Kaoko Throttle Control and Hepco Becker Engine Guard Installed

So I received my shipment of farkle today from Adventure MotoStuff (http://www.amotostuff.com). In this post I'll comment on the Kaoko Throttle Control and Hepco Becker Engine Guard.

Hepco Becker Engine Guard
Firstly I wanted this engine guard for a couple of reasons. This is a most expensive bike I've owned so far and I wanted to protect it. I'm planning a 5000+km trip next year and if I wipe out at some point, I want to be able to pick and hopefully ride. Finally my old Ninja EX250-H13 had like next to NO accessories of note available and it drove me nuts for years, so I guess I'm saying I'm farkle starved. (Ninja 250 owners will get the H13 reference)

Installation took about 2 hours and was easy enough, I mean as easy as you might think installing a engine guard would be. e.g. tight screws, wishing you had a 3rd arm, etc..

The instructions are ok. They don't really depict the mounting points well and describe next to nothing. Here are some thoughts to guide you along:

1. You don't really have to remove the rad fairing. The instructions say to, but after you get it all installed you'll notice the engine mount bolts are indeed accessible with the fairing in place. It just makes it easier to remove the fairing.
2. Some people have complained about the bolts sucking. They strip, whatever. I didn't find this to be the case and ended up using the ones that came with the package.
3. After its all in, I realized I might have some trouble getting it off if I needed to remove the lower fair for anything. The only reason I could think of needing to take it apart would be to get access to the rad cap, which is under the right side lower fairing.
   

The fit and finish are fine. Nothing touches the fairing and the side bars are 2mm wider than the turns signal lights so you get full rad and signal protection. This is an important point. As you can see in my pictures the guard comes around and connects to the other side guard in front of the rad. If I wiped out on a long tour and the guard bent into the rad I would be screwed if the bike was in decent enough shape to start up. This isn't just about protecting your fairing, but also that large and vulnerable rad.


I've read about the Motech guard and wasn't convinced it was worth the money as both guards didn't connect so they supported each other structurally in a crash.
Finally on the looks. The guards look good! I don't think anyone but a Versys owner would notice they were there. They don't stick out and do suit the lines of the bike. The pic on MotoStuff's website is of a Silver kit, which would be awesome since the Blue Versys is mostly Silver, but note that it does say the color is black.

Take a look at my pics. I tried to capture the fit and front bar which connects both sides. You can see how it clearly would protect all the most vulnerable bits.


Kaoko Throttle Control
The reason I chose the Kaoko throttle control was because there haven't been many easily available controls which Versys riders have recommended, and the comments from BMW 1200 riders have been good. (quality, effectiveness, etc...) I'm planning for a trip to New Found Land on the east coast here in Canada next year (a 5700km round trip tour!) and since I was ordering a bunch of parts I thought I would toss the control in.

For those who don't know exactly what a throttle control is, its basically a handle bar weighted end, much like the existing ends but has a gear (or grip) you can grip when twisting the throttle. Twisting the gear in the same direction as you would to accelerate makes the gear screw inside and press against the throttle grip, holding it in place. When you decelerate simply grip the gear with your pinky to unscrew it and release the hold. Note that it doesn't "lock" the throttle but it will definitely hold it open! Even if you don't loosen the gear, you can force the throttle if needed.

The control installs easy enough. The control is basically a weighted replacement end and a sort of washer. Unscrew with the allen key in the tool pouch, slide the washer on (note the washer has an inner ring sticking out, that side goes against the throttle grip!) and stick the weighted end on. Just screw the original bold back on and you're done.

I took it out for a quick ride on the highway for an exit and found it did as advertised. Though I'm not super jazzed about it now, I know my right arm will be thanking me come next year. (and this year and the year after next year)