OES frame slider install tips

[stevet]

I received my OES no cut frame sliders and printed out the installation procedure. One of the first things I noticed in the instructions that (you) have to print from their web site doesn't tell you which one is left or right. I figured out that the long shouldered one is the left. The instructions say take the top fairing mounting bolt out to gain clearance. You will need to remove the top, bottom and the 2 sides ones so you don't have to bend the fairing too far out. It's worth being a little more cautious here because you don't want to introduce stress fractures on the fairing by bending it too much. The left slider when bolted in place also needs to be filed or ground about 3/4" wide by 3/8" deep so it doesn't rest on the fairing. File enough so it clears. They recommend putting a little Loctite on the frame slider mounting bolt. I would of liked to have seen them include a couple drops in a small tube. The product itself appears nice and hopefully if ever needed will do it's job. These little additional steps by the user should of been incorporated into the product for me to give it a really good review. Hope this helps anyone installing these. Even so I would recommend the product.

[OES]

Stevet,

Were you out of paper and ink for your printer? Ha ha, just kidding, but really, I'm sorry you had to go through all that trouble for the installation instructions. We do send a hardcopy of the instructions upon customer request though. We actually had to update our instructions recently and kept your recommendations in mind when doing so. OES has always been available for customer support, so the confusion about which side the frame sliders mounted could have been easily addressed by contacting us.

We do all the design work for everything we make and also do a full installation for everything we make and found no mounting problems that would require further modifications to the sliders or fairing, so the mounting problems you experienced could be due to improper bracket adjustment or other installation mistakes made. Furthermore, we've had no reports from other customers regarding a need to grind material off the left slider to make it fit correctly. We did initially have a problem with the mounting of the right side slider but we borrowed a bike from a local owner for the second time and corrected the issue, which turned out to be very minor. No damage was done to the fairings of the test bike by installing the sliders as we originally had in our instructions, but as stated before, it was easy enough to update the instructions to recommend the removal of the other screws for a more cautious approach.

Regarding the Loctite/thread locking compound issue:

This is my opinion but I know many other motorcyclists would agree. If you own a motorcycle or are a motorcycle mechanic, you should own a tube or bottle of thread locking compound just like you should own a helmet. To rely on manufacturers of various products to supply you with it is a bad policy. It's expensive, I know, what $6.00-$10.00?, but well worth it to not have parts vibrate loose. We appreciate your business, your recommendation of the product, and your helpful feedback.

Jacob Hendrix
OES