I know this is totally my fault. there was a thread on vibration and hand tingling where it was suggested to make sure and check your fairing bolts, well I never did.

Last saturday a buddy of mine drove my 14r and today he traded his V-rod for one of his own. We rode over to another friends house and the 3 of us went for a ride. Going down a very bumpy road I noticed my fairing was noticably flipping upward on every hard jolt. A minute or so later I couldn't see out of my mirrors as they were pointing skyward. Only funny part of any of this was our buddy joked at a stop sign that this road will surely show you if you have any loose bolts. I told him I think I have a problem, we pulled into a parking lot and this is what we found:

This bolt coming out literally let the upper fairing fall down and over the middle fairing. I'm hoping when I pull the upper fairing back up the middle fairing isn't scratched to heck.

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I have not taken the time to check to see if anything is broken. all I do know for sure is that the front of the upper fairing is hanging over the mid fairing, not much 1/8-3/16". shifted enough that the mirror were pointing high enough they weren't useable. I do also remember the mirror mounting screws were visible between the upper fairing and the inner fairing trim pieces.

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You have some pics there of the missing bolt....how about some pics of that fallen upper fairing...that's what I'd like to see...never heard of that before.

Grn, just yesterday I mentioned this problem to you, HERE.

Kofla

NINJA ZX-14 MotoVlog

How about a picture...this sounds really bad.

How about a picture...this sounds really bad.

since you sound a touch skeptical I have an idea. take the bolt out of yours and drive down the roughest stretch of road you can find, unless you like in Michigan it isn't going to be rough enough. Watch what happens and report back, heck you can even take a picture of yours then for all to see.

I'm not sure what you want a picture of, as I said the front didn't fall that much but it was enough to throw everthing off.

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I really meant this as a service announcement, not something to turn into a pissing match. I took some pictures of everything out of alignment but the sun was washing most of the detail out so I'll try again later. By looking at parts schematics it really doesn't look like 1 bolt coming out of this location should cause that much of a problem but unless I have something else loose it did.

Would like to realign everything myself but after looking at the service manual I think i will go ahead and let the dealer look at it under warranty. Sad thing is after they do i'll probably still have to do it myself to line things up like I want them.

These are the best of the lousy pictures I took.

this one is supposed to show the inner covers no longer come close to the upper fairing.

This one is showing the now big gap on the right side. What didn't come out good was the pic showing the nice smooth even gap on the left but the right isn't lined up anywhere now.

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Okay...no prob.Sorry I asked these questions.Hope you get er fixed okay.They could have done better with those bracket bolts though....mine were slightly loose as well.First gen....gotta expect a few things I guess.

I don't think your pics are lousy. I can see the details described in your text.

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Okay...no prob.Sorry I asked these questions.Hope you get er fixed okay.They could have done better with those bracket bolts though....mine were slightly loose as well.First gen....gotta expect a few things I guess.

I really don't mind answering question, especially if it will help another since that is what we should be here for, helping each other out. I'm new here so please forgive me if this is too offensive but as a 50 year old husband, father and employed I don't have time when appears someone is just trying to provoke. You guys grn14/blue07 and gixxerjohn/zx14racer/ninjawarrior/goldwinman are hard to figure out. is this a real question or just trolling to start hate and discontent? I really do not know and I just don't have the time to figure it out.

Bike is now at dealership. mine is the 3rd one they know this has happened to and there is another sitting there with mine for the same issue. I agree with you with all the screws, tabs and protursions, what I'm saying happened doesn't seem possible. All I KNOW for sure is I CANNOT adjust my mirrors down far enough to be useable now. As I rode it to the dealership the fairing is noticeably bouncing up and down. Also noticed the back screws on both of the covers that are over the ram air tubes will not stay screwed in, it is as if the well nuts (or whatever they screw into) are gone. You say my 2 pictures don't look that bag, we are each allowed our own opinion and photos can be misleading. One thing is for sure and anybody that knows me will back me up on this, if it looked like that when I went to pick it up it would't have been bought by me.

I'm done with this. Anybody that has a 2012 14r do yourself a favor and loctite the screws or buy some lock nuts.

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I really meant this as a service announcement, ...

Thanks very much for the heads-up.

I had the same issue with the fairing bolts. I live at the end of 1/2 mile of dirt road, washboard, gravel, sand and rock. I get a mile's worth of motocross everyday I go out to work or play. (Aside: This cycle dont much like the abuse. It wants pavement, pretty much).

I had the dealer do the repairs after I noticed the whole front end flopping around. Both bolts were loose, and some of the fairing fasteners were getting ready to disappear, too.

They loctite-ed everything that was loose. No problems since.

