Anyone have an accurate diagram with length measures for COWL STAY ST1100 ?

I am looking to get my COWL STAY straightened at a Car Auto Body Repair place. Its bent in a few small places, causing difficulties with mounting the windshield & right rear view mirror (have these 2 parts but cannot mount them due to bent COWL STAY)

Here's a pic of the COWL STAY from Ron Ayers. Would anyone know a source/link to a semi-accurate diagram with distances etc? Like an Engineering Drawing (does sucha thing exist? )



I Just need to know the distance A1 to A2 & B1 to B2 & some relative ditance between A1 & B1 . IF anyone can share some info on this, even rough estimates, that'd be really helpful! Thank you a ton in advance!

Regards,
Vishnu

Easiest way to do this is to unbolt the lower and upper cowls, place the side panels in place accurately, then place those four front cowl pieces in place accurately, bolted together but not bolted to the stay. Now measure the misalignments and bend accordingly. This is how we put ReSTored back together several years ago. Good luck, and post the results.

Leave the headlight out until the tabs for the plastic are accurately bent, then repeat with the headlight installed. Takes some finagling but you can get it right.

BTW, ya don't need an auto body shop to do this. Help of a couple friends will get the job done. If I was closer, I would help ya. I need a Skyline fix anyway.

George said:

BTW, ya don't need an auto body shop to do this. Help of a couple friends will get the job done. If I was closer, I would help ya. I need a Skyline fix anyway.

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George - Thank you for the encouraging words! I would love to try to bend the frame STAY back into place, but I assumed I wouldnt be able to do it with man-power alone (pun intended). SO ok, I think I have a starting point here. I'll try this out with some help and see how it goes. I also have a few pics uploaded on my gallery :-

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And I can totally understand the skyline fix-ation ! Some tasty stuff.

Good luck Vishnu. That, I think, is pretty tough to get right. I will be following your progress, as I have one that could use some tweaking as well.

My cowl stay shifted as a result of an high side accident. I removed all the plastic and unbolted the cowl stay completely. I bent the cowl using a vise and a mallet. The object was to bend the stay so that the four bolts, where it connects to the frame line up. The cowl stay needs to be centered on the bike and the center support needs to line up with the fork tube. Look for cracks in the paint to tell where the stay was bent and use your best judgement to figure out how what should be perpendicular or straight. My stay was off by several inches, now the center gauge on the panel lines up with the key cylinder.

IMHO trying to straighten the cowl stay without removing it completely from the frame is asking for trouble, YMMV.

Mike - Thank you for the words of advice - I am realizing its not going to be as easy as 'bending it back' & will need some time & planning ahead. The ST1100 is my daily driver/commuter so I need to think ahead & plan a day for major repairs . Your suggestion gives me some great hope I can do these things part by part :-

1) First remove all the fairing/ learn how to remove the gauge/etc and removing the stay - mark & document changes needed, then make sure to put it back

2) Arrange for a VICE + MALLET & get to that place (friends house, or last resort an auto repair If I dont have time) & get the STAY straightened

I am ready & set to do this. Thank you all for the advice, really grateful for the tips - I will post updates/queries as they arise.

Regards,
Vishnu

mcthorogood said:

My cowl stay shifted as a result of an high side accident. I removed all the plastic and unbolted the cowl stay completely. I bent the cowl using a vise and a mallet. The object was to bend the stay so that the four bolts, where it connects to the frame line up. The cowl stay needs to be centered on the bike and the center support needs to line up with the fork tube. Look for cracks in the paint to tell where the stay was bent and use your best judgement to figure out how what should be perpendicular or straight. My stay was off by several inches, now the center gauge on the panel lines up with the key cylinder.

IMHO trying to straighten the cowl stay without removing it completely from the frame is asking for trouble, YMMV.

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George said:

Easiest way to do this is to unbolt the lower and upper cowls, place the side panels in place accurately, then place those four front cowl pieces in place accurately, bolted together but not bolted to the stay. Now measure the misalignments and bend accordingly.

Click to expand...

