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Any suggestions on Plastic rivets removal?

scwingman

Member
2021 RT

Purchased some lights from TricLED and it requires removing the 4 screw rivets on the saddle bags.

Any suggestions on how to get these out. The screw just turns???

Thanks for any help or suggestions

SCWingman
 
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RICZ is correct, they are not screws per say but just look like screws. A tiny flat screwdriver or an o-ring pic will lift them enough to remove the whole pin. Some say to throw away the plastic screw looking pin and to replace it with a real screw about the same size for easy removal next time.
 
Yesterday I removed the same. Screw turned out than I pulled it out with a needle nose pliers. Next pulled the rivet out. It went fine.
Jim
 
The screw-type (cross-point center) needs gentle backing out for it to come out enough to grab.
The flat center type needs the center cap lifted up at least 1/2 way then lift out the rivet body.
They are reusable to a point but amazon home depot or lowes sell them cheap.
 
I've just had my first encounter with the famous plastic rivets around the saddlebags.

At first, I wondered what all the fuss was about as the first 3 came out easily. But then I tried the fourth!!

It just turned round and round, so I ended up drilling a tiny hole in the centre pin and screwing a small metal woodscrew into it (to about 1/4" depth). That gripped really well so then I was able to simply grab the woodscrew in some long nose pliers and pull everything out just fine (no turning needed).

That worked so well that I think I will just pre-drill a similar hole in all the centre pins and put them back in place like that. If any should prove a problem in the future, I believe the same trick will work (though I might also use cbredneck's tip too, for backup).

I do hope the person who invented these particular rivets - AND the people who specified them for use on the Spyder - have all been fired!

pushpin rivet removal.jpg
 
I replaced my pushpins with PlusNuts and stainless steel machine screws

While there are few "screw" type pushpins (eg, on evap pre-filter) on my 2014 RT-S, I don't like pushpins in general and continued my replacement of Torx (and many hex) machine screws with M5 and M6 flanged button-head stainless steel hex drive machine screws which I carried over to pushpins. Stainless steel is easy to see in dark corners. Hex drive allows the use on ball end wrenches. And replacing the pushpins means I only need two tools rather than three.

To replace the pushpins I used pre-bulbed rivet nuts (aka PlusNuts) that are appropriate for thin material. You will need the Astro Pneumatic extra long LM5M and LM6M mandrels to set the nuts. From my perspective a truly great improvement for working on my Spyder.
 
I like the plastic rivets for the ease of removal and reinstallation vs. nuts & bolts. If a 'screw' type becomes hard to back out, just use a thin metal screw (sheetrock 1 in?) in it's place.
 
Plastic pop pin removal

I have used all suggestions, I find a inexpensive tack removal tool works best. D-Daddy
 
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