[SemBurg]

Also have the Harbor Freight kit, as well as Mother Suzuki kit, haven't needed a single one yet. 🤞

 

[Dave_J]

Most times when the factory 6mm are too loose I use a 'Chainsaw' file and make the hole just big enough for a NEW 8mm pin. I buy then by the 100 count from Amazon for like $6 to $11 a bag of 100. I have 8mm and 10mm in tiny parts bins hanging on the wall.
My daughters 2008 Honda Fit I've replaced over 30 8mm's with 10mm's. Don't need to broach out the holes much larger.

 

[dogboy]

...been buying some push pins at auto parts as needed, but it's $$$.

Probably one of the most expensive ways to buy the push pins is as OEM parts, and they're only $2.49 (plus shipping) for a package of seven on SuzukiPartsNation.com. I don't see that as "$$$". I'm still working on my first package since the push pins don't break that often as long as you remove and reinsert them properly.

 

[rjs987]

...and occasionally you push the center piece thru into the scooter abyss, never to be found ...

That's why I use the corner of my standard screw driver to push in the center pin. Prevents ever pushing that pin in too far and losing it inside the abyss. Always pushed in just right every time using just the corner of the screw driver blade holding the screw driver at an angle when I push in.
Here's an example of what I mean on a previous bike I owned that had a LOT of those plastic rivets. Never lost a pin doing it this way.

 

[dogboy]

JRoss turned me on to these. Easy-peasy and rarely have a problem removing the push pins. The sharp end makes it easy to push in the pin just the right amount, and then gently pry the loosened assembly out of the hole.

 

[zrx212]

Probably one of the most expensive ways to buy the push pins is as OEM parts, and they're only $2.49 (plus shipping) for a package of seven on SuzukiPartsNation.com.

That's the reason I got the Harbor Freight 240-piece box, I figured there's 60 push pins that I can use on the B400, at my local purchase price with tax, is about 8 cents per pin and they fit better, etc., than oem The rest of the box will be used on other vehicles I work on, etc. I could also install semi-permanent/Xmas tree* type pins on parts that are not removed often, like storage tub, etc., then I'll have more oem spares for other bikes I work on, not mine

Never lost a pin doing it this way.

I actually lost dozens center push pins doing it "exactly that way" over the years, lots of bikes use them, to be fair a lot were broken by , most where missing expanding tabs.

*

 

[prossett]

You know, I actually like the plastic lego tupperware - just follow the sequence, nice and gentle. No nasty seized or stripped bolts, no rust, no pre-soaking overnight, no extension pipes, no skinned knuckles, no wire-brushing them up in kerosene to prepare for re-use, no torque settings to fasten them back in... much less swearing...

 

[mikeyMarine]

You know, I actually like the plastic lego tupperware - just follow the sequence, nice and gentle. No nasty seized or stripped bolts, no rust, no pre-soaking overnight, no extension pipes, no skinned knuckles, no wire-brushing them up in kerosene to prepare for re-use, no torque settings to fasten them back in... much less swearing...

bwaaahahahahahaha you funny man

 

[Steve_YYZ]

Coming from an aviation background, I've often wondered how simple it would have been to have a Burgman with Dzus fasteners for the body panels.
You can get them in various configurations with slotted type heads (shown) or hex heads, etc. If they're good enough to hold panels in place on airliners, then why not put them on bodied bikes?
It would speed up manufacturing, maintenance, replacement, etc. Better all the way around IMHO.

 

[Bluestrom13]

Dzus fasteners.....
........would speed up manufacturing, maintenance, replacement, etc.

I count six holes, Four rivets, plus the spring, and then the fastener.
As opposed to the plastic push pin and two holes.
So cost could be an issue.
Push pins are rust free, too.

I am not from an aircraft background, but assume that aircraft panels are removed far more frequently than those on our Burgmans.
A belt, roller and coolant change took me a leisurely 5 hours or so, over two days - I removed panels day one, and left things draining.
Refilled and fitted stuff the day after. Nothing left over, nothing broken.

I agree about the differing sizes. Easily overcome with pre-marked plastic bags or tubs for easy identification at re-assembly.

 

[zrx212]

I have to agree with Bluestrom13 on this one, it doesn't get much easier/practical than a plastic push pin, especially the oem style ease of removal and installation, coming from nearly 40yrs of both General/Commercial Aviation, I can tell you, I was not very fond of "Dzus" fasteners in general, they had their own set of issues , fortunately they are not used a lot anymore on commercial jets. There's some Dzus fasteners kits for motorcycles out there, meant for racing bikes, so panels can be quickly removed, that could be adapted to any bike/scooter, but it's not worth it, we're not racing.our scooters

 

[Dave_J]

Somewhere in the garage I have the drilling template and the dempel dies for Dzus. Have made maybe 25 in my lifetime. Drill the 3 holes, dimple the large hole, pop rivet in the Z bar spring in the two small holes, insert the top pin and secure it. A lot of work.

At the speeds we are doing proper sized push pins work well.

