Highway Bars

[alanmcorcoran]

In talking with some other dirt/dual riders, many of whom had fancy shin length boots with fancy buckles, ALL protruding parts of the bike, including pegs (folded and otherwise) brakes, clutch, etc. are potential sources of injury. That's why they wear the knee-length boots.

I think there are big differences between an accident at highway speeds and a basic lay down. I've had three lay downs and I think in those cases, the bars would reduce damage to the bike and possibly make it easier to pick back up. No full speed collisions (yet) but given the kinds of reports I've seen on here of highway speed accidents, I think your odds of both the bike and yourself both being pretty well effed are very high, bars or no bars.

One exception to this would be as I noted - if the bars are wider than the handlebars - which it didn't look like they were. I have also carelessly clipped curbs and other parking lot protrusions with my floorboards - not enough to cause an accident or significant damage, but enough to scare the $hit out of myself. The pegs look a bit higher and probably wouldn't hit anything you wouldn't be normally giving a wide berth to anyway. I have encountered some pretty stupidly placed cement filled poles, water valves, sprinkler pipes, you-name-it in parking garages, gas stations, RV parks and the like.

[duosport]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

In talking with some other dirt/dual riders, many of whom had fancy shin length boots with fancy buckles, ALL protruding parts of the bike, including pegs (folded and otherwise) brakes, clutch, etc. are potential sources of injury. That's why they wear the knee-length boots.

I think there are big differences between an accident at highway speeds and a basic lay down. I've had three lay downs and I think in those cases, the bars would reduce damage to the bike and possibly make it easier to pick back up. No full speed collisions (yet) but given the kinds of reports I've seen on here of highway speed accidents, I think your odds of both the bike and yourself both being pretty well effed are very high, bars or no bars.

One exception to this would be as I noted - if the bars are wider than the handlebars - which it didn't look like they were. I have also carelessly clipped curbs and other parking lot protrusions with my floorboards - not enough to cause an accident or significant damage, but enough to scare the $hit out of myself. The pegs look a bit higher and probably wouldn't hit anything you wouldn't be normally giving a wide berth to anyway. I have encountered some pretty stupidly placed cement filled poles, water valves, sprinkler pipes, you-name-it in parking garages, gas stations, RV parks and the like.

I am guessing dirt bikers would know best. Though I am guessing they do a whole lot more flopping around with their bikes, while street riders slide. I am looking to do a mod like this in place of the crash bars. I cannot afford crash bars right now and I want to increase my safety. The foot pegs is not my main focus. I am supposing that this mod will help save the appearance of the bike in a low speed slid and my leg in a medium speed slide. I just do not want the "spear" sticking into my chest at any point.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by duosport

I am considering a modification like this as opposed to crash bars. What I am interested in knowing is if this simple pipe jutting out constitues a hazzard in a crash.

I always thought it did......to some small extent....as it looks to me like it would be more prone to digging into the pavement and making the bike spin after it went down, more so than a smooth chrome bar would do.

I have no idea if that is really true or not as it is only my gut feeling (ie wild guess).

[duosport]

Obviously if it were made from a thin wall tube it is going to simply fold back in a crash. What I am considering is something much sturdier that will not fold back. You may be right. It may provide a point to spin around from.

[duosport]

I have since looked and found the make "frame savers" or "sliders" for sport bikes. I did not know about these. They are pegs that jut out to help protect the bike in a lay down. so if it is OK to have tubes jut out in a sport bike then it must be OK in a cruiser.

[Water Warrior 2]

Frame sliders are much shorter and mount to a specific part of the frame. Many sport riders have them just in case of an oops. The GZ frame is quite a bit different compared to a sport bike. I might caution about "Really" sturdy tubing for the foot peg mounting bar. Don't make it the strongest part of the bike. If it won't bend then something more costly and vital just might.
Don't think this issue to death. You can't plan for everything so don't try. Riding a motorcycle is a dangerous passion compared to staying home in a rocking chair. Really safe tranportation would be a military tank with a top speed of 5 MPH. Of course the gas mileage would suck.

[mrlmd1]

The frame sliders on sportbikes are only good for a real slow speed or at rest fallover. They are meant to protect the plastics which are costly to replace. They do not provide any real protection for either the bike or the rider at speed. They are usually mounted to specific points on the frame with their own extra frame members where bolts for other purposes are located, and only jut out maybe 2 inches, There are round at the end and covered with a heavy plastic or polyethylene cap. They also have been known to bend a frame in a higher speed laydown sliding along the road. They are probably more cosmetic and hype for the sportbike crowd. If you want protection, you get a good engine guard/crash bar more designed for that purpose. I too would be very concerned about a bar digging into the roadway and spinning or flipping the bike around, You have enough to worry about without making more hazards for yourself. A bad idea in my mind, just IMHO.

[cayuse]

I appreciate the ingenuity shown on these pages and I've got a mind to build something similar, but I'm a little concerned about damaging my exhaust pipes if the bike goes down hard enough to bend the brackets jutting out between them. I'd hate to bust off a header (and break/strip the engine casting). OTOH, if I can walk away from a low-side with my legs intact maybe I won't give a $hit about my headers!

[duosport]

Originally Posted by cayuse

I appreciate the ingenuity shown on these pages and I've got a mind to build something similar, but I'm a little concerned about damaging my exhaust pipes if the bike goes down hard enough to bend the brackets jutting out between them. I'd hate to bust off a header (and break/strip the engine casting). OTOH, if I can walk away from a low-side with my legs intact maybe I won't give a $hit about my headers!

For one thing crash bars mount to the same sets of bolts. Crash bars are attached on top of the frame too, but I think that crash bars also would damage the exhaust in a slide. In examining the mount location I see that one side would actually have contact with the mounting flat bar. Not good. That mount needs to have a little "s" bent into it to avoid contacting the exhaust pipe.

My real concern is for my leg in a slide. if a bar like this would help in that regard, I am all for it. In addition it has already been stated by one of the original posters that his bike was dropped on pavement and it helped protect it. So thats good too.

[Water Warrior 2]

After all is said and done the aftermarket will probably be the best option for crash bars when the money is available. They are made to withstand a fair bit of abuse and offer reasonable protection to the bike and rider in most situations. If you manage to really mash the bars you will be more concerned with your own welfare first. The bike is easier to replace or repair than the human body. Consider the bars sacrificial the same as a crash bumper on a car.