1200GSA Screen adjustment

Morning all,

Wonder if I could pick your collective brains?

I’ve been using my enforced time off to smarten up my 2008 GSA and decided I would tackle why the screen adjusters don’t work.

I have minimal rotational movement of maybe half a turn but it feels like they will snap if I force them any more. I’ve taken the 10 mm bolts of the rear of the adjuster each side and was hoping to be able to pull them out and lubricate but no joy they seem stuck fast.

Any ideas or have I missed something blatantly obvious, I’ve lubricated them but am reluctant to try too hard to turn as sure they will snap.

Thank for any advice offered as always

Not sure I fully understand.

There is a nylock nut on the inside. Could it be that it is to far up the thread of the adjuster, preventing adjustment. The nut should just be into safety on the end of the adjuster bolt.

Item 9

I had a similar issue on my 08GSA - was exactly as Ian above says - the nyloc nuts were too tight up to the adjuster nut in the brackety thing.
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I'm trying to rack my brains over the last time i took mine apart.

they will undo / loosen as far as the nylock/ end cap.

You need to remove the end cap for them to come right out.

I don't recall the top hat spacer being threaded , although i may be wrong

I'd whack some plus gas on the threads and then just work the adjuster L & R quarter turn at a time until it it comes free .

I always had to use a spanner on one side because the big plastic adjuster used to come off they were that tight

That said i had a GS with a GIVI screen, but the fixing concept was the same

The nylock nut is only there to prevent the thing unscrewing and falling out. Remove the nut completely and the twist grip is still threaded into bushing (5) probability is its corrosion thats made it tight. Good spray with penetrating fluid and work it back and fore till it releases.

That’s great thank you all..

I think your right and it’s just years of crud holding it tight in there, I’ll pop some penetrating fluid and keep trying to free it off, I’ve put the nylock nuts back on so all in place.

The exploded diagram makes sense if still threaded into bushing no 5 as this surely what’s holding it in there.

Hope your all staying safe��

Rockeye said:

That’s great thank you all..

I think your right and it’s just years of crud holding it tight in there, I’ll pop some penetrating fluid and keep trying to free it off, I’ve put the nylock nuts back on so all in place.

The exploded diagram makes sense if still threaded into bushing no 5 as this surely what’s holding it in there.

Hope your all staying safe��

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It defo is, id be tempted to remove it altogether and after a clean up a smear of copper grease on the threads and jobs a good one.

they don't have a nyloc nut they have a dome nut to stop the screw falling out when they vibrate loose. This only needs to be touched if you wish to remove the screen completely.

its a terrible design up to late 2007 u got small plastic grip you can't tighten by hand enough to stop them rattling loose.
The TC bikes got a far bigger 3 pronged effort that can be done up tight (well worth buying two to sort the agro).

botus said:

they don't have a nyloc nut they have a dome nut to stop the screw falling out when they vibrate loose. This only needs to be touched if you wish to remove the screen completely.

its a terrible design up to late 2007 u got small plastic grip you can't tighten by hand enough to stop them rattling loose.
The TC bikes got a far bigger 3 pronged effort that can be done up tight (well worth buying two to sort the agro).

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My 06 had a large star type knobs which were ok to tighten by hand,

but one did pop off, so i used a 10mm spanner on the bolt head, and then just pushed the knob back on when finished

Be carfull when you refit the domed nuts, its possible to punch through the dome and tighten & tighten & tighten damhik

Mine is exactly as in the diagram above with a three pronged star type knob on it.

I’m pretty sure but will check in the morning that the nylock nuts had been tightened right up to the collar as I replaced them as found, fingers crossed the lube will free them off��

Whilst tying to sort the screen I decided to investigate why full beam light the tree tops and noticed my headlight bulb was hanging loose in the light.

Trying to reseat the bulb it appears the previous owner has broken the retaining lug off the headlight which the bulb clip uses to hold the bulb in place. Ended up taking the instrument cluster out to repair this and in doing so one of the screen bolts has sheared in the frame-I guess they’ve never been out in the last 78K miles!

Going from bad to worse this bloody job-to too it off the screen adjustment is still locked solid and turning the bolts simply spins the washer inside the frame, what a stupid design to have a threaded washer with nothing to secure it to as proving impossible to get out. All I can hope for is the penetration fluid does its job and I can get the bloody things off!

that washer.... part 5 in the drawing is actually a captive NUT and is the ONLY screen fastener on that sides adjuster... its slides within the cut out following the angle of the screen.

