I ordered the package from Happy Trails a couple of weeks ago that includes the Teton Panniers and racks, the engine guards and the bash plate assembly. At about $1,000 total, that's a pretty good deal. I also installed a Ermax hugger while I was at it, getting the unpainted version and then painting it a satin black.
First up is getting the work area properly prepared. Lay out all of the parts and fittings on a table where they can be easily organized and so that you can verify that all the needed parts are there. No problem on that count, but the instructions were sadly lacking in depth. They consisted of a couple of photos of the bike with the crash bars and bash plates installed. On the back of the mimeographed piece of paper was a list of the parts that were included and a very basic set of installation instructions. No blow ups of the pertinent parts and the photos were of poor quality that made it hard to see any detail. Luckily, I had good help on hand in the form of Al Shaver, who loves spending a rainy day messing with bikes, even when the bike in question isn't his. Putting on the engine guards and bash plate is definitely a two-person chore.
Tools ready? Check! Parts laid out? Check! Jack Daniels, Jose Cuervo tequila, Moose Drool Ale, and Rolling Rock nearby? Yep - we're ready to rock! The crosscut saw, pitch fork, and sledge are there just in case the going gets tough...

I'll start with the Ermax Hugger from Frogger Specialties. It's a good-looking piece that takes the place of the chain guard, while providing protection from water and debris getting on the rectifier that is located in a vulnerable location beneath the seat. Before installing it, I hit it with about 15 coats of black satin finish Krylon paint formulated specifically for plastic.

Note in the photo below how the Hugger doesn't line up evenly over the tire. That took a bit of twisting and fabrication to remedy.

No primer needed. There wasn't a lot of instructions included with the Hugger, but they really weren't even needed. Simply remove the two screws that hold the existing chain guard in place - save them, they'll be needed for the Hugger's installation. Then remove the screws on the inside of the swingarm that holds the brake line in place. Line up the Hugger as evenly as possible above the tire while also lining up the holes in the Hugger with the screw holes that held the chain guard in place. A spacer (I'm holding it in the photo below) is included that goes beneath the brake line mount bracket - after putting it on, I found that it was impossible to get the screw and retaining tab in the brake line mount to line up with the holes. The mount for the brake line bracket is supposed to pass through a narrow slot in the Hugger and then it hooks into a slot and screw hole on the swingarm. I had to leave off the spacer to get them to line up, but then the Hugger didn't fit flush to the swingarm, pulling the Hugger a bit crooked over the tire. I finally made my own spacer for the thing by cutting a flat piece of inner tube to slip beneath the Hugger where the spacer was supposed to go. It worked and I was finally able to line the thing up properly. The spacer just seemed to be too thick, but the inner tube was thin enough to do the trick. It also seemed to me that the Hugger was a little out of alignment to begin with. Still though, it was a quick and simple fix. Not bad and it looks great, even though it's hardly visible when the panniers are on-board. .

While I was fitting the Hugger to the bike, Al was busy sorting out the parts for the engine guards and bash plate. There are a lot of them and not much to go by in the way of instructions. The trick is to lay out the bolts, etc, by size and then just wing it. Leave all of the bolts and nuts loose as you assemble the guards, as you'll need to tweak the setup here and there as each piece is added. Two people will probably be needed, since some of the connections require a wrench on both sides of the bike (i.e. the rear motor mount.)

For the most part, the engine guards were pretty easy to put on, once we figured out where and how all the connections needed to be done. The problems came in after we finished with the right hand side and started on the left. The mount for the guard that goes next to the oil drain spout fits tightly between the drain and an electrical mounting bracket. Once the bolts were in that part of the guard and tightened down, the bar on the guard fits so close to the drain that it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to get the plug out without removing the guard. The guard needs a crook in it at that point to make it clear the plug. I'll be looking for a fix, but it might be necessary to heat the bar enough to put a bend in it that will allow draining the oil without removing the guard - I definitely don't want to have to do that.
Note the close proximity to the oil plug and the electrical bracket in the photo below. Another quarter inch of clearance, at least, is needed.

The bash plate was easy. We just lined it up where we wanted it in relation to the bars of the engine guard and clamped it in place while we marked where the mounting holes needed to be drilled. Mark, drill, and mount on the front piece and it was ready to go. The rear was easy for thot e most part. We couldn't mark the rear hole on the left side of the bike - the headers blocked access. Instead, we marked the other holes and then measured from each of the other three to pinpoint the proper location for the fourth. We also drilled each hole with a 3/8 inch drill to leave a little extra 'wiggle' room for line-up. Total time for the bash plate - about 15 minutes.

On to the panniers! This was gravy, even with minimal, actually non-existent, instructions. The 'instructions' consisted of a parts list and a couple of fuzzy pix. No problem though, since the mounts lined up so well that putting them on was a no-brainer. It took about 10 minutes to put both racks on and maybe 5 more to figure out how the panniers hook up. There are two small photos with the parts list that shows how the racks line up. By comparing the shape of the parts to the pic, you can see what goes up and what goes down. The rest is easy, since the attachment points are so obvious.

That's Al posing on the KawasiMoto after the pannier mounting was completed. Taking them on and off is a simple procedure. It's a shame that it was a rainy day - we really wanted to get in a celebratory ride. He usually rides either a WeeStrom or an FJR 1300.

The finished project - KawasiMoto lives!. Now all I need is to load up some camping gear and head for the hills.

March 1: It's a snowy day, so I've decided to add a few more detailed pix of the changes to the bike.

Below is a view of the installed crash bars and bash plate. The bars are a snug fit and I'd still like to add frame sliders to provide a bit of additional protection. However, they're sturdy and should protect the engine casings. Hmmm, I need some decent weather so that I can get some detailing done to the bike - riding the wet and salt-covered roads has pretty well mucked it up. The fender extender and bash plate should really help keep it cleaner from now on.

A view from the left side of the bike below - it's a strong setup. I wonder if I could weld mounts for sliders on the bars without weakening the setup?

A shot of the hugger and the front of the left side pannier. Not much of the hugger shows when the panniers are mounted, but it still provides a lot of protection for the rectifier and seat bottom. Note how easy it was to line up the mounts for the panniers with the frame of the bike.

Below, the lights are a tight fit, but there is just enough clearance between them and the pannier mounts to keep them from rubbing - barely. The panniers are rock-solid and it should be possible to add a lot of additional tie-downs to secure gear on top of them. I'll wait to see if I need to add a top rack and case. I prefer to keep as low a center of gravity as possible. There is also plenty of room to add two tool tubes between the panniers and the bike.

Pretty tight, eh? I may play with the setup to get a little more clearance, but it shouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure what the black bolt mounts are on the backside of the cases, but I'd bet that they will be handy for something. The silver attachments below the lights rotate to fasten the panniers to the racks. It's easy and quick to do. By sliding them a little back and forth on the rails, I might be able to gain a little more room.

I don't know what the heck the pieces below are for. There was nothing in the pannier instructions, such as they were, that mentioned them. They look like spacers of some sort. I'm still wondering if part of the instructions might have been left out of the package. If not, they were pretty pathetic.

KawasiMoto Lives!