Headlight ear removal

[sethhope]

So I have this really ghetto fairing that the PO fitted to my xs. Only problem, they never finished and I still have the headlight ears attached to my forks. I read that I have to pull the front wheel and slide the forks down to remove them?
I searched the clymer and the procedure has me a little worried... I've never worked on the front end of a bike before, or anything even similar.
My question to all you gurus,
Is it really a big job? Can it be done in a few hours? And should I be worried about doing it myself?

I just have the thought in the back of my mind that ill screw up the front end and wreck the bike a mile down the road...

[Eastcoaster]

Seth
IMO I would leave them on there My Venturer came from the factory with the ears on the full dressed bike they are folded in and tied together Most important the factory had a bag over the connections Make sure you have the connections protected from the weather

[sethhope]

Seth
IMO I would leave them on there My Venturer came from the factory with the ears on the full dressed bike they are folded in and tied together Most important the factory had a bag over the connections Make sure you have the connections protected from the weather

I'll see what I can do with tying them in. Theres supposed to be a mount right through the front forks for my fairing though and it may interfere

[DiverRay]

sounds like a Pacifico fairing. The mount DOES go to two 8mm weldnuts at the front of the neck. If so, yes, remove the headlight ears, or twist them both towards the center and put a zip tie to keep them out of the way.
To pull them,
1. loosen the top center bolt on the triple tree
2. loosen the two clamp bolts on the top triple tree, and using the handlebars work it off the center. If you tip it towards the front, it should clear.
3. pull the headlight ears
4. put the top triple tree back on, tighten the center nut first and then the clamp bolts.
This is from memory, and a while ago so I'm NOT saying it's 100%, but it should be close.
IF the bottom of the headlight ears DO go on both sides of the lower tree, just loosen the 4 clamp bolts on it while the upper is off. YOU MUST HAVE A JACK UNDER THE FRONT FRAME TO KEEP THE BIKE UPRIGHT!

[puskrat]

Seth
IMO I would leave them on there My Venturer came from the factory with the ears on the full dressed bike they are folded in and tied together Most important the factory had a bag over the connections Make sure you have the connections protected from the weather

THIS

My fairing is off (that ghetto unit may be the factory original) and the "ears" are surrounded by a bundle of wires and a bag.