'86 VFR700 front brake, fairing mounts, and a few other things.

Hey there, fairly new to the forums and just made a intro post in that section.

On my recently purchased 1986 VFR700 I have had some issues removing the right side fairings, due to this little guy:







In the service manual there is no mention of it, and I am not sure how to approach it's removal. It is a black plastic knob attached to a thin metal bar that runs through the fairing into the frame. I have tried twisting and pulling to no avail, it just won't budge. Anyone know about what it is/how to remove it? (I only have this problem for the right side fairing, as the left side bar is snapped off )


So I removed the front brake pads to clean and replace, and to check for wear and tear. That all went fine, but when I went to install the new brake pads they wouldn't fit. I realized that they should fit, and that the pistons were not budging when I tried to push them all the way in. Well I messed around for a bit, then this happened:





It seems that the right piston just came apart, and there was no fluid inside. The metal circle popped off the front of the piston, and I can put it back and pull it off at will. I am inexperienced with this stuff, so what does this mean? Should I be looking for a new caliper, or would a rebuild of this one be possible?

Should I replace my brake fluid out of caution, since I am pretty sure the previous owners had no idea WTF bike maintenance meant?

On a related note, should I replace the pads for both the right and left front calipers (so 4 new brake pads in total) at the same time, or is it alright to only replace one side?

I purchased some shiny new side fairings for the bike, the ones that just snap on. The new ones, however, are missing rubber parts as seen here:

old:

new:


Where can I find this rubber part?

And for a final question, do you guys have tips on a tough to loosen rear axle bolt? I need to adjust my chain, or outright replace it and the sockets if the damage is bad enough, and I cannot for the life of me get that sucker to loosen. Something like penetrating fluid? or maybe a tube over the wrench to multiply the leverage. . .



Any and all answers would be greatly appreciated.

 

thats a fairiing stay...it replaced the factory one which is why its not in the service manual. you should be able to use an allen wrench and take the black plastic knob off and then unscrew the silver part...might need some pentrating oil to sit a bit...uuuhh not to sure about the other stuff, rear axle, same penetrating oil...i like "liquid wrench". let it sit for a few and go to work...