Best crash bar?

[Peter M DK]

I am very close to ordering a T7, but are in doubt regarding which crash bar to get. 

 

I am looking for the balance of style and protection. 

 

Which one is the best?

 

Currently the candidates are:

The OEM? +OEM +Looks like good protection. -Is going too high up/ugly/heavy. 

Outback Mototrek (only the lower part)? +Looks like a strong mount +Light. -Is not going high enough to protect the sides well. 

SW-Motech? I can not see how strong it is mounted. +Covers a good area. 

 

Any others?

 

Which one to go for?

I can get a good price on the OEM with the bike. 

[Doc Brown]

On 10/30/2020 at 10:05 AM, Veider said:

A checked both Givi and Puig and my concern is that they are too low and will not protect the side panels. My two final candidates are Adventure spec and Heed. I am just thinking about the material, Adventure spec are from Aluminum, so it will be probably less durable and not possible to fix it by welding...

 

They (Givvi) are made to protect your radiator, not the side panels
 

On 12/16/2020 at 9:53 AM, JayD said:

I really like how small they are, I guess they’re light too. Do they offer any protection to the water pump and engine cases if you tip over on a flat surface?

 

No, they don't.

[bigsky]

On 11/9/2020 at 1:21 PM, BAM2002 said:

I ordered a set from HEED. It took only two weeks to have them shipped from Poland to Florida/USA. The packaging was wonderful -no damage - everything was well protected. The finish and welds look good. Instructions have photographs. I will be installing them this weekend.

curious how much shipping was -- thanks

[bigsky]

On 11/19/2020 at 6:36 PM, BAM2002 said:

They went on pretty easily. I only had to pry a little bit for one hole to line up everything else - lined up and bolted up.  I just had to take off the side covers and remove two of the three screws of one of the inner side fairings. So that he could rotate out of the way to get to the bolts.

are the Heed's mounting points all on the frame?  thanks

[mckaymnm]

11 hours ago, bigsky said:

curious how much shipping was -- thanks

I don't remember but that just makes think it wasn't an issue. Btw everything comes from seattle wa. Not overseas!!!

[bigsky]

On 1/10/2021 at 5:51 AM, Vesso said:

Hi, guys! Happy New Year!

Choosing crash bars wasn’t easy, but at the end I decided on Hepco & Becker. I’ve got also their engine guard and center stand.

Hope my pictures will be of some help. Sorry, for some reason they were automatically rotated in a way different from the original. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello....I'm considering in Hepco Becker front to rear.  How do you like your crash bars, bash plate and center stand?  I'm also considering the center stand and rear rack -- Thanks

[bigsky]

On 10/3/2020 at 4:05 AM, Clear said:

I am going to buy Heed bunker.

Maybe is heavier by  1 or 2 kilos but they are solid and cost less.

 

what would you say the weight is of the Heed bunker?  thanks

[Vesso]

Hi,

 I really like the  Hepco Becker set I’ve got. They look & feel very solid and the quality is very good. Center stand is more compact than the OEM and I like that. Installation was quite easy.

So far didn’t really have a chance to try how strong they are, but I feel pretty confident. 

Decided not to buy the luggage racks from H&B. Instead, I’ve got the offset x-frame version of the Outback Motortek rack, which is designed to accommodate directly the Kriega’s 32/22 liter combo OS soft panniers. Quite happy with that too.

Need to check where is the luggage related thread  and post few pictures.

Hope this will help you making a  choice.

Cheers!

Edited March 28, 2021 by Vesso

[bigsky]

On 10/11/2020 at 10:38 AM, Svrider said:

I like the HEED but they will not work with the Yamaha Rally skid plate which I already have, that's too bad.

I'm thinking heed as well on my new T7.  I assume the Heed skid plate will work w the heed bars.  Thoughts?  What plate did you go with ?  thanks

[Baramon]

Need a word of advice. I was originally going for Outback CB but feedback on the forum about hit or miss quality and their BS dealer policy.

 

Now I'm trying to decide between Touratech and Hepco-Becker cos they both have lower crash bars options that protect the engine since I'm very novice rider and I want to protect my T7.

 

Any feedback on these? 

