maintenance questions

[birdmove]

How much work and time are involved in removing the cowling around the engine foe access?I've owned a couple of four cylinder machines before-does anyone here do their own carb syncs? Do the Kats have center stands from the factory?Can the oil and filter be changed with all the cowling in place without making a mess?

Thanks again,

[md86]

Depends on WHY you wanna remove the plastics , but it takes probably 10 minutes to get it all off . I usually don't remove all mine for maintenance . Just taking out three bolts at the bottom of the tank so I can pull it free is enough to expose the engine and carbs .
LOTS of people have their own carb-synch tools , and they can be had for $40-$60 through alot of places for cheap but effective sets .
Kats DO have centerstands stock , but alot of people take them off for some reason .
Changing the oil ain't hard at all . You MAY have to remove the bottom plastic to get it done (I don't , but my bike has been modified) , but that only takes a couple minutes .

[ZukiFred]

Like md86 said it only takes a few minutes to remove the fairings, And I did not need to remove the fairings to change the oil.

[The CyberPoet]

98+:

98+, the factory service guides (used by shops to calculate time) estimate the time requirement to remove and reinstall the full upper and lower fairings around 35 minutes... for a trained professional. I can get them off in about 8 and back on in about 5, but I've done it dozens of times and I know some tricks (like not separating the two halves of the upper fairing in the process, just opening them up slightly and lifting them away as a single piece). MD86 is right that you can get the tank off without removing the upper fairings completely, which is fine for a spark plug change, but I wouldn't want to do a full valve adjustment without them clear of the bike.

Only the lower has to come off for an oil & filter change, and with a Fumoto oil drain valve replacing the OEM drain plug, you don't need to drop the lower for an oil change (still needs to come off when you do a filter change, or your belly pan will have oil in it).

There are some snap-connectors that can be a bugger-bear to get open if you don't understand how they work... From behind, push on the point with the side of a flathead screwdriver, while holding the outer ring of the fastner in place on the front side. These do get loose at a while, and should be replaced occassionally (someone mentioned being able to find them at Home Depot cheaper than the $2 or so the dealers get for each of them).

When you can't figure out why the upper fairing isn't coming off -- look for the two phillips screws on the instrument surround just below the windshield.

Finally, for some of those snap-connectors (specifically the ones that aren't seen from the outside of the bike, and especially the one at the base of the windshield), you can use a zip-tie in it's place, which is both more cost effective and can be closed down tighter to stop vibration.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet