Has anyone got any observations on whether they are worth fitting or not? And if so which are best? Ducati, Touratech, SW Motech or someone else?
Depends whether you're going to crash surely? My two-penneth. They look crap and if you have a decent off will do bugger all to save the bike.
Crash bars were the subject of an earlier post and everyone had their (strong) preference. I have ordered the 2013 GT original fitment because I liked the look of them on the showroom bike and they stood up to me lifting the bike using them as a grab handle without any deflection. I have no intention of falling off but I'm happy to put my faith in them to minimise the damage especially as I'm preparing the bike for a track day. Find a ride out when the weather is better and have a look at what other people have fitted. Listening to other's opinions however good intentioned and honest is no substitute for actually looking at something. Andy
I would consider the R&G crash bungs as an alternative - much tidier (IMHO) and cheaper, although there is a train of thought that should they "dig in", the damage to the frame could be worse than the sliding on clutch cases/fairings etc?
For me, its to protect low speed drops. Had couple on the old bike. New bike with Skyhook makes it easier to rescue cos it doesn't pitch and lurch as much. Went for the Touratechs anyway. Reviews suggested they were lighter. Styling wise, they integrate nicely with the trellis frame. It is really psychological I suppose. But I rationalise it that I can use it to mount my GoPro. Also somewhere to dry my underwear when I go camping. No, not really...
Fitted SW Motech crash bars to my Multi before European tour in 2012. At the same time fitted my wife's KTM SMT 990 with KTM's own crash bars. Both ended up looking good & in my eye, made the bikes look even more brutal. The design of the KTM's bars are quite similar to the Multi's SW Motech bars. Anyway, to the point. I have not yet tested my bars in action, but my wife had a fall in the Alps at about 30-50km/h speed. The grip just left entering one of the hairpins (during braking). We were a bit too exited with the speed, and after the crash found out that the tire pressures were way too high also... Nice lesson to the both of us! What happened to my wife's KTM on the crash? It was sliding about 15-20m on the asphalt, did not hit anything on the way and stopped at the side of the road. Damages: - Left side crash bar bend in for about 5mm (got that back in shape by using brute force on the scene) - 1mm material worn off at the side on the bar - Maybe 5 cm3 of paint gone from the same bar that took the blow - Soft tail bag protected the aft end of the bike with very little damage So, I got the bar back in shape at the scene. As we got off the mountain, some black "permanent marker" took care of the bar's paint job. I just could not believe how the damages were so limited... Without the bars, well... I think the whole front side of the KTM would have been a mess! To me then, they really... really work if you are lucky and the bike does not hit anything during the slide. And by the way, wife was protected by Rukka Mika suit. So no worries there either! :tongue:
Thanks for that, Korppi. I guess the £200 they cost will pay for itself even if the bike just topples of the side stand once.
ive put sw motech bars on my mts1200, £157 from byke bitz, also some barkbusters to save the levers in case of the inevitable, I may have over reacted but my 996 is often on its side in the garage, after the kids accidentally knock it, but that's now on a ABBA
I bought the Givi bars, they came in handy when the side stand wasn't down properly and folded, was glad i fitted them, i also think they look good, just my opinion.
Had 2 bikes topple over for 1 reason or another and the crash bars worked leaving the paint work intact,also had a huge off at speed and the R &G mushrooms dug in when they should have slid gracefully. Result lots of grass sky grass sky bike on its roof job done.so really it's down to what u want to protect really !
ALTRIDER bars / sliders on my MTS = Protection Parts and Accessories for Adventure Touring Motorcycles - AltRider
My crash bars prevented any damage along with my Barkbusters when I had the bike fall over on Sunday. Recommended.
I have SW-Motech and one year ago they protected the bike entirely ... only right pannier had some scratches. I was riding at walking speed, turnig too tight for my speed on a quite steep slope in beatuful Tuscany
I have the SW Motech bars. Ditto place to mount HD camera and spots: also good point for strapping down on ferry/train as they are away from the paint, bodywork etc.
Ducati bars are the best option, IMHO and that's what i fitted. They don't fit some of the earliest bikes though.
Are there any updates on this subject? I still can't decide which bars to get. I just need info on crash bars, not bobbins etc. I suppose my priority is that they have to be well made and can take a low speed slide, but they've got to look good too!! Cheers Kevin
