Shuter
Active Member
I've only owned my 2017 Super Tenere for 2 1/2 months or so now, but the farkling sickness is in overdrive. Some of the things I've done to the bike were fairly esoteric, but others were absolutely necessary. Chief among the latter was installation of a quality crash bar/bash plate setup. In reality, my Tenere will see very little "off road" use, but the sump/engine/oil filter setup seems highly vulnerable, and it's not worth taking a chance to me. I did tons of research, even before I bought the bike...looking at the Ravetech, ACD and RideOnADV plates most carefully. As far as the bars go, I'd pretty much settled on the AltRider upper and lower combo (love the AltRider protection bits I've installed, and the company is fantastic to work with).
Then I started to look at the Rumbux product. As everyone but me probably already knew, the Rumbux "Full Spec Endurance Protection Bars" kit includes the bash plate, lower engine bars, and upper bars. So, while it initially seemed expensive, it's absolutely not, when comparing apples to apples. In fact, the Rumbux was at least $150 cheaper than any of the other combos I was looking at. And it is unbelievably stout! The factory plastic "tip over" guards stay in place and the Rumbux crash bars mount over them, and the Rumbux skid plate attaches ONLY to the bike's frame (which was very important to me). For oil changes, I only need to pull 6 screws and the thick aluminum skid plate drops free of its tubular steel frame, giving me access to drain plugs and oil filter. Super quick and easy. As you can see from the photos, the header pipes, engine cases, etc. are all well-protected.
One of the things that really sealed the deal for me was the Rumbux distributor, known around these parts as EricV. Eric was incredibly helpful and giving of his time as I pondered, and then finally ordered a set from him. He kept us all updated regularly on shipment (Rumbux bars come from South Africa), and he shipped the bars out to me immediately after he received them from the manufacturer. By the way, they were packaged with tender-loving care, and that gorgeous powder coat was perfectly intact, with nary a scratch!
Installation was easy, even for me. I did offer a suggestion for a supplement to the Rumbux factory instructions, and Eric may put together something on his own. He also made it clear that he was available through PM and via his cell if I needed any assistance with the install. Eric is also one of the most knowledgeable souls on the planet where the Tenere is concerned, and he also helped me set up a great set of highway pegs to attach to the Rumbux bars (see pics)!
Though I haven't tested them yet (and hope not to), the Rumbux setup looks as if it would provide fantastic protection, against a slow drop, faster drop, or running over a Volkswagen. Again, mine will be a mostly highway bike, but it gives me great piece of mind to have the margin of error that the Rumbux Full Spec Endurance Protection set provides. Fire away with any questions, and I'll do my best to answer. Again, I want to thank Eric for all the help he's provided in getting my bike protected, as well as answering my non-stop Tenere questions!
Then I started to look at the Rumbux product. As everyone but me probably already knew, the Rumbux "Full Spec Endurance Protection Bars" kit includes the bash plate, lower engine bars, and upper bars. So, while it initially seemed expensive, it's absolutely not, when comparing apples to apples. In fact, the Rumbux was at least $150 cheaper than any of the other combos I was looking at. And it is unbelievably stout! The factory plastic "tip over" guards stay in place and the Rumbux crash bars mount over them, and the Rumbux skid plate attaches ONLY to the bike's frame (which was very important to me). For oil changes, I only need to pull 6 screws and the thick aluminum skid plate drops free of its tubular steel frame, giving me access to drain plugs and oil filter. Super quick and easy. As you can see from the photos, the header pipes, engine cases, etc. are all well-protected.
One of the things that really sealed the deal for me was the Rumbux distributor, known around these parts as EricV. Eric was incredibly helpful and giving of his time as I pondered, and then finally ordered a set from him. He kept us all updated regularly on shipment (Rumbux bars come from South Africa), and he shipped the bars out to me immediately after he received them from the manufacturer. By the way, they were packaged with tender-loving care, and that gorgeous powder coat was perfectly intact, with nary a scratch!
Installation was easy, even for me. I did offer a suggestion for a supplement to the Rumbux factory instructions, and Eric may put together something on his own. He also made it clear that he was available through PM and via his cell if I needed any assistance with the install. Eric is also one of the most knowledgeable souls on the planet where the Tenere is concerned, and he also helped me set up a great set of highway pegs to attach to the Rumbux bars (see pics)!
Though I haven't tested them yet (and hope not to), the Rumbux setup looks as if it would provide fantastic protection, against a slow drop, faster drop, or running over a Volkswagen. Again, mine will be a mostly highway bike, but it gives me great piece of mind to have the margin of error that the Rumbux Full Spec Endurance Protection set provides. Fire away with any questions, and I'll do my best to answer. Again, I want to thank Eric for all the help he's provided in getting my bike protected, as well as answering my non-stop Tenere questions!