* Last updated by: mebgardner on 8/3/2012 @ 5:32 PM *

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I meant the quality of your pics were sufficient to bolster the text of your observations. My apologies if you thought I was being critical of the gravity of your complaint.

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I meant the quality of your pics were sufficient to bolster the text of your observations. My apologies if you thought I was being critical of the gravity of your complaint.

Hagrid I understood your first post and thank you for it, and the 2nd one. I was typing my reply when yours posted earlier.

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Hmmm, I see a few posts have been deleted????? If this helps just one member then the post was worth it, whatever transpired in the middle.

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These got deleted but I thought they helped with the context of a few of my replies. Grn14 I was (am) not offended, just confused with the attitude.

Conference: ZX-14 Conference
Forum: ZX-14 Maintenance
Thread: Make sure you check these
User: Grn14
Message:
This bike is like a puzzle...kinda.Stuff will go together....BUT....to get it to
look aesthetic...you need to do a bit of personal orientations sometimes.That
gap in your side cover...I had one similar...very similar.But once I loosened
stuff up a bit,then took it from the bottom up tightening...and holding certain
things where I wanted them to be...then tightened,it came out much 'nicer'
looking.These fairings will shift over time....because of the expansion and
contraction of the parts and heat.I'm just anal I guess about seams and stuff.I
don't like the look of my bike not looking solid.I hate gaps when they can be
corrected.I had to push down on the side of the tank cover,and up on the side
cover at the same time to get it to become smooth there...it isn't perfect...but
it looks a lot better once I did that.That gap under your ram cover there...that
tells me your story is straight...not that it matters whether I think so or
not.That rear screw should be securing that end piece flush...in your pic...it
isn't...probably because the well nut got yanked up and out of that hole.It
could happen if the force was right on the cowl and all.OR if that tab holding
it got broken off under there.I can't imagine the cowl falling below the
midfairing edge...but I guess yours somehow did.Sorry again if I offended
you...I didn't mean to....

Conference: ZX-14 Conference
Forum: ZX-14 Maintenance
Thread: Make sure you check these
User: Grn14
Message:
Most likely I don't belong here anymore....time to call it quits I think.I'm
just too skeptical about things...I am...I didn't used to be this way...but I've
become this way over the last 6 months.Ever since I got my new bike it seems.All
that got so tweaked...it kinda jaded my attitude about here.I've never really
gotten over it.Well...anyway...you take care and I hope you get your bike back
soon...and fully restored.

Conference: ZX-14 Conference
Forum: ZX-14 Maintenance
Thread: Make sure you check these
User: Grn14
Message:
Well...guess that covers it then...several reports of frontends coming loose and
flopping around...I stand corrected....

Just me but I think you should have left that last one in.

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Okay...then WHY repost the others?And who in the world has a desire to copy posts from others...and repost em when they don't think they should be there in the first place,and were in fact...removed?Whatever.The ONLY one that 'fits' with your situation...is me admitting I'm wrong.The rest...should have remained gone...thanks.

Out of respect....please don't repost what I decide I do not want to read.I don't want to read it....no one else does either.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 8/3/2012 @ 9:45 PM *

Okay...then WHY repost the others?And who in the world has a desire to copy posts from others...and repost em when they don't think they should be there in the first place,and were in fact...removed?Whatever.The ONLY one that 'fits' with your situation...is me admitting I'm wrong.The rest...should have remained gone...thanks.

Out of respect....please don't repost what I decide I do not want to read.I don't want to read it....no one else does either.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 8/3/2012 @ 9:45 PM *

I reposted those because I thought it added clarity and it is my thread. Those 3 posts took away some of the tone of you acting like an ass. It also sounded like at least one member was confused by my reply with your post gone. This one in the 1st deleted post also seems to "fit"

That gap under your ram cover there...that
tells me your story is straight...not that it matters whether I think so or
not.That rear screw should be securing that end piece flush...in your pic...it
isn't...probably because the well nut got yanked up and out of that hole.

* Last updated by: toledoUPSguy on 8/3/2012 @ 10:06 PM *

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Feel better now...?"Those 3 posts took away some of the tone of you acting like an ass".Who's acting?Very important 'we' all see how Grn's being an ass....right?Right.I said that because I was trying to give you some leeway with your story.Personally...I don't believe it.But who cares?NOBODY....that's who cares.The bolt,yes...the fairing breaking free...no.I don't see how it could.That's just my observation.From looking at mine and having taken mine apart and putting it back together(a few times now for installing stuff).Shake without that bolt..yep...it could do that.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 8/4/2012 @ 12:05 AM *

