I dropped my bike on it's left side and scratched the heck out of the plastic. I'm replacing the lower fairing on the left as well as the upper fairing. I was looking for a how-to on what screws into what, etc, but I couldn't find one (and the newest service manual only covers the GS500E). I figured it out myself and thought I'd write one up for you all, in case you ever have the same question. The turn signal removal is from memory, so it might be slightly inaccurate.
Hint: I find it easier to keep track of bolts and screws if I screw them back into the threaded holes once I have whatever they were holding in off the bike. Sometimes the threaded holes go with the parts, and sometimes they stay on the bike.
LOWER FAIRING REMOVAL:
1) First, look to make sure you can see all of the bolts and clips I'm talking about. On each side you should see:
3- smaller head allen head bolts along the seam where the lower fairing meets the upper,
3 large-head allen bolts (needs same size wrench) on the lower part of each fairing that bolt the fairing to the frame
1- allen head bolt on the top of the fairing near the gas tank.
1- plastic clip that connects the lower fairing to the upper. This one is hard to see- it's actually on the underside of the upper fairing, near the front edge. It's along the seam where the black plastic meets the blue.
2- plastic clips that connect the sides of the fairing to each other. They are down at the very bottom middle of the fairings. One is on the bottom and points straight up, while the other is on the front.
2) Push the inner part of the plastic clip on the inner side of the fairing in and then use your fingers to remove the entire piece. DO THIS ONE FIRST OR YOU WILL FORGET ABOUT IT. I forget about it and cracked it into two pieces when i manhandled the fairing loose.
3) Remove the 2 plastic clips holding the fairing pieces to each other. Use a screwdriver to pry the edge of the center part up, and then pull them out with your fingers.
4) Remove each of the 3 bolts attaching the lower plastic to the upper. Note that one bolt on each side is slightly longer. That bolt goes on the highest and farthest rearward of the three holes.
5)Now, remove the bolt at the top of the fairing. Note that it's the same size as the longer of the 3 bolts you just removed.
6) Brace the fairing with one hand while you remove the last 3 bolts. I recommend you work bottom to top, because it's easier to brace while unbolting on the top bolts.
7) Once all of the bolts are out, gently rotate the fairing clockwise if it's the right, or counterclockwise if it's the left, while you pull it loose. It should come out easily, so if it's stuck, push it back in and check to see if you missed a bolt, or especially a plastic clip.
UPPER FAIRING REMOVAL:
1) First, remove the lower fairings. It's much easier to access the screws if they have been taken out.
2) Again, follow along and see if you can spot all of these various bolts and screws:
6- Bolts along the seams where the upper fairing meets the lower ones. (Should have already removed these)
2- Bolts along the back, near the gas tank that mount the fairing to the frame (again, should have removed these while taking out the lower fairing)
4- plastic clips attaching the black back fairing to the front blue one.2 are on the top by the windshield, and 2 are on the front corners of the black piece.
2-screws attaching the windshield to the blue plastic and the black plastic. These are on the back of the windshield near the upper corners. NOTE: YOU DON'T NEED TO REMOVE THE 3 SCREWS ON THE FRONT OF THE WINDSHIELD TO GET THE FAIRING OFF.
4- wiring harnesses that attatch the turnsignal wires to the electrical system.
4- plastic covers that cover the bolts attaching the mirrors to the fairing
4- bolts underneath those same covers
2) Disconnect the 4 wires first. They simply pull apart with a little force.
3)Remove the 4 plastic clips by pushing in the center part with a screwdriver and then pulling the whole piece out.
4) Remove the 2 screws on the back corners of the windshield.
At this point, you should be able to remove the black plastic piece. It's annoying to get around the gauges, but it's doable. It doesn't like to come free without a little finesse, and it might take a little force too. Be careful not to break the tabs on the blue plastic off, so use more finesse than force.
5) Stop and look again. You should now see 5 screws that attach the blue cowling to the headlight- one is on top, two are on the left and right, and 2 are on the bottom (they form a 5-pointed star pattern). There are also some screws that attach the headlight to the metal brace, and those have the same size heads. Carefully note which attach to the fairing and which don't. Also, remove the plastic covers over the mirror bolts and note the four bolts attachiing the mirrors to the fairing (and also to the metal brace).
6) Remove the mirrors via the bolts. You'll need a larger allen wrench that you used before. The mirrors pull off easily once the 4 bolts are out, so brace the mirrors while you unbolt them.
7) Now, remove the 5 screws attaching the fairing to the headlight mount. Don't lose any of the washers on them
8) The fairing will hold itself up, even though you've removed all of the necessary screws. This is because of the rubber mounts. To remove the fairing, gently pull on the left side, then the right, back and forth until you wiggle it free.
Congrats! All of the fairing parts are now removed.
Appendices:
Side plastic replacement:
If you are replacing the side plastic parts with new ones, there is some additional information you'll need to know:
The side pieces have additional black plastic pieces that screw into them on the undersides. Just remove the screws to free the plastic, then screw it back in on the new part.
You will need to remove the 3 rubber mounts on each of the lower plastics pieces to put new plastics in. The mounts just pull out and they are in the holes where the largest allen bolts sit. Put them into the respective holes on the new plastics.
Upper Plastic replacement:
You will need to remove the turn signal assemblies and put them in the new plastic part. To do so:
1) Remove the nut on the inside of the blue plastics. When you do so, the black round plastic piece on the back should also be free. Slide both out and off of the wires.
2) When those nuts are off, the turn signals should come free from the fairing. You'll have to pull the wires out of the same hole too.
To reattatch, just reverse the removal instructions. The only thing to watch is that the circular black plastic piece is square on the other side, so it only fits in 4 ways. However, it should only fit in one way that allows the turn signal to face the right way. Make sure you've got it in correctly before tightening the nut.
Awesome, good thinking :thumb: That is why I love this site!
This would be nice in the how-to section. I can take photos of specific steps and add them to the text. See http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18830&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=20
Nice job on the instructions.... I'll be using these for sure! :cheers:
Hey does anyone know if I could put the GS500f front fairings on the GS500 without making new braces/brackets?
Youd have to have a tab welded to the front of the GS frame so it had something to bolt to.
The referenced link is extinct.
prs
Quote from: cobalt135 on July 01, 2005, 05:28:58 PM
This would be nice in the how-to section. I can take photos of specific steps and add them to the text. See http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18830&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=20