Competition Werkes Fender Eliminator 6th Gen. How To

I finally got around to installing my fender eliminator and am very happy with how it turned out. It was much more straight forward than I expected so a "how to" thread probably isn't even needed. But, I took the pictures, and if any of you are thinking of doing it and want to know what exactly is involved, then this thread might not be a total waste. There really isn't much to the kit itself. As you can see, it comes with the stainless steel license plate mount, two 4mm self-locking nuts (those are fun), four allen head bolts, nuts and washers to attach the plate, three plastic plugs for holes that will be left after removing your stock fender (the fourth hole is used to route the license plate wiring), and directions.





First step - remove the seat. I've read of some people having problems getting their seats off. I did at first too. I kept trying to pull it back then up which really doesn't work. The trick is to turn the key in the seat lock then lift up at the end of the seat, then back.



Once the seat is off, remove your tool kit and owner's manual (and whatever else you have stuffed in there, so you can get to the four bolts that attach to the top of the fender. I used a socket wrench with a short extension.





And here you can see the four bolts that need to be removed. You will not be using them again.



You need to also disconnect the license plate light connector. Don't yank on it to get it apart. You'll see a thin plastic piece that needs to be pressed and held down while pulling the smaller male connector from inside the female connector. Kinky, I know. It should come out easily if you're doing it right.



Once you've done that, you move to underneath the fender and remove four more bolts. You're going to re-use the two at the top to connect your new stainless steel license plate mount. The other two you won't be using again. Once those four bolts are removed, you should be able to completely remove your stock fender.



You can then bolt on your new stainless steel license plate mount using those two original bolts. There really isn't any room for adjustment so you don't have to worry about centering it. You'll find that you'll have about a 1/4 inch on either side from the stock exhaust cans. Yes, I still have a stock exhaust system. I know, I know...but I happen to like them.



You can then remove the license plate light assembly from its stock mounting bracket (just a couple of phillips head screws keep it in there).



And you'll be left with just the light assembly. You will mount this to the stainless steel license plate mount using the supplied 4mm self-locking nuts. Now this is the biggest pain in the butt of the entire process. It's a tight fit trying to get those nuts started on the threads. I read that some people use tape to hold them to their wrench but I was able to get them going with my fingers by just having them on the edges of my fingers and going by feel alone. You can move the license plate mount out a little to help get you in there. Good luck but know that once you've done this, you're home free.

The light assembly...



And those damn nuts...





You can then marvel at how easy the next step is - simply putting the plastic plugs into the holes left from the stock fender save one to route the wiring.





Then simply route the license plate wiring up through the one vacant hole and reconnect the license plate light connector.





Then it's simply a matter of attaching your plate to the license plate mount with the supplied allen head bolts, washers and nuts, checking to make sure the license plate light is working, replacing your tool kit, etc. and the seat!

Before...



And after...

 

Thanks for the write up. It is an easy install, but I am sure your thread will give people a good heads-up on exactly what is involved before they decide to go with it. I had a thread way back when that talked about using the tape on the wrench for the nut as I could not get it threaded by hand. At the time, if my son was a little older, I would have had him try to get it started for me. There's very little room to work in there. Anyhow, your bike looks 10 times better now without that stock fender. Nice work.

 

Thanks! I had my son clean and lube the bike's chain the other day. Obviously not because I couldn't get to the chain but as an intro to bike maintenance. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. And he actually enjoyed doing it. Kids!

 

Nice write up! I was planning on making one when I installed mine, but I got too giddy when it came in the mail. The only question I have is what brand and where did you find your tank grip/ protectors?

 

Those are Stomp Grip traction pads that I ordered from my local Cycle Gear shop but which I'm sure you can order from any number of places online. They sell them in clear and in black. They make them pre-cut for the VFR (and other bikes) so I went with that rather than try to cut my own shape from their universal traction pads they offer. Also, there's definitely a technique to putting them on so as to not get bubbles between the bike and the pad. Here's a video that helped me get it done:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VjReAPzBNE

Hope that helps!

 

Great! Thanks much.