The Fairing body panels were removed, repaired, painted and pinstriped. You can read about the removal and repair work here:

• 46 BMW 1977 R100RS Remove, Disassemble Body Work
• 46 BMW 1977 R100RS Repair Fairing Panels & Side Covers

I had to replace the top front headlight panel that encloses the headlight due to the extensive damage to the original one.

I started to assemble the body work when I was ready to install the wiring harness. I waited until I took a first ride until I finished installing the panels so it would be easier to correct any issues I found. Fortunately, the first ride of 2 miles did not reveal any serious problems with the engine, transmission, brakes or drive train.

Parts

The stainless steel hardware kit I got from “The Bolt Guy” included stainless steel screws, washers and Tinnerman nuts used to connect the panels together.

Other parts purchased include:

• Used top front headlight panel,
• New windscreen from Clear View Shields,
• Windscreen gasket,
• Sealing strips between the lower side panels and the frame tubes,
• Copper dash rivets,
• New plastic plugs for the ends of the the top fairing bracket tubes,
• New ignition position plate (aka, “Step Plate”),
• Used instrument bracket and knurled nuts for the clock bracket.
• New windscreen gasket

Part #	Description	Qty
46 63 1 235 711	TOP FRONT HEADLIGHT PANEL-USED	1
Clear View Shields	R100RS 15″ Clear Screen SKU BMW-R1RS-000-15-00-000-0	1
46 63 1 235 507	GASKET	1
46 63 1 235 857	SEALING STRIP	2
07 11 9 949 632	RIVET – A6X0,4X8	14
46 63 1 235 660	PLUG	2
61 32 1 243 267	STEP PLATE	1
62 13 1 357 801	HOLDER (to 09/77) (aka Bracket)	1
62 13 1 459 257	KNURLED NUT	2
46 63 1 235 507	GASKET WINDSCREEN	1

Install Faring Top Bracket

I started by installing the repaired and powder coated top fairing bracket to the steering stem. The plate on the back of the bracket that fits against the steering stem with the two bolt holes was sheared off and I had a welder repair it prior to having it powder coated.

It attaches with two bolts into threaded holes in the steering stem.

I install new plastic plugs into the top tube ends.

Install Fairing Lower Bracket

This goes on the cross brace underneath the spine tube. It fits behind the brackets for the left side starter and horn relays and the right side voltage regulator. To protect the powder coat, I cut a piece of rubber out of a bicycle inner tube and wrap it around the frame tube before securing the bracket clamp.

The lower bracket has a bend in the end of the arms. The bend faces the front as shown below in this picture I took when disassembling the body work.

Here is the powder coated lower bracket, painted clamp and new mounting hardware.

I cut a piece of bicycle inner tube to go between the bracket clamp halves and the frame tube to protect the powder coat.

The two halves of the bracket fit together with the tab of one fitting into the slot of the other. They are pinched around the frame tube with a bolt, flat washer, lock washer and nut.

Install Bottom Side Panels

NOTE:
These panels have to be installed with the exhaust headers as the pipes pass through the panels.  I show them being installed now, but I actually installed them earlier when I installed the exhaust system.

The left and right lower panels attach to the front engine mount at the bottom of the panel with brackets. For 1977, the bracket is the same for the left and right side.

The bottom bracket attaches via an M6 bolt to a hole with a threaded insert in the bottom of the lower panel. Due to the limited space around this bolt when the panel is installed, I thread the bolt through the hole in the bottom bracket and finger tighten it. Then I install the other end of the bracket on the front engine mount and tighten the nut. I leave all the fasteners loose until I get all the panels installed so I can easily align them.

Before I attach the panel to the bottom bracket, I use the 3M adhesive to attach the foam pad to the panel. The pad goes between the panel and the lower frame tube.

Here is the bike with the bottom side panels installed after I installed the exhaust system.

Install Top Side Panels

The top side panels attach to the top fairing bracket upper arms via the mirror mounts and to the lower fairing bracket with a bolt attaches the bottom and top side panels to the bracket.

The top and bottom side panels attach to each other along their edges.The top edge of the bottom panel has tinnerman clips inserted. Screws and washers attach the bottom edge of the top side panel to the top edge of the bottom side panel through the tinnerman clips.

