Yes Pikey I think you are correct. When I posted my photos I hadn't started to repair it. When I loosened the screw the cracked part of the cowling realigned indicating that the screw was forcing the cowling out of alignment, resulting in the crack.
The cowling didn't look out of line so there may be a wire stuck between the joint. I'll check that before I retighten the screw.
Somebody in the Suzuki factory was not watching what they were doing.
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