New gifts for my beloved Noraly, finally I’m able to test Outback Motortek crash bars combo and the new euro 5 skid plate.

I bought these new components a few moths ago but I was able to get them installed only now on my 2nd service by Yahama.
At first I would like to install them by myself following the excellent instructions from Outback Motortek (covering all the key aspects, torque on every screw, what kind of threadlocker use etc etc..), but some of the screws need to be threaded on the bike frame, and I don’t have the right equipment to do it properly, instead of damaging the bike I preferrend to pay someone more competent than me to do the job, remember one of the key principles on a motorcycle: be humble :)

Why did I choose these products instead official Yahama ones?
Well it’s pretty simple, all started with the crashbars, I knew I need them, the bike could fall in any moment and it’s better to scratch some steel bars than the bike plastics (or worst like engine, frame etc etc…).
Yamaha crashbars are well built, are strong, in some sort they are minimalistic… but I found them horrible to look at, everytime I look to them my mind goes to Ferengi ears from Star Trek.

So I started to look around for some other products, I checked many of them from Givi, Touratech, Sw Motech, Heed, Adventure Spec and Outback Motorek, and I found the last better.
First of all they are really really sturdy, they’re made by two parts (lower and upper) linked together, they have more mounting points then all the others (which help to distribute the load on several points in case of a crash), and they are also available in several colors, obviously I choose red which look amazing to me.

The only problem with Outback Motortek crash bars is that they barely fit with the euro 5 T7 because of the catalytic converter plate.
I had three options:

1. remove the catalytic converter plate (no way, the damn thing is expensive and I don’t want to damage it because of a stupid flying stone)
2. bent or cut the catalytic converter plate (it’s a cheap piece of aluminium but I don’t like this solution)
3. buy the new Outback Motortek euro 5 skid plate they launched few weeks before

I choose the 3rd one, and I don’t regret it because it looks amazing, it’s super sturdy, it’s not so heavy and covers perfectly the catalytic converter, honestly way better than the oem plate.

Obviously it’s not all puppies and rainbows, there are some cons, mainly because of the added weight.
Crash bars weight is 5.6 Kg, skid plate weights 3 Kg, did they matter? Can I feel them?
Oh yes, It may not sound a lot but I can feel them, and honestly it’s not a bad thing.

The bike now feels a little bit more stuck to the road and I’m feeling more confident on tarmac specially on fast corners; it feels like I lowered the weight balance of the bike, which is not a bad thing considering that the T7 is known for having a really high weight balance point.

On the other hand the bike front wheel feels a little bit heavier, and any ground obstacle or hole feel heavier on the handlebar.

It’s interesting because the difference is almost subtle and I though I would not notice it, but I can feel it, it’s not bad, it’s… interesting.
It’s not like I’m riding a different bike, but I can still feel it, I’m sure It’s only a matter of time before for this new feeling to become normal.

Now it’s time to think to the next upgrade :)