So I finally got my tail chop kit after waiting for about two months. Super excited to get it on, so decided to be adventurous and try to install it myself. It was not super hard, but pretty tedious and time consuming- definitely some lessons learned in Italian engineering and design.
Also as I was installing the fender kit, I realize that the stock signals will not fit on the short tail given the fact that I installed the passenger bars a few weeks ago. So this meant going and getting new smaller signals - I was going to change those out anyway, but this just made it happen sooner. I looked at the Rizoma's but really liked how the Ducati performance ones looked and ended up with those. Anyway, its all installed and looks, I must say so myself, pretty good.
So what I got in the the fender kit-
- a plastic undertail
- short lock cable
- led number plate light
- European licence plate holder (metal)
- some hardware and brackets for signals
- NO instructions
With the LED signals
- Two signals
- wires with resistors
- plastic adapter to center it in the stock hole
- hardware
- instructions - YAY!... but mostly in Italian.
Lessons learned:
- DX and SX in Italian stand for right and left
- Red wires don't always connect with red wires, black wires don't always connect with black wires. (For the LED lights)
- Metal work will be required
- Don't expect any instructions.
- Wire harnesses SUCK!
- Short lock cables SUCK even more.
Some additional things I have received questions on and some high level instructions.
1: Take off the seat (duh!)
2: Remove 2 bolts in the tray which holds the toolkit
3: Remove the two bolts that hold the servo unit; disconnect the servo harness; move out of the way; Also disconnect the light harness.
4: Remove 4 bolts that hold the metal section on the top (tip: the bolts probably are marked from the factory (the yellow marker). Place or mark them to make sure that you put them back in the slot they came out from; that way you can align the lines back, especially if you don't have a torque wrench.
5: Remove the bolts with the rubber housing: you have to hold the bolts underneath while unscrewing the top
6: You can now remove the entire tail section.
7: With the tail section removed,
i. Undo the lock assembly (loosen the plastic nut with pliers, once it's loose, its easy to screw off.
ii. Brake light (you'll need a torx driver for this (think it was #20))
iii. Take off the signals, wires should be marked dx and sx, see above for what they mean
Assembling the DP tail kit:
1: Cut the Euro frame. If you cut the legs right below the two middle bolts you'll be good to go.
2: Install the LED plate light/ brake light; fairly straightforward
3: Install the lock (reverse of how you took it off)
4: Install signals; you will not use the stock bolts. This is where the right angle brackets go. One side acts as a spacer for the signal, the other side aligns with the hole where one of the bolts with rubber top goes. This supports the signal and makes them secure, otherwise the plastic is super thin there. You will use the bolts that came with the kit.
5: Lock cable: this is a pain the DP replacement lock cable is super short, so install it while you have everything open. When putting the section back on the bike, you will need some help to hold it there while you screw in the lock to the metal plate.
6: Put everything back together in reverse. Remember to thread the light cable and the servo through the metal plate before screwing everything together
7: Also make sure that there are no wires obstructing the servo; it could screw up your throttle response in neutral.
So here are some pics.
The hardware:
Tail kit
Signals.
Two tails together
The LED and the signal
The full chop
