Rethinking Farkling

[Xclimation]

Just recently traded my 2012 Tenere and 2005 Honda VTX 1300C on a 2015 Tenere. Before trade in I stripped both bikes to bone stock. Two things struck me. How heavy the farkles are/were and how much more nimble each bike handled without farkles.
I'm sure aerodynamics played a part. When deciding on an adventure bike; one of the sticking points for the Tenere was the weight. So after this; I'm questioning why do I want to add more weight with farkles? The Altrider crash bars and Altrider skid plate seems pretty heavy. The combination of the 2 according to the Altrider website claims 20lbs. It feels much heavier? I need to weigh them out of curiosity. The brackets on the Altrider skid plate added significant weight alone. But....I don't like the alternative which is of course a possibly damaged bike as well as personal safety. Altrider is one of the few If not the only manufacturer that gives the weight specs. I'm talking about all farkles not just crash bars and skid plates. I'm not sure where to go with this. What are others' thoughts on this?

 

[snakebitten]

I completely understand your desire. If I had 2 Teneres, I might be tempted.

But, I crash a lot.

 

[Xclimation]

I completely understand your desire. If I had 2 Teneres, I might be tempted.

But, I crash a lot.

I do have an unsettling kind of vulnerable feeling not having the protective farkles! I'd feel this even more if my bike looked as good as yours!

 

[snakebitten]

Yours is BRAND NEW and shiny!

All those pics were when my WAS shiny.
Lasted a few days.

 

[rider33]

I go back and forth on that myself. I like the OEM side cases for instance but I can put all I need in a Aerostich seat bag which puts the weight on the seat where it is suppose to go & leaves the bike a lot narrower too. If I were starting over I'd for sure go with the crash bars
(tender bits on the left & spot to hang highway pegs- I use the Happy Trail version) and I'd add the Madstad bracket (ALOT easier to use, even for the Gen. 2) but other than that, I'm not so sure. Oh hell, who am I kidding, farkeling is not a rational thing, it's a bit of winter madness.....

 

[yoyo]

I can see your point and if I'm honest I'd never given it a thought but that said farkling is something that gets me through a long winter!!

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[RicoChet]

I can see your point and if I'm honest I'd never given it a thought but that said farkling is something that gets me through a long winter!!

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Same here. Bike has been sitting in the Garage since November. The only way to have fun with it is to add toys to it.

 

[greenwall]

I ride mine only on the street. No crashbars. No bash plate. The only weight I add is lighting to make me more visible, and of course, see better at night. I've heard and seen a video that the stock tip over guards do a good job at slow speeds on pavement. That'll have to do. I ordered a pair of Givi crashbars for my 2012 and when I lifted them out of the box I said no way. I just couldn't add 20 pounds of dead weight to my bike. But if lived in area where dirt roads were more common, or that was more of my interest then I would be forced to I suppose.

 

[ace50]

I ride mine only on the street. No crashbars. No bash plate. The only weight I add is lighting to make me more visible, and of course, see better at night. I've heard and seen a video that the stock tip over guards do a good job at slow speeds on pavement. That'll have to do. I ordered a pair of Givi crashbars for my 2012 and when I lifted them out of the box I said no way. I just couldn't add 20 pounds of dead weight to my bike. But if lived in area where dirt roads were more common, or that was more of my interest then I would be forced to I suppose.

::008:: ::008::

 

[Mark R.]

I get it, but I think we have to farkle the bike for its intended purpose. I ride mine off road a lot, and by myself a lot, so I have to have all the crash protection and flat repair and other tools and supplies, as well as rescue and survival supplies. I would rather have the crash bars and skid plate than not have them.

Mark R.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Sierra1]

Altrider skid plate, and Mastec crash bars. That's it. The Mastecs give more drop protection then stock without a lot of weight/size. Some crash bars look like they would be apt to fold into the body, and cause more damage than they prevent. I know for a fact that a lot of truck brush guards will fold in minor crashes, and damage the hood. I have the OEM bags, but they stay home for most of my riding since they do make for a wide booty.

 

[Davesax36]

I like looking like Ewan and Charlie, but I'm seriously considering just switching to light holders and making my own oil filter protection.

