RE: Engine crash bars vs head covers - 2

I have got used to my BMW bars as I have had them fitted from new. They might not be pretty but nor do I think they are ugly and they have proved useful for mounting additional lights.
Head protectors are not cheap and I like the potential protection in the event of a low speed spill or topple. Any crash over 20mph will result in roadside recovery which ever form of protection you have.
Alan

I have the BMW factory head covers, bike dropped in the parking lot twice now and no visible damage at all to the covers or heads (rear panniers scuffed a bit though). At speed it would be different, but hope I never find out!

Zitat von Holger im Beitrag #10

---

Zitat von Mr. 36654 im Beitrag #9

---

BMW cylinder head covers for me.

---

Yes, how about these here - maybe they will soon be available for the 1200RS too

Upps - again from Wunderlich

---

Zitat von BoxerFan im Beitrag #14

---

The carbon fiber cover is just for show, it's bolted/secured over the mag ones. My BCR is a Factory Replica, so maybe the real ones have the valve cover made of carbon fiber.

By the way, thanks Johan for great service with the top plate. Cant want to get it, and put it on with my GIVI 47L case.

---

Back around 1970, a fellow student at Uni had a 250 BMW single, pristine in black with pin striping. His dad had been a rider, and he reckoned he knew a thing or two.
So this single was fitted with front and rear crash bars, but in the style that the Police used on the BSA 650s. The idea was if you fell over, you just hung on, and slid the bike on the bars, they being wide enough to protect a mounted rider.
Well, lads will be lads; and of course, even on a 250 single BMW, there is the temptation to split lanes.
In those days we did not have the plastic moulded integrated front bumpers on the cars, we had chrome steel ones that wrapped around, with a bit of gap between the ends of the bumpers and the bodywork of the car.
Well "David" was splitting a lane, and came too close to a car, and the rear crash bar hooked the front bumper of the car, chucking him and the bike down the road.

His next bike was a pretty little Ducati 250 single. Red which chrome. And no crash bars.

SW Motech have/had (might be discontinued, just wonder why....) a Carbon crash bar for the RS for a wooping $3.800!! (saw them on sale for $779. BARGAIN!!)

Can drop my bike and claim insurance 19 times for that amount. Don't think they protected that well either but sure they are pretty.... CArbon.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Wow! The only protection being the slider in the middle of that fancy carbon. But, yeh, they look great

Zitat von Bacaruda im Beitrag #21

---

SW Motech have/had (might be discontinued, just wonder why....) a Carbon crash bar for the RS for a wooping $3.800!! (saw them on sale for $779. BARGAIN!!)

Can drop my bike and claim insurance 19 times for that amount. Don't think they protected that well either but sure they are pretty....

---

Zitat von Bacaruda im Beitrag #21

---

Don't think they protected that well either but sure they are pretty....

---

I use the BMW head covers, also. This with a few sliders here and there, I’m at least limiting damage.

If I get the R1250RS sometime in the course of the year, I'm not sure what I'm doing then.....

I had the original BMW covers on the R1200RS, but the R1250RS gets the option 719 covers and this should be hidden as little as possible so you can watch them.

I think in the Case of an accident, then i have to order new Parts about the insurance....

I just picked up a leftover 2018 and had the dealer add the BMW head covers. I figured if there's ever a drop in the driveway or parking lot they will do the trick. At speed (something I hope never happens) I expect they won't do much. It came down to weight and appearance for me. Also, I'd have had to remove the engine spoiler to install the chrome tubes. My only experience with an accident was about 9 years ago. I was riding in a left hand turn lane and someone pulled out of a parking lot, didn't see me and drove right into the saddle bag on the bike, throwing me from the bike. The bike was only 4 years old but the insurance company totaled it anyway.

I bought a 1200RS Sport SE demonstrator in November and had the dealer fit BMW bars pre delivery because I have dropped every bike I have had, either in car parks or on the drive at home.
The engine spoilers had to be removed, but I don't see the point of them and they probably collect muck.
The RS would be heavy to lift from a fall, the engine bars would stop it going quite so far over and hopefully make it easier to lift.
As for damaging the engine block, the bars have several fixing points to distribute the force. I crashed my F800GT at about 65 kph and bounced up a kerb, the blow was taken by a R&G Aero crash bobbin, the engine mounts were undamaged.

BMW head covers here. The bars are overkill.

All good points for both options! I like extra lights and horns and a place to rest my feet out in front of me so I went with the crash bars from Twisted Throttle and mounted 'em up on my crash bars. I just toss one or another of my feet onto the big Auxiliary LED lamps for a few minutes at a time and am very pleased that I don't par-broil my ankles while stretching out as long as I don't stay there more than 10 minutes at a time! -Dr Ron

Zitat von Dr Ron im Beitrag #29

---

I like extra lights and horns and a place to rest my feet out in front of me....

---