I’ve had my handguards mounted with M6 bolts on the barend inserts, but I decided to remove them just to see how hard it was.
Turns out, not hard at all and removing them is probably less of a hassle than drilling and tapping them for M8 threads.
How to:
1. Drill a hole roughly the size of the indentation on the top side of the bars.
2. Insert a bolt on the threads and tap the insert loose
3. Pull out the insert using the bolt you just used.
4. Check for burs on the hole you drilled, sand away if needed
5. Done (naturally, removing and remounting the grip is required)
Project Honda CRF 300 L 
Thank you for the very useful tip, I’ve just removed the inserts from mine. Acerbis X-Factory is on the way. Grats, very informative site!
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I have a 2023 Rally and there are a couple detents (top and bottom) on the insert that holds the bar-end weights in. I used an impact driver to remove the weights, then I threaded them back in a bit and used some masking tape to hold a couple small machine screws onto some tongue and groove pliers. That way I could depress both detents with the pliers to release them and muscle out the inserts by pulling on the weight. They’ll eventually come out without having to destroy them. On the clutch side, you just need to roll back the grip a little bit on the end to access the holes for the detents. Better option than having to drill and tap the inserts, because those inserts will spin with force, and you probably don’t want your hand guards to spin when they impact something.
I had already swapped out the stock clutch perch and lever with a Zeta Ultra Light version with the forged 3-finger lever, so I had no issues installing some Acerbis X Factor hand guards. I saw a video on YouTube where someone just cut the stock clutch lever where the notch is, but that isn’t necessary if you install a shorter lever. Eventually, I’ll bother to replace the stock bars with something like Pro Taper Contour bars.
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