How to Install Vortex Frame Sliders

Motorcycle owners are aware of the damage that a "slide" can do to the motorcycle frame and parts. Frame sliders protect the motorcycle in the event that an accident occurs and the bike slides on the road surface. The Vortex slider offers the advantage of a two-part design, which allows you to replace the slider puck if necessary without replacing the entire slider assembly. The Vortex slider installation may take up to an hour per side and requires some careful cutting and grinding. The result is an extra level of protection for the equipment and the rider.

Things You'll Need

• Electric drill
• 1/4-inch bit
• Dremel tool with cutting bit
• Pencil
• Socket wrench with a 10mm hexagonal socket

Instructions

How to Install Vortex Frame Sliders on a Motorcycle

1. Remove the upper fairing on one side of the motorcycle. Drill a ¼-inch hole through the lower fairing as close as possible to the center of the lower front engine bolt. (The lower front engine bolt is directly behind the lower fairing.)

2. Enlarge the hole carefully with a Dremel tool with a cutting bit. Enlarge the hole only enough to allow the Vortex installation bolt to pass easily through the hole.

3. Remove the lower front engine bolt. Reinstall the upper fairing, tightening all bolts and mounting tabs. Insert the Vortex installation bolt through the hole in the fairing (the longer bolt goes on the right hand side of the bike) and through the Vortex slider base into the engine bolt hole. Tighten the Vortex installation bolt a few turns to stabilize the assembly and bring the slider base in contact with the fairing.

4. Trace the pattern of the slider base onto the fairing with a pencil. Remove the installation bolt and the slider base. Enlarge the hole on the fairing with the Dremel tool so that the hole includes the tracing on the fairing.

5. Attach the slider base to the engine bolt hole using a 10mm hex socket. Attach the puck to the slider base using a 10mm hex socket. (Make it hand-tight, plus a quarter-turn.)

6. Repeat the above steps to install the Vortex frame slider on the other side of the motorcycle.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that the engine bolt hole is free of any plastic fairing trimmings. When enlarging the holes, use a medium drill speed and brace your hands well so as to make a clean, round hole. You may want to leave a small gap around the puck to allow for some flex by the slider mechanism in case of an accident.

• Insert the cutting bit only about ¼ inch into the ¼-inch hole so as not to damage the engine parts beyond the fairing.