WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
Got a chance to test my Givi crash bars while riding off-road in Oregon at the WeSTOC rally a couple of weeks ago. I was putting along about 20-25 MPH on an old two track trail. Obviously, no vehicles had been along this "road" in a while as there were saplings and bushes growing over and even in the middle of it. I was doing fine and from the right wheel track tried to move slightly left to avoid a bush. Just at that moment the front tried to climb out of the track onto the high center section. This had not been an issue as I'd been moving back and forth avoiding various obstacles all along. At this location however there was some super slippery mud, lost the front and the bike went down suddenly on its left side. The berm caught the bike and stopped it immediately with no sliding at all, stuffing copious amounts of mud into the radiator intake and between the crash bar and the lower left faring panel. Got the bike picked up (butt in the seat walk it up backward method) but needed some help to get it pulled back off the berm and reoriented on the road. Luckily there were three of us riding together. After scooping out and knocking loose most of the adhering mud, there didn't initially appear to be any damage. We carried on and I was relieved to hear the fan working normally as well.
Later when I was washing the remaining mud off back at the hotel, I noticed the whole crash bar was pushed back. It rotated around the forward lower mount, bending the rearward one down and pulling the loop that goes around the front edge of the faring back into contact with the faring. No way to remove the left panel without removing the crash bar now. I also noticed a loose panel flopping about inside the radiator intake scoop. Since the bike seemed to be working fine, I left it until I got home. Using a 6' solid iron cheater bar, and supporting the bike under the skid pan with a floor jack, I was able to bend the crash bar back into shape. Other than some scraped paint (some from the crash, some from my repair) it looks perfectly straight again. I was now able to remove the left faring and investigate that loose internal panel. Turns out the crash caused a couple of those plastic push pins to pop out that hold that inner panel to the outer one. I found one under my bike when I was washing it in Oregon (thankfully I threw it into my side bag!) and an extra that I had from my Honda ST1300 fit perfectly so that was an easy fix.
I also had a stationary drop on the right side, so got to test them both! No damage at all in this case, even though the fall was on a downward slope, making picking up the bike a bit tougher.I think the sudden stop, with no sliding or anything to dissipate some energy is what bent the left one. Never the less I was a bit disappointed but it did its job if not in a somewhat sacrificial way. I give the Givi bars a B-.
One weird thing is that after picking up and starting the bike after it had been lying on its right side with the top pointed down hill, the oil level light stayed on for a minute or two. I'm thinking the oil must have run from the tank into the sump and it took a couple of minutes for the scavenge pump to return it all back in the tank/reservoir?
Later when I was washing the remaining mud off back at the hotel, I noticed the whole crash bar was pushed back. It rotated around the forward lower mount, bending the rearward one down and pulling the loop that goes around the front edge of the faring back into contact with the faring. No way to remove the left panel without removing the crash bar now. I also noticed a loose panel flopping about inside the radiator intake scoop. Since the bike seemed to be working fine, I left it until I got home. Using a 6' solid iron cheater bar, and supporting the bike under the skid pan with a floor jack, I was able to bend the crash bar back into shape. Other than some scraped paint (some from the crash, some from my repair) it looks perfectly straight again. I was now able to remove the left faring and investigate that loose internal panel. Turns out the crash caused a couple of those plastic push pins to pop out that hold that inner panel to the outer one. I found one under my bike when I was washing it in Oregon (thankfully I threw it into my side bag!) and an extra that I had from my Honda ST1300 fit perfectly so that was an easy fix.
I also had a stationary drop on the right side, so got to test them both! No damage at all in this case, even though the fall was on a downward slope, making picking up the bike a bit tougher.I think the sudden stop, with no sliding or anything to dissipate some energy is what bent the left one. Never the less I was a bit disappointed but it did its job if not in a somewhat sacrificial way. I give the Givi bars a B-.
One weird thing is that after picking up and starting the bike after it had been lying on its right side with the top pointed down hill, the oil level light stayed on for a minute or two. I'm thinking the oil must have run from the tank into the sump and it took a couple of minutes for the scavenge pump to return it all back in the tank/reservoir?
All crash bars are designed to be sacrificial at some point, the Givi do seem to have a somewhat lower threshold though. Considering the cost, not too bad.