The topic of Engine/Crash Guards seems to come up fairly frequently. People refer to them either as Engine Guards or Crash Guards interchangably. It is pretty easy to see where the guards offer additional protection to the engine if the bike tips over from a stationary position or at slow speeds....hence the title "Engine Guard". What isn't clear to me is how much protection these guards provide to the rider/passenger in the event the bike goes down at normal driving speeds. Do these guards actually function as "Crash Guards"?

The article on "Saddlebag Crash Bars......" got me to thinking about this question. I've thought about getting a set of Saddlebag "Crash" Guards to provide extra protection for my wife in case the bike happened to go down. After reviewing the installation instructions for the saddlebag bars it seems to me these "guards" are designed to protect the bike (saddlebags) and not the rider/passenger....therefore functioning as "Saddlebag Guards" and not "Crash Guards". Is this an accurate assumption?

Thanks!

Yep But in the event of a"crash"I think most riders would
turn the bike sideways if possible,thus the bike would"slide"on the
rails/gaurds putting less weight of the bike on the riders.
My 2c

I don't want to find out.

I have Cobra Freeway Fatty bars on my R* and I laid it over on the freeway going about 30miles an hour and if I did NOT have those bars I would have crushed my leg and had much more damage to my bike. The bar held the bike off the ground.
I will NEVER have a bike without these!

Steven

I had an idiot pull out at an intersection from my left and he swung the turn wide where he and I are looking nose to nose at each other. It was at night and I simply swerved to the right to avoid becoming a greasy spot on his front end. Soon as the wheels left the pavement the bike slid to the right and went down on its left side. I was doing about 25 MPH and the engine guard dug into the soft ground and got bent back enoughh to break it in the top center. The engine guard was destroyed but there was no other damage too the bike and not a scratch on me! as to the question of wether the guards are the final answer, I'm sure they are not, but they have got to help and I will never own a bike without one!

Clifford

A while back I hit a pothole in the middle of a left-hand turn and the floorboard mount caught the lip of the pothole...stopped the bike dead from 15-20 mph and slammed it into the ground. I was expecting damage to bike AND me, but when I regained composure from that "WTF?" moment, I realized the bike was laying on its right side, with my right leg underneath it. Thanks to the Yami Big Bar supporting the bike, I just slid my leg out from under. Got away with a scraped mirror & grip end, scratched engine guard, twisted ankle & sore back...and the back was from my adrenaline rush picking the bike up without thinking. I won't be without this type of engine guard ever!

RK

Sounds like the bar helps to protect both bike and rider, so referring to them as an engine and/or crash bar seems to have merit. I have the Yami big bar on the bike at this point and am still on the fence about installing the rear bars. Part of the reason for starting this thread was to see if I was under a misguided illusion about the protection the front bar would provide if the bike happened to go down. Even with the bar, we all know the level of exposure is high, but it is always nice to have a little added protection.

Yakman wrote:
Sounds like the bar helps to protect both bike and rider, so referring to them as an engine and/or crash bar seems to have merit. I have the Yami big bar on the bike at this point and am still on the fence about installing the rear bars. Part of the reason for starting this thread was to see if I was under a misguided illusion about the protection the front bar would provide if the bike happened to go down. Even with the bar, we all know the level of exposure is high, but it is always nice to have a little added protection.

Like the difference between wearing shorts & flip-flops or boots & jeans while riding...it's not a lot, but it's something extra in your arsenal.

RK

Roadkill1962 wrote:
Yakman wrote:
Sounds like the bar helps to protect both bike and rider, so referring to them as an engine and/or crash bar seems to have merit. I have the Yami big bar on the bike at this point and am still on the fence about installing the rear bars. Part of the reason for starting this thread was to see if I was under a misguided illusion about the protection the front bar would provide if the bike happened to go down. Even with the bar, we all know the level of exposure is high, but it is always nice to have a little added protection.

Like the difference between wearing shorts & flip-flops or boots & jeans while riding...it's not a lot, but it's something extra in your arsenal.

RK
Perfect comparison!

Yakman wrote:
Sounds like the bar helps to protect both bike and rider, so referring to them as an engine and/or crash bar seems to have merit. I have the Yami big bar on the bike at this point and am still on the fence about installing the rear bars. Part of the reason for starting this thread was to see if I was under a misguided illusion about the protection the front bar would provide if the bike happened to go down. Even with the bar, we all know the level of exposure is high, but it is always nice to have a little added protection.

very interesting thread....i have the lindby bar, and have often wondered the same thing. It always seemed to me that in a crash at higher speeds (maybe above 40) that the bar is attached in such a way that it would not be able to withstand the impact energy of a crash and would fold up on your leg. Hope i never have to find out!!!!