Fairings have shrunk!

[rf9rider]

Getting number 1 Steamer ready to sell, so got all the best fairing panels together to fit, all going well until i tried to fit both front side panels, they must have shrunk as the mounting holes to tank don`t line up!
All the panels and tank were taken off Steamer 2, so they did fit at one time.
I`m going to bring them in the house in the warm to see if that makes any difference, any other tips greatly received!  :lol:

[Mustang]

and even in the heat a lot of times once they have been left off the bike for a period of time they have shrunk permanently and I have seen panels that have shrunken even when still on the bike , one of my steamers last year both side fairings shrunk while on the bike , and it lives in a heated garage .

sometimes you just have to suck it up and open up the holes . cuz they wont set flat to the tank otherwise .

the nylon that the panels are made from shrink a minute amount all the time , not so noticeable at first but here we are 17 years from new and they have shrunken considerably .

you can try starting at the front and only install the bolts a turn or two and work your way to the rear , once they are all in ....tighten them all

good luck

[rf9rider]

Will see if some heat helps first.
One of the panels has shrunk so much, it won`t fit around the front curve of the tank.
Then i guess it`s out with the dremmel

[rf9rider]

Well, i had the side panels inside for a warm up, not much difference.
Had to enlarge a couple of holes, all fitted now.
Just got to sort out the front mud guard then it`s up for sale  :(

[97tiger885]

Getting number 1 Steamer ready to sell, so got all the best fairing panels together to fit, all going well until i tried to fit both front side panels, they must have shrunk as the mounting holes to tank don`t line up!
All the panels and tank were taken off Steamer 2, so they did fit at one time.
I`m going to bring them in the house in the warm to see if that makes any difference, any other tips greatly received!  :lol:

Mine have shrunk as well.  What I did was buy stainless steel allen key fasteners w/o the shoulder from the local hardware store.  The only trick was that the holes for the fairings were larger than the head of the new bolts.  I remedied this by using large rubber washers between the fastener and the fairing.  I still have to be careful about the order in which I install the fasteners but they do go on with a small bit of effort.   I have ridden several thousand miles w/o trouble with these.  Eventually, I may enlarge the holes in the fairings.

[Earthscape]

Little late, but...

If you think your panels have shrunk because they don't seem to fit on the tank any more, try this.

Empty your gas tank to completely dry, and let it sit for at least several days.  There must be absolutely no gas left in it - completely dry.  Make sure you leave the cap open while it sits. Even better, put a fan directed into the tank to air it out.  Then put the panels back on, and you may find that magically the panels have gotten bigger.  
:o
I've done this and it works, mulitple times - from what I have found, it's the gas tank swelling and not the panels shrinking that cause the problem.  The panels may indeed shrink a bit, but I'll bet the tank swells far more.  In fact, I can tell you absolutely for certain nylon tanks swell.  Every bike I have with a non-steel tank has a swelling issue.  I have an educated guess that it's due to ethanol in gas and it's effect on infusing water into the tank material, causing it to swell.  It may not be ethanol alone, perhaps in other parts of the world there are different additives that cause a similar reaction.  Allow it to dry out completely, and it returns mostly to its original size.  It's hard to prove, but I have accurately measured that my KTM 640 Adventure gas tank (nylon, just like the Tiger), has gained 0.2 gallons of volume.  My KTM 950 also does this, making the tanks very difficult to remount.  If you want to check your Tiger tank, look very, very closely at the clearcoat around the decals.  Run your fingernail gently across the leading edges of the decals to detect breaks in the clearcoat where it was stretched and broke.  I was able to find this on my tank, and in addition to the panels fitting after drying the tank, I found the clearcoat break around the decals had closed up significantly.  I have also been trying fuel additives to try and reverse the effects of the ethanol absorbing water and making the tank material swell.  It seems to help, but doesn't stop it.  I've been trying products intended for boats, since ethanol is causing lots of issues there too.  If you have access to it, try filling up with non-ethanol gas.  I don't have any available to me, so I have no option there.
I can't even begin to describe how much I hate ethanol.

[MarkShelley]

The BMW R1100RT models have plastic tanks and suffer the same problem. On my old one the holes missed by several mm!

[rf9rider]

My tank was empty and dry for a couple of months.

All fits up now.

[Earthscape]

Good to hear.  Makes me wonder if the new 800 and 1200 Tigers will have the same issue, or if they have adjusted the tank material to resist whatever is making them swell.

[Nick Calne]

My solution to this problem in the past has been to put all the shrunk panels in the car on a sunny day so they expand then try refitting them.  Kinda works.  Still some wrestling involved.

[ChazzyB]

I have an educated guess that it's due to ethanol in gas and it's effect on infusing water into the tank material, causing it to swell.

The finger has been pointed at this elsewhere. I believe Ducati have a class action at them in the US over plastic tanks and ethanol in petrol/gas. I have a recollection the plastics manufacturer in common is Acerbis. I'm not saying it's an Acerbis problem, but plastic and water absorption by it due to ethanol.