Sounds like its been stripped (which is very good going) as you'd be around 37lbs to torque to do this... especially when BMW thought 4 lbs ft would hold everything done up with the early joke adjusters. Clearly BMW have no idea, but the later ones should hold it all still forever around 8 lbs ft

careful drilling of the snapped filister will get it out no worries... they do a whole fitting kit with everything new for almost sensible money.....

Botus is correct,

the washer is a top hat threaded bush.

There are two ways to get things moving now.

You can either carefully lever the black 3 pointed adjuster off, which will give you a 9 or 10mm bolt head (cant remember exactly)

put a spanner or socket on it and wind it out - you can go for the quarter turn & plusgas method. it will either let go,

and you can work it back and forewards , or it will shear, and then it can be removed from the rear.

The other way is to pop two nuts on the rear, and lock then together, then use them as one to wind the adjuster free -

if it shears the wrong side of the top hat bush then you will need to either cut the other side 3 prong adjuster off, or try the wind it out

option

What happened to your light wiring, looks like someone has been playing with the live (trigger wire for some spots?)

Thanks for the advice I’ve had a busy day sorting the old girl out and she’s good as new now, I managed to use a slightly oversize washer to sit in place of the broken plastic and it holds the bulb spring perfectly now.

I removed the clocks to do this and give me access to the rear of the adjusters, put plenty of penetrating fluid then managed to get my son on the 10mm nut after removing the plastic adjuster handle. With him on the nut and me holding the seized washer/ insert with mole grips I managed to free them off and remove them, once on the bench and wire brushed with plenty of copper slip they are adjusting like new now.

The screen bolt sheared in the frame so I carefully drilled it out but would have needed a helicoil insert( didn’t have a small enough one ) so carefully drilled through the frame on both sides and the screen now bolts cleanly and firmly in place, looks nice and neat and quite fitting on the GS. I can remove the screen now without fear of anything shearing in the frame.

The wiring had been butchered and think your right about using the trigger wire, I’ve removed the bodge and fitted inline connectors so all back to normal and wired up correctly now.

Hate being laid up but this Corona has got the old girl nicely sorted and fettled, I’ve worked front to back cleaning up rusty bolts, brake pedal, kick plate and side stand, just need to do the centre stand now and she’s looking great, the bikes Olive green and I’m quite tempted to have her painted white to brighten up and lift the look of the bike.

Only other thing I need to do now is the fuel strip mod using resistors to con the bike into thinking the fuel strip is connected and working then just use the trip meter, don’t fancy £200 for a new one only to fail within a year or two. ( has anyone done this or got any tips how to do it ?)

I’ve had the bike about 2 months and managed a trip into Europe already in early March before lockdown and the bike performed faultlessly, she’s got just under 80K miles but a full BMW service history and rides beautifully. The last owner was a great chap who kept nicely on top of maintenance but think he was more of a rider than a cleaner and who can blame him. Think the bike should easily do 200K with little fuss��

Rockeye said:

Only other thing I need to do now is the fuel strip mod using resistors to con the bike into thinking the fuel strip is connected and working then just use the trip meter, don’t fancy £200 for a new one only to fail within a year or two. ( has anyone done this or got any tips how to do it ?)

I’ve had the bike about 2 months and managed a trip into Europe already in early March before lockdown and the bike performed faultlessly, she’s got just under 80K miles but a full BMW service history and rides beautifully. The last owner was a great chap who kept nicely on top of maintenance but think he was more of a rider than a cleaner and who can blame him. Think the bike should easily do 200K with little fuss��

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Re the fuel strip,

Denzo - Luke has a method of fitting the float system to a strip system bike

You can get it to work by repinning the wireing in one of the ZFE plugs if i recall

If i can remember, it basically uses one of the other option wiring paths in the zfe to perform / use the same function as the float type setup


I dont have my hexhead haynes to hand, so i cant say exactly which set of wires it is .... ( it is also option dependant)

if i recall it only works if you have a certain ZFE on the bike (i think ZFE low or ZFE mid) - i need the haynes to give an accurate answer

do a forum search it should show up - Denzo and i were having a discussion about it

Thanks for the info I may consider doing the float conversion as this is the only thing not working on the bike now.

I’ve seen somewhere and wI’ll try to find it someone did a resistor set up which cons the file system into thinking the strip is working and then you just use the trip meter which is what I normally do anyway-does anyone have any information on how to do this?

I’m guessing you would need to use the original connector which fits to the fuel strip external connnection?