Installing an OUTEX Stem Stabilizer and Vibration Absorbing Lever Guards on the Hunter Cub (Trail125) Part 2

• CT125
• CT125 Hunter Cub

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Continuing from the previous article, let's take a look at the installation process of the OUTEX Vibration Absorbing Lever Guards.

Installing the Vibration Absorbing Lever Guards

Next, we will install the vibration-absorbing lever guards. This kind of bar-end mounted part sometimes requires a trick to secure the inner attachment, but OUTEX parts are very well made and easy to install.

Though the new part is very easy to install, it is a bit difficult to remove the stock bar ends and handlebar weights.

It's pretty hard to remove the bar ends & weights!

Before installing the vibration-absorbing lever guards, the stock bar ends & handlebar weights must first be removed. To be honest, this is the most difficult part. However, if you plan to keep customizing your Hunter Cub (Trail125), this is a bridge you'll have to cross at some point, so things will be easier later if you remove them now.

First, the bar end. I just needed to remove the bolt with a #2 Phillips screwdriver, but it was stuck in there real good. I heard that it is possible to remove easily depending on the bike, and that it is possible to remove it with a hand tool if you are good at it. However, since it's a Phillips screw, I was afraid of striping it.

You can remove it relatively easily with an impact screwdriver. However, if you are worried about striping the screw, you might want to ask a motorcycle shop to do it for you. Don't go too hard.

The next obstacle to overcome is the handlebar weights. There are two holes in the handlebar that the weight hooks into. You have to remove the grips, push the hooks into the holes in the handlebar, and pull the weights out. I did this myself, but it was time-consuming and quite difficult.

However, as you can see in the below photo, the hook part is a thin steel plate, so if you aren't going to reuse the handlebar weight, it is possible to break the hooks and pull out the weight with sheer power.

Once the bar ends and bar weights are removed, the rest is easy. Let's set up the attachment parts and lever guards according to the instruction manual.

Note that not only the lever guards, but also the attachment parts are different for the left and right side.

All that remains is to insert it into the handlebar and tighten it with a 6mm Allen wrench. The attachment parts are very well made, so there should be no particular difficulty.

After installing the other side, attach the setting bolts and washers to the tips to complete the process.

Up to this point we have followed the process in the instructions. In my case, I have a ZETA Pivot 3-finger Lever, and there is no interference with the lever at all.

I'm using the black base pivot lever, which is a special color for the Hunter Cub (Trail125), with a replacement 3-finger lever.

After installing the vibration-absorbing lever guard, you can see that there is plenty of room. Since the lever is so short, I want to try installing it without the collar and use it as is. Let's see what happens.

*From here on, please note that the installation method is different from the manufacturer's recommendation. Following this method is at your own risk.

When I simply removed the collar, the lever guard hung on the extra part of the bolt since it hadn't been shortened and it couldn't be installed as it was. So I went to a home improvement center and bought a bolt of the same size as the one on the left side, i.e., an M8 x 60mm cap bolt. I removed the collar again and tried reattaching it.

The gap between the guard and the grip is gone so it looks nice. Just a word of caution, don't put it too close to the grip. The end of the grip and the lever guard may interfere with each other, and the throttle may not work properly. In the worst case scenario, the throttle may not return. Therefore, make sure to tighten the bolt so that the lever guard has enough clearance. However, you might find that there is no interference when you tighten temporarily, but after fully tightening, there might be interference. So make sure to check that there are no problems after finishing the installation and leave enough space.

And the installation is complete!

Let's take it for a test ride!

The black color is cool. Since the weather is so nice, let's go for a test ride.

Thanks to the vibration-absorbing lever guards, I feel less fatigued and much more comfortable even after just a short ride. After riding for a while it feels like this new comfort is normal, so you stop noticing it.

As for the stem stabilizer, of course, it is very effective on paved roads. As I felt previously when I test rode the demo bike, the straight line stability is improved to the extent that it feels like your wheel diameter got larger. The start of turns and the turns themselves are also very smooth, and I have the impression that unnecessary swaying has been eliminated. I don't push the bike too hard, just ride at the average city pace, but the difference from stock was obvious. It is very easy to ride.

I also tried it out on a dirt road. I was concerned that the good straight line stability would mean that the front end would not be flexible enough on uneven terrain and I would go straighter than I imagined and lose control of the bike.

Like on paved roads, I don't ride too fast and just take it easy, but the bike tracked the road well even though the conditions were not clear due to a lot of dry grass and brush. In my imagination, I was thinking that it might move forward too much even when the road condition changes, and at worst, the front might slip, but to my surprise, it was even more flexible than stock and was easier to ride. I had a feeling that the front end was a little wobbly in the stock condition, which sometimes made me feel unstable, but this problem has been eliminated.

I decided to push it since the bike was doing so well, and I just kept going and going. It was seriously easy to ride. Though I wasn't going too fast in the first place, I definitely felt more secure. Just adding two plates makes such a difference.

Summary

I knew the stem stabilizer was a good idea, but I was pleasantly surprised that it improved the ride even on unpaved roads. The vibration-absorbing lever guards also definitely improve comfort when riding, and I would recommend both of these parts for the Hunter Cub (Trail125).