Well the story has a happy ending -
First, a comment about this:
You are correct. A magnet does not get sufficient attraction to lift that particular well nut. I tried it with one of the others just to check.
And a few words about stump's observation -
Maybe think of this as a learning moment and take the whole fairing off to find the well nut? It doesn't take that long, you learn lots, and, well, whats not to like spending and hour or so putzing around wrenching on the scoot? I'm a firm believer that taking it apart at home without a time constraint is a bit of fun and lots better than on the road side or at a campsite!. YMMV
I agree with you on all points.
My next addition to this bike will be the Eastern Beaver harness and relay to get the load off the headlight switches, and the fuse box needed to set me up to install my GPS and a J&M CB radio that is still in the box.
When I do the wiring addition I plan to remove all of the fairings to simplify that work, and to go to school on the related chores - in particular, the steps to remove the plastic. I want to have a firm visual of what is underneath the section of the bike at which I happen to be looking.
Finally, about the AWOL well nut: it ended up being fished out with a good deal of grunting and wrangling. It had fallen into the crevice formed by the fairing outer and the headlight assembly, but I'm proud to say it is now duly reinstalled on the bike.
Here's the rest of that story: This being Memorial Day weekend our family came over for a late afternoon dinner. Both daughters, the grands, and one of the two sons-in-law. (The other is a firefighter and is on shift today).
I am one of the most fortunate men on the planet as I have two of the finest young men as sons-in-law that anyone could ever hope for. Son-in-law #1 as I call him is the firefighter and is married to the older daughter. Son-in-law #2 is married to the younger daughter, and is a cracker-jack mechanic -- with the manual dexterity of a double-jointed circus performer.
He fished it out by reaching from underneath, up into the space behind the headlights, and then wriggling his fingers over into the crevice above the headlights. He gradually "rolled" it out until he could get two fingers on the fastener and lift it.
The photo below is one of my favorite of him, pulling an extra engine for parts for his Porche 944. He bought the car for salvage and did the "from the ground up" rebuild himself.
This episode was an interesting lesson on the nuances of the VStrom bodywork. I plan to visit an industrial supply warehouse near where I live and pick up several extras of the well nuts.
So thanks again to all for the feedback, and all my best for a safe Memorial Day tomorrow. The country in which we Americans are citizens is certainly not perfect, but I still consider it the greatest place in the world to live. We live in freedom today because of the sacrifices of those who went before us.