 

[wspollack]

On my Victory bagger (which I owned from 2012 - 2017), the hard saddlebags were held in place on their bike sides with Dzus fasteners.

Many Vic owners replaced those fasteners with bolts, because the Dzus could come undone by themselves, or quickly by thieves taking the entire saddlebags. Although some folks went to Lowes or Home Depot, I bought a set of the bolts, washers, etc., with Torx security bolts, for a few dollars more, just for convenience and to support the vendor, from a company called Brukus (see www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjc9ZvCNwrc and www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivvR-MzuwpI ).

 

[mikeyMarine]

plastic breaking is the real irritatnt with the panels, tabs and inserts get brittle or fail to be firm enough, agreed dzus would be impractical on a plastic bike but a plastic attach point that was sturdier, more push pins, less hook and grab thingys would have been an appreciated change for me , or even velcro, heck we had planes at over mach with panels held on by velcro, oddly they were too hard to remove so they never went into production (so the story goes) planes is NASTY I can't see velcro holding up to the dirt oil and crud, heat, temp change, vibration and boneheaded mechanics. Some of whom liked refreshing beverages.

 

[Steve_YYZ]

Good points guys but I thought I'd throw the Dzus out there for discussion. In the applications I was used to they were a godsend, but I also see your points that I hadn't considered.

 

[mikeyMarine]

Good points guys but I thought I'd throw the Dzus out there for discussion. In the applications I was used to they were a godsend, but I also see your points that I hadn't considered.

I loved dzus on aircraft, I guess if burgy was aluminum, i'd have installed a few

 

[rjs987]

When I was in active duty US Navy I worked on the Navy version of A7 jets. Those used Dzus fasteners all over for the panels I had to deal with. Then later in the Iowa Air National Guard I was also working on the Air Force version of A7 jets. Same setup on those for the avionics bay covers. And later it was F16 jets and again the same. The IR pod I worked on also used Dzus fasteners in places. I've seen those fasteners available for civilian use (not aviation versions) and they are not the same quality. Still, I have seen Dzus fasteners fail on military aircraft. The fastener would be fixed ASAP to prevent grounding a jet.

As to better tabs, some bikes have some tabs that are better and some not so much. Sometimes a bike will have sturdy tabs in some places and not in others. I think the Burgman is like that. Extra care taking in removing panels is needed to prevent breaking tabs. Part of that care is to not even attempt it when the air temp is 50 or lower. Warmer than 70 is even better if possible. So far with all the panels I've removed on my AK I've found the tabs are very sturdy. More so than other bikes I've worked on. But I really have not removed many panels on the AK yet so who knows what I'll find when I remove more.

 

[mikeyMarine]

When I was in active duty US Navy I worked on the Navy version of A7 jets. Those used Dzus fasteners all over for the panels I had to deal with. Then later in the Iowa Air National Guard I was also working on the Air Force version of A7 jets. Same setup on those for the avionics bay covers. And later it was F16 jets and again the same. The IR pod I worked on also used Dzus fasteners in places. I've seen those fasteners available for civilian use (not aviation versions) and they are not the same quality. Still, I have seen Dzus fasteners fail on military aircraft. The fastener would be fixed ASAP to prevent grounding a jet.

As to better tabs, some bikes have some tabs that are better and some not so much. Sometimes a bike will have sturdy tabs in some places and not in others. I think the Burgman is like that. Extra care taking in removing panels is needed to prevent breaking tabs. Part of that care is to not even attempt it when the air temp is 50 or lower. Warmer than 70 is even better if possible. So far with all the panels I've removed on my AK I've found the tabs are very sturdy. More so than other bikes I've worked on. But I really have not removed many panels on the AK yet so who knows what I'll find when I remove more.

BAC should be below .25 when remoooving or installing too!

 

[G-Dub]

The gsxs1000 takes the prize for hard to remove plastic. I'm pretty sure Suzuki had a contest to see who could come up with the most unintuitive ways to install body panels. And they used every single one of the entries. Some of them are on with industrial strength Velcro, which is fine if you know it's there; but most times you're not sure whether to pull, push, slide forward (backward or up and down) and should you just pull harder or if you do will you break something. There are "instructions" available but they read like a poorly translated Chinese instruction sheet, so good luck figuring out what it actually means.

It's refreshing to work on the Honda Helix... most panels are held on by screws. There are simple and clever ways to hide them so they don't interfere with the cosmetics but yet are easily accessible for removal.

 

[Rusty J]

You know, I actually like the plastic lego tupperware - just follow the sequence, nice and gentle. No nasty seized or stripped bolts, no rust, no pre-soaking overnight, no extension pipes, no skinned knuckles, no wire-brushing them up in kerosene to prepare for re-use, no torque settings to fasten them back in... much less swearing...

Other than the B200 having a couple of panels that require contortions through sanity-unravelling non-euclidian dimensions in order to install properly (under the nose of the seat, battery cover), I haven't had much of a problem. <twitch>

In fairness, there's probably a trick to it that I don't know, and which is probably laid out quite sensibly in the Necronomicon Service Manual.