Flying R6 Side Tank Cowl

I must be the luckiest R6 rider on Earth. A couple of days ago, my right side tank cowl decided to break up with my fuel tank. I guess it was because I now favour right-handed corners more and therefore more contact with the left side cowl.

So what happened? I was riding home one day after meeting the missus and her friends. It was the day after I returned from the Malacca trip. I was waiting at a traffic light junction, when the lights turned green, I accelerated normally and I felt something brush against my right thigh. I looked down and checked a few things. Wallet, check. Mirror, check. Signal light, check. So what the heck brushed my leg? It was still the hungry ghost month of the Chinese lunar calendar so I switched to think about other things, like puppies and kittens. Got home safely and did not think about it.

The next day, I rode to work and did not notice anything amiss. On the way home the same day, I finally noticed that the grip of my right thigh on the fuel tank did not feel the same, so I peered down and inspected. Lo and behold, at 110km/h in peak hour traffic, I realized that my right side tank cowl was missing. F***.

I took this photo as soon as I got home.

I didn't know what was worst. The fact that it flew away or that my TechSpec grip also flew away with it. It was a Friday evening and I called HKL straight away to order a set of the side tank cowls. Yes, a set. Just in case the left one decides to fly away too.

Saturday. Checked with HKL again and they confirmed that the stock will arrive at 1pm.

Firstly, I had to go to JR to buy a new set of TechSpec grips for SGD$81 for which I will only use 1 piece. Second, to HKL to get my side cowls. The trip to JR was quick one. I arrived at HKL around 12pm to meet up with Rafie who was doing major servicing on his GSXR600.

As promised, the new side cowls came at 1pm and during the installation of the new side cowl, I realized that the left one has cracked. F***. Just my luck, guess I was right to order both side cowls.

Here's the cracked piece. Zoom in on the TechSpec grip, the crack is somewhere there.

One of the HKL staff said that the R6 side tank cowl is one of their best sellers. Highly fragile, and susceptible to wear and tear. The side cowls cost SGD$35 a piece. I went home and surfed forums around the world to find out more about this. The HKL staff was right, the piece is indeed fragile, some riders actually suggest to buy Velcro tape to secure them. I suppose I will try that.

For the time being, if anyone is interested in buying the fuel tank portion of the TechSpec grip, please let me know.

Know what sucks? My brand new 3-week old rear tire got punctured by a metal wire last week. Wtf man. Did an internal patch for SGD$60. Riding a bike is not cheap at all. Pfft.

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Ride safe!