[Jameskie]

I'm in the process of doing the regular maintenance items on my new-to-me 06 Wee. I always do this with new bikes to get to know them.

I've read all the posts here, and the shop manual, but I'm still not 100% clear on what I need to remove to get at the auxiliary coolant tank and the radiator cap.

Some sources say remove the cowling. Is this necessary?
Others say remove the left side tank trim (black).
All refer to raising the tank. If this is correct, what pieces exactly need to be removed to raise the tank? The manual says remove the cowling. Seems like a lot to remove.

Can some of the experienced hands help me out? I know how to do the coolant change, just not how exactly to access the areas I need to get at to do it!!

 

[greywolf]

The coolant bottle is in different places on different bikes. Yours should be accessible by taking the black plastic boomerang shaped piece off from beneath the left side of the fuel tank. It has one screw in front and plastic spear heads in rubber o-rings on the back that simply pull out. You need to drain the coolant from the block too. It's in the position of the lower A marked bolt in the picture. The pic is of a DL1000 so yours will look slightly different. Only take that bolt out and coolant will dribble out. Break the vacuum by also removing the radiator cap and it will shoot out.

It's best to get a better shot at the radiator by removing the cowling. At some point, you'll need to get at the air filter so you might as well learn how at Fuel Tank Removal How to, 650 & 1000

 

[jeems]

The coolant bottle is in different places on different bikes. Yours should be accessible by taking the black plastic boomerang shaped piece off from beneath the left side of the fuel tank. It has one screw in front and plastic spear heads in rubber o-rings on the back that simply pull out. You need to drain the coolant from the block too. It's in the position of the lower A marked bolt in the picture. The pic is of a DL1000 so yours will look slightly different. Only take that bolt out and coolant will dribble out. Break the vacuum by also removing the radiator cap and it will shoot out.

It's best to get a better shot at the radiator by removing the cowling. At some point, you'll need to get at the air filter so you might as well learn how at Fuel Tank Removal How to, 650 & 1000

I read this and it confused me at first. Which view is preferred when calling out left side versus right side? Looking from the rear or from the front? If I was writing the same sentences above, I would have said "right side" instead of "left side". This makes the most sense to me as this is how I sit on the bike and generally how it goes down the road. It's also how my manual names the sides. This makes me think of when you try to tell someone they have something on one side of their face and point to it. Some people think of it as a mirror and some people do the same side as the person pointing. Neither is wrong, but it can make it confusing.

I did this earlier in the summer and I agree that removing the cowling makes it easy for a small investment of time. Especially if you just want to get to know your bike.

 

[greywolf]

Positional references are made with respect to the rider seated on the bike.

 

[Jameskie]

Thanks for the clarifications everyone - the manual does indeed refer to the "boomerang thing" for the aux tank. This is easily removed as noted. I'll follow the instructions in the manual for the cowling as well, which seem fairly clear.

This is my first faired bike, and likely not my last, so I might as well get used to the extra steps for basic maintenance!

Cheers.

 

[whites]

you live in ottawa, jut wait a few weeks and make it a winter project