Question regarding front cowling.

[Robmac]

Unfortunately my 4 month old (black 08) toppled over last week (sunk into the pavement). Initially I was pretty pissed at my stupidity, but I'm over that now.

Long story short, nothing broke but a lot got scratched up. I've since repaired and painted the rear hand hold, the small under-seat side fairing and the scratches on the front fairing. I have to order some frame paint to fix the scratches and small pits on the frame and side enging cover - nothing major though.

My right mirror and right mole (this is what it's called.. it's the matt black plastic things that goes around my right head light) are scratched so I'm going to order new ones.

Question: From the front cowling diagrams I've looked at, it appears that both the mirror and the mole mounting bolts can be accessed by removing the inner top cowling (the large piece that goes around and under the instruments). Anybody out there know if this is the case or am I opening a can of worms and should just take it to the dealer?

any info would be appreciated...

thanks in advance,
Rob

It looks f

 

[DamiaRhan]

Before you do anything... Go to your local hardware store.. Walk to the electrical section and buy yourself a metal electrical box cover... They're under $1, fit in your pocket, and will save you future pain and heartache.. :spank:

 

[shuckle]

It's not difficult to remove. Just keep track of what screws came out of where. You'll have to unscrew the front of your gas tank and lift the front up (carefully there's wires under there) and hold it up somehow (i use a bungee that i hook around the grab rails)

The important thing is to take your time and have a plan going in.

 

[sxty8goats]

It's not difficult to remove. Just keep track of what screws came out of where. You'll have to unscrew the front of your gas tank and lift the front up (carefully there's wires under there) and hold it up somehow (i use a bungee that i hook around the grab rails)

The important thing is to take your time and have a plan going in.

I have an 06' so it may be a bit different but I took the inserts out without issue. Didn't need to take the tank up but looking back it would have made it a bit easier. I dismantled the entire front coweling last weekend for repair work. Starting with the inner inserts you are talking about it really comes apart in a logical manner. No need to take it to a dealer if you have even a basic amount of mechanical aptitude.

 

[shuckle]

Mine's an '06 too. I can't image how you got that out of there without unhooking the tank.

I'll have to try next time. Just for fun.

 

[clockworkjon]

Ya, what they said. But I wouldn't necessarily lift the gas tank either. The inner cowlings come out pretty easy.

And for future reference, between this forum, SBN, and the availability of the complete service manuals for free, you should almost never have to take your bike to a dealer for maintenance and repairs. As long as you are ok asking for help and following instructions you'll save a ton of money. Now if your frame cracks or you have a major crash, then take it to a dealer to make sure its structurally sound. Other than that, just ask.

Good luck! :thumbup:

:EDIT I can say all this with complete confidence because I've gotten tons of help from the forum members. I am not mechanically gifted. In fact, my wife gets really nervous whenever I go near any of my tools. If I can get by without the dealer, ANYONE can!

 

[sxty8goats]

My mount bar was bent in the crash. So I had @ 1/4 inch extra clearance on the first side I started. It came right out. Becasue of that, when it came time to remove the second side, I didn't even consider putting the tank up. The second side took a bit of finagaling. I suspect there was a bit of flex in the coweling once the first insert came out. My plan is to unhook the tank from now on. Guess the main point of my post was that it is easy enough for most wrench monkeys to do. No point in taking it to the dealership.