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Old 20th July 2009, 13:07   #1
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The Crash Guards Discussion Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawyer View Post
And get rid of the safety bar. It does nothing for safety. If you want to know more about why, I will be happy to write.
Sawyer, you mean the crash guard ? Please do let me know why you feel so
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Old 20th July 2009, 13:53   #2
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When you have a fall from the bike, the best thing that can happen to you is for you and the bike to part company asap, and go in different directions, so that you do not get hammered by the bike as well as the road, or get dragged to wherever it is going. Sometimes the crash guard can trap your leg and keep you attached to the bike. Staying attached to the bike is the last thing you want to happen when you go down.
People think that the crash guard protects the bike when it falls over, but in a Bullet, the impact is also taken by the handlebars and footpegs, and in many cases the guard also swivels around the attachment points. In any case, I would worry more about what would happen to me in the event of a spill, than protecting the chrome.
Crash guards are one of those things that are very popular in India, so this may sound like heresy to you, I know. Use your head to decide what makes sense to you, and then decide on what you want to do with it. I've taken mine off over a year ago.
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Old 20th July 2009, 15:10   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawyer View Post
When you have a fall from the bike, . I've taken mine off over a year ago.
Sawyer, don't think thats a safe thing to do. I've had two spills from my RE Std 350. I was knocked out cold in the first one, but I vividly remember the crash guard saving me from getting a fractured leg in the second incident.
The metal of the footpeg is not strong enough to take the weight of the bike (and sometimes you also with that). It breaks quite quickly. Mine has. And its original RE spare.
Having a crash guard for safety should not hurt. Just make sure its a good quality crash guard.

Last edited by topedgemonk : 20th July 2009 at 15:19.
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Old 20th July 2009, 15:53   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawyer
When you have a fall from the bike, the best thing that can happen to you is for you and the bike to part company asap, and go in different directions, so that you do not get hammered by the bike as well as the road, or get dragged to wherever it is going. Sometimes the crash guard can trap your leg and keep you attached to the bike. Staying attached to the bike is the last thing you want to happen when you go down.
People think that the crash guard protects the bike when it falls over, but in a Bullet, the impact is also taken by the handlebars and footpegs, and in many cases the guard also swivels around the attachment points. In any case, I would worry more about what would happen to me in the event of a spill, than protecting the chrome.
Crash guards are one of those things that are very popular in India, so this may sound like heresy to you, I know. Use your head to decide what makes sense to you, and then decide on what you want to do with it. I've taken mine off over a year ago.
Lovely post, I have tried reasoning with many people over 'leaving the bike in case of a fall' instead of 'holding onto it' for I dont know how many times.

Also the usage & justification of crash guards is still largely debatable.
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Old 20th July 2009, 16:20   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawyer View Post
When you have a fall from the bike, Use your head to decide what makes sense to you, and then decide on what you want to do with it. I've taken mine off over a year ago.
I think that the crash guard should be there in an RE. Believe me, you need to see the fall without the crash guard once then you will know what it causes. I remember one of my friends having a fall from his STD 350 and had to go with a fracture and bruised right leg.

@MumBiker: Please do not remove the crash guard for the reasons above. Also, it looks good on the bull! Goldie is a great choice. I am planning on getting one, but still not sure. You can get the seats changed for the looks. My 2 cents: get a saddle seat to get the most amazing feeling! It becomes pretty a comfortable ride.
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Old 20th July 2009, 16:27   #6
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There is some good material on the crash guard subject on the net as well, for anyone interested. What do you think is the reason that you see crash guards only in India, btw?
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Old 20th July 2009, 16:28   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawyer View Post
There is some good material on the crash guard subject on the net as well, for anyone interested. What do you think is the reason that you see crash guards only in India, btw?
Sawyer, please check this link -> Crash Bars



The crash guard on this bike is a very bad design.
Its prone to trapping the leg against the engine and causing bad knee injury.

