Crash Bar Shootout - What do you like, what do you think is crap?

SHUMBA

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My 2015 now have close to 100.000 km on the clock.

To begin with I relied on the standard sliders to protect the vital part of the bike in case of a crash - I've seen a couple of examples of them doing a surprisingly good job on level surfaces. Cosmetic damage doesn't concern me as I have good insurance on the bike.

Prior to the 2018 season I mounted GIVI crash bars as I had some serious off tarmac excursions coming up.
The reason I chose GIVI was that I have good experiences with the brand, I liked the look of the crash bars and they allow easy removal of the right hand side panel without removing the crash bars.

Luckily I never got to test the effectiveness of the crash bars despite doing some pretty gnarly riding during the 2018 season.
What I did discover was that I really didn't enjoy doing technical off tarmac riding on the S10 (I love gravel roads and easy trails) - for technical and gnarly stuff I prefer a lighter bike with more suspension travel and better ground clearance.

As a result I have now removed and sold the crash bars as I don't want the extra bulk and weight (6 kg/13 lbs). I sold the crash bars for almost the same as I paid for them last year - the trick was to offer to mount them for the buyer :)

I'm now back to the standard sliders. If I damage them at some point, I might upgrade to the sliders from off-the-road: https://www.off-the-road.de/en/XT-1200Z/Protection/Engine-Crash-pads-XT-1200Z-Super-Tenere.html
Yikes!!!! I have SW Motech crash bars on my ten and I wouldn't part with them for anything, so far they have saved the day along with the bike. X 2.
I had SW Motech crash bars on my Africa Twin as well and they saved me numerous times. X ??
If you own or are getting a Super Tenere get a set of crash bars...PERIOD. KTM's come with crash bars.

What I really really need is a lower seat so I can flat foot the bike. If I happen to stall the bike either in a turn or on uneven terrain I can't get enough foot into the ground to save it from falling.
Must say, I've got the technique of bailing off the bike and rolling away from it...ha ha!!
SHUMBA

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EricV

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What I really really need is a lower seat so I can flat foot the bike. If I happen to stall the bike either in a turn or on uneven terrain I can't get enough foot into the ground to save it from falling.
Slide forward. No one really needs to flat foot the bike. Yes, it makes you feel more comfortable for "what if's", but it's not as big a help as you believe it will be. If the bike is going over, it's going over and you should let it go instead of potentially hurt yourself trying to save it. It's 600 lbs!

At the narrow balance point where you normally stop and put a foot down, you have a narrow margin of lean that takes little effort to maintain or correct from. Beyond that, you're too far over to save it anyway. (and wouldn't your foot be a LOT closer to the ground by that point anyway? )
 

SHUMBA

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Slide forward. No one really needs to flat foot the bike. Yes, it makes you feel more comfortable for "what if's", but it's not as big a help as you believe it will be. If the bike is going over, it's going over and you should let it go instead of potentially hurt yourself trying to save it. It's 600 lbs!

At the narrow balance point where you normally stop and put a foot down, you have a narrow margin of lean that takes little effort to maintain or correct from. Beyond that, you're too far over to save it anyway. (and wouldn't your foot be a LOT closer to the ground by that point anyway? )
I'll give you a like for your reply that contains some very good advice, i. e. If the bike is going over, just get away from it and let it fall rather than risk an injury.
Sliding forward does help, although very little for me because simply put, I need to get about an inch closer to the ground so when I step into an uneven terrain I can save it sooner.
Just waiting to get some reports from other Ten owners who have the lower seat. What is the difference in seat height and level of comfort.
SHUMBA

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EricV

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I had a lower seat for my wife to try the S10. I also installed lowering links and raised the forks in the Triple Trees 13mm. Handling remained neutral. Changed the pegs to adjustable as well so she could move them forward or backwards or lower to suit her preferences. The pegs were just cheap ebay Chinese pegs that I would not recommend, but if that worked for her, we would have bought some higher quality adjustable pegs. She's 5'4" with a 28" inseam. I'm 5'11" with a 29" inseam, (but also 260#).

The lower seat was about 1" lower than the standard seat. Shape wise, I don't think it helped much. It needed to be narrower in the front. Wife thought so too. That might be a good jump off point on a custom seat if you didn't want to do the stock seat and wait. IIRC, it cost me about $100 for the used low seat off the forum.

I have a Russell Day Long that adds about 1" in height to the seat. That's just how it is, not how I requested it. They don't do low seats. The Ohlins 30mm kit and Touratech Extreme shock add about another inch with the heavier spring for my weight/load. I don't have issues with only being able to put down a toe to the ball of my foot, depending on terrain.

Some other seat makers do low seats. Ping a few or just talk to your local upholstery shops and see who is willing/interested in helping re-work your seat to give you want you want. No off the shelf seat will be as good as a true custom seat. A lot of people spend more money on add ons and off the shelf seats before they come to that conclusion and spend the money for a custom seat. Sometimes the local upholstery shop not only does a great job, but does it at a great price too. I've seen some great seats and happy riders that went this way.
 