NOTE:
I wait until I have the top front headlight panel mounted to the top side panels before attaching the top side to the bottom side panels so I have freedom of movement when installing the top front headlight panel.

I loosely install the top side panels to the lower fairing bracket and bottom side panels with the M6 bolt so I can adjust it to fit the top front headlight panel. When I get the top front headlight panel installed, I tighten the M6 bolts and then put in the screws along the the edge between the top and bottom side panels. 

The mirror brackets have studs that go through holes in the top edge of the top panel and through the holes in the tab of the top fairing bracket.

NOTE:
I wait to install the mirrors and mirror brackets until I get the top front headlight panel installed to the top side panels and into the lower arms of the top fairing bracket so it’s easy to adjust the location of the top front headlight panel. 

Install Top Front Headlight Panel

The top front headlight panel attaches to the two top side panels and to the middle front panel the fork tubes go through.

Install Headlight Cover Brackets

There are four cover brackets that bolt to the back of the top headlight panel with M6 bolts. I install these before installing the top headlight panel.

Attach Middle Front Panel to Top Front Headlight Panel

There is a rubber rectangular insert that fits into the middle front panel.

The middle front panel has three holes at the rear that get tinnerman clips.

This panel is a bit tricky to install as the three back holes with the tinnerman clips go on top of the top front headlight panel (as viewed from inside the fairing) and on the bottom of the lower edges of the two side panels (as viewed from the inside of the fairing. I orient the middle front panel and attach the middle front panel to the top front headlight panel at the middle tinnerman clip so it stays in the correct orientation.

After I get the top center headlight panel installed, I attach the middle front panel to the side panels.

Attach Top Center Panel and Side Panels to Lower Arm of Top Fairing Bracket

The top front headlight panel bolts to the top side panels at the top with and M6 bolt. I bolt them together finger tight.

An M6 x 25 bolt attaches the top front headlight panel to the top side panels and slides into the slot of the lower arm of the top fairing bracket. I put some wax on the bolt threads to lubricate them and prevent them from galling to the brass insert threads. The bolt has a flat washer and wave washer. I install the bolt leaving about 1/2 inch exposed so I can slide into the slot of the bracket.

There is very little clearance to get a box end wrench on the bolt head. Tom Cutter used a ground down 10mm 12 pt box end wrench. So I ground down one of mine around the circumference and across the front and back face until I could get it over the bolt head.

I push the top front headlight panel with the top side panels loosely attached into the slots in the lower arms of the top fairing bracket. After a half dozen tries I get both bolts into the slots and pushing up and back, hold the panel in place while I tighten the M6 bolt with the ground down box wrench.

Then I tighten the top M6 bolts that attach the top front headlight panel to the top side panels.

Along the side of the top front headlight panel are 10 holes (five on each side) that accept screws to attach the panel to the top side panels.

NOTE:
For the screws shown above, a recommendation from Tom Cutter is to put some 5 minute epoxy into the screw holes of the top side panels and then run the screws in. The epoxy helps keep the screws tight to eliminate rattling panels. DO NOT PUT EPOXY IN THE HOLES WITH THE THREADED INSERTS FOR THE M6 BOLTS.

I apply the epoxy and then tighten the screws with an M7 socket.

Finish Attaching Middle Front Panel and Top Side Panels

I install the screws with cups to attach the middle front panel to the top side panels.

Then I attach the screws with flat washers along the edge of the top and bottom side panels.

Here is what the fairing looks like at this point with the top and bottom side panels, and top and middle front panels installed.

Install Front Turn Signals

I install the turn signal housing and its gasket from the front of the fairing and attach it with the two special screws.  Inside the fairing, I attach the ground (brown) and power wires (blue-red on the left and blue green on the right) to the proper terminals. The ground wire attaches to the terminal that connects to the outside of the bulb and the power wire connects to the terminal that goes to the center of the bulb.

Then I pull the rubber boat over the circular part of the turn signal housing inside the fairing to keep water out of the turn signal terminals.

Install Dash, Instruments and Wind Screen

Now that the main fairing panels are installed, I can rivet the dash to the three top fairing panels. But first, I install the instruments (volt meter and clock) and ignition in the dash and connect their terminals to the wires as this is much easier to do when the dash is not installed.

Install Instruments in Dash

With the dash off the bike, it’s easy to install the volt meter and clock rather than wait until the dash is riveted on to the top panels.