Dealer was hoping to get my bike in for service today but they couldn't get it snuck in. Not wanting to leave it there getting wheeled in and out everyday while we are on vacation I brought it home and it will go back thursday. This going back and forth with Grn14/blue07 had me really scratching my head. Why the hostility? I really don't get it. I thought we are here to help each other out. The guys like smokinzx14, wheelie, rook, seno, shane61, bently freely share their very hard earned knowledge with the guys trying to learn like me. I want to publically thank them. I am not trying to leave anyone out, there are many others doing the same thing. I mentioned the ones I did because they have directly helped me. I am not sure why but here and bikeland there seem to be a few who thrive and take great joy in mucking things up. Why???????? What is there to gain from it????? I am very thick skinned and will let it roll off my back and keep searching for an answer. Others new here might not wade through the BS long enough and attempt the task at hand and break something, no good costs them extra money. Or, they may say screw it and take something to the stealership that with just a few straight answers or links could really help them out. result is again it costs them extra. Go to the husaberg forum or ktmtalk, the crap that goes on here and bikeland would not be tolerated. 1 warning and you are gone on the next incident.

I'm not sure why the hostility from Grn14 but after further investigating he is partially correct. I'm sure being the grown adult he is he could have found a way to point things out without being an ass. if one were to look at my 2nd post here (which is unedited) I said this:

the front of the upper fairing is hanging over the mid fairing, not much 1/8-3/16"

This is one of the pictures I took yesterday but my photo skills really stunk, didn't get the angle I thought I was getting.

What I wanted this picture to show was at the upper left, which would be the rear junction of the upper and middle fairing. They are flush, even, nice and smooth. as it goes forward (including around front and under which my sucky picture doesn't show) the upper and lower aren't flush and the upper is overlapping the mid fairing. I never noticed this before the bolt fell out and the fairing was bouncing around. Since I have one of those eyes that instantly and annoyingly spot anything just a little off and i never noticed it earlier I thought (assumed, yea I know, very bad) that this happened after the bolt fell out. After a lot of studying the service manual today I am thinking Grn14 is correct, the upper fairing cannot fall over the mid fairing unless a bunch of stuff is broke. I also thought using basic geometry that since the mirrors were point way high the the front had fallen. Even though I had my mirror pivots very tight it appears they rotated forward with the bouncing around that was going on. different cause but same result, mirrors point very high.

I don't mind admitting I was wrong on this issue, it is what adults do. None of that changes the fact that bolts are falling out and are causing the fairing to shake and bounce around. Don't miss the waring signs, a vibration in the grips and the front end clunking when going over bumps. Just so everyong knows the other 14r at the dealership that is there for the very same problem actually has some broken plastic.

Grn14, how about trying to not act like an ass all the time. You may actually be able to help someone else with the answer they need if you just quit turning them off with your attitude.

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"After a lot of studying the service manual today I am thinking Grn14 is correct, the upper fairing cannot fall over the mid fairing unless a bunch of stuff is broke"...and I'm being an ass for trying to get you to come to this conclusion which you can clearly see just by looking?I didn't have to 'read it in the service manual' to understand the design of this deal. No offense....but did I call it right,or not?Helping someone isn't always as it appears.EVERYONE following this thread just got a lesson in one thing at least.

I have two missing fairing screws that seemed to have worked their way out to the highway. Both of them looked just fine, and I had tightened all of them before I left the dealership. My guess is that with all of the shaking from the missing fairing stay bolts, they were loosened up enough to fall out? They were not sticking up at all, looked as tight as the day I picked it up at the dealership. This goes to show you that they need to be checked. Those two fairing bolts are my fault...so the cowl has two less bolts for now. Rechecking the entire bike before I ride it again---and going to stop being lazy about checking them.
Anyone ever try a small piece of teflon tap on the fairing screws? I'm not sure this would help, might make it a pain in the ass with those brass/rubber grommets on the backside. Just a thought.

I was out of line with my responses to Toledo...sorry...it won't happen again.I don't know what the hell got into me at that time...ugly.

I wouldn't advise using any tape on the screws.The well nut housing should squeeze enough against the tabs to secure the screw in there.You are using plastic washers on those,right?Under the screw?

"aren't flush and the upper is overlapping the mid fairing"...the midfairing needs to be pushed forward a tad more.Those keeper screws need to be loosened,then readjust your midfairing all the way up(forward)...and retighten those screws..(in the upper seam of the midfairing...where the ram covers go).Your side cover needs to be loosened,and pushed up against that seam,then retighten the large bolts.That should minimize any gap.It won't go away completely...but it will tighten up some.(I know...off subject a bit).

RE: Make sure you check these
10/11/12 10:34 AM

I was out of line with my responses to Toledo...sorry...it won't happen again.I don't know what the hell got into me at that time...ugly.

it's all cool on my end, you were trying to help.

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I wasn't actually helping you...I was putting you on trial...sorry man...hope it came together for ya and everything's doing okay now.