Repair crash bars.
- Thread starter NeilGS
- Start date
I'm guessing they're just painted coating wise could be wrong.. unless there's a paint code available from somewhere to make it easy take them into an automotive paint supplier & see if they can find a close match supplied in an an aerosol if you dont have spray equipment. Then flat/prep n paint you'll have to re-do the whole side and possibly the other if the match isn't brilliant 
you can fill and smooth any dents as well. Alternatively get them blasted and powder coated although you won't get the exact same colour possibly something close alloy wheel refurbers are good for a choice of silvers 
you can fill and smooth any dents as well. Alternatively get them blasted and powder coated although you won't get the exact same colour possibly something close alloy wheel refurbers are good for a choice of silvers 
They’re stainless. Take to a metal finisher to refinish or get powder coated which lets you pick a colour!
B
B
They are satin finish stainless steel - not painted. What is needed is fine files to flatten the deeper gouges; wire wool to polish the surface to remove lighter marks then a coarse emery cloth to re satinize the surface finish to match the original. Also, a big tub of elbow grease and a bucket full of patience. Also, also, take them off and do the work on a bench in good light or, do them in situ and mask up the bike surfaces behind the bars to prevent accidental tool marks.
Alan R
Alan R
That’s how I did mine but used a small dremel then finished of with a corse paper, damage now gone, result
Scotsrick
Registered user
If they are being powder coated then they can be prepared as Alan R says but you just need a fine file and some emery paper to get the scratches out. You won’t need to get the finish perfect.
A couple of hours would be enough to get it good enough to power coat.
It's patina; leave it as is to show you are a real battle scared adventurer.
I’m with wot he says, you might get it painted lovely and it could fall over again the day after… enjoy the patina although with a little bit of fine steel wool or fine wet and dry, those marks will almost disappear.
This is what I’ve done, it’s silicone rubber tube off eBay and a couple of tie wraps.
Most bike falls are in a car park or similar and this cheap bit of rubber will absorb some shock and save you getting out the steel wool and wet and dry paper.
Function before fashion, after all they are ‘Crash bars’.
Ebay..search..
25mm - 1 Inch Silicone Hose Straight Joiner Coupler Coupling Pipe Connector
Most bike falls are in a car park or similar and this cheap bit of rubber will absorb some shock and save you getting out the steel wool and wet and dry paper.
Function before fashion, after all they are ‘Crash bars’.
Ebay..search..
25mm - 1 Inch Silicone Hose Straight Joiner Coupler Coupling Pipe Connector
Attachments
Protection in depth eh? How about a length of 40mm hose over the top to protect the crash bar protector? Then you’d have cylinder heads protected by cylinder head protectors protected by crash bars that are themselves protected by crash bar protectors that are in turn protected by crash bar protector, protectors.
Alan R
I don’t mind the wise cracks, I saw a bike dropped in Austria which had OEM crash bars fitted but they didn’t protect the slide from grinding through cam box lids. Hence hence the belt and braces approach I know first hand that the OEM bars are no guarantee to saving your cam boxes.
As for the rubber pipe, I dropped my Explorer in a gravelly car park in Switzerland and the only damage was to the powder coating on the OEM Triumph engine bars, the damage was slight but being powder coated I couldn’t do an invisible repair using a paint can so as it was a new bike I ended up getting the bars re-powder coated. A £3.00 piece of silicone rubber pipe would have saved me the cost and hassle.
I’m 70 next month and at 5ft -8ins my GS’s seems to get taller as each year goes by and it’s only a matter of time until my 1250 at best falls over in a gnarly car park or my feet slide away in a frozen one like the one at Seaways cafe last Thursday, so I’m quite happy playing safe.
As for the rubber pipe, I dropped my Explorer in a gravelly car park in Switzerland and the only damage was to the powder coating on the OEM Triumph engine bars, the damage was slight but being powder coated I couldn’t do an invisible repair using a paint can so as it was a new bike I ended up getting the bars re-powder coated. A £3.00 piece of silicone rubber pipe would have saved me the cost and hassle.
I’m 70 next month and at 5ft -8ins my GS’s seems to get taller as each year goes by and it’s only a matter of time until my 1250 at best falls over in a gnarly car park or my feet slide away in a frozen one like the one at Seaways cafe last Thursday, so I’m quite happy playing safe.
Arianrhod
Registered user
I know this is an old thread, but thank you for posting this! I've just changed from a Harley to a 2024 F800GS, and at 5'2, even with the low seat and low chassis, I've managed to drop it twice when it overbalanced when stopping.
The snapped brake lever and scuffed handguard I can replace, but the gouges to my beautiful black engine guard, not so much. Your suggestion of silicone tubing sounds like just the thing, since I guess I have to allow for dropping the bike again
Seriously unamused, since I've never dropped any other bike I've ever had!
I don’t mind the wise cracks, I saw a bike dropped in Austria which had OEM crash bars fitted but they didn’t protect the slide from grinding through cam box lids. Hence hence the belt and braces approach I know first hand that the OEM bars are no guarantee to saving your cam boxes.
As for the rubber pipe, I dropped my Explorer in a gravelly car park in Switzerland and the only damage was to the powder coating on the OEM Triumph engine bars, the damage was slight but being powder coated I couldn’t do an invisible repair using a paint can so as it was a new bike I ended up getting the bars re-powder coated. A £3.00 piece of silicone rubber pipe would have saved me the cost and hassle.
I’m 70 next month and at 5ft -8ins my GS’s seems to get taller as each year goes by and it’s only a matter of time until my 1250 at best falls over in a gnarly car park or my feet slide away in a frozen one like the one at Seaways cafe last Thursday, so I’m quite happy playing safe.
I found that the Round Tube Saddle Feet that they fit to tubular framed chairs clip over the standard crash bars pretty well and protect the crash bars from damage. Ok, its protection for protection, but for what they cost and the damage that a simple drop causes, to me they are worthwhile, and inexpensive to replace should one tip over at standstill. £0.47p each! % a side does the trick and actually they don't look too bad at all fitted
Round Tube Saddle Feet & Chair Frames Furniture Glides | BPF
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