The hugger is also a chain guard, so you should first remove the old chain guard. To be able to remove the front screw, remove the left footpeg (left, seen from the position when you are sitting on the bike). This way you can reach the front screw which holds the chainguard. Also remove the right footpeg. Don`t disconnect the brake hoses or anything, just remove the pegs to get a little more room to install the hugger.

The hugger doesn`t fit right on. It needs some modification. We start with the left side. Try it on the wheel and see how the left side holes are positioned in relation to the holes where the old chainguard was mounted. (the hugger comes on the outside of the brakes torque link (bar). If necessary, drill new holes into the hugger to be able to mount the hugger on the same places as where the old chainguard was mounted onto:

Image 1: Green = old holes, Red = new holes. Right old hole has been leveled off.

When the holes are drilled correctly, screw the hugger back on the swingarm. You`ll notice that the rear side (backside) of the hugger is pushed too far to the inside. This causes the hugger to hit the wheel. To prevent this, add a washer between the rear swingarm mounting point and the rear of the hugger. This way the rear of the hugger is pushed outside a bit, giving the wheel more clearance to rotate freely:

(click image to enlarge)

When this side of the hugger is mounted onto the swingarm, see if the hugger needs any other modification. I noticed the brake hose on the right side of the swingarm needed more room to move freely, so I removed some material from the hugger. The torque link which holds the rear brake caliper is positioned at the inside of the hugger. So the hugger covers the torque link (see also image 6). Remove enough material from the hugger so non of the hoses, wires, torque links hit the sharp edge of the hugger, otherwise they could get damaged. Also make sure the wheel can move freely.

The Bandit has it`s torque link (the bar which holds the rear brake caliper) at the bottom of the swingarm. The GS has this bar at the top of the swingarm. This shouldn`t be a problem. Just push the hugger over the bar and modify it if necessary (see image 6).

Bandit huggers are mounted on the swingarm with 4 screws, 2 on each side of the swingarm. Because we don`t have any mounting points on the right side of the hugger, we shall use hose clamps (I use them all the time). I used hose clamps, because I didn`t want to drill any holes into the swingarm. Remove the hugger from the bike again and make 2 holders on the right side of the hugger to attach the hose clamps to:

(click image to enlarge)

I used "mecano" metal plates (construction toy for children) to make the 2 holder plates. It looks a bit messy, but when it`s mounted on the bike you won`t see it anymore.

Now that we have 4 points to attach the hugger to the swingarm, we can place the hugger back onto the swingarm. Secure the left side of the hugger the same way as you did with the old chainguard. For the right side we use the hose clamps. Bend the hose clamps in a rectangular shape, with the screw pointing up on the outside of the swingarm. Put the clamp all the way around the swingarm and through the attachment plates on the hugger (like the red arrow in image 3 say`s). Put some rubber between the hose clamp and the swingarm to protect the paintwork. Now tighten the hose clamp until it`s firmly secured:

(click image to enlarge)

Check if the rear wheel can still move freely. I had to put a piece of metal between the swingarm and the attachment plate (image 5), because otherwise the hugger was pulled too far to the right side which caused it to hit the wheel. Double check all the connections and hose clamps! Be a 100% sure the hugger won`t hit your tyre or cut your brake hose!! I sealed the brake hose with some extra rubber to be sure it wouldn`t get damaged by the hugger or one of it`s screws (see image 7). When the hugger is secured, remount the footpegs and there you have it: A rear hugger!

What you need:

- Bandit 600 or Bandit 400 hugger

- 2 hose clamps

- 2 metal plates

- piece of rubber

- usual tools

Cost:

Time:

Took me about 1 hours.

Why:

Some people just like the view of a hugger on a sportbike. I personally find it OK, but not that special. The main reason for me was to prevent my rear shock from becoming dirty. The hugger is best solution to this problem. No more piles of dirt around your shock and swingarm. The fender underneath the seat stay`s clean too. I`m beginning to even like the look the hugger gives the bike. See for yourself what is important for you.

Overall:

Normal. This modification is not very difficult. Only the right side of the hugger could be a problem. I didn`t want to drill any holes into the swingarm, so I used hose clamps. Some may not like this solution, but it`s the best I could figure out.

There is one small problem with this modification. I noticed it after I made several stoppies (endo`s, breaking hard, rear comes of the ground and falls back again when the bike comes to a complete stop). When the rear shock is completely depressed (so the wheel is all the way up) the hugger hits the plastic fender underneath the seat. But I figured this is because I have a 160 rear tyre, so the tyre and the hugger are much wider than the stock GS wheel. If you use a hugger made for a 130/70/17 or 140/70/17 rear wheel this probably won`t happen. The rear wheel is never pushed so far up while riding. (maybe when you have a passenger, I don`t know). But I made some stoppies and that`s why the hugger hits the fender. I looked at it and saw a few scratches, not that bad. So when you mount a hugger, don`t make too much stoppies, or the hugger could break. If you never make stoppies, you won`t experience any problems after this modification.

Good luck!