vtrlvr

i have a 2004 VTR and the radiator guards are black. My brother's RC51 has the silver guards, so instead of taking his off and getting my *** beat and replacing mine with his i am going to paint them silver. Do i ahve to take off the whole fairing to get to these or will they just slide out if i loosen a couple of the fairing bolts??

superbling

IIRC, the grills have to lifted up and out to remove. To get that much clearance, you probably have to remove the fairings.

I recently replace my coils with new ones and the front cylinder coil is moounted just above the rad. I was hoping to only remove the two side screws at the rear of the fairing but that didn't allow enough room.

vtrlvr

so is it hard taking off the whole fairing with the winshield and headlight and all? That kind of sux if that is what i have to do.

superbling

Actually the superhawk is GREAT in this regard. If done right, you can remove the entire fairing as one piece (headlight/screen/turnsignals all stay with the fairings).

Tips: put a towel on the front fender so you can rest it on that while unplugging the headlight, turnsignals. GENTLY pry the side fairings out to clear rads while pulling the entire unit forward.

SlowHAWK

+1 on removing both fairings/winshield/light in one shot. It will actully take less time to do it in one shot, than if you tried to do it in parts. Once you do it once, you'll never break them apart agian.

BTW Dont forget the mount underneath and inside that also holds the radiator... I've missed it a few times, and its a pain. Also, you can disconnect the headlight before removing the panels, but you'll need to move everything forward a bit first, then disconnect the upper marker light.

J.

vtrlvr

10-4 guys i appreciate the tips. I will try this monday. :thumbsup

Thumper

Another tip or two on removing the entire fairing.

Take mirrors off
Towel on front fender
remove two small fasteners on the lower inside of the fairing below the radiators
Remove the fours allen bolts that hold the fairing on
Tip - it is very easy to scratch the fairing just behind the rear upper allen bolts. The metal bracket they boly to is sharp and as you slide the fairing off and on it is easy to scratch the fairing. Put a couple layers of duct tape on the virticle edge of the fairing just bebind this bolt to protect it.

Now for removal

All that is left to do it to disconnect the head light connector and the little connector for the small light above the head light. The head light is easy, just wiggle it with your hand and pull hard and it will come right off. The small light connector has a release lever you have to do to get that connector out. I typically put a small pocket screwdriver in my mouth and stand in front of the bike straddling the wheel. Grab the fairing bacl by the upper rear section and gently pry it out around the brackets i mentioned earlier. Move the entire fairing forward toward you and balance with your waste. Reach in with your right hand and remove the headlight connector then use the screw driver and release the latch on the small light connector with your right hand and pull the plug out.

Then just negotiate the the fairing directly forward and off the bike.

Reverse steps to put back on.

BTW - I painted my radiator mesh pieces black as i though the aluminum look that was stock on the 98 model looked cheap.

Good Luck!

superbling

Also, have a good place to put it down (blanket, towels, etc). Nothing like standing there with an entire front end in your hands and thinking to yourself, "Now what do I do?". LOL BTDT

Birdoprey