Cylinder Head Guards

[Horse1200]

Can anyone advise me on some cylinder head guards that will do there job. The orginal bmw ones are made of cheese. I purchased some expensive machine art ones ( on drop and they slip)

`08 gsa.

What about the touratwat ones, they dont look like they protect very much.

 

[luckylucian]

Try the Boxer Cup carbon-fibre ones, they won't wear through or snap off chunks of the head like the other ones do when you crash

 

[Horse1200]

thanks lucky, where can i get them from tryed googling them couldnt find them. Help please

 

[tonkatoy]

When is St Eptoe going to do a 1200 version of those excellent alloy ones that he does for the oilheads ?

 

[Horse1200]

dont know about steptoes oil head ones, but i need something better than the expensive machine art ones, bike fell over in snow, and it split the guard in half.

 

[Alex B]

Originally they were Stantons, weren't they ? I had them on my GS1150 2 years before they were available in the UK. US made I think.

 

[Horse1200]

Ok guy`s i have looked for the boxer cup guards, ive looked for the stanton guards, i dont seem to be able to find suppliers for them. The stanton one`s seem to keep reffering to someone called jimmy jib, i dont want a flipping camera boom. So no good there.

Does anyone actually offroad there `08 GSA, that fit good strong head guards.....HELP...!

 

[LEGOscum]

I took me literally 10 seconds to find them for you.

What's that saying about nets and fishes?

 

[Myke Rocks]

Made of cheese?

Can anyone advise me on some cylinder head guards that will do there job. The orginal bmw ones are made of cheese. I purchased some expensive machine art ones ( on drop and they slip)

`08 gsa.

What about the touratwat ones, they dont look like they protect very much.

Now it's not that I am a BMW cylinder head guard fanatic, but theirs appear to be the best of a bad lot.

They do what they are supposed to, a light grind up the road only provoking a few gouges in them. If they were metal, they would look very much worse than they do after a light grind.

Also, whlst BMW seem to believe in extortion in respect of pricing them, they are at least available as singles, and at less money than most of the "alternatives", which are, by & large, just jewelry.
Myke.

 

[sven]

From reading the various threads on the subject, it seems that the stronger the head guard, the more likely it is to snap the mounting bosses off the cylinder head, so they actually cause more damage than they prevent; the more flexible ones transfer the impact to the rocker cover rather than the mounting bosses, so seem to be the better solution IMHO.

I came to the conclusion that crashbars are a much better bet for impact protection, so bought some SW Motech ones, and will add some BMW headguards to protect against scuffing.

 

[Horse1200]

Oh what comdians we have amongst us....

Well it might have to be back to the bmw ones, damn it.

I wrecked a set in one day offroading, and before some joker puts no it wasnt from falling off.

Sven i already have crash bars as its a adventure version

 

[LEGOscum]

I did find a US site selling fibre-glass Boxer head guards, they were $420 a pair.

http://www.ascycles.com/detail.aspx?ID=44656

Are these the ones?

 

[h0wz3r]

Personally I'd just stick with the BMW ones for reasons already mentioned.

Not only that but you can buy a complete new rocker cover from Motorworks for £120 or even a used one for £60 so why would anyone want to be spending the same money or more on head guards?

Incidentally they do sell carbon fibre protectors but they're over £400

 

[CaptainSlow]

From reading the various threads on the subject, it seems that the stronger the head guard, the more likely it is to snap the mounting bosses off the cylinder head, so they actually cause more damage than they prevent; the more flexible ones transfer the impact to the rocker cover rather than the mounting bosses, so seem to be the better solution IMHO.

I came to the conclusion that crashbars are a much better bet for impact protection, so bought some SW Motech ones, and will add some BMW headguards to protect against scuffing.

When I bought my GS the guy at Bahnstormers told me that the BMW ones would only really protect against you dropping the bike whilst pushing or stationary. Neither the metal ones or the plastic ones were meant to save anything if you actually fell off or crashed. A combination of the right crash bars and head protectors would seem to be the best compromise.

 

[mr badger]

dont know about steptoes oil head ones, but i need something better than the expensive machine art ones, bike fell over in snow, and it split the guard in half.

Write to them and they'll replace foc with the mk2 version. Much sturdier.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

I've wrecked a couple of sets of BM ones when I've had some bike ground interfaces when off road.

The BM one are good because you can buy one at a time and they will break the guard before breaking the stud in the cylinder head which more solid ones will do.

 

[Steptoe]

From reading the various threads on the subject, it seems that the stronger the head guard, the more likely it is to snap the mounting bosses off the cylinder head, so they actually cause more damage than they prevent; the more flexible ones transfer the impact to the rocker cover rather than the mounting bosses, so seem to be the better solution IMHO.

I came to the conclusion that crashbars are a much better bet for impact protection, so bought some SW Motech ones, and will add some BMW headguards to protect against scuffing.

They'll only damage the mounts of they are positioned too far away from the rocker and move. If they are mounted front and back they just tilt.

Personally I'd just stick with the BMW ones for reasons already mentioned.

Not only that but you can buy a complete new rocker cover from Motorworks for £120 or even a used one for £60 so why would anyone want to be spending the same money or more on head guards?

Incidentally they do sell carbon fibre protectors but they're over £400

Because you don't have to replace proper headguards if/when you fall off. And if my aluminium guards get damaged/gouged you carry on using them, if you want to you just fill them with filler ( or if you have a tig welder, just fill with weld), and re-use.

So it's not a case of constantly replacing rocker covers or headguards .


I may have something coming up in the not distant future along the lines of my [URL="http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167892"]1100/1150[/URL] headguards, as available at the [URL="http://www.gsshop.biz/"]GSshop[/URL].

 

[pinkytiff]

Oh what comdians we have amongst us....

Well it might have to be back to the bmw ones, damn it.

I wrecked a set in one day offroading, and before some joker puts no it wasnt from falling off.

Sven i already have crash bars as its a adventure version

Hiya, I've taken to using a bit of filler & satin black paint to keep the BM guards looking half decent after various "offs". Only once have I bent one so badly that I couldn't refit it afterwards - but even then there was no damage to the securing mountings or head itself. Stay with the BM ones matey

See ya on the 24th

 

[Andy B]

On the basis that I manage to drop my 08 GSA at least once a year whilst stationary, my main concern has been how to keep to OS guards looking half decent.

A bit of decent abrasive paper will cut the surface down. A bit of Isopon will fill the dents.

Then paint with Halfords Very High Temperature Aluminium Paint.

Don't use it because you need the heat, use it because it gives you a near identical matt finish and colour match to the original. You need to pop it in the oven to get it to harden but it works a treat. I can keep patching mine up as good as new until I sell the bike and then I'll decide if I need to invest in a new pair for the purposes of sale.

 

[Horse1200]

Thanks for the help fella`s, i will fish the bm ones out and refit them me thinks.

See you 24th pinkytiff so i can scratch the guards a tad more..