BMW crash-bar any good?
- Thread starter TST
- Start date
ktmmark
Registered user
can you get chrome ones & not just painted by any chance
ramstein
Guest
seems noe one uses the original crashbar supplied by BMW. Everybody uses HBs?
TerryM
Guest
Hi TST,
I have had the oem bars fitted from new. They are of better quality and fit than any of the aftermarket stuff shown on this site or advrider. The engineering and construction is also very cleverly done and makes them worth the money to me.
Despite my approval I am reluctant to do voluntary serious testing anytime soon. But they do appear to cover the danger zones well.
Lots of people here like the H&B bars, but they admit to quality and fit problems. Looking at the pictures posted I happen to think them junk in comparison. Very few people seem to have even seen the oem bars but do feel that H&B are superior. Not quite sure how that works .
Terry
I have had the oem bars fitted from new. They are of better quality and fit than any of the aftermarket stuff shown on this site or advrider. The engineering and construction is also very cleverly done and makes them worth the money to me.
Despite my approval I am reluctant to do voluntary serious testing anytime soon. But they do appear to cover the danger zones well.
Lots of people here like the H&B bars, but they admit to quality and fit problems. Looking at the pictures posted I happen to think them junk in comparison. Very few people seem to have even seen the oem bars but do feel that H&B are superior. Not quite sure how that works .
Terry
swebb
Guest
TerryM said:
Interesting opinion, i'm assuming in order to come to this opinion TerryM has ofcourse tried the "aftermarket" equivalents that he has personally found to be so poor in comparison? (everyone is entitled to their own opinion i guess)
i would suggest perhaps doing a search on the forum for both the BMW and the H&B ones, i think you'll find that popular opininion tends to lead one way, with some quite compelling engineering perspectives on both sets....
grab a beer, sit down with your search button, do the background, and come to your own conclusion.....
I also have the BMW bars on. Easy on and good quality. I too have heard of various problems with the H/B bars.
I bought the OEM BMW bars with my bike. No question about the quality - superior to the H&B bars - BUT I now have the H&B bars fitted as I think they will protect the heads better (I do not have the supplementary head covers).
tzes
Guest
I've installed VBMW bars and they worked pretty well when needed.Absorbed crash and had no damage at all( visible or not)
The Machine Cat
Guest
I have had both and I think that it depends on what you are after...
- BMW bars seems to be of better quality meaning that they will take a plunge with grace and protect more or less the engine and the bike. I dropped my bike once in my garage and it failed to fully protect the right cylinder head, there were scratches on it. But the OEM bars had almost no scratch and did not have to be changed.
- H&B bars seems to be a bit more "crappy" and any plunge will probably show its toll on them right away, BUT they will probably do a better job at protecting my bike and its cylinders.
I care more about my cylinders and bike than I care about the good shape of my bars, therefore I prefer the H&B, no matter what.
- BMW bars seems to be of better quality meaning that they will take a plunge with grace and protect more or less the engine and the bike. I dropped my bike once in my garage and it failed to fully protect the right cylinder head, there were scratches on it. But the OEM bars had almost no scratch and did not have to be changed.
- H&B bars seems to be a bit more "crappy" and any plunge will probably show its toll on them right away, BUT they will probably do a better job at protecting my bike and its cylinders.
I care more about my cylinders and bike than I care about the good shape of my bars, therefore I prefer the H&B, no matter what.
ktmmark
Registered user
Marty Hill said:
Don,t suppose you want to sell the BMW one,s as i have none
TerryM
Guest
Thoughts on evaluation of crash bars
Certainly not "tried" in the prang sense, I suspect only BMW do that sort of thing.
But examined physically and evaluated the design, construction and attachment points. These are not subjective, despite the fashion for everyone being entitled to their opinion, it is usual to reach an engineering conclusion on such simple matters without concern for democracy. That is what engineers do.
The drop modes maybe divided into static and dynamic.
Falling over in a static situation will be affected by adjacent kerbs or an object on the garage floor etc which it is hard to design for as the vertical impact(s) maybe in several locations and virtually simultaneous. Only a total enclosure would be likely to be wholly effective.
The dynamic drop is the one which, I suspect, concerns the designers most. As gravity in a fall proceeds at only 32 feet per second but a bike at 60mph is travelling at 88 feet per second(1 mile per minute=1760 yardsx3=5280 feet/60=88 feet per second) the greater potential for damage in horizontal mode is evident. And the bike may suffer multiple impacts when sliding for a considerable distance.
In this situation attachment points, weld details, materials, controlled collapse and materials all play their part in not just saving the bike from the initial, and relatively low, vertical component but also from the sustained stress of the slide and any horizontal impacts which are likely to be far more severe. In fact, at 60mph the horizontal component is about three times gravity, so a sliding 12GS will hit with the force of an object weighing about 670kg. In this case a very rigid set of bars may transmit excessive loads to the engine and chassis. Read write-off.
And so I made my choice.
Terry
swebb said:Interesting opinion, i'm assuming in order to come to this opinion TerryM has ofcourse tried the "aftermarket" equivalents that he has personally found to be so poor in comparison? (everyone is entitled to their own opinion i guess)
i would suggest perhaps doing a search on the forum for both the BMW and the H&B ones, i think you'll find that popular opininion tends to lead one way, with some quite compelling engineering perspectives on both sets....
grab a beer, sit down with your search button, do the background, and come to your own conclusion.....
Certainly not "tried" in the prang sense, I suspect only BMW do that sort of thing.
But examined physically and evaluated the design, construction and attachment points. These are not subjective, despite the fashion for everyone being entitled to their opinion, it is usual to reach an engineering conclusion on such simple matters without concern for democracy. That is what engineers do.
