Having had a collision with a roe deer earlier in the year I had to either claim the insurance or dig deep for new plastics including one panel at around £200. The incident was then repeated with less damage a couple of months later so I decided some kind of crash protection was a good idea.
I had seen the Altrider bars on US sites and they looked well designed and constructed, reviews that I found were all very positive but at around US$450 I thought that would equate to £500+ here in the UK. Then, end of last week I saw them listed on http://www.adventurebikeshop.co.uk/ for what looked like a great price, £276.53 delivered. So, one set of stainless steel crash bars later
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The welding looks really good, the link above the exhausts at the heavy duty engine mount means that impact on one side is shared across fixings on both sides. Clearance between the bars and the panels reduce the chance of panel damage on stony ground and you can remove the panel right to access the tools and battery etc. without removing the bars. Good design which I don't intend to thoroughly test but you never know. It came with good paper fitting instructions as well, including torque settings for the engine mount bolts.
Step three of the prep for a south America trip, one being the bigger sump guard, two being an additional power socket, Hella type which is more secure on rough roads. Step four will be getting Vern to create brackets to fit my pair of Worldbeater panniers.
I had seen the Altrider bars on US sites and they looked well designed and constructed, reviews that I found were all very positive but at around US$450 I thought that would equate to £500+ here in the UK. Then, end of last week I saw them listed on http://www.adventurebikeshop.co.uk/ for what looked like a great price, £276.53 delivered. So, one set of stainless steel crash bars later
The welding looks really good, the link above the exhausts at the heavy duty engine mount means that impact on one side is shared across fixings on both sides. Clearance between the bars and the panels reduce the chance of panel damage on stony ground and you can remove the panel right to access the tools and battery etc. without removing the bars. Good design which I don't intend to thoroughly test but you never know. It came with good paper fitting instructions as well, including torque settings for the engine mount bolts.
Step three of the prep for a south America trip, one being the bigger sump guard, two being an additional power socket, Hella type which is more secure on rough roads. Step four will be getting Vern to create brackets to fit my pair of Worldbeater panniers.
Good thing you're onthe right bike 
