Tips for removing upper cowl?

Going to replace my upper cowl that was scratched by PO. Is there any tricks to getting it of? Do the mirrors etc have to come off? Any tips would be great. Dont feel like breaking anything.

 

It is a real pain in the arse and there there is lots of stuff that needs to be done. Take your time!!! If the upper doesn't just slide right off you have missed a connection point. I'm going by memory and hope I didn't miss any steps. Be super careful because many of the screws that hold stuff together use those pesky little locking clips that slide on and off the fairings and they can easily dissapear.

1) Remove Mirrors

2) Remove fuse cover from front right inner side (only needs to be done if right upper is being removed)

3) Remove black cover panel from front left inner side (only needs to be done if left upper being removed)

4) Remove black covers from inner sides of windshield (One set per side)

5) Remove Windshield.

6) Remove black panel from back of speedometer housing.

7) Remove 2 screws (each side) that attach to the uppers fairings (1 set located just forward of the speedo housing just above headlight and the other set is on the inside of upper fairings just above and slightly forward of the turn signals -- a real pain in the arse to get to)

8) Remove screw from top of T shaped headlight fairing.

9) Undo screw located at bottom T shaped headlight fairing that connect the left upper to the right upper. You probably also need to remove the airflow deflector just beneath the headlight in front of the oil cooler.

10) Unplug turn signal.

11) Unscrew the main faring bolt connected to the frame.







Rollin

 

I've attached a pic showing all the attachment points from the inside of the left upper.




Rollin

 

Great writeup Rollin..hes got it right..i just reassembled mine and that covers pretty much everything. Hey Rollin..did you ever get a chance to check the vent tubes under the gas tank? I still have to pull my tank and put the heat shield on and the vent tubes..looking at the parts fiche it looks like more than a couple of vent tubes..just wondering how they are connected and where they run to..thanks for any help.

 

PM sent


Rollin

 

Is there something holding the upper halves together above the headlight? Do you essentially have to remove both upper fairings? I see the lower screw on the T bar, seems there is no access to the top one above headlight?

 

If you follow the T bar towards the top there should be a screw behind there that is vertically oriented. I can't remember how I got it off but it was a pain in the arse and when I put it back together I just use a zip tie instead. Is that the only place you feel it is still attached?

Rollin

 

I ended up putting the bike back together so I could ride it for the week. I don't see anyway to remove just one side of the upper fairings without removing them both as a unit off the bike. There is a screw that threads from bottom up above headlight that there is no way to get too. It holds the two sides together. I can see it with a flashlight through side of upper fairings where the screws go through that hold the windshield, and there is no way to reach it. Even if you could there is like maybe .5mm of clearance between it and the headlight so you couldn't even back it out.

My next try I think will be to remove them both off bike at same time as a unit then replace one side and put them back on as a unit. Seems this is how Honda originally put them on. Or I may just have to have my local bike shop do it.

 

You can definitely remove one of the uppers without having to remove the other. As long as you have unscrewed all the other mounting points correctly you should be able to pull the the upper cowl forward slightly to make room to remove the screw you are talking about.

Rollin