Get a crash guard like REZ-0048 DIAMOND CRASH BAR
Royal Enfield Zone - Crash Bars for Royal Enfield Bullet, Electra, Machismo, Thunderbird, Standard :: Royal Enfield Zone, New Delhi, India

Last edited by bblost : 20th July 2009 at 16:30.
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Old 20th July 2009, 16:29   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawyer
What do you think is the reason that you see crash guards only in India, btw?
Because putting a crash guard is cheaper than buying a full riding suit & gear, because claiming insurance for every fall is still not a norm.
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Old 20th July 2009, 17:18   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawyer View Post
There is some good material on the crash guard subject on the net as well, for anyone interested. What do you think is the reason that you see crash guards only in India, btw?
The crash guard according to me is a cheaper option to make sure that we don't get get hurt. However said that, if the foot gets entangled in the crash guard, then it is a different issue. If the legs get entangled within the crash guard then god only can help us.
In case of a skid, most of the times, the handle bar is tilted. If it's tilted to the left, then most likely we are bound to fall on the right but it didn't touch the tank at all.
Impact: the legs will get stuck, the tank would require a paint job.

My bike once fell to my left when stationary due to godforsaken reason. Nothing absolutely happened to the tank but still I had a leak from the clutch assembly thanks to the footrest which got tilted and hit the assembly which was pretty easy to get fixed.
Secondly, it protects the engine in a fall. Imagine the engine hitting a brick/stone which of course are very common in India !
Again, this is what I can think the reason for having the crash guard. Please let me know if my thinking is wrong.

Last edited by bantejas : 20th July 2009 at 17:21. Reason: forgot to finish the sentence :)
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Old 20th July 2009, 17:28   #10
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The handle bars and footpegs will not allow the engine to touch the ground, nine times out of ten. If there is something that is standing out of the ground, it is a different matter, but in this case, a crash guard will not help either.
Thing is, even if it did, I would not have something that is a hazard to my life and limb on my bike. I can always buy another bike/get it repaired, and with insurance, the cost is bearable. I love my bike, but this choice is a no brainer to me.
And btw, falling from a bike is never risk free, so let's not forget that ultra defensive riding, and wearing safety gear is not even a subject of debate in my book. I was only pointing out the additional risk conferred by the crash guards used in India, in the event of a fall.
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Old 20th July 2009, 17:46   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawyer View Post
The handle bars and footpegs will not allow the engine to touch the ground, nine times out of ten. If there is something that is standing out of the ground, it is a different matter, but in this case, a crash guard will not help either.
The problem is that people do see and they just put the crash guard for the heck of it or because of psychological reasons (others putting it). I put it for my current bike because of psychological reasons thanks to my friend's accident. If you see most of the bikes in india, the crash guards are small and the foot rest actually is more protruding. For my earlier bike (pulsar 150), I had made sure that the crash guard was more protruding than my foot rest (increased security to the tank rather than to me).
My current bike (Electra 4S) didn't have crash guard for more than 4 months (not that I didn't want it, but simply because I had forgotten about it ). It was only after my friend's accident that I put it and believe me that it has saved my tank more than once. It also saves the legs (knees) in case of a side cum head on accident as it takes the impact rather than your knees.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawyer View Post
Thing is, even if it did, I would not have something that is a hazard to my life and limb on my bike. I can always buy another bike/get it repaired, and with insurance, the cost is bearable. I love my bike, but this choice is a no brainer to me.
This might not hold good for everyone in our country!

Last edited by bantejas : 20th July 2009 at 17:50.
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Old 20th July 2009, 18:21   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bantejas View Post

This might not hold good for everyone in our country!
I am not sure you understood what I meant - I do not think that anyone else will consciously put their life and limb at risk to save their bikes either.
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Old 20th July 2009, 18:21   #13
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We had this discussion few years back on another group.

We really need to identify why does the crash guard exist, its for the protection of bike i.e. engine, tank fairing etc or for safety of rider i.e legs.

Everyone thinks its for rider but some think it saves bike to a large extent.
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Old 20th July 2009, 18:53   #14
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Crashed into a M800 long time back. I was on my RE std 350. Overtook a vehicle to find a M800 right in front of me, both drivers swerved. I skidded sideways and banged into the side of the M800. The car's door had a considerable dent. If it had not been for the crash guard, the first point of contact would have been my knee. There wasn't enough reaction time to jump off the bike also.
It happened while I was testing a goldie type silencer (less engine braking if you slip down a gear)
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Old 20th July 2009, 19:24   #15
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That is a very good point, that is well taken. Indeed, one place where the crash guard works is in dense traffic, where it keeps traffic at some distance from your legs. On the other hand, a car can tip you over by touching the guard too.
I still maintain my position about it on the open road, and since my riding is of that kind, I threw away the guard. If I was commuting in normal Indian city traffic, I would perhaps put it back on.
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