Ducati Monster Forum

I don't know what they used to put the stupid mirrors on my S2R, but I am having a hell of time removing the right mirror.  The left came off pretty good but was VERY tight.  I was fighting with the right and was worried about breaking or bending something.  I always seem to break bolts off or pop a bolt through by over-tightening.  I was trying everything to get an angle that works and the wrench slipped and there you have it.  A nice big chunk of paint from the top of my tank!  I can't freaking believe it.  This is the one thing I own with a motor on it I haven't crashed, banged up, and I've really tried to take care of. 

Now I'm stuck with two problems:

1)  How in the @#$% do I get that friggin mirror off without bending the bar or mount off?  .

2)  How do I repair the ding in my tank without it looking like shite!  It's not HUGE, but it is the size of a pea with a little scuff in front.  It's right down to the white fiber.  [bang] [bang] [bang]

You do realize that the right mirrors threads are backwards right ;D

+1..mirror is reverse threaded.

Ummm..... Huh??  #$%^  I'm doing it counter-clockwise.  No??   ???

OMG.  You mean because of the wind??

 [thumbsup]

More likely that it break loose if you made contact with something, as opposed to steering the bike for you. Sorry you found out the really hard way.

Okay.  Got it off.  Thanks.  Reversing the bracket worked for the left side, but not for the right as the wiring is too tight to the bar.  Plus I need to close up the hole so the threads don't rust out.  Ideas?

How about problem number two??

I can just see it now....  From that one chip the clear coat and then paint is going to start flaking away rapidly until my whole tank looks like crap.  Definitely no more pressure washing this puppy - even gently.  How do I minimize the damage without it looking worse?  I suck!!!!!!!  [bang] [bang] [bang]

An already overly expensive mod for mirrors just got even moreso......sigh....

I have read that you can just get some plastic caps at Home Depot to do the trick or even a shallow bolt to screw in. They are just scew holes you could get creative ;D  Use it as a mount point for a radar detector or GPS [thumbsup] you could fab up a camera mount, possibilities are endless!!

cheap and easy fix for the mirror mounts...........undo the bolts that hold the halves on, turn them upside down and then put the bolts in and tighten them up.
As for the tank fix ....maybe a decal ?

Thanks.  Yeah I did the left, but the right won't work.  Wiring comes out too tight to the bar and the female spigot for the mirror won't go.  Will to find a plug.  No decals for this guy.  It's on the top of the tank just ahead and to the right of the Gas cap.

Go see your friendly neighborhood painter, see if they can touch it up, or spot it.

Touchup paint????

Are there painters who specialize in Ducs?  Perhaps a Duc ... Painter?  ???

Adam

always, always, always throw a towel, old t-shirt or something over the tank when working on yer bike.  make it part of the ritual of assembling parts, tools, beers, etc.  it's a lesson learned one way or another.  I learned mine on a dirt bike years ago but fortunately didn't care too much as the thing got beat to hell anyway.

thats always good advice about the towel over the tank..............does it work too if you out riding and you crash ? [laugh]

for that, you'll need shag carpet on the tank  ;)

It would give you something to mop up the tears I suppose.  Or maybe use it to 'towel snap' whoever caused the crash (assuming it wasn't yourself).   [cheeky]

i found out the hard way too.
threaded backwards... i didn't ding my tank though, just wasted about an hour of my life and got really pissed off.

Being a clutz, I learned a long time ago to through something thickly soft on there.  Somewhere along the path I found a really nice old-fashioned quilted furniture pad.  Also, if it's going to be something involved, I've found it's easier to remove the tank and get it out of harm's way.  Makes access to a lot of things easier as well.

home depot or any hardwar store get plastic plug caps in the hardware section they cost about 25 cents each and come in black or white, i suggest going with the black i believe its size 3/16 inch but could be wrong.  they aren't water proof just make things look nice.

if you're going to be playing home mechanic- which is not a bad thing at all- you need to get a torque wrench.  Invest in one they are not even that expensive and you need one to do many of the simple maintenance ops you might want to do, as well as keeping things tightened to spec.  Northern tool sells a variety including their own "generic" models which I have two of and they work just dandy  [thumbsup]

Don't use a pressure washer to clean your bike.

Just an idea but if you want you could put a little Italian flag decal or other decal on the scratched area...pretty cheap fix.  Don't worry you'll get over it.  Getting a scratch on the bike is like getting punched in the face.  I mean I'd rather get punched in the face.

TIP:  If you are unscrewing the upper bolts for the horizontal belt cover your frame up if you are using those L shaped Allen wrenches or just use the ones with the T handle bar...ask me how I know.  [bang]

Auto Zone has the little black plastic caps that have the ridges so they don't come back out on you.  They plastic retainers or something.  I just put some high temp grease in the threads in case water got in there....but it is stored inside and never gets wet..unless by accident.

Sounds like you need to go to Deal's Gap and get a dragon decal.  Would look cool.

If one decal looks odd, buy 2 and even out the tank. 

Get a custom painter to cover the chip with a tattoo like freehand custom artwork.  Initials?  Flag? heart with someone's name?  tasmanian devil?  What is it that would reflect something in your personality?   

You get the idea....

post pics of what you end up doing to solve the paint chip problem.