'60 knee pads

[Rocket Racer]

is there a natural order to assemble the small triangular knee pads onto a '60 4 gallon tank?
the grey rubber pads don't have holes in so must go on after the brackets are screwed onto the tank, but without bending the brackets putting the rubber pads aren't going to go on without a battle -hard enough with the brackets loose!

My ZB33 has sensible holes in the pads, very tempting to cut some slots in the new pads so it can be screwed on preassembled.

[tombeau]

tried warming them up in hot water and stretching them on?
Are they old ones or repro?
A friend used to use glycerine to revitalise old cracked vintage bicycle handlebar grips, this amy help if they are originals to soften them u.

[bsa-bill]

I fancy there's a market for good quality knee pads, the ones I seem to get either crack when you attempt to fit them or a few weeks after

[Rocket Racer]

Warming them and perhaps dishwashing liquid sounds like a plan. They are new repro ones and tight as...

[Rocket Racer]

soaked them in a bucket of hot soapy water helped me get one on. For the other I think I need to bolt the tank on first, so its held steady. But the hot soapy water certainly helped fitment