First Gen2 fairing removal and right away, I'm having a hard time with the grills. I have the three screws removed: lower rear point fuel tank cover, lower rear point fairing cover/grill, front of grill where it slides into inner rubber cover. The two projections inside the grill are popped out of the grommets. Both tabs that fit beneath the fuel tank cover are free. The grill is not coming off by pulling straight backward.

I was focussing on trying to squeeze the rubber inner cover to clear it from the pin on the fairing. The SM says the inner rubber cover should be cleared but I don't see how to do it if this is even necessary. Is the pin being hung up in the inner rubber cover what's giving me the problem or is it something else?

... from memory:

ensure all fairing screws are removed, i think 3 of them
try to disengage the rubber locking pins, get them to pop out a bit
the central rubber cover is a bit tricky to manage, but it can be done

then grab the fairing and apply a strong but controlled pull, in a parallel direction to the fairing fins, watching the upper tabs at the same time

before putting the fairing back, i like to apply some grease to the surfaces making contact... anticipating the next pulling job

* Last updated by: islandninja on 12/22/2024 @ 3:13 AM *

Thanks island. I have all fasteners and tabs free. It's just that damn inner rubber cover. It's 20° F here right now. I hate to be pulling on fairings in that temperature. Same thing happened when I bought my 08, I forgot to take the battery out and put it on a trickle charger when I stored it for winter. It's been a month now. The battery is brand new but I can't let it sit all winter. I hope I get that side fairing cover pulled tomorrow.

Rook, you may find these pics helpful... overall i must say that the plastic used for these fairings is really tough stuff... dropped the bike a couple of times but the fairings only got scratched, they never broke

Thanks again. Those flat pieces at the points of the fins each have a notch that probably mates with a pin inside the side fairing. If that's all it is, this thing should slide backward without much effort. I'm starting to think the problem is the peg that fits in the inner rubber cover as I suspected. I'll figure something out later today. I thought about prying out a little on the rubber part the pin fits in. I hate to scratch any paint, even where it can't be seen. I'll try giving it a good tug first.

I got it. I don’t know what happened with the inner rubber cover that encases the fairing peg with the screw hole. I just gave the side cover four yanks backwards, about 4~5 lbs of force and it was free. chuck-chuck-chuck, I could see the points of the fins drawing out of the side fairing. I’ll consider applying some silicone lube when I put it back together. I use Liquid Wrench silicone spray applied with a swab on the large flat tabs of my Hayabusa side fairings.

[EDIT, 12/25/24: I see I broke the piece off that fits in the rubber cover. This is the piece the forward fairing screw fits in. AS for now, I'd say you need to do a little more than just pull back on the fairing. I'll update the thread when I get it figured out.]

Here's the video link I watched. Guess I should have watched and listened a little closer. 3:40 is where warns about busting off that tab. Now I know too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTuhHT5LKCQ&t=261s

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/25/2024 @ 2:50 PM *

Oh, and it appears the battery is just fine. Probably very low but it's not bulging or cracked or anything. We had a few days of subzero weather here a couple weeks back.

Having a closer look at my side fairing cover, sure enough, busted off the piece that fits in the inner rubber cover. So from here, I'd say better make sure that piece is somehow cleared from the inner rubber cover like the Service manual says it should be.

$478

Well, I'm saying right now, better not pull back too forcefully if you're going to remove that thing... and you will need to remove it to access the battery. I've edited my previous post. I'll get it figured out but I'd be real careful about following any fairing removal videos on youtube. He says to be sure the tab is pried out of the rubber or it will break. Sure does, I tested it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTuhHT5LKCQ&t=224s

Someday soon, we'll have a comprehensive tutorial on Gen2 fairing removal. It'll be my winter project.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/25/2024 @ 5:56 PM *

arghhh...
very sorry Rook, to read what happened
that bit is indeed tricky to manage, i must have been lucky so far...
your tutorials are precious, looking forward to this one too!