 

[yoyo]

I like looking like Ewan and Charlie, but I'm seriously considering just switching to light holders and making my own oil filter protection.

I have a stock sump guard and just used a piece of checker plate to extend the front and protect the oil filter

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[Xclimation]

okey dokey....I thought about it. I refarkled my new bike..... I did some checking into other crash bars. Altrider's are lighter than most and within a pound of others. I don't know about the rumbux. The altrider skid plate is 8 pounds. I weighed on a scale both the crash bars and skid plate and they came out to 20 lbs. What altrider claims is accurate. The protection they give is worth the 20 lbs. in my opinion. I'm not going to reattach highway pegs until I go on my next long trip.
I have the happy trails panniers and using them with Givi p2119CAM brackets. I need the panniers and I also have the Givi Outback Trekkers for long trips.
I do not yet have winglets and will probably get them for the cold. Not sure how much they take away aerodynamically?

 

[jimmy z]

My altrider crash bars and skid plate have saved me $$$ over the years.Now if I would lose 20lbs. I would not notice the weight.

 

[markjenn]

After many many bikes and many many farkles, I've started taking a much more critical eye of what I add to a bike. The cost of accessories is high, the engineering typically isn't that good, and they often lead to areas of unreliability, especially electrical accessories. In the case of armor, it adds weight which can actually increase the chance you're going to crash, either by making the bike more low-speed tipover prone or making the handling squirrely. Another scenario people forget about is how crash protection sometimes transfers loads away from sacrificial panels to hard parts that were not designed to take the loads turning easy-to-repair superficial damage into much more major structural damage. More rugged isn't automatically better. Don't burden a bike with a 30-lb skid plate if you just want to protect the bottom of the engine from gravel and rocks kicked up by the front wheel.

That doesn't mean all farkles are bad. But take a hard look at whether the farkle is really that useful. And in the case of heavy stuff, buy only what you realistically need. Or just slow down and/or turn-around! I don't know of any trip where crashing adds to the enjoyment and if a ER is involved, any trip goes straight into the toilet.

- Mark

 

[Sierra1]

That doesn't mean all farkles are bad. But take a hard look at whether the farkle is really that useful. And in the case of heavy stuff, buy only what you realistically need. Or just slow down and/or turn-around! I don't know of any trip where crashing adds to the enjoyment and if a ER is involved, any trip goes straight into the toilet.

- Mark

::026:: It's the same thing with Jeeps. Everybody has an opinion on what you SHOULD put on/in your Jeep. Just be honest, with yourself, as to what you REALLY need versus what looks cool.

 

[airhead81]

Well said sir. It also bears considering that the OEM's spend more than the entire annual budget of some countries to get everything just right. They have entire teams of highly talented engineers who sweat endless details that we are not even aware of.

I too have one fully farkled and one bone stocker in the garage. I too wonder if, overall, the addition of some off these items is truly an improvement, all things considered. In the end, I suppose it's a trade off in the name of personalization.

 

[trikepilot]

Yours is BRAND NEW and shiny!

All those pics were when my WAS shiny.
Lasted a few days.

If memory serves... you brought Jaxon's opus magnum straight to WV where you proceeded to coat her in mud and managed to rip off the rear part of your front fender.

 

[shmitty]

I've been thinking about this as well, and last week took the Givi pannier rack, Alt Rider tail and pillion racks, and the back seat off mine and rode it around CO the past 2 days. My primary purpose was testing the results of Anthony's reflash of my ECU (which is fantastic btw!) and realized how much I like the stripped down feel and looks of the bike. I kept the Alt Rider crash bars and the OEM aluminium bash plate for protection against gravity on any dirt roads I ride. I knew that I was adding significant weight when I bought them, but they suited my intended usage of riding down decent dirt roads to explore the western USA and go camping.



My bottom line, like so many others have commented, is that I added what I needed to suit my intended riding situations. I have absoluetly no intentions of riding this bike on single track or serius Jeep trials, and although I admire those who have the skills and grit to pull it off, I am not one of those. I found that adding the pannier racks and seat/rack plates back on is a 30 minute job, and since those are only required for a loaded down adventure, I will plan that time into my trip preparations and enjoy the (slightly) reduced weight for the majority of my daily riding.