F Y I for anyone thinking about installing a Coerce fork brace.

Yes, you can retain the stock fork guards after you install the brace and...
Yes, you can install the brace without pulling the fork tubes from the triples (per the manufacturer).

Gently but firmly push the guards up towards the triples. They are held in place by a lip on the guard that seats in a groove on the fork slider. Tape the guards to the bottom triple clamp to keep them out of the way.

Install the brace as close to the top of the fender as possible. You may want to pad the bottom of the brace with a layer of tape to avoid scratching the paint on the fender. Install it loosely at first and tighten each bolt a little at a time to avoid binding the fork. Bounce the front end of the bike to work the suspension a couple times during the bolt tightening process to make sure there is no binding.

Push the fork guards back onto the tops of the sliders as far as they will go. They won't be seated in the same spot as they were before the brace was installed, but the friction should be enough to hold them in place. I tightened a single cable tie near the bottom of each guard to make sure of it. 500 miles since the installation and it's doing fine.