* Last updated by: TRAILBOSS on 12/12/2014 @ 9:52 PM *

Hey Extrapolator,
That,s actually were I bought my bike. Nice people and the best prices (on the whole 14r) from Erie to Cinci.

That red on the white does look sharp.

PS. I had issues with my right side plastics too. Like others mentioned, deformed washer, and ever lost one... that was 2 trips to the shop and like $12 LOL. Oh well, I was WAY more careful after that ;)