Honda CBR 1000RR Shogun No Cut Frame Sliders Updated February 2006 After reading several reports of the Shogun Sliders bending in low speed incidents or tip overs I removed them and installed a set of Vortex Cut Type Sliders. Below are pictures of what happened when a stationary bike fell over with these sliders attached. Notice the damaged water elbow. To replace this part requires dropping the motor and is billed as an 18 hour job at the dealer.
Frame sliders are cheap insurance. If you don't have a set I recommend you get some TODAY. Of course they won't save your bike from every possible scenario, however they will save it from most and could allow you to ride the bike home after an indecent rather than being stuck on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. It's also a lot cheaper to replace a $20 frame slider puck than it is to replace $500 - $800 worth of plastics. There are a couple of different types of frame sliders available for the 1000RR. All bolt to one of the engine retaining bolts, but some require cutting a hole in the plastics to allow the slider to pass through while others do not require cutting the plastic. The sliders that require a hole to be cut in the plastics are the most effective sliders as they place all the force on the slider puck/base/bolt should you have an incident. The "no cut" sliders also bolt to an engine retaining bolt, but the base is machined so that it extends the slider puck past the plastics allowing you to install them without fairing modification. I decided to go this route as I did not particularly care to cut holes in my fairings, and I figured if I got into a bad enough incident that this type of slider didn't do the job I would have bigger problems. After researching several types of "no cut" frame sliders I decided to go with the Shogun offering. I had read good reviews of these sliders, and they bolted to the rear engine retaining bolts that allowed them to protrude from the side of the fairings where they looked the most at home. The Shogun sliders are a 4 part unit consisting of the slider puck, the slider base with extended arm, the slider puck bolt that attaches the puck to the base, and the main bolt that attaches the entire unit to the bike replacing one of the engine retaining bolts. The Shogun base that extends the slider puck past the plastics is only about 2 inches (50mm) in length and it's 1/2 inch thick (12mm) and made of aluminum. The puck also has an aluminum sleeve for added strength. I think they will be strong enough to work in most instances. The Shogun No Cut Frame Slider part number for the 1000RR is 750-3809. To install these sliders simply remove the mid plastics on the 1000RR which consists of a handful of button head hex bolts and a plastic tab or two. Remove the 17mm engine retaining bolt located just inside the mid fairing. Assemble the slider making sure the puck is securely attached to the base using the included 8mm bolt. Then use the included 17mm bolt to attached the slider assembly to the bike. Torque this 17mm bolt to 47 ft/lbs (64NM) per Honda's torque rating. I personally torqued my bolts to 50 ft/lbs to insure the slider doesn't rotate into the fairings in the event of an incident, but be careful not to over tighten the bolts. When installing the sliders try to space the slider pucks evenly from the fairings giving as much room as possible. The longer slider base is designed for the left side of the bike, while the shorter slider base is meant for the right. I recommend putting a little antiseize compound on the threads of the bolts. This will keep them from corroding and make it easier to remove them in the future should you ever need to. One thing to be aware of is the water elbow on the left side of the bike. This elbow flows coolant to keep the engine cool. The left side slider mounts almost directly over this water elbow. I tried to position my left side slider so that it was set at an angle to this elbow hoping that if there were an issue it would miss this elbow should the slider base bend. If the slider base bends and causes damage to the water elbow, you will not be able to ride the bike home. To replace this water elbow, the engine must be removed from the bike due to some of the elbow's mounting bolts being positioned behind parts of the frame. I don't think this is a reason to not go with the Shogun No Cut Frame Sliders, it's just something to be aware of. You can see this elbow in reference to how I installed the slider in the picture below.
Frame sliders are cheap, and easy to install. I highly recommend you get a set if you haven't already. They won't save your bike from every possible scenario, but they will definitely help, and could mean the difference in riding the bike home, or waiting for a tow truck. Using 2x4 piece of wood, I took a look at how the Shogun No Cut Frame Sliders would protect the bike, referencing how far the sliders protruded from the machine vs. how far various parts of the bike. Under a low speed drop, or the most common issue of dropping the bike in the driveway, it appears the only part that would take damage would be the tail section and even that would be slight. If you want the maximum amount of strength and protection, go with the sliders that require the fairing be cut, however these Shogun no cut sliders are a very good alternative and you don't have to cut on the bike to install them. |