Smudger:
Being somebody who's dropped his GS during an off-road excursion (it was somebody else's fault, honest) and having witnessed damage to others who've "dropped" their bikes, I came to the conclusion that in a mild "drop" the most susceptible engine part is the rear of the cylinder head covers, not the front. The wide bars tend to make contact first, levering the bike backwards and damaging the covers, pillion pegs, rear indicators etc.
The black plastic cylinder protectors do a bit of a job but collapse and break very easily (costing nearly £30 each to replace). The magnesium covers themselves are not too expensive, £37 plus VAT. But, if you crack or hole one in a drop you're immobilised.
Bearing all this in mind and after researching every type of crash bar available, I plumped for Hepco and Beckers. Personally, I think they look better than all others except the new Adventure bars (which you can't get hold of, have their own problems with rubbing against hoses, and which require the adventure belly pan to fit). The Hepcos are the only bars where the rear of the cylinders are protected as well as the front. Also, I bought them in the Motobins sale for about £85.
I knew they would be "awkward" to fit. They are an absolute b*****d. They are not made particularly accurately and require a great deal of grunting and heaving to get all three bolts to line up per side. The right side bars on mine were, in fact, impossible to fit without modification. I nearly sent them back but persevered and 5 hours later . . . Fitting is complicated by the fact that all three bolts per side go through parts of the sub-frame. The rear bolt fits through the footpeg hanger which goes through the subframe and into the gearbox housing. The subframe drops when you remove the original bolt. It's easy (no, inevitable) to strip the threads off the new bolt if you don't get everything lined up properly (I trashed two bolts like this). At the front, the subframe holding the cockpit instruments and screen also drops when you remove the original bolts.
Basically, fit these bars with help from a friend (ideally one who's done the job before - it's much easier second time around).
All the other bars seem a lot easier to fit, but having got my Hepco bars on I'm very pleased with them and wouldn't recommend buying others just on the basis that the Hepcos are so awkward (i.e., don't be put off).
I'm going to post some pictures in the next couple of days along with a fitting guide in English (the instructions come in German) for anybody wanting to go the Hepco route.
Hope this helps.
Simon E.
