Off-road protection

[Ollie GBR]

I'm getting my GS ready for some riding off-road.
I have the standard BMW engine protection bars with factory 'plastic' cylinder guard protection;


At the Touratech event last weekend, they had the habbit of leaving bikes on their side, (to show potential damage areas I think), and it's fairly clear that the cylinder takes all the weight if on flat ground.

My question is, Will the plastic cyclinder guard hold up if I drop my bike?
What about the engine guards, they only seam to protect the front of the cylinder

Should I be investing in better protection, both in regard to the cylinder and engine bars?

Cheers
Ollie

 

[John Armstrong]

Thought about getting some of the GSA aluminium head protectors?

They do a good job for toppling over type drops

 

[Ollie GBR]

Is that the BMW ones??

 

[John Armstrong]

Yes,

Not sure of the cost, maybe the TT ones would stand up to a higher speed off a bit better, but then that's why I have fully comp insurance.

 

[Nobbyk]

Also try 'Machine Art' polycarb protection covers from Nippy Normans

I did and they look good as well as offer first class protection

 

['Nuffsaid]

Also - Get a side stand switch protector, this little 50p woth of plastic will stop your bike dead if / when it breaks ( Last year in Morocco, 2 x GSA's broke theirs and they were instant toast .....)

Will be getting some made up by a friend of mine in the next couple of months if anyone is interested?

 

[SkyGod]

Hi Ollie, best off road protection I got was to do the BMW off road course 3 times and spend a lot of time in the dirt at weekends.

I still drop it ( as people on this site will vouch for)

but not as much.

 

[Ollie GBR]

Hi Ollie, best off road protection I got was to do the BMW off road course 3 times and spend a lot of time in the dirt at weekends.

I still drop it ( as people on this site will vouch for)

but not as much.

I'm booking myself in for April next year

 

[Spout]

Not sure of the cost, maybe the TT ones would stand up to a higher speed off a bit better

Unfortunately because of their mounting points the TT head protectors don't really offer any protection from a fall (high or low speed). They just rip chunks out of the cylinder head.
This only applies to the 1200, the 1150 protectors do work. (As tested by myself on numerous occassions ). I think TT did a rush design for the 1200 and hoped they'd work as well as on the 1150s.

 

[Spout]

Also - Get a side stand switch protector, this little 50p woth of plastic will stop your bike dead if / when it breaks

Just disable it. (do a search)

 

[The White Rabbit]

Offroading a 12GS. Good for you!
I dumped my GS off road more times than I can remember.

H&B bars offer better protection I would think, the little black covers I had on too, but cant say how well they helped. I still got scuffs and gouges on the valve covers despite both these, as rocks are irregular shapes. The GSA type alu guards wont fit with H&Bs.
They seem to be decent, but mess up real quick. Cost £130 too!

TPS sensor cover, I heard of one or two taken out.

As above sidestand switch protector, seen a 12 disabled by a knock there, actually BMW offroad school's one .

Maybe Wunderlich hard parts for forks.

Trouble is who know how much this helps?

One thing you can do is keep an eye for things you will damage and stash away for a rainy day. Keep an eyeout for a stock can to keep as a spare, I got one for £25 have seen them free. That way when you part with it you can replace the one you will dent. Same goes for side panels. The main damage I had on mine was panels and can. Oh I had alloys and they got rather mullered, actually by inept tyre changing.

A smaller screen is much nicer offroad, by the way.

Otherwise pretty good.

 

[North]

I have the BMW plastic guards and the H&B bars. I have dumped my bike off-road at low speeds a couple of times and it's fine.

 

[Ollie GBR]

I have the BMW plastic guards and the H&B bars. I have dumped my bike off-road at low speeds a couple of times and it's fine.

H&B bars??????????
What are they?

 

[MIKE-SA]

As the cylinderrs are not symetrical, the RHS - facing from the front is closer to the BMW crash bars - meaning thatb the plastic cover will be cracked by the engine bar moving against the cylinder when you drop it...

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Crash bars are the only answer.......!!

Dumped both my 1200 and 1100 more times than I need to remember and the crash bars have saved the day IMHO!

 

[Nate]

i know all this helps...

but surely, the more things you put on the bike to protect it when dropped....

...is going to weigh a ton, therefore more likely to be dropped

So, perhaps thinking very carefully about what you add would help...

.. or just go for the bling factor

 

[Ollie GBR]

i know all this helps...

but surely, the more things you put on the bike to protect it when dropped....

...is going to weigh a ton, therefore more likely to be dropped

So, perhaps thinking very carefully about what you add would help...

.. or just go for the bling factor

COMPLETELY agree
I don't want to add stuff just for the sake of it, appart from the increase in weight, it's costs!!
I'm just trying to understand what I need and can do without......