Grommets

[Dobieman]

OK so I am finishing the install on my R77 system (pics later) and the rubber grommet that fits in the hole of the right ram air tube and holds the pin on the right lower cowling is missing

I know its likely laying in the bottom of the ram air duct but I cant get it and dont feel like tearing the ram air tube out to find out. Its not in the air box cause I checked. The dealer doesn't have them in stock. Can you get this thing at Napa or somewhere?

Here is a pic I took a while back when I did my first oil change. That grommet was the hardest to figure out the first time around

 

[roadthing]

The exact same thing happened to me 2 weeks ago! It was a Saturday night, and I wanted to ride on Sunday morning. As that was the case, I wasn't about to do the same job twice just for a grommet. I work for an MRO sales company, and I would have had to wait 3 days, and buy 25 of them. I hate the company I work for, so I decided to try and get it out.

First, I tried a 14" flexible claw. No luck. Then I tried a wire coat hanger with some super tacky tape wadded up at the end. No luck. I tried to pry apart the ram air duct, and that didn't work either.

After an hour and a half of trying to fish it out, I bit the bullet and pulled off the upper fairing. Once that was off, I shook the wayward grommet out of the tube. A little rubber cement on the flange, and some synthetic grease on the lower fairing pin, and all was well.

So, I wasted an hour and a half wrestling with all kinds of contraptions to get the grommet out. I had the upper fairing off in 10 minutes, and had the grommet in my hand. Lesson learned, the hard way.

 

[Dobieman]

Then I tried a wire coat hanger with some super tacky tape wadded up at the end. No luck.

LOL I did that too and went a step further. I opened the air box and stuck a shop vac hose it there and tried to suck it out. No luck. Hell I dont even know if its in there but where else could it be  

$1.46 part holding me up

maybe i just bite the bullet and pull the upper cowl like you did, 10 min?

 

[roadthing]

Then I tried a wire coat hanger with some super tacky tape wadded up at the end. No luck.

LOL I did that too and went a step further. I opened the air box and stuck a shop vac hose it there and tried to suck it out. No luck. Hell I dont even know if its in there but where else could it be  

$1.46 part holding me up

maybe i just bite the bullet and pull the upper cowl like you did, 10 min?

I never thought of the Shop-Vac!

Yes, it took 10 minutes to pull the nose. I spent another 20 kicking myself in the azz for wasting so much time.

There's only one electrical connector to watch. It's on the left side, just in front of the fuse/relay cluster. I wish that the lower fairings came off as easily as the top cowl.

 

[Luvanicebum]

How about compressed air? That's some serious air.

 

[Dobieman]

How about compressed air?  That's some serious air.

Air compressor wouldn't do it. Remember I dont know for sure its in there but I would bet on it. The ram air tube has a low valley area built in to catch stuff sucked in and I bet its laying there. I put the bike together and will buy a grommet.
Maybe a big top end run will blow it out in the air box  

No really officer, I was trying to blow the grommet out of the ram air duct