DL650 L2 - help me get the lower fairing off PLEASE!

[Freddyfruitbat]

Have been doing a bit of electrickery on the bike today, wiring in accessories; all gone well until it came to reassembly.   I've just heard the worst sound in the world, which is what you don't hear when you manage to drop a bolt down inside the fairing and it doesn't hit the ground.   

I've been trying to locate and retrieve it for ages without success, but basically what I'm trying to do now is remove the lower part of the fairing on the lefthand side to gain access to where the bolt must be.  Cannot do it.   I've loosened every screw I can see, and popped every visible fastener, but it's not coming.  My Haynes manual is useless on this, and I've looked for a Youtube walk-through for my model without success.   Can anyone PLEASE help?   It's doing my nut in.

The tank side panels are off, by the way, and anything else needed to prop up the back of the tank.

For the avoidance of doubt, it's a DL-650 L2 ABS, and the part I want off is arrowed red in the attached photo (but on the lefthand side - this is just an internet photo).

[Rusty Nuts]

Are you sure you really need to remove the whole "louvre" piece? I found my well nuts by removing the inner part. Look at the diagram to see which fasteners you may have missed.

[Freddyfruitbat]

Thanks so much.   No, I didn't realise that inner bit could be removed, so I just did so, and bingo, there was the missing bolt!    I've a good mind to take a hacksaw to the bottom of the cowling to avoid a recurrence in the future...

Rusty you are officially my hero!

Out of interest - I never did get the whole cowling off (I didn't need to, obviously), but for next time, do you need to take off the headlamp surround first, ie, looking at your diagram are there screw heads under that?

[greywolf]

That's the only way I ever got mine off. The side cowlings came of with the front. I had to take all of that off to get at the painted part for it to be repainted. The two bolts that connect the cowling frame to the main frame are in the same place as every other model and the access is terrible. I was glad I had an air wrench. A regular socket wrench could only manage one click at a time. An alternate good tool choice would be a socket wrench with a twist handle.

[alibx11]

Removing the whole ft fairing is a piece of cake... done it many times.
Remove all the trims round the top of tank and the side tank panels, remove the dash with speedo and undo the 2x 12mm bolts that hold the fairing bracket onto the headstock.
You need to undo a couple of wiring connectors on the left side inside fairing and that's about it, very easy access to everything.

[greywolf]

Just in case terminology gets involved, 12mm is the bolt head size. They are two 8mm bolts, M8x1.25

[alibx11]

Well it's involved now isn't it???

Yes 12mm spanner.

[Rusty Nuts]

Involved?  Oh, it gets worse than that! Standard M 8 take a 13mm spanner. 
But yes, machine screws and bolts are usually referred to by nominal diameter and pitch, because they can have different sized heads.

[greywolf]

In the USA and UK, 8mm bolts typically have 13mm heads. Japanese bolts usually have 12mm heads though Stroms have some 8mm bolts with 10mm heads, the steering stem pinch bolts for example.

I see M 8 is not acceptable without the space. Come on Fat Rat, this is a motorcycle forum. There is a need to use M*8 and C-O*O-L for some legitimate purposes.

[Fat Rat]

You are right Pat, it irritates me too, if only people would stop using juvenile text speak here.

I will relax the m8 but not the other, my OCD couldn't cope.

[greywolf]

I guess I'll just have to keep saying the Wee normally shows three temperature bars but may fall to two bars in cold or c=o=o=l and rainy weather.

[Freddyfruitbat]

I will relax the m8 but not the other, my OCD couldn't cope.

What about ace rider and TV presenter, Bloke Martin then!? 

[vstroman]

bloke Martin is the best racer 

[Freddyfruitbat]

Don't you mean the coldest rider?   

[Fat Rat]

Just one warning, any daft text speak here and I will be forced to block valid terms like M8.