It's a savage way to test the product, but apparently this company does this test with all their bars.
Tiger 900 Aftermarket Crash Bar Test
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Dr.Shifty
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The crash test video I've seen shows the bike being dragged rather than dropped. Thats a different kind of force rather than when dropped at any speed.
I think people should pay attention to the importance of the Barkbusters hand guards in the video. Without them the fuel tank would have been damaged. Mine was on a very low speed drop when on black ice. I then fitted the Barkbusters.
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Yeah. The way to go does seem to be a combination of low(-ish) bars and barkbusters to keep the tank from touching the ground during a tipover. The "tall" style bars that go all the way up to the tank seem to be prone to bending inwards.
Has anyone tried to install these on the GT or GT Pro? Their install video is of a Rally. The first step is to remove the engine through bar and on the Rally, it is in front of the right side footpeg and easy to get to. On the Pro, it is behind the footpeg and I am stumped as to which bolts I should remove to get access to that darn Torx bolt. The footpeg and brake lever are all attached to that one metal piece that is blocking that Torx through bolt.
I am happy to report I figured out what bolts to remove in order to get to the engine through bolt. In the picture below they are the two Torx 50 circled in red. Remove those, and the whole footpeg/brake assembly can pivot towards the rear of the bike exposing the through bolt. If you can get someone to help you out when you remove that through bolt and put the new one in, it will be a big time saver. I did this install alone crawling around the bike. I love how these bars installed compared to the Triumph bars. I also love how the upper plastics are now protected without having to mess with the stock fog light bar. Finally, I like the black color compared to the silver of the Triumph bars. I think it blends into the bike a lot better. Here are some pics. I took the one from the side so you can see how much they stick out from the plastics.
![752395]( "752395")
![752396]( "752396")
![Image]()
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Thought I'd pass this along, I installed the Touratech crash bars on my 20 Tiger 900 Gt Pro and later dropped the bike when I lost my footing on sand. The fall on the crash bar caused more damage than no bars at all. It turns out Touratech bolt the bar to the headlight/fairing subframe, this frame is made out thin cast aluminum so it cracked along with the headlight bracket. The other side of the crash bar mounts to the engine case with 8mm bolts and a 1" spacer, the moment bent the bolt and stripped the engine threads. It turned out to be an expensive repair. Touratech essentially told me to go fly a kite! In my opinion their stuff is decorative not protection.
![753617]( "753617")
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138 Posts
Crash bars need to crumble on impact absorbing the energy of the fall rather than transmitting it to the bike itself causing the damage you describe. I dont know of any brand that does that.
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75 Posts
I have SW-Motech installed, Several off road drops. One hard. No issues at all other that scratches on the crash bars.
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Yes the dealer told me that, still a bad design. I'm changing to SW Motech which mount to frame, engine and cross brace to itself on the other side. Cheers
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I am looking to swap out my fogs and curious if the Denali's worked for you. I have seen that others trying to install Baja Designs ran into issues due to improper resistance.
Thanks,
With all the horror stories about "Crash bars" doing more damage than good, I'm going without. Broken engine cases, dented tanks, destroyed beak mounts...and my story. I had the HepcoBeckers for a while, but the front engine mount bolts both broke off in the frame from fatique (without any drop or impact). That fact was as analyzed by Motomachines/Hepco to try to prove that I overtightened them because their sales were taking a hit. The "overtightened" claims backfired on them. Anyone want a set of H and B tank guards....you can have them for cheap.
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i have installed these and now have significant vibes in my bar. Making my hands numb. Have you also noticed this?
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Any vibes with these bars? Considering them v. the Outback ones.
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404 Posts
Crash bars have been a bit of an interesting journey for me on the Tiger (mine is an 850) I ordered and received the Outback Motortek bars and skid plate for the T850. Delivery took about five or six weeks, but as noted, they are in high demand. That was not a serious issue for me.
I did the install myself, as I've done before on other bikes, and I've also done all the rack installs and centre stand installs. I'm not an especially skilled mechanic, but I do have the necessary tools including a click-type torque wrench. I work carefully and slowly.
I had some fitment issues with the right side upper bar; the right angle upper engine attachment tab was bent too far, and so it did not fit. I fixed that by gentle persuasion with a small 5 lb sledge. Yes, gentle. It is also possible that the bike itself is not perfectly symmetrical and that the 2mm/ 1/8" adjustment I needed to make is a function of the bike, rather than the bars, but the right angle tab on the bar was less than 90 deg inside. I'm open to all possibilities here.
