- Joined
- Aug 5, 2013
- Messages
- 125
I've done lots of mods and fixes to my 2007 BMW G650X Challenge. Jans and Franz at BMW for some reason do some really stupid things, one of those is putting a locking gas cap on what was supposed to be an "off-the-showroom-floor race bike." I've just dealt with it for years. My friend that went riding with me last weekend in Utah happens to be a better idiot than me.
What the problem involves is the off-center key location seems to be too much for some people to handle. When you remove the gas cap, you have to move the key circumferentially around the gas cap, not just twist it around the central axis.
Long story short, my friend bends the key in the lock mechanism because "I've never seen one like that before."
I get home and decide to remedy the problem. First, you remove the lock cylinder:
From the lock cylinder, you see that it is held in place by the top lip of the keyhole end, and a pin at the bottom. There is a spring that the pin holds down to keep the whole mechanism from falling out. I was suprised that my gas tank is only sealed with a 0.375" ID o-ring under semi-compression.
After making a rough sketch, cutting a piece of material, using a bit of time on a decent size lathe at work, then making a few "adjustments" to my measuring errors and drilling the retaining pin hole, you end up with:
I need to make another one from some smaller starting stock (7/8" instead of 1" diameter) and not mash up the D-ring when putting it in the lock cylinder replacement. But it looks OK when installed on the bike:
What the problem involves is the off-center key location seems to be too much for some people to handle. When you remove the gas cap, you have to move the key circumferentially around the gas cap, not just twist it around the central axis.
Long story short, my friend bends the key in the lock mechanism because "I've never seen one like that before."
I get home and decide to remedy the problem. First, you remove the lock cylinder:
From the lock cylinder, you see that it is held in place by the top lip of the keyhole end, and a pin at the bottom. There is a spring that the pin holds down to keep the whole mechanism from falling out. I was suprised that my gas tank is only sealed with a 0.375" ID o-ring under semi-compression.
After making a rough sketch, cutting a piece of material, using a bit of time on a decent size lathe at work, then making a few "adjustments" to my measuring errors and drilling the retaining pin hole, you end up with:
I need to make another one from some smaller starting stock (7/8" instead of 1" diameter) and not mash up the D-ring when putting it in the lock cylinder replacement. But it looks OK when installed on the bike:
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