MKIII Head light trim ring installation help

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I'm done my MKIII build except I can't get the damn trim ring on. I had to stop trying last night or I swear my temper would have gotten the best of me and I would have gotten gorilla fisted on the thing and broken it.

I'm looking for any tips on installing the head light trim ring. Wiring is out of the way for the headlight and those little "W" clips are all there. I' thinking it may be easier with the headlight off the bike so I grip it better. I don't know.
 
It is probably a bit out of round, (probably the headlight shell) I usually squish them with a quick grip wood clamp until the ring pops in easily.

Jean
 
Coco said:
I'm done my MKIII build except I can't get the damn trim ring on. I had to stop trying last night or I swear my temper would have gotten the best of me and I would have gotten gorilla fisted on the thing and broken it.

I'm looking for any tips on installing the head light trim ring. Wiring is out of the way for the headlight and those little "W" clips are all there. I' thinking it may be easier with the headlight off the bike so I grip it better. I don't know.

Can you describe or post pics of exactly what isn't fitting? Did you try installing just the ring to see if it fit?
 
check to make sure your tab on the bottom isn't bent- might not be going in the slot right. Also if the top screw is too loose when you try to tighten it it will just swing to the side and not clamp the ring.
 
Everything fits fine but I'm having a hard time getting the ring to seat fully near the top of the light. I can almost get whole thing on but I have a centimeter or so to go at the top of the ring, where the threaded clip would catch and secure the trim ring.

I'll try removing the headlight tonight and seeing if that works any better for me to get a good grip on the bucket, so I can push the rest of the trim ring on and secure with the clip.

I thought about using a clamp but am worried about damaging something. All I need now is another two week wait for a trim ring in case I damage mine. I've had enough shitty luck with this bike so far.

Not sure why this is giving me trouble but the easy things usually do.
 
pelican said:
Know the feeling man, good luck

:mrgreen: Stumped by a damn trim ring!

The bottom little clip seems ok. Mine had a slight curve on the end, to kind of catch and swing the ring onto the shell.
 
Coco said:
I' thinking it may be easier with the headlight off the bike so I grip it better. I don't know.


I wouldn't have thought so, and it should only take a few seconds to fit?

First make sure the screw clip at the top of the shell is loosened far enough so it is slightly below the lip but still in its guide slot.

Then engage the tag at the bottom of the rim/ring with the slot in the shell, the rim should then push easily onto the lip of the shell and the retaining clip screw can be fully tightened to hold the rim in place.
 
L.A.B. said:
Coco said:
I' thinking it may be easier with the headlight off the bike so I grip it better. I don't know.


I wouldn't have thought so, and it should only take a few seconds to fit?

First make sure the screw clip at the top of the shell is loosened far enough so it is slightly below the lip but still in its guide slot.

Then engage the tag at the bottom of the rim/ring with the slot in the shell, the rim should then push easily onto the lip of the shell and the retaining clip screw can be fully tightened to hold the rim in place.

All I was doing was getting the tab in the slot at the bottom of the headlight and pushing like mad to get the ring and shell to mate so I could tighten the screw to the retaining clip. I can get the trim ring withing millimeters of it being on enough to secure the clip. The clip is sitting perfectly in the groove so it won't move about but I just can't push the trim ring on far enough to screw down that retaining clip.

I'll keep at it tonight after work.

I'll get the thing on.

Thanks L.A.B.
 
Coco said:
I'll keep at it tonight after work.

I'll get the thing on.


The two parts should fit together reasonably easily, so perhaps some further examination of the parts is necessary, to see why they won't fit together properly?
 
L.A.B. said:
Coco said:
I'll keep at it tonight after work.

I'll get the thing on.


The two parts should fit together reasonably easily, so perhaps some further examination of the parts is necessary, to see why they won't fit together properly?

I have quite a bit of wiring in the headlight shell and all the wiring is moved out of the way so the head light socket and refelctor fit in there. Maybe the wiring is interfering enough just to make it hard to press the rest of the trim ring home. That is why I thought of removing the whole assembly so I can press it together more firmly.

I did a test fit before the wiring was all in there and the ring went on easily enough (no W clips were used). I recall the light came apart rather easily as well.
 
you might want to check the bolt lengths also. When I changed my reflector out my headlight bolts were about 1/4" too long, and I could not fit the reflector in. Bought some new bolts and problem solved.
 
pelican said:
you might want to check the bolt lengths also. When I changed my reflector out my headlight bolts were about 1/4" too long, and I could not fit the reflector in. Bought some new bolts and problem solved.

Good idea and thanks for the suggestion. I'll see if I can see any marks on the backside of the reflector that would indicate it hitting the bolts. I'm not using factory ones and have some SS ones I got from Rocky Point. They could be slightly too long. I'll check after work.
 
Tried again and it still won't go on. I may have slightly bent the clip on the trim ring. Is that square-looking clip on the trim ring supposed to be slightly curved, to help lock it into the head light shell? Mine has an even, but slight curve. I think that curve is supposed to be there. At any rate, I still can't get the thing on. I didn't remove the whole light yet, but I did loosen the bolts incase they were too long and to also be able to move the light around a bit while trying to get everything on there.

last week the light was alomost together, then I popped it back out to move wiring in case that was what was preventing the light going into the shell. Now I can't even get the light to go partially in. Putting the engine in the bike was actually far easier than trying to get this trim ring and reflector in. Really.
 
1. To insure that the ring fits and isn't warped I'd install it w/o the glass.
2. If the ring goes on w/o the glass then something is hitting. Could the glass not fit the ring and is hitting the side?
 
swooshdave said:
1. To insure that the ring fits and isn't warped I'd install it w/o the glass.
2. If the ring goes on w/o the glass then something is hitting. Could the glass not fit the ring and is hitting the side?

I'll try that after work today. The shitty new reflector I bought from Rocky Point could be the culprit. Thing is I can't even get everything partially on now as I did before. I was %90 of the way there with the ring and reflector fitment and now I'm %0.
 
OK.......seems I had the clips in backwards. Once I flipped them, light went on in roughly 15 seconds. :oops:
 
L.A.B. said:
swooshdave said:
Coco said:
OK.......seems I had the clips in backwards. Once I flipped them, light went on in roughly 15 seconds. :oops:

The W clips?

Coco thought they were M clips? :wink:

:roll:

I just can't belive I wasted hours trying to get everything in there then realized I had them in backwards. I'm sure if you listened, you could hear the sound of me slapping myself in the forehead all the way over there in England.

Now my sprag went I think. Time to rip my freshly sealed (with RTV of course) primary open.
 
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