Time to play safe
As the mileage rises it’s wise to seek out some protection
It would probably have made more sense to fit crash protection to the CBR before I took it to knee down school and my first trackday, but I kept it shiny side up both days so there’s no harm done. Although the CBR is essentially new for 2019, aftermaket parts and accessories are starting to become available and these engine bars (£175), fork bobbins (£40.99) and radiator guard (£69.98) from EvoTech Performance looked too good to pass up. The firm also make a tail tidy (£109.99) to get rid of the extended stock number plate hanger which improves the look of the rear end considerably.
Squeeze them on
I’d already fitted GB Racing engine covers, which I was able to squeeze on without having to remove the fairing (loosening the fasteners gave me just enough room) but there was no chance of managing this with the EvoTech kit.
Fitting instructions are downloaded from the firm’s website and are a mostly pictographic affair. I sometimes found the images a little difficult to decipher but with a bit of head scratching was able to work them out.
Permanent guard duty
The easiest job was the front spindle bobbin (pic 4) so I tackled that first to bank an easy win. But to fit the radiator guard (pic 2) and engine bars the fairings would need to come off. After a seemingly endless process of unscrewing, unclipping and unhooking, the bellypan was freed and the fairings relinquished their grip on the frame.
The radiator guard was attached using its supplied brackets and was simple to fit. The engine bars (pic 3) took a little longer, but once I’d sussed them out they went on smoothly. By far the longest part of the job was the removal and refitting of the bike’s plastics. Fitting the tail tidy (pic 1) meant removing the indicators and refitting them to the new unit, as well as fitting a new number plate light. Once again, everything is included in the kit and there’s no need for any wire snipping.
It’s a quick and easy job and has improved the look of the rear end hugely. It makes you wonder why Honda don’t fit them as standard.