Any scaffolding bolted onto a bike looks a bit Tonka Toy IMHO. Unless it’s a GS. As they is not the pretties horse in the stable. (and I have one). Had SW Motech ones on my 11plate Mutley which were quite discreet.
Honestly SteveE, I think you have your answer in your question. I concur with the previous posts. They're all ugly and will especially look out of place on a Pikes Peak. Although I don't believe in the benefit of frame sliders, you may want to consider them as an alternative.
Crash bars? No. Frame/axle sliders? No. Just imo. If you crash , you crash. Don't crash. . The bolt on bits all look shite and add wieght. The multi has panels that can be changed should you crash. But as I said, dont. Or at least not by your hand.
I agree, not convinced of the benefit in a drop whilst in motion, though probably significant other damage in that situation to consider. With a static drop they work OK but have to stick out a long way on the Multistrada to do any good. I have the Evotech ones on my 1260, tested them once at a stand still, zero damage (no panniers on at the time). I reckon that they've paid for themselves already.
Thanks that’s my point. On the one hand I don’t want to ruin the looks of the bike and on the other hand I have to practice and teach slow riding with the bike. Laws of averages say I will have a slow speed drop of some sort over time. Bottom line is it’s a trade off and a dilemma so I’ll just have to make a decision and live with it. Had an RT1200 with Touratechs and like you dropped it once and they paid for themselves. Last bike was a 1200 PP and I kind of shied away from giving too much slow riding training.
Not crash bars but the next best thing imo R&G crash bungs, saved my engine in a tumble in the drive, I did sustain a bit of Cosmetic damage to the LHS fairing and mirror Which I had repaired rather than replaced and as discreet as you’ll get these on my 2016 DVT
Had R&G bungs on my MV Turismo, prefer the Evotechs but that's just me. If you sustained fairing damage with a static drop onto a flat surface maybe they don't stick out far enough? Of course again this is a trade off between practicality and aesthetics. I fear the same with crash bars that will protect the panel they cover but other parts will touch down too. Not exactly sure what will contact with the Evotechs. My drop was one if those almost controlled 'oh shit moments' with a low speed manouver where it went beyond the point of no return and I could only just soften the blow. Not sure if the bar end, also Evotech, contacted but there were no tell-tale signs that it had. If I'd had the panniers on I'm pretty sure they would have been scuffed. With sticky outy bungs there's always the risk of them digging in with a crash situation and either flipping the bike or causing frame damage. Pretty sure they're designed to bend under extreme load but as every accident has unique dynamics who knows. In such a case there's a likelihood that the bike will suffer significant damage anyway. This pic just about shows one of the bungs
Yes, I dropped my 1200 Enduro with crash bars and R&G spindle protectors outside Ducati Coventry and only had to fork out £20 for a new hand guard bottom section. Since fitted Barkbusters. Previous 1200S had BB'S and R&G's only and got away with a scuffed rear footpeg after a drop in the Black Forest. Not thrown a Multi up the road at speed thankfully, so not sure about effectiveness, but suspect it would be stuffed with or without bars?
PS I’ve just fitted the SW Motech hand protectors / ‘bark busters’. I had SW Motech bar end weights fitted previously and took them off to fit the bark busters so I’ll need to see whether any vibration comes back, in which case I’ll need to integrate the two.
