Why We're Here

Okay, so in November 2006, I bought my first motorcycle, bringing to fruition a plan that was set in motion as far back as May 1994 when I took the Motorcycle Safety Course. I fully intended to install frame sliders to protect the fairings, but I just never really got to it for one reason or another, not the least of which was procrastination. So earlier this month, a friend of mine bought his first bike and got me motivated to finally getting around to installing these protective/safety items.

So I placed an order with Gary Schilling at www.blueridgeperformance.net for some R&G Racing Frame Sliders and Woodcraft swingarm spools. The reason I went with the R&Gs is because they don't require you to drill into the fairings, which is a big plus to me. They also seem to be the sliders of choice for Ninja 650R owners.

I also placed an order with Graphic Language (http://www.glsigns.com/) for some reflective rim tape. The tape is a dark red, which should match the frame on my 650R, and it's reflective which will increase my conspicuity at night. Never hurts to be easily seen.

When I received the package from Gary, I found R&G's included instructions somewhat lacking. It was basically a page of text without any pictures. Judge for yourself: R&G Instructions. Being rather OCD about things like this, I like to be able to go through the installation process before actually touching the bike, so I did a search on the Internet. I found partial fairing removal instructions and partial slider installation instructions, but nothing that took me from start to finish. Granted, once you get into it, the slider installation is fairly obvious, but it would be nice to be able to see things and how they go together ahead of time.

So I decided to take pictures as I went so that people could learn from my experience. I will also post them separately so that people can look at whichever installation they like without having to scroll through everything.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is purely for information sharing purposes. Anything you do to your bike is at your sole discretion, and I cannot be held responsible for any badness that may occur while attempting any of these activities.