The drop modes maybe divided into static and dynamic.
Falling over in a static situation will be affected by adjacent kerbs or an object on the garage floor etc which it is hard to design for as the vertical impact(s) maybe in several locations and virtually simultaneous. Only a total enclosure would be likely to be wholly effective.
The dynamic drop is the one which, I suspect, concerns the designers most. As gravity in a fall proceeds at only 32 feet per second but a bike at 60mph is travelling at 88 feet per second(1 mile per minute=1760 yardsx3=5280 feet/60=88 feet per second) the greater potential for damage in horizontal mode is evident. And the bike may suffer multiple impacts when sliding for a considerable distance.
In this situation attachment points, weld details, materials, controlled collapse and materials all play their part in not just saving the bike from the initial, and relatively low, vertical component but also from the sustained stress of the slide and any horizontal impacts which are likely to be far more severe. In fact, at 60mph the horizontal component is about three times gravity, so a sliding 12GS will hit with the force of an object weighing about 670kg. In this case a very rigid set of bars may transmit excessive loads to the engine and chassis. Read write-off.
And so I made my choice.
Terry
Simon B
Guest
have just purchased a 1200 and so far have no crash bars fitted ! reading these replies it seems that most riders see them as essential - is this true? The likelihood of me dropping the bike at some stage whilst moving it in and out of the garage is a distinct possibilty. Cylinder damage sounds expensive ??
Also what are the HM ones some owners are referring to? Excuse my ignorance but am new to this site and to GS owning so please be gentle with me
Also what are the HM ones some owners are referring to? Excuse my ignorance but am new to this site and to GS owning so please be gentle with me
TerryM
Guest
Simon B said:have just purchased a 1200 and so far have no crash bars fitted ! reading these replies it seems that most riders see them as essential - is this true? The likelihood of me dropping the bike at some stage whilst moving it in and out of the garage is a distinct possibilty. Cylinder damage sounds expensive ??
Also what are the HM ones some owners are referring to? Excuse my ignorance but am new to this site and to GS owning so please be gentle with me
Sounds like you need them. But get the steel toecapped boots to partner them if you're planning much in the way of garage prangs!
But seriously, they seemed like a sensible investment to me with all that high speed machinery sticking out in the breeze.
A search will yield lots of input.
No they're not necessary. I've dropped mine once and been punted off once. Both times the machine fell on the cylinder protectors without further damage.Simon B said:have just purchased a 1200 and so far have no crash bars fitted ! reading these replies it seems that most riders see them as essential - is this true? The likelihood of me dropping the bike at some stage whilst moving it in and out of the garage is a distinct possibilty. Cylinder damage sounds expensive ??
Also what are the HM ones some owners are referring to? Excuse my ignorance but am new to this site and to GS owning so please be gentle with me
If you're planning on life off the tarmac, that's a different story.
Unlike Terry, I'm not concerned about 60mph crashes. The bike can be a total write off.......as long as I'm not
swebb
Guest
Re: Thoughts on evaluation of crash bars
All sounds like a big case of attempting the old "bullshit baffles" if you ask me !!
If you're entitled to give your "expert opinion" regarding engineering and quality of welds and general construction, then fair comment, i'd be interested in knowing exactly what qualifies you in those field though "before" being expected to accept what you're saying as "fact" ??
My original reply was merely a statement that without checking fully both designs, it was unfair to have "slated" any one brand in a way which projected your opinion as a fact! I wasn't intending to offend you personally, but felt it was pertinant to the original question to tender the more un-biased response which suggested perhaps that a better way to gage opinion would be to listen to a variety of peoples positive arguments regarding bars they actually own (therefore being more qualified to have an opinion on them) and then compare the "general weight" of a number of those arguments across the various manufacturers in order to come to a personal decision for himself....
For any previous offence you took from my previous post, i apologise, that was not my intent, i like to think these open forums are a great way to utilise a wealth of knowledge, but in order to best use this knowledge we do have to be careful to take in peoples opinions based on experience, not heresay, i'm sure you agree.
TerryM said:
All sounds like a big case of attempting the old "bullshit baffles" if you ask me !!
If you're entitled to give your "expert opinion" regarding engineering and quality of welds and general construction, then fair comment, i'd be interested in knowing exactly what qualifies you in those field though "before" being expected to accept what you're saying as "fact" ??
My original reply was merely a statement that without checking fully both designs, it was unfair to have "slated" any one brand in a way which projected your opinion as a fact! I wasn't intending to offend you personally, but felt it was pertinant to the original question to tender the more un-biased response which suggested perhaps that a better way to gage opinion would be to listen to a variety of peoples positive arguments regarding bars they actually own (therefore being more qualified to have an opinion on them) and then compare the "general weight" of a number of those arguments across the various manufacturers in order to come to a personal decision for himself....
For any previous offence you took from my previous post, i apologise, that was not my intent, i like to think these open forums are a great way to utilise a wealth of knowledge, but in order to best use this knowledge we do have to be careful to take in peoples opinions based on experience, not heresay, i'm sure you agree.
TerryM
Guest
TST said:Thanks for all replys. I'm going for the orginal BMW crash-bar.
Hope it is fine for you.
And when you get that Dutch hugger please post a picture when the bike has been out in dirty conditios so I can judge if I want one.
So far Dutch has refused to post such pictures for about two months, But then he sells those things.
Me I just love bikes and other toys!!!
Where are you located in Norway?
Terry
TerryM
Guest
Hope none of your ex lady friends with access to smart weapons read that!
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