Front Cowl removal?

[KYBubblehead]

I have an'06 GL1800 with a Motor Trike conversion.

I'm trying to take off the front cowl to add some fog lights....BUT.... the lock nuts, on the AquaShields on the inside of the lower cowl, are (so far) impossible to reach with a wrench. I can touch them with my fingers but can't get a wrench on them.

Any ideas/suggestions? I really want to put the fog lights in, but I can't get the 4 bolt on the AquaShields off...

Help!

 

[keepinon]

Yeah, those bolts are a *itch to get to. When I removed mine, I cut an old 10mm? wrench in half and just wiggled my hand up in there, had help (the wife) to turn the outside bolt when needed. I had placed some boards under the front wheel for better access.

My Aquashields already had the running lights installed, and I was taking them off road clearance. Now I need to add running/fog lights to the cowling.

Good luck. I think you may learn some new swear words. :laugh:

 

[GoldWingrGreg]

Yes ... unfortunately they are a *itch. However, I've never had to use anything other then a non-modified 7/16 combo wrench for the inner nuts. For 2 of them, try reaching in from the front openings in the lower cowl.

While you have that cover off, don't forget to service the cooling system, and change the clutch fluid too. The clutch fluid needs done every 12k (or every 2 years), and the coolant every 2 years (or 24k whichever is soonest). Dealing with such challenges, such as running boards, is why many Wings are poorly maintained.

 

[KYBubblehead]

Thanks for the replies

I was able to snake a wrench inside and get it off. Damn! what a way to assemble things! Makes me not want to do my own work anymore...

 

[rhino 2]

Thanks for the replies

I was able to snake a wrench inside and get it off. Damn! what a way to assemble things! Makes me not want to do my own work anymore...

There is a method in their Madness.......

 

[rwbetour]

Cage nut

I attached some cage nuts to some large flat washers. These flat washers were then attached to the inside of the lower cowl with two small screws. This allows me to screw the bolts through the running boards, through the lower cowl and into the cage nuts. This way I don’t have to hold the backup nut with a wrench. I also drilled a hole in the running board so that I could have access to the hex bolt that holds the lower cowl to the bike. I can now remove the lower cowl in about 15 minutes rather than the half day it used to take.