crash bar opinions

[davidcumbria]

Trying to decide whether to splash the cash on some crash bars. Have looked through the previous posts and still unsure. Safety is a plus but imo they don't look  good and the pannier skins are low cost. Interested to hear about experience from slow drops with and without the bars. What else gets damaged other than the pannier skins ? Regrets/ satisfied  from either fitting or not ?

[Coconut]

I can't say much about the protection they provide at Low Speeds, but I had a big "off"
at 45 MPH, slid along with the bike down on it's right side - my leg between the bike and the verge,
and the crash bars meant that I walked away from it without a scratch !

Without them I am convinced I would have serioulsy injured my right leg !

... and I don't think they look bad at all 

[nakerr]

I had a similar "off" as Coconut where I went off the road into a soft ditch and slid on the right side of the bike for about 150 meters before it threw me off. I had the bars but was going to install them in the next couple of days. 6 months of physio later my right leg was to the point that I started to consider buying another vehicle.

I am convinced that procrastinating and not getting the bars installed promptly caused me a lot of unnecessary pain. Get the bars.

[donmoe]

Although I fortunately haven't had a "get-off" at speed with my Trophy, it did fall over once in a low-speed parking-lot maneuver. The R&G bars protected the fairing from scratches, but not the side case. When I experienced a collision with a buzzard and had to replace both left-side fairing panels and the inside cover panel, my insurance got a quote of $850, including labor. Thankfully my comprehensive deductible was only $50.

Depending on your circumstances and your deductible, the R&G bars could prove to be less expensive than buying new fairing panels. I also found them very useful as mounting points for highway pegs.

      Don

[PhilInAthens]

I am the (not so) proud dropper (x2) of a TT fitted with R&G Adventure Bars and as a result have only had to pay the $75 dumb sh!^ tax to replace the pannier cover - and had to use a little black touch up paint to the bars.   These were driveway, slow speed drops.  I strongly recommend the R&G bars, and not touching the front brake at low speeds. 

[silverstripes]

Phil

At low speed the front brake is called he falling off lever 

Never never to be applied only the rear (and I know there linked) 

[Phil]

My bars have saved the bike and possibly my leg from a station drop.  I took an inch of paint off the bars and got a scuff on my boot.   Get the bars and put them on.   

I was just about to go to bed when I started to read all the posts about coming of at speed.  So now I'll have nightmares.  Bugger

Freeway Phil

[davidcumbria]

Thanks for the replies guys.

You've convinced me. Set on order. Sod's law means now It'll probably stay shiny side up but the other example of the law  if I don,t buy them  is much worse ! Plus I've now got a reason to take the fairings off which I've been itching to do anyway. Will be avidly perusing coconuts excellent how to fit thread ( thanks).

A leg is worth more than £400 and thinking about it my previous tourers ,pans and a gs adventure , had this protection as standard.