Hello, the Beast has arrived! I’m trying to fit my optimate lead to the battery but how do I get the side panel off? I’m scared I will snap something in frustration. Cheers JAT
It is a faff. But theres 4 on top as you can see, 1 inside by rad mid way up and a one on inside by rad in top corner. Three on underside and one by footpeg. Plus theres tabs and shark fins. The shark fins slide on top bit by air duct covers. the tabs hold the panels by the air ducts. The tabs are robust, the shark fins arent. So take care there. I undo all bolts and then careful wiggle tabs free, when hanging then I slide the panel along a wee bit by air ducts to get off the shark fins. I cant remember shark fin direction.
I always remove the air scoop covers first. These have tabs that you can snap too! You are going to drop a little spacer when you remove the long but thin allen bolt that is just inside the front tip of the side panel. Have a good swear now, then you won’t be quite so angry when you do. Do not force anything; it comes appart easily when you have all of the bolts out. There may be instructions in the user manual. When you come to put it back together you will become acquainted with the two oblong rubber grommets on the bike into which two of the tabs on the panel are located. Swear again now; they are bastards to line up and you will invariably knock the grommet out the first few times you try to locate the tabs. Some silicon spray on the grommets allows the tabs to slide in easier... (JHP were kind-enough to fit the battery tender wires to mine before they released the bike to me.)
Done it, what a pain! I put it all back together only for the said spacer to fall out!! ######!! Thanks for your guidance, invaluable. Cheers JAT
You made me smile (and laugh a little bit but not at you!) when you wrote "There may be instructions in the user manual" which had me flashing back to a few weeks ago when I was looking to check/top-up the coolant on my Pani for the first time. The manual says something very straightforward and brief along the lines of "remove side fairing and refill via expansion bottle". Upon removal of the side fairing, topping up via the expansion bottle was... ermm... virtually impossible! although I got there in the end... Good old fashioned italian guidance... you just can't beat it
Ah, the coolant level... How the heck are you expected to see the level through an opaque reservior? Well somebody posted a neat solution, which is to remove the hose from just underneath the filler cap and then slowly lower it until fluid appears from the end. The ‘U’ tube effect gives you the level in the reservior. Sweet!