[ClutchXT]

So far the outback bars have held up great, I had the unfortunate opportunity to test them out after washing the front end out from under myself on Friday. The CBs , the muffler and the Barkbusters took some scratches but the bike was unscathed body wise, I myself landed in the rocks  and beat up my right hip. picked the bike up checked for damage and all was good,  finished out my last 40mi of my ride for the day, might be a few days before I head back out though as I'm a bit slow to stand up and can't swing my leg over the bike at the moment.

[mckaymnm]

On 3/26/2021 at 7:36 PM, bigsky said:

what would you say the weight is of the Heed bunker?  thanks

Anything but outback. They suck and they pissed me off so bad I can honestly say I want to see them fail. They deserve bad karma!!!

[Toddler]

On 5/13/2020 at 2:15 PM, RockRider said:

The Outback crash bars seem very legit, but my concern would be the upper rear attach point of the lower bars. Looks like a great place to bash your knee, maybe? 

I just installed the Outback lower and upper crash bars. No need to be concerned about hitting your knees.

The installation went very smoothly, the’ve upgraded ‘c’ clamps so they hold the nuts while you tighten them, make the install much easier. 
They seem to be few solid. 

[mckaymnm]

On 4/4/2021 at 8:19 AM, Baramon said:

Need a word of advice. I was originally going for Outback CB but feedback on the forum about hit or miss quality and their BS dealer policy.

 

Now I'm trying to decide between Touratech and Hepco-Becker cos they both have lower crash bars options that protect the engine since I'm very novice rider and I want to protect my T7.

 

Any feedback on these? 

I have touratech. Love them. Not familiar with hepco

[Baramon]

13 minutes ago, mckaymnm said:

I have touratech. Love them. Not familiar with hepco

Do you have lower crash bars too?

[mckaymnm]

On 4/4/2021 at 8:19 AM, Baramon said:

Need a word of advice. I was originally going for Outback CB but feedback on the forum about hit or miss quality and their BS dealer policy.

 

Now I'm trying to decide between Touratech and Hepco-Becker cos they both have lower crash bars options that protect the engine since I'm very novice rider and I want to protect my T7.

 

Any feedback on these? 

 

1 hour ago, Baramon said:

Do you have lower crash bars too?

No. With my crash plate I didn't feel they were necessary . I got adequate protection without them

[JohnnieBoy]

On 12/19/2020 at 6:54 PM, Stevoh said:

Favorite post... now thats a good sense of humor right there!

[sayer]

Hi guys,

Are here any tall riders? Do you have problems with hitting crash bars with your knees? I'm about to buy the T7 and ordering something that would lower my riding comfort wouldn't make me very happy. My height is 200 cm (6"6').

I read in this thread that it happens with  Hepco&Becker.

Edited May 3, 2021 by sayer

[YukonPete]

I just installed some Givi crash bars. I had to order them from Italy (Carpi Moto). Here are some weight numbers:

• Right and left bars: 2.44 lbs (1.1 kg) each
• Cross piece: 1 lb (.45 kg)
• Connection bits and pieces: 2 lbs (.92 kg)
• Total Weight: 7.9 lbs (3.6 kg)

Install was a bit fiddly and took me a few hours, but not that hard.

 

I got these bars because I wanted to have some protection without adding a lot of weight. I do a lot of "motorcycle backpacking" split between riding on pavement and gravel roads. I Don't do any dirt biking on my T7 so not worried about constantly dumping my bike. So far I have dropped my bike in parking lots () and stalling  going up steep gravel roads (so basically slow tip overs). For my style of riding these bars I think will be good. The don't protect the engine at all, so I might go for a pair of those R&G engine protectors.

[MikeCMP]

1 minute ago, YukonPete said:

I just installed some Givi crash bars. I had to order them from Italy (Carpi Moto). Here are some weight numbers:

• Right and left bars: 2.44 lbs (1.1 kg) each
• Cross piece: 1 lb (.45 kg)
• Connection bits and pieces: 2 lbs (.92 kg)
• Total Weight: 7.9 lbs (3.6 kg)

Install was a bit fiddly and took me a few hours, but not that hard.

