Brandt
Race Dog
Interresting what this guy have to say..- https://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=834987&page=197
Just to make it clear, this is not my argument ;D
There are no crash bars because on a narrow bike crash bars dont actually protect anything.
Even on prutsers boxer - there are no crash bars - because the engine that sticks out is tough.
Have you ever seen a Dakar bike with crash bars??
We all crashed our bikes many times. I have dropped mine at high speed a few times. Dakar guys usually have a couple of spills during the Dakar. and their speeds are always high. And yet no crash bars. In the BAM Road video teaser from EtronX I posted earlier, loads of bikes falling down in rocks ... and yet no damage to the engines.
Crash bars really dont add value. It might look like they do. It might look like they add toughness. But in most cases the bike is tough enough. As someone said above - check where they attach. Is the attach point strong enough to handle the stress? Often the answer is no. In the main, they are bling that are sold by Touratech and their clones to make money. They are designed and marketed to look tough and create a tough image. But always go back to stuff like the Dakar bikes. They ride huge distances off roads, often very fast, often quite technical, sometimes in sand, often in rocks, for half a month, day in, day out. They crash the bikes. They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get there, for one race, once a year. They know they are going to have crashes, but if they hole an engine, their entire year, and all its money is wasted. AND STILL they dont have crash bars. That tells me all I need to know about the value of crashbars.
In the main, crash bars dont add any value .... but they do add weight and they do cost money.
On a lighter narrower bike they are never necessary. The handlebars and luggage keep the engine miles away from contacting anything. If you have a fat bike you might guard against cosmetic damage.
But on balance - I vote no to crashbars.
You need good handlebar protectors, and you need a good bashplate (again, go back to look at Dakar bikes ... thats what they use) ... the rest is usually just bling - with a few exceptions. On my XC I have also added protectors under the footpegs, but thats because on this particular bike, the back brake mechanism and side stand attachment can and do get hit. But thats purely bike specific.
Just to make it clear, this is not my argument ;D
There are no crash bars because on a narrow bike crash bars dont actually protect anything.
Even on prutsers boxer - there are no crash bars - because the engine that sticks out is tough.
Have you ever seen a Dakar bike with crash bars??
We all crashed our bikes many times. I have dropped mine at high speed a few times. Dakar guys usually have a couple of spills during the Dakar. and their speeds are always high. And yet no crash bars. In the BAM Road video teaser from EtronX I posted earlier, loads of bikes falling down in rocks ... and yet no damage to the engines.
Crash bars really dont add value. It might look like they do. It might look like they add toughness. But in most cases the bike is tough enough. As someone said above - check where they attach. Is the attach point strong enough to handle the stress? Often the answer is no. In the main, they are bling that are sold by Touratech and their clones to make money. They are designed and marketed to look tough and create a tough image. But always go back to stuff like the Dakar bikes. They ride huge distances off roads, often very fast, often quite technical, sometimes in sand, often in rocks, for half a month, day in, day out. They crash the bikes. They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get there, for one race, once a year. They know they are going to have crashes, but if they hole an engine, their entire year, and all its money is wasted. AND STILL they dont have crash bars. That tells me all I need to know about the value of crashbars.
In the main, crash bars dont add any value .... but they do add weight and they do cost money.
On a lighter narrower bike they are never necessary. The handlebars and luggage keep the engine miles away from contacting anything. If you have a fat bike you might guard against cosmetic damage.
But on balance - I vote no to crashbars.
You need good handlebar protectors, and you need a good bashplate (again, go back to look at Dakar bikes ... thats what they use) ... the rest is usually just bling - with a few exceptions. On my XC I have also added protectors under the footpegs, but thats because on this particular bike, the back brake mechanism and side stand attachment can and do get hit. But thats purely bike specific.
