I don't think those brackets are the same as on an '86. Does your outer faring mount with 4 studs in the fiberglass and 7/16" nylock nuts that are a total PITA to take off (before gear wrenches) through the headlight bucket?

 

On my '96 the outer fairing is held on by the three windshield screws, and 4 other screws on the inner side of the fairing. I took the headlight out to unplug it for removal.,

 

Well finally got to this job and pleased to say noise has now gone. Exactly the same spot as you found Dr Hess, the same fix, and I bet we're not the only 2 mugs in the world to do it!!, thanks. Re your question about my fairing mounts - I think it may be the same - 4 studs on the lower outer, 4 PITA nyloc nuts in through the headlight hole and the bolts around the base of the windscreen. And you are right about the nyloc nuts being a proper PITA to remove/replace - especially with an open end spanner! I haven't felt the need before this job to add geared spanners to my toolkit but I now have an urge to get some ASAP! I have attached a couple of photos (apologies for the quality) as it may help someone somewhere to locate "their" noise. Thanks all and happy riding, cheers

 

Yeah, that's the place. Only took me about 15 years to find. The internet, y0, has really increased our productivity tremendously. Too bad we blew it all by shipping our industry to China, then outsourcing our middle class to India and the rest of the 3rd world. Well, "we" didn't do it. The a$$ hats running our country did, starting with Uncle Bill and not corrected by The W.

Anyway, lessee, about the only other persistent problem I've had is the speedo. I've gone through a half dozen cables and 3-4 drive gears. When yours goes, I suggest a HD cable and HD drive gear and replace them both at the same time. OEM seem to last me the longest. And, you should also carry a spare "clutch finger" in your tour pack. All of us with 86's do. It goes in the transmission under the right side cover on the vertical shaft and pushes against the throw out bearing. They tend to break, especially if the clutch pack is adjusted too tight, and when they let go, you can't disengage the clutch, so you're kinda stuck. You can replace it on the side of the road easy enough by just pulling that cover off. The part is reasonable, and again, don't buy an aftermarket one unless you want to do it frequently.

 

Thanks for the "clutch finger" tip. I presume on the side of the road you just lay the bike over so you don't lose the gearbox oil? Is there a gasket to carry as well? My bike has had a Barnett clutch put in as it used to have a sidecar fitted so this may put more strain on the finger. Any ideas on what basic tool kit to carry?

 

As the transmission doesn't really have much oil in it, "they say" you can just put the bike on the jiffy stand, maybe with the tires on a board or on a piece of un-level ground sloping down to the left so the bike leans over a tad bit more, and when you pull the cover, practically no oil will come out. If you're real careful, you can even pull the side cover without removing the cover on the exhaust pipe under it.

Just some basic tools. I suppose you could probably do the job with the original HD tool kit, but it would be a bit challenging. A 3/8" drive ratchet with a wobble extension or two, some combination wrenches, an adjustable wrench, some vice grips, some allen wrenches, needle nose pliers, the HD tool kit. With that, you can do just about anything on the bike.

This is behind the motel in Pierre, SD:

And that's about all the tools I needed, besides having to get a torque wrench to put it back together.

 

Do you have a dash mounted inside the fairing? I had an annoying sound in my fairingh for a month. I never could locate it until the dash fell in my lap at 70.

Presto, Chango... No more dash, no more noise. It was bolted on from the inside. I will need to take the fairing apart to replace it. I hate when that happoens