Ok, so I got it together finally, though I had to silicon gasket the whole rim of the cover to get the gasket to stay in place while I placed it over the engine. I know you mentioned this was not the best idea, but I've read some materials and spoken to some people who say it can be ok as long as you make sure there is not much slop... plus, by the time I tried applying the silicon gasket to the tabs I pointed out before and tried to install the cover, there was silicon gasket everywhere anyway, which I hope will work its way into my oil filter when I warm the bike up to change the oil.
I do have some concerns though about whether or not certain parts of the cover installed correctly. The #3 O-Rings in the picture, which ring the spark plug holes to prevent oil from getting into them, kept falling off as I would try to place the cover in the correct place, forcing me to repeatedly pull the cover back off and try to reseat it. Also, the #6 dowels (hollow tubes) and the #7 O-Rings which go around them wouldn't predictably stick to either the cover or the cylinder head, so I'm fearful that they may not be seated properly. I'm currently debating whether I or not I should give the silicon gasket a day or so to dry out, and then open it up again to try again with my new knowledge of how to get the gasket and cover in place properly so that I make less mess and am able to double check that the o-rings and dowels managed to get into the right place. Alternatively, I can just go ahead and put everything back together and cross my fingers that the o-rings and dowels are in proper position when I try starting it up to warm the engine prior to changing the oil.
Thoughts?
EDIT: As usual with questions like this, the more I think about it, the more I think its a better idea to spend an extra hour now to double check it, than to spend who knows how much time and money later on because I didn't... after all, this is the first time I've ever opened up an engine of any sort, so it makes sense to err on the side of caution. Still please give me your thoughts, but I'll probably pull it open anyway.
