850 MK2 Roadster battery side panel fit

Some thing that's bugged me since I bought this bike new is that the forward lower part of the battery side panel fouls the frame tube.

I've tried bending the top bracket which connects to the dzus fastener on the frame and also packing the mounting studs (which the cover slides onto) with washers, but can't seem to get enough clearance between the forward frame tube and the front lower part of the side panel.

My panel has a tool box fitted and it's the where the front lower part of the tool box is joined to the side panel that causes a slot to wear in the frame tube.

My temp fix has been to attach a strip of inner tube rubber with some PVC tape at the point of contact.

Does anyone know of a proper fix for this problem :?:

It's hard to analyze without actually seeing it, but it would seem that bending back the lower mounting point (on the battery box) and careful adjustment of the front arm (with the Dzus spring) should work. It is only supported in three places.

I think that this is a pretty standard problem on non black box steel Roadster side panels. The Mk11A has a Dzus at the lower corner but the others have two pins and this results in the back edge of the cover acting like a spring and pushing the whole assembly forward.

I have a suspicion that covers which are not tight enough to rub fall off which is why battery covers are so much harder to find than the oil tank side.

Sorry this is no real help. I think that you just have to ease and twist things until you find your own best compromise.

Mk111s have a tab welded on the lower edge of the cover and no longer had the lower rear pin. They seem to be less prone to the problem so that might be an answer in the long term.

Thanks for your input.

I've had more time to fiddle around with the cover and reckon a proper fix would be to lengthen the bracket that locates onto the dzus fastener.

When I slide the cover fully onto the two locating pins and hold it in position so that it clears the frame tube, the dzus fastener is half a hole too high and won't line up with the bracket.

If I bend the bracket up slightly and connect the dzus fastener the cover moves down and fouls the frame. If I bend the bracket down slightly then the bracket becomes even shorter.

Around 3mm clearance is all that's required between the frame and the lip on the side panel where it fouls the frame.
Rather than cut and weld a section into the bracket and risk messing up the paint work I think I'll try and carefully file 3mm from the side panel lip.

79x100 I take your point about panels that don't rub on the frame are more likely to fall off, so maybe I need to devise an extra fixing as well.

Just for the records, I filed away part of the side panel lip that was rubbing on the frame.
It did not help, the panel seems to settle back to rubbing on the frame.

Probably the fact that the dzus fastener is also a sloppy fit in the frame compounds the problem.

As an alternative to welding a longer bracket on I might consider cutting the side panel dzus bracket halfway along and bolting up a slotted bracket to the end of each part so I can adjust the length and get the panel fitting properly.

All this is part of my winter project to try and eliminate rattles. Will it ever end

A bit of Velcro wouldn't help you at the contact point would it?

Hi Cookie,

I have a thin strip of inner tube attached to the frame tube with pvc tape to prevent the panel from wearing the frame tube.

But I just fancied trying to get the panel fitting properly if possible.

I've since noticed the oil tank rattling around and noticed the lower mounting loose. The bolt which fits in the bottom of the oil tank passes through a spacer and a rubber gromet. The upper part of the gromet had worn away causing the oil tank to rattle on the frame.
Was a bit of a challenge trying to undo that bolt!

Oil tanks are a famous Commando problem aren't they? I finally solved mine by having a friend in a fire engine building shop make me one of fairly thick aluminum.
At least you are making progress!

Is it possible to extend the dutz fastener with a spacer so it projects further outward?

You can actually buy Dzus fasteners in several lengths and sizes.
We use many on our buses, trains, and support equipment.
Check on the web.

I don't think it's possible to extend the original dzus fastener, I did try adding a couple of washers between the dzus fastener and the panel bracket, but apart from making the fastener more tight to fasten it made little difference to the panel fit.

Trying to source a slightly longer dzus fastener is a good idea Cookie and worth a try, thanks.

Could have saved a lot of time and fiddling about!

The simple cure for this problem is to fit an Old Britts side panel bracket.

Just position the side panel making sure you have plently clearance from the forward frame tube, mark the hole positions and drill the side panel then fit the bracket