Ok Choppa, the manual is sort of incomplete on this. But, it looks like you do have to remove a lot of other stuff before you can get those panels off. At the very least you're gonna have to take off the accent panels on the sides of the floorboard hump. That's those weird shaped plastic pieces that look like air scoops. They're a pain. Take the two bolts out -- fold passenger footpegs out straight -- then gotta squeeze up and down till you get the tabs coming out. Once they're off you see a bolt which is holding your rear panels.
You might even have to take off the floorboard in which case you also have to take off the seat and the lower plastic "skirts". Lots of screws, bolts, tabs involved but not terribly hard. There's one tricky tab on the skirts behind the bottom screw. I have to lay down, look up underneath and pop it loose using a gasket scraper. A very big screwdriver would work too.
You're doing the right thing by starting NOW so by the time your parts come it you might just have all the plastics off and ready!!!
Just kidding. Let us know if you run into any snags.
