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,

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

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.  

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.

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.  

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.

royblueboy wrote on 12/04/11 at 19:11:33:


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.  

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.