Someone had posted a similar how-to on the old forum. I just got around to doing it myself and I took pics so I thought I'd let all the new owners know about this fix. I'm sure most of you have heard some bothersome noises at 3-4K rpm. If you can get rid of this one, I think you'll enjoy your riding a lot more. Perhaps more importantly, it should eliminite scratches on the edges of your tail fairings (if you ride with the seat cowl on). This was supposed to have been fixed on the G-2s but I think it was only improved, not fixed.
The problem is that the seat cowl has 4 brackets which attach the cowl to the tail via 4 screws under the seat. The brackets cause scratches when they vibrate and they make that annoying rattle noise back there. The edges of the seat cowl also make contact with the tail fairings in one place on either side and this causes noise and scratching as well.
Here is the most noticeable scratch. It seemed to happen mostly on the left tail fairing on my bike. There are two other spots on each side where the seat cowl seems to vibrate against the tail cowl and leave pitting. 
STEP 1: Rub out scratches with a very mild abrasive polishing compound like 'Honda Polish.' I like ICE Liquid Claybar but I never seem to see that stuff anymore.
Here is where the seat cowl makes contact with the tail cowl. I have marked the places under the seat with red circles on one side. The center contact area is actually on the edge of the seat cowl, not the seat strap that bolts on under the seat. The strap attachment area is exactly where this edge contacts the tail fairing, however.
STEP 2: This picture shows where I applied self-adhesive, vinyl bumpers (Home Depot, cabinetry dept., $1.45) and foam weather stripping. 
I also found some scratches on the lower part of the gas tank that evidently were caused by staples that attach the upholstery under the seat. 
STEP 3: All I did was cut some 1/4" strips of weather stripping foam and stuck them to the lower tank where the seat mates up to it. 
The seat cowl rubs also rubs the triangle tail piece and the triangle tail piece rubs the side tail pieces. I don't know if there's much that can be done about this. I haven't tried putting bumpers in these areas. 
I went for a ride and held it at 3.5K, the strongest vib rpm, several times and the rattle is gone. I rode a bumpy road and the tail was perfectly quiet again. It works!
The only problem is that you can see the bumpers under the cowl if you look close and they will be plainly visible if you ride without the cowl. I suppose they could be spray painted to match your bike color before putting them on and that would help disguise them a lot.
UPDATE
I have remedied this problem for the past 2 seasons but the rubber bumpers do not stay stuck in place. The adhesive softens the the bumpers slide around. Instead of relying on the adhesive on the dots, it would probably be better use RTV which would resist heat and remove easily. I just use small chunks of 1/4" foam weather stripping on the three contact points. The weatherstripping could be placed under the seat cowl brackets instead of on the tail fairings so that it would not be visible when the seat got removed. Even the vinyl stripping will get squeezed out of place but it stays for a couple months, at least. It is easy to clean up with denatured alchoho and replace with new foam. Instead of relying on the adhesive on the bumpers, it would probably be better use RTV which would resist heat and still removes easily.
Also, A Saddleman seat will take car of this problem all by itself. The passenger seat area has too much padding and it holds the seat cowl up higher. The seat cowl will fit closer over time but it seems to be keeping the seat cowl from rattling around on the fairings. You might try trowing a piece of memory foam on top of the passenger seat to get the same effect.
* Last updated by: Rook on 5/27/2018 @ 6:32 PM *
