batman wrote on 07/15/16 at 06:27:05:I'm not to in tuned to what your calling crash bars,I think they are more likely engine guards ,they may help to protect the bike if you take a spill ,but I wouldn't be buying them for safety.In fact their being at right angles to the direction of movement I'd be afraid they might snap off and trap your leg between it and a hot engine block!
I do agree that they are an engine guard versus crash bars. It's a tiny little apparatus, and if the bike falls it's not stopping the bike from hitting the ground (handlebars, blinkers, etc.) as it would if the guard wasn't there. Even with highway pegs it is not going to do too much because most highway pegs are built to fold back in the event of being hit (for safety) so even though they offer several additional inches of extension they will just fold up during an 'incident'.
All of that aside, I am very pleased with my engine guard, albeit small, and highway pegs. At first the highway pegs seemed like they were 6' wide, but once I got used to it I like the look of it...takes up some of that empty space up there. Plus, with me being 5'6", when the pegs are dialed in just right it's perfect for stretching out a little on those nice open roads.
Lastly, when I haul my bike or put it in my jig to work on it, I use the guard as an additional tie down point if going up to the handlebars is getting in the way of my work.