crash bars dangerous?????

[jakebass12]

i alway thought that crash bars were better because they could protect the bike and possible you but i saw this link.

http://w6rec.com/duane/bmw/crashbars/index.htm

i just wanted to get some opinions on this because i was seriously  thinking about buying some crash bars.  :-/

[wilcom]

I had heard the dangers before on another list.

 It was a non issue for me as the crash bars are not to my liking appearance wise, plus if there is only a remote chance of snapping off a head,  then why protect them.

$0.02

[jakebass12]

another reason i was thinking about getting them was so i could possibly mout after market lights on them so i could get better visibility during the night.

[Julio A.]

I dropped my R65 and hit a lot of cars, walls and light posts using my cylinders and saddle bags in more times than I could count. Without my Crash bars, those negligible "bumps" would translate into a lot of bent cylinder fins and unwanted scratches.

Never in my life experienced crash bars dragging in a corner.
The First one to touch the ground was either my foot, the footpeg or the center stand. Of course, I think it only applies to our short cylindered R65's.

But hey, accidents occur. Even putting on a saddle bag or that aftermarket side stand that sticks out a bit farther would increase my chances of high-siding in an unforeseeable event.

Just my opinion though.

[Barry]

....and hit a lot of cars, walls and light posts using my cylinders and saddle bags in more times than I could count.  

....mmm  perhaps you'd better stick with the crashbars Julio  


I have a set but took them off 5 years ago when I had 2 cars in the garage and the extra width was a problem getting the bike in between them.  I had also read Duane Ausherman's views and even without the hard facts of his experience the theory that they increase the risk of a high side seemed convincing to me.

The argument that the valve covers make reasonably cheap crashbars seems valid for minor scrapes.  Minor scrapes on the valve covers might polish out and at worst a replacement cover is cheaper than a set of crashbars.  That may not hold for major damage although in those circumstances I might be more concerned about me than the bike.

On a trivial note I found the crash bars made it more of a pain to clean the bike properly.

[k_enn]

I think the type of crash bars may make a difference too.  The ones in the article were the kind that extend out perpendicular from the frame, and then wrap around the cylinders.  I have seen them before, mostly on the oil heads.  I could them getting caught on a low-side and causing a high side.  

Then there are the other kind, that only extend out perpendicular from the frame.  They do not wrap around the side of the cylinders parallel to the fram.  These are what BMW offered back in the early 1980s.  The likelihood of them ever getting caught is a lot less.  Also, no need to remove them for valve work.  I have a set of these, and they have saved the heads and valve covers from a lot of dings and scrapes and possible damage.  Face it, everyone drops a bike a few times in their riding career, and it does prevent some damage.  

k_enn

[Bob_Roller]

I've got a set on the '81 R65 and the oilhead, specifically for additional lighting, I do a lot of night riding .

My thought was the additional lighting added more visibility to other vehicles .

You pretty much have to accept the fact that every time you get on a motorcycle, the odds of being killed are pretty good, they didn't get the slang term 'suicide machines' by being a safe form of transportation .

[Julio A.]

The extra lamps on the crash bars are a great idea!
Another thing to put on my list...

[Dizerens5]

Agree with K_enn. Any safety precaution may have a downside, even car seatbelts can trap you, helmets can break your neck etc. but the advantages generally outweigh the problems. Straight crashbar can surely protect you from a squashed foot and so on, if you leave by the side door, and at worst they surely can't do more harm than a cylinder head. Also, I use mine to prop up the bike against a ladder which rests flat along the wall. It's a lot easier than that crapoid centre stand.

[wa1udg]

I think the type of crash bars may make a difference too.  The ones in the article were the kind that extend out perpendicular from the frame, and then wrap around the cylinders.  I have seen them before, mostly on the oil heads.  I could them getting caught on a low-side and causing a high side.  

Then there are the other kind, that only extend out perpendicular from the frame.  They do not wrap around the side of the cylinders parallel to the fram.  These are what BMW offered back in the early 1980s.  The likelihood of them ever getting caught is a lot less.  Also, no need to remove them for valve work.  I have a set of these, and they have saved the heads and valve covers from a lot of dings and scrapes and possible damage.  Face it, everyone drops a bike a few times in their riding career, and it does prevent some damage.  
 I have those in powder coated black on mine.  Of course at my age the "chicken stripes " are pretty wide.  
k_enn

[wa1udg]

I've got a set on the '81 R65 and the oilhead, specifically for additional lighting, I do a lot of night riding .

My thought was the additional lighting added more visibility to other vehicles .

You pretty much have to accept the fact that every time you get on a motorcycle, the odds of being killed are pretty good, they didn't get the slang term 'suicide machines' by being a safe form of transportation .

Got a doctor friend who calls them "donor cycles".  "It's usually the head we can't use" he says.  A lesson to all of us to wear a good helmet.