Raptor Chapter

How do I get the tank off to fit my new rear shock? The only nuts I can see are under the tank and behind the head-stock , which I can't get a spanner or socket on! Am I being thick or is this a stupid design? There doesn't appear to be any useful manuals, and the owner handbook seems to imply the rubber pad around the ignition key pulls off. Not so, in my case.
HELP!!!

That pad shouldn't be there. It should be a plastic trim that bolts on with 4 allen screws and then there is 2 allen screws that hold the front of the tank down with a bolt either side at the back of the tank. I suspect that the plastic trim was broken so they have made a replacement out of rubber. You will just have to try and pull it off to get to the bolts. The good news is you can buy a carbon fibre replacement one.

norrie wrote:55 years agoThat pad shouldn't be there. It should be a plastic trim that bolts on with 4 allen screws and then there is 2 allen screws that hold the front of the tank down with a bolt either side at the back of the tank. I suspect that the plastic trim was broken so they have made a replacement out of rubber. You will just have to try and pull it off to get to the bolts. The good news is you can buy a carbon fibre replacement one.

650 is different to 1000..

Norrie has the 650 and I have a 1000. Neither of our bikes have that rubber trim on....

This one has plastic tank. Is very clean after nearly 20k miles. Could it bean import?

Mine is exactly like this...It's a difficult thing to get this out whithout some damage to the tank or to your mental health. A good idea is to put some grease like substance before you put it back so next time there will be less cursing...

They all have plastic tanks, and both the 650 and the 1000 have similar attributes to each other. IIRC, you have to loosen off the nuts under the seat end of the tank to slide it a bit.

However, don't quote me on that, because even though I have had two tanks on this bike, and had it off often....I bloody can't remember (see user name for reason why)

all the 1000s have the bolt on key cover, earlier 650s had bolt on but they changed to your type cover on the 650ie.

I have not had to ever remove one but I think they are just a push on fit. Take care and it should ease off, just hope no-one has got daft with some glue!!!

There us a lip on the cover in front of the ignition barrel

Mine,which is a 650ie also has that.
You can remoce it by pulling it ,first be the lip at the down side of the keylock and then pull it out.
just try it and you will figure out how it works

Glad to see I'm not the only one struggling to get the tank off a Raptor 650ie!

It turns out that the retaining lip of the (proper OEM) rubber cover is at the rear of the ignition switch, not at the front as I understood from this correspondence, and it locates beneath the curved edge of the tank. You can see it as the projecting half-moon piece on the underside in the attached photo. Even with copious lubrication, it's a massive struggle to pull it free to access the tank fixings. I wonder if the tank has swelled somewhat, squeezing the gap between the switch barrel and the tank, or if it's just that the rubber has become more rigid with age? Whatever, I think I'll trim that lip and apply a lot of silicone grease to get it back in.

Now to access all those electrical connectors that desparately need a dose of ACF50 to kill corrosion and reinstate electrical continuity!

Also the correct answer was why are you removing the tank to fit a shock!

Trevor: I assume your query relates to the original post from DaffyDuck in 2014. For me it was totally unrelated to the suspension: any 'new' bike gets the ACF treatment to all accessible wiring connectors and in the case of the 650, it was needed to reinstate start mode! Good job it was nothing more technical than corrosion in the junction block coming from the RH 'bar controls...

Cheers,

Nick

Yes sorry, have seen a few posts about fitting shocks from the top now, having just fitted one from the bottom maybe the 1000 is a bit different.