Appropriate Cylinder head protection, FINALLY !

[icecave]

After taking the "police training" motocycle class, I've come to really appreciate the bars around the engine and rear saddle bag. We used Kawasaki police bikes that get dropped a lot by the students at slow speeds (most common) and fast speeds (rarer, but I managed to do it) practicing. Idea that comes to mind is to take a sheet of plywood or similar to simulate the roadway. With the bike on the center stand, one should be able to mimic the roadway by moving the sheet along side the bike, up and down and tilting it similuting a slide during a low side crash. One should get a good idea of the contact point. High side crash the bike will still come to rest on it side after landing on the steering head or other expensive point. It would be interesting to know if the gas tank will stay out of harms way? The Kawasaki I high sided had a damaged instrument cluster and mirrors with more scapes on the bars while it slid to a stop otherwise it was it was good to go. They drove it back to the assembly area while I walked back. For a Bimmer, I would add the hard cases as limited protection for the rear quarter...your damage may vary (YDMV)

[romanr]

KA5YSY & Icecave,
Thanks for such a complete answer. I did order the hard sided bags with the bike. I just haven't picked a windscreen yet. (I thought that would be an easy decision).

Now if the guys in the factory would just hurry....
KI5XZ

[hirsty]

Nice - I would have these in a blink if (when?) I had an R12R.

[hayabusafiend]

I just ordered a set of SW-MOTECH engine guards from twistedthrottle.com. The PDF instructions aren't terribly intuitive, so I might post installation pics here.

[ka5ysy]

I just ordered a set of SW-MOTECH engine guards from twistedthrottle.com. The PDF instructions aren't terribly intuitive, so I might post installation pics here.

Chris: I found that the simple way to install everything is to match the hardware (bolts, spacers etc) to the photos and mark them with a permanent marker once identified. Everything is side-specific and does not interchange. The worst part of the installation is the small bolt on the upper end of the sidestand-side bars. Hint: DO NOT tighten anything until you get every bolt started, and use loctite on everything.

For clarity, I did not upload the installation instructions other than the general mounting layout. The other sheets detail the hardware identifications, though not much else.

Doug

[romanr]

This is not my field of engineering, so I'm looking for a bit of education. I noticed that they are described as being made of 'mild' steel [aka, low carbon steel]. Does this mean that they will bend in a tipover, instead of break/crack? Is the the chassis of a bike made of the high carbon type of steel, or is this the same material as the rest of the bike....

Just curious. They look so good I'm ordering a set.....now if I could just get a call from the dealer saying I had something to bolt them onto...

[ka5ysy]

Mild steel has a low carbon content (up to 0.3%) and is therefore neither extremely brittle nor ductile. It becomes malleable when heated, and so can be forged.

It balances proper strength with the ability to not shatter like some high carbon alloys might do. Cost is low, and is the most commonly used steel for a lot of products.


How it reacts in a crash depends totally on the physics of the particular hit it takes, but a tipover is not going to do much to these bars, other than maybe scratching the powder coating.

[Ckaine]

Afternoon All:

How did you come to the decision of the SW Motech guards with respect to the ones from Wunderlich or Hepco Becker???
Just curious, as I am in the market for a set, unfortunately, post a parking lot drop ..

Regards;

Chris

[ka5ysy]

Afternoon All:

How did you come to the decision of the SW Motech guards with respect to the ones from Wunderlich or Hepco Becker???
Just curious, as I am in the market for a set, unfortunately, post a parking lot drop ..

Regards;

Chris

I was able to see the Hepco-Becker bars on an RR in Baton Rouge one afternoon. The owner got them on after a slideout in some sand that trashed his rocker arm cover. I looked at the setup and did not like the crossover tube above the oil cooler, nor the fact that they looked like typical crash bars on Harley's (i.e. ahead of the cylinders as a loop or hoop). I had the impression that they were not very stout and did not protect the rear of the cylinders like the SW Motech guards. One of the great features is that the SW's allow rocker arm cover removal without having to pull the bars off. I am not sure what the Wunderlich bars look like at all. Did not shop them.

[tobes]

I placed an order for the SW-Motech bars from Twisted Throttle and they're backordered until Dec 31st. Bummer.

[ka5ysy]

I placed an order for the SW-Motech bars from Twisted Throttle and they're backordered until Dec 31st. Bummer.

Don't crash before you get them installed !

[tobes]

Don't crash before you get them installed !

Now why'd you have to go and say that? I'm throwing salt over my shoulder and knocking on wood now. Actually a couple of weeks ago I did a driveway drop and nicked up the bottom of the right cover. Then this past weekend accidentally drifted around a corner that had some loose stuff in it - that was close. I'm ready for some add'l protection now.

[cheelleebutt]

I've had these SW-Motech engine guards installed on my 12R about two month after I got the bike. I got baby back in 03/07. They've served me very well. They are great cruiser pegs without installing anything. Of course this is all dependent on you're height. I'm 5'9" with 30" inseam (all back... no legs ). The heal of my Sidi boots rest on the guards in style and comfort. Most of my sport bike friends are quite jealous that I can stretch my legs and back at a moment's notice. As for the protection from a tip over, The last time I had a tip over on tarmac was when I had the BMW OEM panniers on. In that instance the bar end weights don't even touch the ground. The protection is so good that the head covers don't even come close to touching the ground. Beyond that I haven't dropped the bike without panniers on. I am oh so close to flat feet with the standard seat so there hasn't been an opportunity for droppage (knock on wood). Of course the engine guard is heavy duty so it does add additional weight to the bike but it's towards the bottom end so I don't notice any loss of performance/agility. 99% of my reason for installing the engine guard is for protection, but that's just me.

[PhilSB]

Also consider some protection for the final drive. I had a little drop at a petrol station and the underside of the final drive got a few scratches. Anything at more than walking speed would make quite a mess. I always seem to make the scrapes before I buy the protction.

[tobes]

Took my R in for the 6K service today. With the SW-Motech bars on back order I decided to ask the dealer what they had in stock. Turned out someone had special ordered the GS style guards powder coated black but never picked them up. Normally I don't care for these but in black I thought they matched the bike pretty well so I got them at a discount.

[daveyator]

I feel compelled to say that the "useless" BMW protectors did a great job on a 2 mph drop when a car stopped short in front of me in mid turn at a corner. Only a few minor scratches and No damage on valve cover. Besides, if you crash hard enough to challenge the nice bars here your probably going to do enough damage that the $230 give or take valve cover price won't be that important.