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Message started by royblueboy on 12/04/11 at 19:11:33

Title: roll bars or crash bars
Post by royblueboy on 12/04/11 at 19:11:33

I am looking for opinions on these, after I broke my ankle my wife thinks I need one. would they really help when the bike lays over? thanks in advance for responding.

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 12/04/11 at 22:08:23

Lace up boots do a good job of protecting ankles. A crash bar is good for protecting the bike & IF you can keep your leg out from under the thing, then yea, thats a good plan, but Id want some boots first. Just my O pinion,

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by verslagen1 on 12/04/11 at 22:33:43

After the 1st time letting a bike fall on your leg should be your last.
That ankle will remember the last time and jump outta the way.

Good boots

don't get the oem bar, too small I've heard.

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by Dj12midnit on 12/04/11 at 23:01:02

My bike came with the OEM. When I laid it down the engine guard did not get a scratch on it.

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by JohnBoy on 12/05/11 at 03:12:18

I was rear ended while riding a 1976 GL1000. I had rear crash bars that folded up against my foot pushing it through the right side case. It broke my ankle but I still got a foot!
And, the old sphincter works better than ever...every time I hear brakes sguea!l ;D

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by engineer on 12/05/11 at 11:55:44

I have the OEM crash bars on my bike. I laid it down and broke a foot, in fact I was trapped under the thing for a couple of minutes. The crash bars don't have a scratch on them. My foot and leg, the grip, mirror, peg, and turn signal took the damage.

If you look at some pictures from the fifties you'll see that they made crash bars larger back then so that when the bike was laid down it sat on the crash bar and the tires. BUT, it has been pointed out to me from an informed source that they quit making them like that because it contributed to high sides. Sliding out is better than a high side.

Verslagen1 said that after the first time you will automatically pull that leg up and I can say from experience that he is right, except when you get old like me and you get stiff, slow and out of practice. Sliding out was considered a standard defensive move in my day and I did it many times, always pulling that leg up and going down with the bike and then sliding off.

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by MotoBuddha on 12/05/11 at 12:50:15

Modify your foot pegs so they don't fold. They (and the handle bars) should keep the bike off you. It's cheaper and lighter than crash bars, too.

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by RidgeRunner13 on 12/05/11 at 15:24:05

Yeah, laying her down was what I was told too. But that was back in the 60s & was wrong even back then. It was the thing to do when the bikes didn't have very good brakes. And a lot of old school choppers ran no front brake, Indian Larry was one of many. :(

But the first time a lady backed out in front of me, I laid 'er down just as taught. I remember thinking as I slid down the road, that was dumb, I could have stopped. And whether I hit her or not, this is an accident. I HAVE NOT laid 'er down to avoid an accident since 1967. I haven't been in a wreck since 1968. I've had close calls, but practicing emergency braking & evasive moves has paid off MANY times through the years. 8-)

An engine guard usually only helps in a low speed tip over. They are not meant to do anything in a real collision. Most don't attach to the frame well enough to offer any real protection. In some cases, it might even do more damage by trapping your foot or leg. :-/

That being said, I have one on my new bike. I don't have one on my Savage but if I did it would be the Wingerline? style. The OEM one doesn't even make a good place to mount hi-way pegs. ;D

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by Arizuno on 12/05/11 at 15:38:34

Without wishing to reveal the full extent of my familiarity with this subject, I can report that I have dropped a guard-less bike on my ankle. Most unpleasant. Just after getting my used S40, which came with OEM guards and soft saddlebags, I inadvertantly repeated the above mishap. Broke left rear turn signal stem (ah, duct tape!), NO other damage to bike or yours truly, ankle not trapped. Both of these happened at very low speed, but I gather such embarrassing flops are not uncommon.

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by engineer on 12/06/11 at 16:41:54

Epoxy doesn't do a bad job gluing those turn signal stems back together as long as you picked up all the pieces. I used the 2000 psi stuff and it is holding just fine. I have a new one but it was easier to glue the old one back into place.

