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 2005 SV 650S Hot Bodies Under tail Install

Quickly after receiving my new motorcycle, I began dreaming of cutting off the ugly rear fender from my new "Toy."  I searched the internet and after looking at a number of options, I decided that I liked to looks of the Hot Bodies tail the best.  I showed it to my wife and magically "Birthday Santa" brought it to me.

I quickly tore open the box and was surprised how small and simple the part looked.  I mean for goodness sake I is a fiberglass piece the size of a dinner plate with two LED lights on it.

The directions were vague at best.  The instructions that came with it basically said,

1, Remove old fender. 

2, Splice wires to harness.

3, Bolt to bike.

4, Enjoy.

The following is the steps I used to install on my bike. The following information is what I did, if your bike is different or you like to take short-cuts, these steps might vary.

STEP 1: Find a Lovely Assistant

STEP 2: Make sure she know here duties.  I.E. Supply cold beverages

Here are photos of the rear fender BEFORE the new Under tail

STEP 3: Remove Both Seats.

Start by removing the triangle trim pieces that hide the seat bolts.

Then remove the seat bolts

Here is the bike minus both seats

STEP 4: Loosen the side fairings.

I started under the tail with the pop rivets.  Just a slight push in with the tip of a screwdriver will release it.

Then I moved to the front and worded backwards.  I removed the screws holding both faring halves together and the 4 bolts under the drivers seat.

Remove the two bolts under the passenger seat and the two bolts holding the grab handle.

Then loosen the two 10mm bolts and the two Philips head screws that hold the taillight and spine piece together.  I did not remove these completely as I removed both pieces as one.  Also remember to remove the cable that opens the trunk cable

Here is the bike with no rear faring.

STEP 5: Loosen the Stock Under tail.  You will not remove this and the new tail goes OVER this one.  There are two bolts to remove.

STEP 6: Remove that ugly fender.  The stock under tail is essentially tucked under the edge of the old fender.  Don't be afraid to give it a good yank.  Then you basically hold the tail out of the way while removing the four bolts holding the fender in place.

Here is the bike with the fender removed

STEP 7: Drill Holes.  Since we are leaving the old under tail in place we need to get the wires for the new turn signals THROUGH the old tail.  I did this by drilling one hole on each side.  Make sure that when you drill these holes that the turn signal wires are not exposed to stress at the back of the LED's.  Here is a photo of the holes I drilled.

Optional Step:  When I removed the rear fender, I lost the clips that held the fuses in place.  These clips are a part of the fender.  I drilled two small holes in the side flap so I could "Zip Tie" the fuse block in place.

STEP 8: Wire and splice the harness to the new under tail. On my kit the Black Wires were ground and the red was hot.  The Black with white striped wire on the harness is the ground and the white or green wire is the hot.  I spliced the wires then shrink wrapped them.

STEP 9:  Replace the rear fairings.  Remember to leave these loose until you get the under tail in place.  Below are photos of the rear back in place before mounting the new under tail.

STEP 10: Insert the new Under tail

STEP 11: Retighten all the rear bolts and reinstall the Grab Handle. (This is really all the previous steps in reverse.)

STEP 12: Mount License Plate.  Check your local laws regarding mounting options.  I mounted mine below the new under tail.  Then enjoy your new mod.  TAKE IT FOR A RIDE!

I hope you enjoyed the install.

AFTER THOUGHTS:

I was a little surprised at the time involved to install this.  Total time including clean up and taking a few breaks was about three hours over two days.  The finished product looks very well.  I had to make a few modifications to the tail that I got.  Overall, If you are pretty handy with tools and have the time, this should be a straight forward install.  If the thought of making a few "trims" to some parts of your bike, you may want to have this professionally installed OR bribe your friends to help.

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