SHUMBA

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I had a lower seat for my wife to try the S10. I also installed lowering links and raised the forks in the Triple Trees 13mm. Handling remained neutral. Changed the pegs to adjustable as well so she could move them forward or backwards or lower to suit her preferences. The pegs were just cheap ebay Chinese pegs that I would not recommend, but if that worked for her, we would have bought some higher quality adjustable pegs. She's 5'4" with a 28" inseam. I'm 5'11" with a 29" inseam, (but also 260#).

The lower seat was about 1" lower than the standard seat. Shape wise, I don't think it helped much. It needed to be narrower in the front. Wife thought so too. That might be a good jump off point on a custom seat if you didn't want to do the stock seat and wait. IIRC, it cost me about $100 for the used low seat off the forum.

I have a Russell Day Long that adds about 1" in height to the seat. That's just how it is, not how I requested it. They don't do low seats. The Ohlins 30mm kit and Touratech Extreme shock add about another inch with the heavier spring for my weight/load. I don't have issues with only being able to put down a toe to the ball of my foot, depending on terrain.

Some other seat makers do low seats. Ping a few or just talk to your local upholstery shops and see who is willing/interested in helping re-work your seat to give you want you want. No off the shelf seat will be as good as a true custom seat. A lot of people spend more money on add ons and off the shelf seats before they come to that conclusion and spend the money for a custom seat. Sometimes the local upholstery shop not only does a great job, but does it at a great price too. I've seen some great seats and happy riders that went this way.
Thanks EricV for your detailed information regarding how to make it easier to touch the ground while seated on the bike.
As mentioned, if I can reduce the seat height by one inch or even 3/4 of an inch I would be more comfortable.
Changing links, suspension etc. is out of the question for me.
A lower seat or if I can get a used seat for a reasonable price then I would have it modified likely using a gel pad beneath the seat cover. First I'm hoping to meet someone who has a lower seat who will be kind enough to let me try it out on my bike.
Meanwhile, I'll keep looking for options.
I'm in Canada, so often the shipping costs are prohibitive.
We have to first convert into U.S. dollars, then pay shipping also in U.S. dollars and the final insult is a 13% tax on the sum of all charges and possibly an import duty.
A seat listed for say $225 U.S. would end of costing north of $400 Canadian dollars.
SHUMBA



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EricV

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Thus the suggestion of a local to you upholstery shop. BTW, there is no duty on importing motorcycle parts into Canada or the US. There is still VAT and other fees depending on the shipper.

Good luck finding a low seat in Canada. Smaller motorcycle market. Some dealers used to keep low seats around for demo rides. You might call a few Yamaha dealers in your area and see if you get lucky there.
 

SHUMBA

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Thus the suggestion of a local to you upholstery shop. BTW, there is no duty on importing motorcycle parts into Canada or the US. There is still VAT and other fees depending on the shipper.

Good luck finding a low seat in Canada. Smaller motorcycle market. Some dealers used to keep low seats around for demo rides. You might call a few Yamaha dealers in your area and see if you get lucky there.
Thanks EricV, I will make some calls to see what might be available. Eventually something will pop up as it always does.
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Kaoboj

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I have T-rex with sump guard and am very pleased with them, T-rex is a great company to work with and the sump guard and bars seem bullet proof.. Highly recommended.

Gary
Considering pulling the trigger on the t-rex setup. I like that you can get to the oil filter without removing the skid plate, but can you also get to the drain plugs? or do you end up taking the plate off, anyway?
thanks,
 

Thrasherg

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Considering pulling the trigger on the t-rex setup. I like that you can get to the oil filter without removing the skid plate, but can you also get to the drain plugs? or do you end up taking the plate off, anyway?
thanks,
you can get to both of the drain plugs without removing the guard, however I always get oil going inside the guard when I drain the oil (the holes in the sump guard are too small to let all the oil pass), so I end up removing the sump guard for an oil change as its cleaner, it only means undoing 3 or 4 bolts!!

Gary
 
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Pdrhound

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View attachment 53336View attachment 53337

These are what I use. MASTECH P/N 103.009. I'm not an engineer, but I've seen how "stuff" reacts in crashes. The Mastech bars use the same anchor points that the OE "little piece of plastic" uses. Since I trust Yamaha to know where the bike is designed to take a hit, the Mastech bars made sense to me. They bolt together, and support each other, and are attached to the bike's strong points. I asked a Yamatech what he thought of them, and even questioned the attachment point to the block. His opinion, and mine, is that if you crash hard enough to break the block where they attach, the rest of the bike is probably equally destroyed. So, for less then $200.00 (US) I think they will provide all the protection that "I" need. They also allow access to the battery/tools without removal.
After wrecking with givi bars and seeing the flaw in those, your bars look good. The key problem with the Givi is no reinforcement between the side mount points. The tabs will take a hit when you lay it down.

I wanted a bit more coverage as I'm off road a bunch so I went with the ALT rider bars. Layed it down 2 days after install thanks to a rapid rainstorm and a muddy road.

If I was primarily on the street and just gravel roads those mastech look good.
 
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