CB500S front fairing repair.

In order to repair the front fairing on my 2002, I have tried to remove the fairing by following my Haynes manual. I have removed both front indicators and the 'glove box'and all 4 screws attaching the fairing to the frame. According to the Haynes manual, the fairing should now come away by pulling it off from the front. Not so. There's still a bolt or two holding it to the frame. Any ideas as to where these are? I assume the headlight comes away with the fairing, so I would obviously have to disconnect the headlight and sidelight before extracting the fairing.

I read that the fairing comes in 4 parts that are bolted together, so hopefully this means it'll cost less to do the job if I can just buy the damaged right side (where the 'glovebox' is.)Any ideas where this may be available?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Aren't there a couple (one each side) of push in 'lugs' towards the back near where your knees sit? I'll have a look tomoro to remind myself...

BC3841 wrote:I read that the fairing comes in 4 parts that are bolted together, so hopefully this means it'll cost less to do the job if I can just buy the damaged right side (where the 'glovebox' is.)Any ideas where this may be available?

Plenty of individual fairing pieces on eBay.

Thanks for your reply Steeeve66. Sorry, I forgot to mention that I've already prised the fairing free of these lugs, one on either side of the petrol tank, also removed the clamp that holds the speedo cable to the inside of the fairing.

Thanks for the info TimReal, I'll try them.

From what i can tell you have already removed all the fasteners that attach the fairing to the bike. I also had the same problem with my fairing not wanted to come off.

It turned out with mine that the instrument cluster wasnt allowing the fairing to be moved off, so i had to 'carefully' force the fairing over one side of the clusters lip and upwards before it became free. Not saying yours is the same but could be worth a shot.

It turned out with mine that the instrument cluster wasnt allowing the fairing to be moved off, so i had to 'carefully' force the fairing over one side of the clusters lip and upwards before it became free. Not saying yours is the same but could be worth a shot.[/quote]

I can fully agree you do have to ease it out and then lift it very carefully off.

Thanks for your replies Pukka and freeride. If it was the instrument cluster that was holding it back, I think it would be possible to waggle it, but it isn't, it's still held solidly (the fairing isn't moving at all) by at least 2 bolts by the looks of it, as it won't even tilt from side to side. I'll check it again as soon as the weather improves. My Haynes manual only goes up to the 2001 CB500S model, so I wonder if the 2002 model had any modifications done to the fairing.

Just had a quick look at mine which is a late 2002.

Appears to be the 2 middle bolts that attach to the chassis(?) between the forks and the 2 that attach to either side of the petrol tank.

Apart from the indicators, electrics and the odd pipe, that looks like it. But I've never done it so can offer no more I'm afraid.

Will dig out the Haynes manual later though as it covers the newer models.

Thanks for your message TimReal. I’d really appreciate it if you could possibly scan the page/s on the fairing removal in your Haynes manual and email it to me as an attachment. My address is: r.clarke800@ntlworld.com My manual (1993 to 2001) came with the bike.

Right, I've had the Haynes manual out and had a look. Can't get it to scan in my scanner - too big. So I compared it with and online version of the original manual and it's word-for-word identical.

Then I had a really good look at my bike and I'm convinced it's just a few wires to disconnect, plus 2 bolts to the steering head and 2 either side of the tank, plus the 2 tank grommets.

Not sure what else to say to be honest

I had a look too and, apart from all fixings already discussed, I can't see what else it might be. One thing to check, possibly, are the two 'lugs' that locate in the fairing frame at the front, just under the headlight - they're usually harder to in than to get out but, if memory serves, they can get a little stuck. I'm tempted to say some photos might help, although I'm unsure how exactly.
Sorry I (we?) can't be more help, s

Thanks very much anyway TimReal, any idea what the address is for the online manual? I doubt it'll be any different to the 2001 manual, but just to be on the safe side.

Thanks a lot for the help steeeve66. I didn’t undo/remove any lugs under the headlight, so they might be the culprits. I was tempted to undo the bolts holding the headlight together (3 in triangular formation around the outside of the back of the lamp and another 4 in square formation inside these) as it feels like it’s something in that area that’s holding the fairing back. Of course there’s no need to undo these if, as you say, there are 2 lugs. I’ll have another go as soon as possible, which should be on Monday.

Sorted the fairing problem out this afternoon. You led me to the correct area,Steeeve66, when you said there were 2 ‘lugs’ that fitted just under the headlight. I removed the two 10mm bolts, one on either end of the bracket under the headlamp to get at these ‘lugs’ and …voila!…the fairing became loose and I was able to carefully wiggle it off. There were no lugs, just these 2 bolts.

If anyone has the same problem, it’s the two 10mm bolts marked ‘A’, at either end of the bracket marked ‘B’ in photo 8.7 on page 9.7 of Chapter 9, on the electrical system, in my ‘1993 to 2001’ Haynes manual. The fairing won’t come off till these 2 bolts are removed, so they’re obviously attaching the fairing to the frame. This is not mentioned anywhere in the manual, neither in the fairing removal section nor the headlight removal and installation section, the latter of which they begin by saying to remove the fairing.

This is not the first time that Mr. Haynes has left me dangling in mid air and I don’t think it will be the last either!

Thanks, once again, to all who helped.

Happy to have helped. Odd tho, mine is just a 'push fit' with two rubber grommets in the fairing frame?

I think I have the reason for this, steeeve66. It’s probably because your model is later than mine. The chap who sold me the bike said it was a 2003 model, whereas this was the year of first regn. in the UK (he imported it from N. Ireland) and I have since found - by checking the engine and frame numbers in the Haynes manual - that it isn’t a 2003 but a 1998 model (the first year of the half faired CB500.)

For the sake of anyone else removing the front fairing, these are the items I had to remove if I remember correctly:

1. Both front indicators.
2. 4 allen screws that attach the fairing to the frame.
3. 2 pegs that fit into rubber grommets holding the fairing to either side of the lower edge of the fuel tank.
4. The bracket holding the speedo cable to the fairing.
5. 2 10mm bolts, one at either end of the bracket under the headlamp.

Also it's been a while I hope you're still familiar with the headligt installment. Would you mind having a look at this thread here? I'm having some problems with the upper mounting screw.