C90/VL1500LC Tank Door Rattle Stopper - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

stp1971 · 09-23-2005, 11:11 AM

Ok,, I fixed the stupid rattle that I have been listening to for the last 7871 miles. The "LC" and the C90 have the door that opens up to reveal the gas cap. Well on acceleration and especially with aftermarket pipes you can hear this rattle. Another thread suggested tightening up the locking mechanism,, BE CAREFUL with that. If you tighten it too much you can break the locking barrel as it is some sort of plastic.

But even with tightening that lever the rattle did not go away. There are rubber bumpers and a strip of rubber that runs down each side of the door that is supposed to help the rattle,, don't count on it. It does nothing to really stop the problem. So,,,,,

SOLUTION
Got to Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, or wherever you can buy home repair supplies and go to the section where they have window and screen door repair. There in little bags you will see the rolls of foam tape that you would use under a window to help seal out the wind. They are flat looking rolls with different sizes and different densities.

I bought the 3/8" wide roll with the higher density foam. Maybe the medium would have been better, but the high density works. You just have to push down on the door when turning the lock. Medium density you may not have to push down on the door so much. Trial and error I recommend.

But this stuff set me back a whopping $2.95 and my bike has no rattle while accelerating, decelerating, or blipping the throttle to say "Hey Look At Me".

You just pull the tape to the length of the door and cut it to fit on both sides and do the same at the top of the door. Stick it to just inside the outer edges of the door where you will see the cheesy rubber strip and mash it into that channel covering the rubber strip. Also run it between the two longer lengths across the top edge. Peel off the plastic strips that cover the tape, close the door, push down on it, and lock it.

DONE!!!! I did it in the parking lot of the Lowes, rode it home, rode it this morning, and no more stupid vibrating, rattling noise while going down the road. My noise was more prevalent while reaching the higher RPM's and at highway speeds.

Cheap fix and if you call the dealer to fix it,, guess what,, they will tell you that maybe they can run some cushion strips down the length of the door. So avoid paying them the dollars and fix it yourself.