The clock and volt meter are inserted from the front of the dash and attach to a “U” shaped strap in the back of the dash with two knurled nuts.

Install Ignition Switch in Dash

The ignition switch inserts from the back of the panel. It has a chrome nut that goes on the back side of the pane. The switch position label and black circular nut go on the front of the dash to secure it. There is a groove in the switch body that aligns it in the dash.

When the key is inserted in the switch, the apex of the triangular edge points to the switch function on the switch position label. I insert the key so I get the switch in the correct orientation. As shown below, the apex of the triangle on the key fob where the key chain is attached is pointing to OFF on the switch position label.

Install Ignition and Instrument Wires

I attach the ignition switch wires to the back of the switch. Each terminal on the switch has number that corresponds with the number shown on the wiring diagram.

• Green – One goes on terminal #56, the other to terminal #15. It does not matter which green wire goes to which of these two terminals.
• Red – Goes on either of the two #30 terminals in the center
• Grey – Goes on terminal #58

I attach the wires for the clock and volt meter and insert the bulbs into the sockets. The wires can only go one way on each instrument.

Here is the dash with the ignition switch and instruments installed when I placed it on top of the top fairing panels to see how it will look.

Attach Dash To Top Side and Front Fairing Panels

The dash goes on top of the two top side panels and the top headlight panel and is secured with copper rivets.

I used a tool from a fellow airhead to install the rivets. The tool has two parts: the anvil with the curved handle part goes inside the dash against the non-flared end of the rivet, and a “T-handle” part screws into the flared end of the rivet from the front of the dash. I tighten the two parts together until the copper rivet stops deforming.

I insert all the rivets into the holes in the dash to be sure they all fit. Starting at the center of the dash, I install the rivets in an alternating left – right pattern to evenly attach it to the top panels.

NOTE:
Bob Fleischer describes how to create a rivet installation tool in this write-up (with a very long title) on his site.

Cleaning exhaust systems. Drilling/cutting/repairing windshields. Noisy fairings/dash. Pesky hollow rivets. Cleaning plastic visors & windshields. Washing the bike. Maintaining the paintwork & aluminum. Sandblasting?? Bent levers. Repairing fairings & luggage (hard bags). Black plastic & rubber trim.

Install Clear View Windscreen

I opted for the clear, standard height (15 in) windscreen from Clear View Shields up the street from me in Ft. Collins, CO. There are options for the screen height and tint.

There is a rubber gasket that goes around the bottom of the dash to help block air from coming up through the bottom of the windscreen.

The windscreen comes with nylon bolts, grommets, washers and nuts.

If the headlight is tipped all the way down, there is enough room for me to get a hand inside the fairing on the back side of the dash to thread the nut on, but it’s a tight fit and very fiddly. Since the nylon nut and washer are black and so is the inside of the fairing panels, I put some red shop rags on the panels to catch the parts when I drop them and keep them from going some place dark and inaccessible inside the fairing.

Install Headlight Cover

The top Front headlight panel surrounds the headlight and holds the glass cover with the horizontal orange lines.

NOTE:
The purpose of the horizontal orange lines has lead to many stories, all myth. The explanation I love is they interfere with police radar so you can enjoy all the power of the engine on roads in United States which does not have an Autobahn with no speed limits 🙂

The headlight cover attaches with four screw in each corner. I lift up the flap of the headlight cover gasket to get to the holes and attach the screws.

Install Mirrors

I remove the mirror brackets and install the mirrors. The stem of the mirror has a hexagonal shaft that fits into a hexagonal hole in the bracket. This prevents the shaft from turning when I tighten the nut against the tension spring.

Then I install the mirror bracket through the holes in the top side panels and the top arms of the top fairing bracket.

The mirror brackets have studs that go through holes in the top edge of the top panel and through the holes in the tab of the top fairing bracket.

Install Lower Front Fairing Panel

The lower front fairing panel uses tinnerman clips and screws to attach to the lower side panels and the middle front panel. The screws are 13 mm for the sides and 16 mm for the middle front panel connections.

View of Installed Fairing, Dash, Windscreen and Instruments

Here is the bike with the fairing, dash, windscreen and instruments installed.

Revisions

2023-04-02 Fix broken links. Minor edits