Accessorise your ride
While current circumstances mean that we can’t get out and ride at the minute, that doesn’t mean we can’t give our bikes a bit of attention ready for when we can – and we’re not just talking about the usual summer riding prep. If you’ve found yourself with a little extra time on your hands lately, you could still get your motorcycle fix with a little customisation project.
Custom motorcycles come in all sorts of guises. The ones that have been so ‘chopped’ that you’d be hard pushed to identify the original model, while at the other end of the spectrum there are the ones with just a few subtle adjustments. In fact, most riders will customise their motorcycles at some point, even if they don’t consider it ‘customisation’ as such. Remember those stickers you added to the fairing of your Panigale V4 last summer, or that crash protection you recently fitted?
As a general rule of thumb, bikes can either be accessorised or modified – but these are two very different things. Accessories like bar ends, radiator guards and tail tidies aren’t related to how the motorcycle works, whereas suspension adjustments and handlebar replacement will modify the performance and/or handling of the bike.
If you’re a complete novice, modifications should always be left to the experts in our opinion, but if you’re looking for a little project you can do in your garage there’s still loads you could get stuck into from an accessories point of view. Check the below for some inspiration…
Hand guards
Usually produced to suit adventure, adventure-sport and naked/retro motorcycles, hand guard protectors are designed to provide protection for your bike’s clutch and brake levers as well as the handlebar ends (and your hands) from the elements and road debris. Relatively new to the Evotech Performance accessory line-up, we recently added EP Hand Guards to a number of model collections, including the BMW R 1250 GS and KTM 1290 Super Duke R, and they’ve turned out to be one of our bestselling product categories of the year so far! Find out more about how EP Hand Guards can protect your bike here.
Decals
Missing the racing? In different circumstances, we’d have been a good couple of rounds into the British Superbike Championship and several rounds into the MotoGP by now, and there’s only so many highlights programmes you can watch! But while you’re waiting for the on-track action to resume, you could give your own sportsbike a racing upgrade – in the visual sense at least. Whether you want to recreate Camel Honda’s (rather bright) 2005 MotoGP livery, a more modern HM Plant Honda Racing look or something luminous from Team Green, Race Replica Kits are readily available. But if you’re not looking for something quite so, erm standout, you could choose a slightly more subtle decals kit – think Union Jack flags, logos or wheel rim stripes, which are much easier to fit.
Tail tidies
As one of our flagship accessories, an EP Tail Tidy is a smaller, stylish replacement for your motorcycle’s OE rear fender. Our tail tidies will instantly enhance the look of your bike by complementing the profile and design lines to give a sportier look – in most cases, an EP Tail Tidy will reposition the bike’s number plate and indicators to a higher position to deliver a sharper, more race bike-like silhouette. The majority of our EP Tail Tidies feature plug and play wiring connections, don’t require any chassis or bodywork modifications and can be fitted using our downloadable pictorial guides – easy peasy!
Luggage
Ok, so luggage might not be the most exciting accessory that springs to mind, but if like us you’re dreaming of taking that extended two-wheel trip in order to make up for all the lost miles (as soon as it’s safe to do so), you’ll need to consider your luggage options. From motorcycle panniers and top boxes to tank and tail bags, there is an extensive range to choose from and it can be expensive, so our advice is to take your time. Whether you’re planning to ride the length and breadth of Europe, or just pop to the Lake District for the weekend, you’ll need luggage that’s fit for purpose and hard luggage and textiles both come with their pros and cons. We always think Trusted Shops reviews are a good place to start.
Radiator guards
A radiator guard is a shield that fits to the front (and sometimes the side) of your bike’s radiator. While primarily providing protection from road debris, all EP Radiator Guards also feature a unique hexagonal matrix patten to optimise airflow and aid cooling. Our Radiator Guards are widely used in the racing paddock by teams such as Honda Racing, McAMS Yamaha and Be Wiser Ducati and they can be seen on roads courses such as the Isle of Man TT and NW200 too. While most of our radiator guards are available in our black power coat finish, you’ll find that some models, such as the Kawasaki Z900RS, also have a stainless steel variant. Find an EP Radiator Guard to fit your motorcycle here.
Crash protection
By its very nature, crash protection is designed to reduce damage to your motorcycle in the event of an accident and doesn’t usually add any particular aesthetic value. That said, it doesn’t mean the look of your motorcycle needs to be compromised if you choose to fit crash protection...
Evotech Performance’s most sought-after crash protection accessory are engine protectors (or crash bungs), but it’s worth noting that we don’t produce these for any motorcycle if it means that bodywork has to be cut or drilled in order to enable the components to fit. Most of our kits involve bolt-through mounts (one side of the motorcycle to the other), while some use intricate CNC’d brackets.
Aside from engine protection, our other crash protection options include wheel spindle protectors, which protect the end of a wheel spindle shaft or locking nut and can also prevent damage to the fork lowers and calipers.
You can read more about our range of crash protection here.