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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1131591015 Message started by cigaro on 11/09/05 at 18:50:15 |
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Title: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by cigaro on 11/09/05 at 18:50:15 What is the thinking on these? Essential? Useful? Waste of money? I see some of you have them. Some have Suzuki OEM engine crash guards, others aftermarket highwaybars. Will they protect you or your legs? Protect the engine? I'm a new Savage/S40 Club member. I'm considering getting one. Any thoughts? p.s. This is a GREAT website message board! |
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Title: Re: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by slavy on 11/09/05 at 22:28:58 If You need them to protect the engine- waste of money. You have to try very hard to be able to hit this skinny engine. If You need a place to put highway pegs - they will do the work. Other words- The engine guards are a place to mount Your highway footpegs. |
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Title: Re: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by jbird on 11/10/05 at 03:46:59 i put bars and pegs on my bike looks good but the pegs are useless it puts your knees and legs to about your chin and im only 5.8 make for a uncomfuabul ride still cant stretch out |
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Title: Re: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by [Rob] on 11/10/05 at 06:54:46 If they're wide enough, they can give your legs a slight advantage in the event you lay the bike down. |
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Title: Re: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by slopoke on 11/10/05 at 08:59:36 The Suzi bar is STRICTLY decoration. A full sized one would be a nice addition, though. |
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Title: Re: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by sluggo on 11/10/05 at 15:12:24 i've crashed a few bars in my time. i had an old honda cb350 with crashbars in hawaii, and was letting a friend ride us to the base. he caught the bar on a cage bumper. it was ugly, i don't count that as one of the 6 times i've been down as i was not at the controls. |
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Title: Re: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by cigaro on 11/10/05 at 17:29:45 So, the Suzuki OEM crash bar only works to support highway pegs? And do those satisfy people? I read the post about knees against chin. I'm six feet and finding no cramping whatsoever with the Savage, at least so far from existing set up, but still......Moderator Rob has very very good and expensive highway bar. Is this the way to go if you want some protection AND something to put your feet on to stretch out if you take a longer highway ride? I have a future riding buddy up the street from me with a major Harley who wants to take some trips to the great Mississippi River Valley (it's better than the Rhine) next spring and summer. I want to start saving for upgrades during the winter. What's the best suggestion for bars and/or highway pegs? |
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Title: Re: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by Kropatchek on 11/11/05 at 00:58:14 At 6' I would invest in a set of forward controls. See my bikes picture at http://www.frappr.com/ls650 Greetz Kropatchek ;D |
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Title: Re: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by Greg_650 on 11/11/05 at 10:55:00 If you ask me...all guards are only functional if the bike falls off the side stand. No piece of pipe is gonna stop the force of bike and rider at any normal speed. It might absorb some of the impact giving time to bail off the machine, but the weakest point has to be somewhere...either the frame or the guard. I've seen a bunch of smashed guards on bikes and the bikes were totaled anyway. Functionally, as the young folks say, it is just bling, bling. The OEM guard is slim and small, but so is the Savage engine. I tried a set of pegs on it for highway pegs and I hated it. Felt like I was riding a bar stool with my knees up high. The best other guard that I've seen is [Rob's]. Fits the Savage nicely and it is wider. Might even be better for highway pegs, but I don't know. At any rate, one thing that I dislike is the mounting of any guard (OEM especially). U-bolts suck big time. They scratch the frame paint and just make more places for rust. Other more expensive bikes have guards and mounts "engineered" into the bikes. Our poor little Savage didn't get that...it got aftermarket after thoughts only. IMO- a good winter project would be this one. If you want to mount a guard on the Savage, find a good little welding shop. Cut some 1/4" x 1" pieces of steel (bought the bar stock from the same shop) and drill holes to match the guard mounts. Then position the guard on the frame and mark the mounting locations. Remove the guard and then sand off the paint in those areas....80-100 grit. Now, re-mount the guard on the bike with your new steel mounts sandwiched between the guard and the frame...using the u-bolts that came with it Remove your tank and the header pipe, too, and take the bike back to the shop.... The little welding shop that I found was actually tickled to get a welding job that wasn't normal. A bike? Cool. This cost me $25 and only took one day. First he tack welded the new mounts on the frame, removed the u-bolts and welded it 100%. I picked it up, primed and painted the mounts, and the guard bolted right up with stainless bolts. No more rust or scratched paint. For those of you with a welder at home....I'm jealous. http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b277/gmdinusa/GuardMount01web1000.jpg |
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Title: Re: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by cigaro on 11/11/05 at 13:29:30 That's an elaborate and impressive description that will surely be useful to the Savage readership. Thanks for the effort. Unfortunately, I am NOWHERE near that competent when it comes to devising mechanical solutions or providing any. I can screw on some bolts, but that's about where it ends. Still trying to figure out exactly which screws allow me to take off the seat. I haven't found the Suzuki LS650 handbook particularly illustrative in exactly where they are. I did download the schematic from jon's site, and think I have a clue. But, still, Suzuki never exactly addresses the process of removing the seat, per se, which seems to be crucial to all sorts of further processes. Reminds me of the Fostex user manual for my digital recorder. Sort of helpful, but not completely.... |
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Title: Re: Engine Crash Guards/Highwaybars? Post by Greg_650 on 11/12/05 at 10:11:50 cigaro wrote:
It really is simple, if you think about it. Just takes an extra effort. Anyway, the seat.... 10 MM socket, extension, and ratchet under the lower edges of the seat above the the side covers. 2 bolts. That's it. BTW - use our used to be "Technical Corner" for reference. Good stuff in there. |
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