head protectors or engine bars

[Pathologic]

Hi All,

I have just picked up my new SE which is great. I have a set of Touratech engine bars from my previous bike. Unfortunately, they will not fit over the head protectors that come free on the SE model. Touratech have confirmed that they don't have a soloution for this bike.

So what to do? Sell the crash bars and trust the Head protectors, remove the head protectors and fit the bars, or find a new set of bars that will fit over/round the head protectors. I have no idea if there are any alternative pieces of kit or which gives the best protection.

All comments welcome. By the way, just so this thread stays on track. You can have first dibs on my crashbars for £500 on this thread If I decide to sell I will post them on the For Sale section at a less ludicrous price. So look forward to your input.

Regards,

Path.

 

[Geeza]

Remove the protectors and fit the bars.

 

[ChasMill]

Remove the protectors and fit the bars.

+1 - saved my bacon (and cylinder head) in France last month. Then sell the head protectors here.

 

[L]

I never found bars protected my head very well. Preferred to use a helmet.

 

[John Armstrong]

Keep the protectors, will save damage in a slow speed off. Bars might reduce the damage in a higher speed off, but may cause even more. May not stop any damage in a slow speed one.

Ignore the above if you need somewhere to hang tassles and attach bling to

 

[pinkytiff]

Bars

Hi All,

I have just picked up my new SE which is great. I have a set of Touratech engine bars from my previous bike. Unfortunately, they will not fit over the head protectors that come free on the SE model. Touratech have confirmed that they don't have a soloution for this bike.

So what to do? Sell the crash bars and trust the Head protectors, remove the head protectors and fit the bars, or find a new set of bars that will fit over/round the head protectors. I have no idea if there are any alternative pieces of kit or which gives the best protection.

All comments welcome. By the way, just so this thread stays on track. You can have first dibs on my crashbars for £500 on this thread If I decide to sell I will post them on the For Sale section at a less ludicrous price. So look forward to your input.

Regards,

Path.

Sell the Touratech Bars, fit BMW Engine bars & keep the ally cylinder head protectors. The combination works a treat for spills on & off road

 

[magpie]

Sell the Touratech Bars, fit BMW Engine bars & keep the ally cylinder head protectors. The combination works a treat for spills on & off road

+

 

[LBL]

Sell the Touratech Bars, fit BMW Engine bars & keep the ally cylinder head protectors. The combination works a treat for spills on & off road

Hi Path,

Plus 1 for what he said, have both , can only help.

 

[Marks adventure]

sell the bike and the bars and buy a 1150

Where are the pictures then!!

 

[Devon]

I took the head protectors off my SE and fitted the crash bars. In my experiance the bars protect more of the m/c if you drop it. Plus if a car door gets opened on me by mistake as I drive by (which I hope never happens) the bars will absorb some of the impact and offer my leg more protection (hopefully).

 

[Pathologic]

No consenus then

lots of different answers to this one. On (bank) balance I think i will as Coopers to leave the head protectors off after the 600 service on Tuesday. If they will fit the engine bars then fine. If not I can do it. If I do mark the rocker covers I can always use to the head protectors to cover it up

Thanks for all the replies. I will post some pictures when it is clean enough.

Regards,

Path.

 

[GSmonkey]

Head protectors do a decent job with slow speed road spills. The plaggy BMW ones survived two drops on my last bike.

If you do offroad, I guess bars are the thing. Who cares about high speed road drops?? Even if bars did help, I'd be just happy surviving the off - fek the bike.

Recently came off on ice - £160 for the new lower part of the BMW bar, a head protector would have done the same cost at a fraction of the price IMHO.

 

[The Burpster]

Bars limit your gound clearance and when they hit can lift your wheels like a fulcrum (very unpleasent experience) whereas protectors just gently grind away.

head protectors save the covers when you topple over. Anything above 20 mph on road swill cause damage whatever you have on.

If you do lots off road and fall off alot, bars are invaluable. If you dont they are expensive dangerous bling IMHO.

I have head protectors.

 

[Pukmeister]

I'd rather grind away my engine bars than cylinder heads.

I have personal experience of this.

 

[gipsymagpie]

I have Hepco and Becker bars and the original plastic BMW head protectors. Never been down but the H&B seem to have a profile which protects the head more than the BMW bars. However, just getting a little corrosion which will need some work.

 

[bisbee]

If anyone wants to sell some ally head protectors I'm your man

 

[paddyI]

I also have Hebco & Becker bars in black fitted to my new SE with BMW plastic head covers, looks good and gives great protection. I HOPE

 

[(RIP) Miff]

I have BOTH. The engine bars came with the bike, so I don't know what make they are, but they don't look like they would offer much protection. So I bought some Touratwat head protectors off fleabay.

 

[annieones]

cylinder head protectors SE

I took the head protectors off my SE and fitted the crash bars. In my experiance the bars protect more of the m/c if you drop it. Plus if a car door gets opened on me by mistake as I drive by (which I hope never happens) the bars will absorb some of the impact and offer my leg more protection (hopefully).

Hi if you're selling the protectors, I'm interested, give me a shout. I scratched one of mine on my new GS SE and i'm totally bummed out!