Outside door handle

[Covah161]

I am trying to change the driver’s door outside door handle on my 2012 m37. Do I have to take off the door panel, regulator and glass to get to the two wires for the handle or is there an easier way. Thanks

[VStar650CL]

On models with "plain" handles there's no need to detach the handle mechanism, but that's not your M. You need to get inside the door to detach the electrical connections. Unfortunately, your M has one of those "door modules" where you need to remove the glass and yank the whole module panel to get at the inside of the door. See GW-19 here for how to pull the module...
https://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual ... 2%2FGW.pdf
...and DLK-165 here for how to change the handle:
https://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual ... %2FDLK.pdf