 

I got these bars because I wanted to have some protection without adding a lot of weight. I do a lot of "motorcycle backpacking" split between riding on pavement and gravel roads. I Don't do any dirt biking on my T7 so not worried about constantly dumping my bike. So far I have dropped my bike in parking lots () and stalling  going up steep gravel roads (so basically slow tip overs). For my style of riding these bars I think will be good. The don't protect the engine at all, so I might go for a pair of those R&G engine protectors.

Yup, they are pretty good. I bent them up doing "dirt biking" on my t7. I would recommend the case covers, when i got home from my trip i saw they were scuffed up, so they samed my cases some damage on rocks.

 

Mike

[LeoB]

On 5/6/2021 at 10:04 PM, YukonPete said:

I just installed some Givi crash bars. I had to order them from Italy (Carpi Moto). Here are some weight numbers:

• Right and left bars: 2.44 lbs (1.1 kg) each
• Cross piece: 1 lb (.45 kg)
• Connection bits and pieces: 2 lbs (.92 kg)
• Total Weight: 7.9 lbs (3.6 kg)

Install was a bit fiddly and took me a few hours, but not that hard.

 

I got these bars because I wanted to have some protection without adding a lot of weight. I do a lot of "motorcycle backpacking" split between riding on pavement and gravel roads. I Don't do any dirt biking on my T7 so not worried about constantly dumping my bike. So far I have dropped my bike in parking lots () and stalling  going up steep gravel roads (so basically slow tip overs). For my style of riding these bars I think will be good. The don't protect the engine at all, so I might go for a pair of those R&G engine protectors.

I’m considering changing the givi bars as i realized they are made of pudding! I fell down on a corner the other day, low speed, super soft muddy ground still the bar bent toward the inside. Not sure how much protection i will have next  time i fall down

[Stevoh]

SRC crash bars, are they the best hmmm dunno, I'll have to crash to complete the evaluation

They look good though!

[YukonPete]

1 hour ago, LeoB said:

I’m considering changing the givi bars as i realized they are made of pudding! I fell down on a corner the other day, low speed, super soft muddy ground still the bar bent toward the inside. Not sure how much protection i will have next  time i fall down

Arg. I've gone with Givi's because for the foreseeable future I see myself doing long tarmac trips and exploring some long dirt / gravel roads. It seems with this game of crash bars we either go small (Givi or Yamaha) or go big (Heed). I think I was going to be doing rough trails I'd go with the Heed bars, but boy are they heavy! So I am praying that the Givi's will give me enough protection for the odd tip-over or slow speed fall. I hoping worst case scenario is some cracked plastic, which can always be replaced ($$).

I'm a nut for keeping the bike as light as possible. So for me no center stand, heavy crash bars or crazy rack system. I love the look of the stock T7. Some of those crash bars that folks are putting on their beautiful T7s look ugly as sin! I couldn't do that to my beautiful bike!

For further protection I think I will buy a pair of those plastic engine case covers. I noticed a few dents in my case of a couple tip-overs from last summer.

On last thing for  protection that I'm keeping on my bike is the Yamaha rear rack. I got that put on my bike for my long ride home from the dealer so I could have somewhere to tie my gear to. I ended up liking them a lot. They have big outwardly protruding bars that make for great handles for wrestling the bike around or for lifting it off the ground. They also stick out far enough that the provide some protection for the rear plastics and may help a bit for protecting the muffler in a tip-over.

[LeoB]

Same here, I wanted to keep the T7 as light as possible. I guess, I changed my mind and I’m now going for protection, so I don’t have to worry anymore. I ordered crash bars, pannier racks and skid plate from Outback Motortek. I guess, i’m adding more than 10 kilos to the bike. Therefore, I’m starting a diet to compensate a bit

[MikeCMP]

9 hours ago, Stevoh said:

SRC crash bars, are they the best hmmm dunno, I'll have to crash to complete the evaluation

They look good though!

Do you have the upper and lower bars or just the upper?

 

Mike

[Stevoh]

Just the upper, unfortunately the SRC lowers won't fit with the B&B bash plate, there is a chance to fit Hepco becker lowers, I'm still working it out to see if it's possible