Engine/side guards - strongest, best quality?

[motodude]

So I'm lookin at installing some side guards to preserve that expensive plastic in case of any off-road tip overs. There are a few aftermarket options already available - Twisted Throttle, Alt Rider and Touratech are the ones that I know of - as well as the stock Yamaha bars. The latter seem to be pretty beefy with the front loop that connects the two sides, but they're also the most $$.

Anyone have side bars you'd like to recommend?

Thanks!

 

[stevepsd]

Altrider without a doubt.

 

[~TABASCO~]

After doing the home work...... AR IMOP...

 

[Maybert]

Installed the AR guards last night... they are beefy! Nice build quality and fit. Hans and Franz would approve.

I checked out the OEM guards at the San Mateo show and was not impressed.

Hopefully I'll not have to see how well they work anytime soon.

 

[~TABASCO~]

Hans and Franz would approve.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Even though this happened with a lot of speed, I wasn't impressed by the damage allowed by the OEM bars. http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycles/yamaha-super-tenere/

 

[Leopard_125]

Even though this happened with a lot of speed, I wasn't impressed by the damage allowed by the OEM bars. http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycles/yamaha-super-tenere/

Really?
Looks like the bars did a fantastic job of protecting the engine, for a quick read of the article the fellow was hauling a$$ and high sided the thing.
bent wheels, forks the foot peg was ground off.
I reallly don't think any engine crash bar will give 100% protection in a high speed road crash. I'd call the protection from the Yamaha bars "satisfactory".

 

[elizilla]

I'd add one more factor when choosing crash bars... which ones cause least grief when you have to work on the bike? Are there any that provide good protection but still let you open the side covers fairly easily?

 

[dcstrom]

I think these are worth a look - similar coverage to the SW-Motech but should be stronger with the bracing between sides. Also they retain the stock plastic bumper, which itself has proven worthwhile in a crash. http://youtu.be/0VLwA2pxpDI

I probably would have bought them... but unfortunately they are only recent additions to the web site, when I enquired with TT a month ago they didn't have them and didn't have plans to get them :

I'm pretty happy with my H&B bars though - just that they don't offer quite as much coverage.

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/6874/821/

Trevor

 

[JHKolb]

Even though this happened with a lot of speed, I wasn't impressed by the damage allowed by the OEM bars. http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycles/yamaha-super-tenere/

Interesting crash photos at that site. My concern with the AR and SW crash bars as opposed to the OE crash bars would be damage to the engine cash itself.

Looking at this photo, the OE crash bars took a good hit and may have saved a cracked engine block, most of the aftermarket bars only seem to cover the upper side/tank area of the bike and not the lower engine area?

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycles/yamaha-super-tenere/lower-engine.jpg

 

[stevepsd]

I'd add one more factor when choosing crash bars... which ones cause least grief when you have to work on the bike? Are there any that provide good protection but still let you open the side covers fairly easily?

You can remove the right side cover (where all the fuzes & such items) are with the AltRider bars installed. I don't know about the left (radiator) side. I'll find out later today or tomorrow when I install mine and I'll check.

-steve

 

[twistedthrottle]

I think these are worth a look - similar coverage to the SW-Motech but should be stronger with the bracing between sides. Also they retain the stock plastic bumper, which itself has proven worthwhile in a crash. http://youtu.be/0VLwA2pxpDI

I probably would have bought them... but unfortunately they are only recent additions to the web site, when I enquired with TT a month ago they didn't have them and didn't have plans to get them :

I'm pretty happy with my H&B bars though - just that they don't offer quite as much coverage.

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/6874/821/

Trevor

Trevor....

Your request was a part the decision to add the R&G crashbars to the list of goods we carry for the Super Ten. I'm sorry it was too late for you.

Kev

 

[fredz43]

I think these are worth a look - similar coverage to the SW-Motech but should be stronger with the bracing between sides. Also they retain the stock plastic bumper, which itself has proven worthwhile in a crash. http://youtu.be/0VLwA2pxpDI

I probably would have bought them... but unfortunately they are only recent additions to the web site, when I enquired with TT a month ago they didn't have them and didn't have plans to get them :

I'm pretty happy with my H&B bars though - just that they don't offer quite as much coverage.

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/6874/821/

Trevor

Good looking bars. I am not sure what "bracing between the sides" you are referring to. Looks like the same basic construction as the SW-Motech bars, with the same fastening points, except that they space the side tabs farther apart which allows you to keep the OEM plastic bumper, which would seem to be a good thing. Can's see any bracing that the SW'M don't have however.

 

[stevepsd]

You can remove the right side cover (where all the fuzes & such items) are with the AltRider bars installed. I don't know about the left (radiator) side. I'll find out later today or tomorrow when I install mine and I'll check.

-steve

OK,

Just installed my AltRider crash bars, and as we already knew, the right side cowling removes without issue. However I did not recall anything about removing the left side (radiator) cowling with the AltRider carsh bars installed.

But..you can as the attached pic shows! It is a bit tight, and I ended up using some tape on the bars to prevent unnecessary scratching the black cowling.

The good news is that you really would never need to remove that cowling in its entirety anyway...but what about removing the bolts under the cowling(s) to let you swing the tank up to service the air filter? Well, by removing just the cowling bolts, there is room enough to remove the tank bolt (there is one bolt on each side of the tank) to let you swing the tank up for servicing. Plus there is plenty of room to access the radiator cap as well!

The AltRider crash bar install took me all of 20 minutes by myself. I could have done it in 10 minutes if I had another person to hold the bars into position while fitting the first bolt.

Fit just like a glove.

Very stout and well made (right here in the USA - Seattle!).

Hope this helps.

-steve

 

[dcstrom]

Good looking bars. I am not sure what "bracing between the sides" you are referring to. Looks like the same basic construction as the SW-Motech bars, with the same fastening points, except that they space the side tabs farther apart which allows you to keep the OEM plastic bumper, which would seem to be a good thing. Can's see any bracing that the SW'M don't have however.

Fred - I guess you have the SW-Motech bars, and I haven't seen them in real life - so of course I defer to you! The bracing across the front I'm talking about is the bar that goes across the front of the engine. The HB has one that attaches to the 2 large bolts just above the exhaust outlet. The RG bars look like they do the same thing, whereas in the pics I've seen, the SW don't seem to do that. But looking at the pics side by side, neither are conclusive... Kev, what's the story?

 

[dcstrom]

Trevor....

Your request was a part the decision to add the R&G crashbars to the list of goods we carry for the Super Ten. I'm sorry it was too late for you.

Kev

OK great, hope they sell well for you - I was thinking it was most likely a case of one person not know what the other was doing within TT, good to hear it wasn't that!

 

[fredz43]

Fred - I guess you have the SW-Motech bars, and I haven't seen them in real life - so of course I defer to you! The bracing across the front I'm talking about is the bar that goes across the front of the engine. The HB has one that attaches to the 2 large bolts just above the exhaust outlet. The RG bars look like they do the same thing, whereas in the pics I've seen, the SW don't seem to do that. But looking at the pics side by side, neither are conclusive... Kev, what's the story?

I looked at the installation instructions on the TT site and the RG bars mount to the front motor mount bolts, exactly as the SW-M bars do. There is no bar that goes across from one side to the other.