I just compared those photos to the ones I took when I saw the bike up in Eugene, and both the taillamp and grips look identical to me. What differences are you seeing?

 

Looks like the standard / Euro bike will use a LED tail lamp & turn signal setup, while the version pictured uses standard bulbs.

All likely changes due to regulatory laws in each region/country.

 

U.K. spec'd bikes have the slimmer, LED rear light and a swept-back number-plate carrier.

 

Holy fender eliminator is mandatory lol. But either way the tailamp will be getting changed out for me. Going to be looking towards an integrated led tail light

 

Just make sure you meet DOT regulations in the US if you do a "tail tidy". Someone creamed a buddy of mine that did a tail tidy. Rear brake light was out of DOT regulation and the person who rear ended him got off scott free. He got hit AND had to pay to fix the person's car along with his own medical bills.

Also be careful, If your bike was manufactured in 2005 and you change safety equipment, it now has to meet standards for 2017. A little known legal loophole.

Vehicle makers spend plenty of time ensuring they meet safety requirements of each country.

Just be careful with mods.

 

I've seen the North America one and the bulbs look different. Could be the angle too, but the G310R in OP's picture has a slightly larger brake light?

 

You know.. maybe it's cause I'm new to this riding thing but I've never thought about how having a fender eliminator would affect the results after an accident if it were to occur... definitely gave me something to think about now.

 

Well.. The results were the results. Someone got hurt and someone got away with it due to legal loopholes. If the defendant in the case can prove unsafe tampering with signaling equipment that's out of DOT regs, then they can be not found responsible for hitting someone. It's stupid, but in the US that defense works.

Same with towing. My pickup is rated to tow 9500 lbs. It'll actually tow a LOT more than that, but if I am involved in an accident towing more than the rated amount, I am guilty and responsible for any accident.

The same can be also said about the EPA. Yes, you can get an exhaust for a Model Year 2017 bike without a cat converter. However, if you're caught without one it's fines well exceeding the cost of your bike.

Just be careful modifying any safety equipment on your bike. If you find the tail ugly, buy a different bike! Don't want anyone getting screwed legally here.

Also, if you're brand new to riding a bike, take the MSF beginners class or whatever is available in your country. There is a TON of good info in the course and will help you not worry about trying to learn to ride a bike AND deal with traffic/bad drivers.

 

Typically I don't really like the way any tails look on bikes, and I think I may be among a fair amount of people as typically the first mod you see would be a fender eliminator. All of your points are very valid (obviously) and I appreciate the concern and trying to ensure members of the community stay safe

 

Same here and ever since considering this bike or any bike in the segment I knew little things like this would be sacrificed for other areas to be focused on. Now if this was a liter, that would be a different story.