Triumphrat

Texrider

A company in North Dakota, Ma's Cycles, is marketing a set of engine guards for Tigers. Does anyone have experience with them? You can see the bars at www.mascycles.com. The price is about the same as Touratech, but I've never heard of Ma's before.

Ma's cycles is my local shop. I saw a pair of those bars but they eren't mounted when I picked my tiger up after it's 18000 mile check-up. I think they may have used my '99 for fitment on an older tiger. Great bunch at that shop and the have a great wrench to boot. Bob from Ma's is usually working the Triumph set-up at the Minneapolis show. HTH................
Skogs

Texrider

Thanks for the information. Skogs, since you've seen the bars, how do they compare to Touratech?

I was hoping someone had Ma's case guards and could tell me a bit about fit, finish and function in a get off.

BigStripey

For what it's worth, a buddy of mine has just returned from a big trip around central Europe. He has the Touratech bars fitted to his 955i Tiger.

On a fire road in the Czech Republic he dropped his Tiger pretty hard on the right hand side. The bike was down for quite a while because he was thrown clear, and then could not pick it up standing on the loose shale.

When a hiker eventually came by and helped him up with the bike, the sum total of the damage to his bike was.....a scuff in the powder coating that's all !

His experiences are further corroboration of other Touratech users.

Just my thoughts ??

Jim

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Big Stripey

I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw

Texrider, I didn't look at them all that closley when I was there but I have a new tank bag due in shortly. I've got a set of thunder bike bars on now so in my usual way I was paying more attention to the talk of the new '05 due in shortly. I'll post back after I pick up that bag and talk to Bob and the rest of the crew at Ma's.....

Skogs

tango

tango has been down the road twice, once when I low sided it and again when it tipped a trailer, so I fitted the Touratech bars, and I think they look real good I hardly notice them.

A bit of reverse psychology here, fit crash bars no more spills :razz:

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davie.

I,ve got a mountain of dreams to climb.

Do unto others as they are doing unto you.

Timtiger

I had a good look at the Thunderbike (NZ) bars and they are well designed but soooooo ugly. Look like they are for a tractor. I have Touratech bars and they are great. I'velost the front end at walking speed in a pool of oil in a carpark (from a Mercedes car) and dropped it. I cracked a panier lid and snapped a gear lever. No real damage to the bike. I think they are not perfect but do a good job of protecting the handlebars, levers and engine cases.

paulie

I have the Thunderbike bars and I'm really happy with them. They are pretty ugly/industrial looking, but I'm totally over that - - don't even notice them any more. Aside from the good protection, there are a few other reasons you might want them:

Your cafe latte will sit right on top without falling off. Can you name any other set of crash bars that act as a cup holder?

Second, it makes a great place to hang your helmet when you go in the store.

Third, Thunderbike makes a great-looking set of highway pegs that clamp right onto the bars.

Fourth, the integrated sump protector will be handy. I just noticed a big rock dent in the little stock exhaust protector. I'm going to order the TB pan right away.

Fifth, because they go down so low, they look like they will protect your shins and lower leg from rocks, branches, and car bumpers that get too close. This is hypothetical because it hasn't happened to me.

A good product from a good company, IMHO.

Paul

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Paul
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"Either we figure out how to keep corporate cash out of the political system, or we lose the democracy."

Molly Ivins, July 2006

Had a closer look at the new bars. The pictures on Ma's web site give a good look at what they look like when mounted. They were fitted to a new '05 that was going out the door and they had fitted pegs to them. Pretty straight forward fitment. They are built of cold drawn steel. Bob said that one set they had fitted locally had already withstood two downs, one a no speed tip over and the other in a sandy wash with minimal damage to the bike. I think the one case was scratced up and widest part of sport fairing was nicked. Only paint damage to the bars......................HTH...........

Skogs

Texrider

I sent Ma's an email asking for a bit of history on their development and why I should buy their bars instead of the other guys. They got back to me in a couple of days (fast for most places) and said they'd spent a year developing the bars and had only been marketing them about a month. They thought Thunderbike bars were too expensive and they'd seen some that had not held up well (I'm at the wrong computer to get the exact wording, but something like the bars had flattened). They thought they could improve upon crash bar design and made theirs out of steel as Skogs reported. They also designed them to readily accept foot pegs and additional lights. Based on their email, Skogs eyeballing the creation, and comments about the folks involved, I'm going to order a set in the next week or so unless someone comes up with something compelling in the meantime. I still want a new windscreen, stiffer fork springs and a gel seat, but I figure sooner or later (knock on wood) I'm going to tip over. I see the bars as an investment in saving me from myself.

I saw the Touratech and Thunderbike bars at the Jasper Ride In (great event, nice people). Both seem like good products. Thunderbike may well be the better bar, but I'm not sure they're twice the bar which is what they cost. Besides there is something appealing about supporting folks in the Dakota territories who are figuring out how to build stuff for my Tiger. Ma's also fit my budget meaning I can get crash bars and some other stuff for what the TB bars cost.

Randy