John
Timmerman <john_timmermann@ewb.com>
agrees and has a possible solution: "The current screws
that are holding the panels on the bike are stainless steel.
I brought one into a local vendor of fasteners and they
checked one for me. He said if I stripped the paint off
the head and polished the head it would shine up nicely.
I was also looking for a solution to the paint chipping
off the heads. I have a black RT and think the polished
stainless heads would be a nice contrast on the black paint."
Moto
Décor sells a complete kit of stainless fasteners for
the RT - and they give you a choice of washer color
- black for dark colored bikes and opaque for light colored
bikes. www.motodecor.com
Sean
Franklin <sean@seanfranklin.com>
notes that "One source for metric button-head hex screws
is Gardner-Wescott: <http://www.gardner-westcott.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?intCategory=818>
- they have stainless and chrome."
cookiemech@yahoo.com
has the most turn key solution: "Cascade BMW (425)
823-5045 sells the Wudo kit for about $26 that replaces
all of the fairing screws with (non-painted) stainless fasteners.
The kit includes translucent clear/white plastic washers
for under the screw heads. I haven't yet switched the screws
on mine, but I'll probably do so next time I service it."
<myerskm@ncci.net>
says "Check out this site for anodized aluminum and
titanium fasteners. www.revibo.com
Eckhard
Grohe <egrohe@dsuper.net>
says the he "would stay away from aluminum as they
would be softer and the hex would wear more quickly. Polishing
them up sounds cool though.
G. McCurdy
<gmccurdy1@juno.com>
wrote "Here are some ideas on the screw issue, one
I saw on an older BMW. The owner went to a "bolt and
nut shop" and asked for some plastic screw covers to
fit over the button-head screws like the RT has. He ended
up with some black-textured ones similar to the texture
on the dash plastic. They snap on and can be pried off (via
fingernail) when needed. If they are too big, you can dab
a bit of black silicon on them to hold them on. I got mine
from some Serv-a-Life bins in the local hardware store.
I needed to enlarge them slightly with a Dremel to fit (I.D.
diameter was .422 inch I think ???), otherwise they would
have really been tough to get off once snapped. The couple
I did silicon on have never been a problem as it readily
rubs off the screw and cover. Looks are definitely improved
with them!"
I would
suggest that you take great care if you decide to paint
them, as the paint may clog the hex head and make installation
and using the screws difficult.
G McCurdy
continues: "Option two (since the darn things are costly!)
is to paint them with flat black paint. Personally, I would
use PPG Durathane in an airbrush as it is harder than nails
and resists gasoline spills."
"Lastly,
I went to the Harley dealership and got their little box
of chrome stick-in doodads (i.e. those little chrome buttons
that snap in the Allen head bolts and screws). They help
the appearance of the handlebar, lower peg area, rear oil
plugs, and Brembo calipers out a bunch! Besides, it's fun
to watch the Harley people gawking at some guy trying to
"put a little chrome on it." (Okay, so the former
Harley owner shows in me a little)"
