Message to all,

I just saw the Tech Article titled "Fabricate your own highway bars for 25 bucks".

I feel that I should pass along my experiences with this type of highway bar.

Two bikes ago, I installed an aftermarket highway bar fabricated just like this one in the article.

Functionally, it worked as advertised. No problems there.

So, one day, I'm riding down a residential street near home and a woman in a F150 decided at the very last second to pull out in front of me. I was doing about 30-35 MPH and only had a split second to lock up the brakes. I broadsided her right in the driver's side door doing somewhere between 25-35 MPH.

After I realized what had happened, I put the kickstand down and got off of the bike (the bike didn't go down). It wasn't until after I was walking around for a minute that a witness said "where's your shoes?" I didn't even realize it, but I had slid forward so fast and hit both shins so hard on those highway bars that both of my shoes went flying off of my feet.

I tore a 3/4" chunk of flesh off of both shins all to way to the bone and seriously bruised my shin bones so bad that I couldn't walk for over a week. The Dr. said I was lucky that I didn't shatter both of my shins. I have scars on both shins to remind me that those cheaper highway bars weren't such a great idea.

I just wanted to share my experiences with everyone.

That is good to know thanks for sharing. I swear by the Baron hiway bar they have saved my legs twice now and the bike on one occasion just like yours.

When I bought my new bike recently the first thing I did was order the Cobra fatty highway bars. Before I had put 300 miles on the bike I laid it down on the freeway at 65 mph, the only damage to the bike was it burned the inch and a half road bar half in two and scarred the plastic hardbag a little under the bottom side.

I hate to think what would have happened had my legs been caught under the bike and I had been dragged down the road by that beast.

Highway bars are just not a place I like to skimp on. I highly recommend Cobra fatty's for the Roadstar, they are thicker than the regular sized bars and they might save your bike and your legs too.


Hope you heal up well. I had to stay off my bike for a week because of road rash on my arms.