I watched the OM videos for the crash bar and skid plate install several times, and made notes before I started. I, personally, was not impressed or satisfied with the video installation. Too many things mentioned in the early parts of the videos are information that you need later, such as torque numbers. Also, the foot pegs on the 850/ 900 GT need to be removed to get at the lower engine through bolt. The Rally foot peg mounts are different and that bolt is accessible. Also, the upper engine bolts, 14mm hex head, are very hard to actually reach. I did it, but it was not as easy or graceful as it is shown on the video. Overall, it took at least 4 hours, with pauses, and rewatching of the videos, and finding the necessary steps required for the non Rally models; that is the sort of thing that a piece of paper in the package should address. Also there are some very close fitment situations, where the front cross bar bolts are 3mm/ 1/4" from the plastics surrounding the radiator; a bit of movement there and the bar & bolts might damage the rad or plastic shroud. That is just speculation on my part, and it could be solid and reliable, based on the product design and testing.
After I had the bars installed, I went our for a trip of about 2000 kms, a week or so. Upon my return, I removed the upper crash bars so that the dealer would have an easier time accessing wiring to correct a problem with the heated grips they installed. I found the upper left crash bar bolt missing. Later, the shop discovered that the bolt was not missing, but had broken off inside the upper mounting hole. I was very careful with torque specs and no drops other than gentle let downs on sand to practice picking the bike up.
I like the Outback bar design, and the protection seems very good. I'm less impressed with the installation process and the instructions, and a bit concerned about the bolts and attachments, but I think that various bar makers use many of the same attachment points. The upper front engine mounts seem to be used by all.
I didn't notice any change in the vibrations with the bars, but I have grip puppies installed. The bike is vibey at certain speeds, so hard to tell if there was any change.
@flyingburritobrother , I watched your video on the H & B bar problems. Thanks very much for that clear and calm presentation.
I did the install myself, as I've done before on other bikes, and I've also done all the rack installs and centre stand installs. I'm not an especially skilled mechanic, but I do have the necessary tools including a click-type torque wrench. I work carefully and slowly.
I had some fitment issues with the right side upper bar; the right angle upper engine attachment tab was bent too far, and so it did not fit. I fixed that by gentle persuasion with a small 5 lb sledge. Yes, gentle. It is also possible that the bike itself is not perfectly symmetrical and that the 2mm/ 1/8" adjustment I needed to make is a function of the bike, rather than the bars, but the right angle tab on the bar was less than 90 deg inside. I'm open to all possibilities here.
I watched the OM videos for the crash bar and skid plate install several times, and made notes before I started. I, personally, was not impressed or satisfied with the video installation. Too many things mentioned in the early parts of the videos are information that you need later, such as torque numbers. Also, the foot pegs on the 850/ 900 GT need to be removed to get at the lower engine through bolt. The Rally foot peg mounts are different and that bolt is accessible. Also, the upper engine bolts, 14mm hex head, are very hard to actually reach. I did it, but it was not as easy or graceful as it is shown on the video. Overall, it took at least 4 hours, with pauses, and rewatching of the videos, and finding the necessary steps required for the non Rally models; that is the sort of thing that a piece of paper in the package should address. Also there are some very close fitment situations, where the front cross bar bolts are 3mm/ 1/4" from the plastics surrounding the radiator; a bit of movement there and the bar & bolts might damage the rad or plastic shroud. That is just speculation on my part, and it could be solid and reliable, based on the product design and testing.
After I had the bars installed, I went our for a trip of about 2000 kms, a week or so. Upon my return, I removed the upper crash bars so that the dealer would have an easier time accessing wiring to correct a problem with the heated grips they installed. I found the upper left crash bar bolt missing. Later, the shop discovered that the bolt was not missing, but had broken off inside the upper mounting hole. I was very careful with torque specs and no drops other than gentle let downs on sand to practice picking the bike up.
I like the Outback bar design, and the protection seems very good. I'm less impressed with the installation process and the instructions, and a bit concerned about the bolts and attachments, but I think that various bar makers use many of the same attachment points. The upper front engine mounts seem to be used by all.
I didn't notice any change in the vibrations with the bars, but I have grip puppies installed. The bike is vibey at certain speeds, so hard to tell if there was any change.
@flyingburritobrother , I watched your video on the H & B bar problems. Thanks very much for that clear and calm presentation.
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