Gonna be quite a time consuming puzzle that way...
But ensure that the tubes didn't/don't suffer ruptured welding seams or cracks... their material is quite thin... not easy for electric welding and brazing bears the risk of thermal deformation...

thepaleobiker said:

I am looking to get my COWL STAY straightened at a Car Auto Body Repair place. Its bent in a few small places, causing difficulties with mounting the windshield & right rear view mirror (have these 2 parts but cannot mount them due to bent COWL STAY)

Here's a pic of the COWL STAY from Ron Ayers. Would anyone know a source/link to a semi-accurate diagram with distances etc? Like an Engineering Drawing (does sucha thing exist? )

I Just need to know the distance A1 to A2 & B1 to B2 & some relative ditance between A1 & B1 . IF anyone can share some info on this, even rough estimates, that'd be really helpful! Thank you a ton in advance!

Regards,
Vishnu

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seriously, I think you're wasting your time in my opinion.... These are the most difficult things to get straight, and I doubt you ever will.... You can buy a straight second hand one on fleabay for less than $100.... Have a look....

Assassin said:

seriously, I think you're wasting your time in my opinion.... These are the most difficult things to get straight, and I doubt you ever will.... You can buy a straight second hand one on fleabay for less than $100.... Have a look....

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Thank you, yes, I still haven't done anything yet on this piece. I'm riding everyday, it's my daily driver - I'll probably do as you suggested, during the upcoming winter.

I'll make a note of looking out on eBay! Thank you again. Cheers!

Regards,
Vishnu

My 97 ABS stay is bent. I have one from eBay and plan to remove the mounting tabs from the bent one and weld them to the replacement unit.

A '91 cowl stay is $200+shipping from Service Honda. If you screw that one up beyond repair, let me know. I have 2 for a '96 ABS out in garage (if I haven't toss them).

Service Honda is in Hammond, Indiana just south of Chicago.

I would be concerned the Ebay one was tweeked and you're back to where you were.

I've bought Vishnu's bent up and smashed up ST. So now it's my turn to figure out how to get the pieces all back together. I think that the part changed in 95 or 96 as what I'm finding online looks different than what they used in 91. Anyone have any idea on that? There's several later years available on EBay, but nothing that matches the 91 set up.

BTWilliam04 said:

I've bought Vishnu's bent up and smashed up ST. So now it's my turn to figure out how to get the pieces all back together. I think that the part changed in 95 or 96 as what I'm finding online looks different than what they used in 91. Anyone have any idea on that? There's several later years available on EBay, but nothing that matches the 91 set up.

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Come on over to my Tech Event with Vishnu, and we'll check the cowl stay from my 91 parts bike. It may not be to far off. I'm pretty sure all the plastic lined up well on it. And I still have it.

Gary.

GreenZR said:

Come on over to my Tech Event with Vishnu, and we'll check the cowl stay from my 91 parts bike. It may not be to far off. I'm pretty sure all the plastic lined up well on it. And I still have it.

Gary.

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Vishnu mentioned it but wasn't super clear on the details. Date/Time/Location? Thanks!

BTWilliam04 said:

Vishnu mentioned it but wasn't super clear on the details. Date/Time/Location? Thanks!

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Details are here in this thread.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?148891-2016-04-30-IN-Springville-Spring-Tech-Event&highlight=

Hope to see you there.

Now it is a "Once I get Moved" procrastination, but I keep saying I would like to buy a new stay, hope it doesn't get tweaked in shipping, and then make a jig from good solid steel (or, well, a good solid wood would work for just getting measurements) so I could straighten or even build replacements. I no longer have a straight one. both mine are tweaked, and they both have been straightened once or more. Now theTwo Tone needs it again not bad enough to stop me riding it for now though.

One of the members here reports that they have one for a 91 so I'll cross my fingers that it's straight and see how she turns out!

GreenZR said:

Come on over to my Tech Event with Vishnu, and we'll check the cowl stay from my 91 parts bike. It may not be to far off. I'm pretty sure all the plastic lined up well on it. And I still have it.

Gary.

Click to expand...

BTWilliam04 said:

Vishnu mentioned it but wasn't super clear on the details. Date/Time/Location? Thanks!

Click to expand...

GreenZR said:

Details are here in this thread.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?148891-2016-04-30-IN-Springville-Spring-Tech-Event&highlight=

Hope to see you there.

Click to expand...

I'm on track to be at the Tech Event Will! Would love to ride up to see Gary and others. I also met this new ST1100 owner John yesterday, he's got a 1995 Red ST1100. I told him about the Moonshine Run & the Tech event, so I'll maybe get to have him join the Tech Event too.

Looking forward to seeing all

Regards,
Vishnu

Cool!! Thanks Vishnu! Looking forward to another great day.

Gary.