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Fairing Dis- and Re-Assembly Ramblings...


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Not long after I got my 8th gen VFR some yutz here backed into it and along with tweaking my fork alignment, did some minor damage to the left corner where the left upper and middle upper cowls meet.  The damage to the plastic wasn't bad but things were starting to sound a bit rattly - especially noticeable a couple of weeks ago when I rode with nothing over my ears - so I figured I should get off my lazy arse and get it fixed.  I've had new panels sitting on my bedroom floor for a year.  I'm really, really good at procrastinating.

 

First of all I just want to say the drawings in the service manual suck and the instructions are mediocre.  But whatever.  So out come the screws and clips and so on.  I pulled the left lower and mid cowl off as a unit because I couldn't get them separated and didn't want to force it.  Yeah, I know, slide the lower part back.  Whatever.

 

Trying to get the chin separated was a bear because the frontmost body clip - the type that has to be un-screwed - was ground down.  Probably something to do with my habit of jumping curbs and exploring fire roads.  Luckily I keep lots of spares of those (and the pin -type) body clips.  Had to rip this one apart from the inside.

 

Speaking of the chin, there was several ounces of dirt and small stones that had collected in the chin fairings.  Nice to get that cleaned out.

 

Also noticed one of the reasons for the rattling was one of the two grommets on the radiator that helps secure the radiator grille at the top, was gone.  Coulda' disappeared in the shop during an oil change but with NYC's streets, anything is possible.  The on-line fiches don't seem to show the grommet much less a part number for it.  Am I looking in the wrong page.  Hints, anyone??

 

I didn't get around to replacing the upper cowl because I couldn't get the forward -most nuts off the mirrors.  The bolts were too deep for my socket.  Needed a 10mm deep thin-wall socket.  Couldn't seem to get in there with an offset.  How annoying.  Any better ways?

 

And oh yeah, getting the visor (the pieces above and left/right of the cluster) out is tricky and made me very nervous.

 

And I should have paid more attention to the pan bolts.  Most are 6mm but a couple are 5mm and I was getting frustrated wondering why some were spinning and others wouldn't go in.  LOL.

 

It was nice to explore a bit.  I've been putting off some farkling because I was apprehensive about the fairing r'n'r process but I don't trust the shops with the electrical stuff.  I know, the plastics are not rocket science.  Just need to get used to it.  Thanks for reading.

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Looking at the radiator drawing for the '14 FD I see these: 11344-MB0-000 GROMMET A, RR. COVER (8X16X6.6)

 

Just wait 'til you get to do all that and THEN try to get off the cylinder drain bolt when changing coolant.  And then when you get it off, maybe 2-3 spoonful's of coolant will come out...lol

 

Tip:  I think it would be a snap if you can get it while the oil filter is off, or just skip it altogether since there is hardly anything in there.

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14 hours ago, RC79Scott said:

Looking at the radiator drawing for the '14 FD I see these: 11344-MB0-000 GROMMET A, RR. COVER (8X16X6.6)

 

Just wait 'til you get to do all that and THEN try to get off the cylinder drain bolt when changing coolant.  And then when you get it off, maybe 2-3 spoonful's of coolant will come out...lol

 

Tip:  I think it would be a snap if you can get it while the oil filter is off, or just skip it altogether since there is hardly anything in there.

 

You have good eyes, thanks!

 

 

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  • 6 months later...
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I did an oil change and some other maint on my 2014 last night. Yeah, the service manual drawings are rather primitive (as in cave drawings; apologies to the cave men). And Honda's choice of fasteners and locations not so slick, either. But I did manage use all the salty language I had allocated for the entire month in one evening, so that's something.

 

So here's a question: there are quite a few black 5mm shoulder bolts with the big domed heads. Two of them have taller shoulders than the rest. Any idea where these two are intended to go? I assumed it was where there were overlapping layers of plastic, but couldn't really find any.

 

I'll pay a million dollars for the answer. Or not.

 

pg

 

 

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Try reading the instructions in the owners manual. 

If you posted the sizes it would have been easier 

Im trying to remember black shoulder bolts. Only black domeheads are at the front of the tank.

 

if your really desperate go and look at a fiche. It has bolt sizes on it 

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You're right, I never considered looking in the owners manual! Jaded I guess, assuming the service manual would be the definitive guide. I'll look tonight

 

pg

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You're right, I never considered looking in the owners manual! Jaded I guess, assuming the service manual would be the definitive guide. I'll look tonight

 

followup: the owners manual does not describe the screws. 

The parts fiche also does not describe the screws well enough to differentiate.

Short of ordering screws and verifying the p/n vs. shoulder length, I think I'll just get over it.

 

pg

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9 hours ago, pgeller said:

You're right, I never considered looking in the owners manual! Jaded I guess, assuming the service manual would be the definitive guide. I'll look tonight

 

followup: the owners manual does not describe the screws. 

The parts fiche also does not describe the screws well enough to differentiate.

Short of ordering screws and verifying the p/n vs. shoulder length, I think I'll just get over it.

 

pg

Yes it does. It gives the Screw sizes all you need to do is match them up with the parts you have removed.  An alternative thing to do is to note the part no and Google it then look on images.   Like real says if we knew what you had taken off then we would be able to help.

The other place for dome heads is holding the black tank trim in place they are M5.

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On 17 January 2017 at 7:20 AM, pgeller said:

 

So here's a question: there are quite a few black 5mm shoulder bolts with the big domed heads. Two of them have taller shoulders than the rest. Any idea where these two are intended to go? I assumed it was where there were overlapping layers of plastic, but couldn't really find any.

 

I'll pay a million dollars for the answer. Or not.

 

pg

 

 

Hi pgeller.

If you've just changed the oil then you would have removed NO black bolts. If you've raised the tank to access the air box then you would have removed the two front tank black bolts 2ea, the seat 2ea black bolts, also you would have to removed the two black tank side cheek plastic bits involving 2ea per side black bolts.

The tank bolts have a captive black washer with them where the two seat bolts don't and are slightly shorter. Otherwise not too sure without knowing exactly what you removed.

 

Now can I email you my banking details for the million dollar deposit!!!!!

 

Cheers.

Grum

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I had more to do than an oil change. I installed the factory heated grips as well, which requires a lot of access.

 

I removed the mid fairings, lower fairings, radiator grille, upper and lower inner panels. There are many black(ish) dome-head shoulder bolts of the 5x14 variety. Only two have shoulders that are twice as long as the rest. One would assume that these two would have to go through two layers of plastic, where all the rest through only one. For the life of me, I couldn't find such a situation.

 

pg

 

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On 1/16/2017 at 8:20 PM, pgeller said:

I did an oil change and some other maint on my 2014 last night. Yeah, the service manual drawings are rather primitive (as in cave drawings; apologies to the cave men). And Honda's choice of fasteners and locations not so slick, either. But I did manage use all the salty language I had allocated for the entire month in one evening, so that's something.

 

So here's a question: there are quite a few black 5mm shoulder bolts with the big domed heads. Two of them have taller shoulders than the rest. Any idea where these two are intended to go? I assumed it was where there were overlapping layers of plastic, but couldn't really find any.

 

I'll pay a million dollars for the answer. Or not.

 

pg

 

 

Under the nose holding the black inner panels to the big side sections of the fairing there are four black shouldered bolts. I've changed mine for stainless but I think one pair is the taller-shouldered ones.

Bolts.JPG

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