The suggestion about making the folding pegs stationary might save some feet and ankles. I don't typically lean mine over in the turns far enough to drag the pegs so fixed pegs would be fine with me.

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 12/06/11 at 18:08:15

Ive had mine over so far I almost trapped my foot between the peg & engine. Pulled it out & held the line thru the turn, done that a few times.. & I still remember how I jumped the first several times I heard it touch,, scared me pretty bad at first. I wouldnt want solid pegs at all.
What if it got on you & they didnt fold?

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by Boofer on 12/06/11 at 18:45:05

59494E4F4C44444F2B0 wrote:

I am looking for opinions on these, after I broke my ankle my wife thinks I need one. would they really help when the bike lays over? thanks in advance for responding.

Some on here are afraid the petcock will cause a fire after a wreck. What if your leg is trapped by a folded over crash bar and your bike catches fire? I would say to just not wreck at all. Failing that, wear some good gear, ride safe and hope your next wreck qualifies for one of the "It's A Miracle" stories on the local news.

Seriously, you just have to do the best you can at being a safe rider. I was on freshly recoated asphalt in a parking lot and nearly fell at about three mph from dry leaves under the front tire. It could have ended in anything from funny to tragic, or, as it did, in nothing but a new respect for that situation. I just remembered. You are the 70+ year old guy? I rode this fall with a friend who is 82. He saw all the states west of the Mississippi from Hondas AFTER he retired from sales at Sears. He and his brother-in-law stayed gone 13,000 miles one trip. His wife now wants me to ride with him. Maybe your wife would feel better if you had a riding partner? Us married guys should really thank our wives for letting us on these machines. Hang in there. You'll be riding again soon. You're just a spring chicken. ;)

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by Boofer on 12/06/11 at 18:52:08

I was reading a mc mag recently and a letter writing fight broke out from some lawyers who said people had been sued for sending a sliding piece of 500 lb metal into bystanders when it was said they should have stayed with the bike. Whatcha' gonna' do? :-/

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by royblueboy on 12/06/11 at 19:22:00

I got out of my cast last wend, doc says 6 months to completly heal. The older you get the slower you heal. Still thinking about crash bars, they are expensive.

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by Boofer on 12/06/11 at 20:46:55

The Suzuki OE bars are a little less than $100. With food and gas taking a lot of my family budget I'm glad I bought them two years ago. However, they are only 1" bars. Hope you heal right up. :)

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by manitoulinbob on 12/08/11 at 03:56:00

the suzuki OEM engine guard is useless because it is way too small. in a tip over it won't even touch the ground. and, it is very expensive ($140 Cdn plus taxes and plus shipping). i was disappointed to see on the packaging that it specifically says that the bars are strictly cosmetic. i put them on regardless because it is my gf's bike and that is what she insisted on. i would have gone with something much bigger and beefier if it was my bike. on my own bike the engine guards i have are STRONG and have a skid plate as part of the package (my bike is not a cruiser style).

on a possitive note ... the s40 oem bars do work well as a tie down point when used in conjunction with the front wheel chock for trailering our bikes.

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 12/08/11 at 19:36:38

23333435363E3E35510 wrote:

I got out of my cast last wend, doc says 6 months to completly heal. The older you get the slower you heal. Still thinking about crash bars, they are expensive.

What did havin a busted bone cost?

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by royblueboy on 12/09/11 at 14:54:00

So far, out of work for three months and about 500 dollars not covered by ins. That makes 250 or so seem inexpensive. good point!

Title: Re: roll bars or crash bars
Post by AlphaBarney on 12/10/11 at 10:43:40

If any of you are interested, I do have the OEM one, at least I'm pretty sure it's the OEM one, that I would be willing to pass off for relatively cheap. Came on the bike from the PO and I just didn't like the look of it, so I took it off.

Has some minor rust around the mounts, but no major scratches in the chrome anywhere else. I'll send pics to anyone interested.