[yamirider]

Hey everyone. Signed up for the forum last week but thought I'd wait to post until after I had something to contribute. I bought a 300 last weekend to replace my wife's 250 Rebel. I ordered the Kawi factory frame sliders when we purchased the bike. After searching the forums, I don't really see anyone using them. I'm not sure if it's because they require cutting and everyone is reluctant to make an "irreversable" modification or if everyone just thinks they are ugly. Either way -for those contemplating the factory sliders here's what it took to install them and some pictures of what they look like on the bike.

Let's start!

Used the service manual for fairing removal instructions...

The sliders come with good instructions. Installation is fairly straightforward - support the engine with a floor jack, remove five engine mount bolts, install slider brackets with new longer bolts in their place. Bolts replaced marked with green dots. the upper ones (2 on each side) are short bolts with nuts behind them, the bottom one is one long bolt going all the way across.

It was not in the instructions, but I had to lower the radiator to get the nuts on the upper bolts as the new brackets prevented me from reaching them.

So after torquing the new bolts in place it was time to move on to the dreaded fairing modification. Kawi had these sliders in mind when they made the fairings - there are guides cast inside the fairing to mark the drill location. But first things first -I put on a couple layers of good painters tape on the outside to help prevent the paint from chipping where my holesaw was going to be used.

I drilled a 1/8" pilot hole from the inside factory mark...

There's no going back now!

I used a 1 1/8" (29mm) holesaw. If I did it again I would have went with the 1 1/4" one... the instructions recommend making a 30mm hole and say some additional trimming may be necessary. The left fairing worked perfectly with the 29mm hole on their mark, but the right one needed some trimming. It would have been easier to drill a slightly larger hole than to do all the filing I did.

Fairings were reinstalled, and brackets for the sliders were added...

Plastic sliders bolted right up and I was done. Total time required was about 3 hours including picture taking and consuming an adult beverage...

Here's the finished product.

 

[DaveTheCanuck]

Awesome, thanks for posting this This will come in handy for anyone installing the Yoshimura sliders too.

 

[Red Comet]

Thanks!

Nice write up and photos! I was about to do a write-up myself as I just installed a set today as well. You've done a bang-up job!

Personally I like having them for the day the bike gets dropped, dumped or tipped over (and that day will come).

However, I do believe that Kawasaki could have done a much better job with the fitment of the plastic slider. It really should come a couple/few millimeters closer to the fairing and cover the end of the bolts that can be seen on the inside of the slider. It looks sloppy close up, but there's nothing we can do unless we go nuts with a Dremel tool. *sigh*

/rant

I'll include a couple pics of my install since you started it...

 

[SClown]

Great write up and well done

I like your work, however i dislike the Kawasaki factory sliders. Each to their own i guess. I go like the idea of some oggy knobs so i might post up a guide when i install those too

 

[bigwood212]

I have them. They already saved me.

 

[bigwood212]

I also have an exhaust slider and extended swing arm spools

 

[SClown]

Re: installing factory frame sliders

I've got swing arm sliders but can you put up the exhaust slider?

 

[jabbasi]

I have a stupid question. I am beginner and getting my bike soon. I just wanted to know what's the use or function of it.

 

[cruizin]

helps protect the fairing etc when dropped to keep it from getting scratched

 

[cbzdel]

This is a great write up, thanks!

 

[Thunderlights]

Re: installing factory frame sliders

It doesn't protect the fairing seeinv as you have to destroy it to install the sliders. What it does is savd your frame from bending completely ruining your bike. And nice write up

 

[yamirider]

I have a stupid question. I am beginner and getting my bike soon. I just wanted to know what's the use or function of it.

That's not a stupid question. These things go by a lot of names; case savers, engine savers, frame savers. Or substitute 'slider' for 'saver' in there.

Their purpose is twofold; they act as a first point of contact for when the bike hits the pavement on its side hopefully limiting damage to engine cases and bodywork, and they transmit the force of impact to the points where the engine is mounted to the frame reducing the chances of the impact twisting the frame.

They work best with additional sliders placed on the swingarm and bar ends... a well designed set will keep the rest of the bike off of the pavement. (ask me how I know... )

 

[Truesday]

Re: installing factory frame sliders

Wonder how much a shop would charge to do it. I don't have the tools to do this.

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[bigwood212]

It doesn't protect the fairing seeinv as you have to destroy it to install the sliders. What it does is savd your frame from bending completely ruining your bike. And nice write up

I don't think that 29mm hole destroys the fairings. They do protect your fairings. I will bet that if you drop your bike your fairings will be scraped up and or cracked. Your brake lever will prob snap. Your bar ends will scrape. Your back fairings also may take damage and your mirrors will prob take some.

Now if you drop it with these huge beefy frame sliders none of that happens.

 

[bigwood212]

Wonder how much a shop would charge to do it. I don't have the tools to do this.

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What don't you have? The shops here wanted $500. That's nuts.

 

[Truesday]

Re: installing factory frame sliders

What don't you have? The shops here wanted $500. That's nuts.

Other than your garden variety car tire jack, i need a proper floor jack (i may be able to acquire one i think...)

I definitely need a hole saw. And i don't have any real spools or a stand.

And I'm not a wrencher and a bit intimidated with messing with engine mounts.

Edit: Did some quick research and realized hole saw bits are relatively cheap.

But i definitely don't have real spools or a stand to work on the bike.

Edit 2: anyone take the plunge on the yoshi sliders, bar ends or spools?
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[yamirider]

What don't you have? The shops here wanted $500. That's nuts.

That $500 would buy every tool (including stands) that I used for this project. Given the choice of spending $$ on tools or someone else's labor I'd have to go with the tools...

 

[ricochet08]

superb write up

 

[bigwood212]

I didn't use stands or a jack. I just took the plastics off and put the sliders on. All you need is the hole saw and a socket lol.

 

[Truesday]

Re: installing factory frame sliders

I didn't use stands or a jack. I just took the plastics off and put the sliders on. All you need is the hole saw and a socket lol.

Again, I'm a newb. But what was holding up the engine after removing the mounting bolts?

did you have a torque wrench or just regular ratchet wrenches?

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