Crash protection

[AmericanThunder]

Are crash protectors like fork sliders, fork end protectors and the bungs that extend through the fairing worth it?
I remember when I had an FTR a forum member came off his bike and the insurer immediately totalled it due to frame damage caused where the crash bungs bolted on.
Do they do anything, or it just hype?
Anyone ‘tested’ theirs?

[Hayabusa Wannabe]

Are crash protectors like fork sliders, fork end protectors and the bungs that extend through the fairing worth it?
I remember when I had an FTR a forum member came off his bike and the insurer immediately totalled it due to frame damage caused where the crash bungs bolted on.
Do they do anything, or it just hype?
Anyone ‘tested’ theirs?

I do not have experience with them but have heard exactly what you are describing regarding the bungs, which we also know as "frame sliders". At a tip-over or low speed accident they may grind down and can save $1500 in plastics. Some moderate hit? The force has to go somewhere. The frame is aluminum and any aluminum taking a direct impact is going to give! They also have been known to dig into the ground and flip the bike. That itself could end up killing the rider. It is a gambit. To me the negatives seem highly counterproductive.

I had not heard of this but here @c10 alludes that solid handle bars are a protection for damage. They extend way beyond the body of the bike I guess.

Post in thread 'To BST Carbon Wheels or not to ?'

Jan 10, 2026

if you aren’t chasing speed or doing some kind of racing then i would pass on the CF wheels. they aren’t as durable and not every shop will be able to help with tire swaps. from your pic, looks like you ride on rough road and your bike is equipped with skid plates and crash bars. not carbon wheel friendly terrain.

I don't use shops have my own machine . LD riding a bash plate is much better than the OEM plastic chin skirt. Bars saved 5K in additional damage. primary for low speed drop or fall over.

• c10

• 
• 

[c10]

Not solid handle bars . My BMW had Crash Bars

[pcs]

they definitely work with slow speed and tip overs. some people who have high speed crashes with sliders and broke their frame IMO would have destroyed their bike regardless.

[AmericanThunder]

they definitely work with slow speed and tip overs. some people who have high speed crashes with sliders and broke their frame IMO would have destroyed their bike regardless.

Interesting perspective.
I guess that just leaves the area between high speed crash and tip over?

[sixpack577]

You can go with crash/slide rails.
They attach at the upper engine mount bolt and extend up to where the sliders mount.
Some models offer a belly cage as well, basically a hoop that goes under the bike and attches at the front sides where the sliders would be.
However it's always a trade off, as a the crash bars slide and have nothing to bite the road, they are unlikely to flip the bike.
If the bike falls over, they will protect alot of it, but scratches are hard to avoid with any type of frame protection.
And finally, with enough speed or impact force(the bike falling off an embankment at lower speeds) a steel slider is harder than an aluminum frame, and the frame itself can break, which can also be a good thing if you have full coverage insurance, as it's better to get rid of a wreck sometimes than deal with a compromised frame.
Pros and cons to everything.

[TrueGrit]

From my experiences frame sliders do as their title says ,slide and somewhat help with plastics damage (on a nice smooth asphalt surface) nooooow if bike slides off into the softer grass or dirt the slide effect is gone it digs into ground and bike can do some crazy stunts on its own. If bike just falls over sitting still they can minimize plastics damage. :-)

[Bumblebee]

You can go with crash/slide rails.
They attach at the upper engine mount bolt and extend up to where the sliders mount.
Some models offer a belly cage as well, basically a hoop that goes under the bike and attches at the front sides where the sliders would be.
However it's always a trade off, as a the crash bars slide and have nothing to bite the road, they are unlikely to flip the bike.
If the bike falls over, they will protect alot of it, but scratches are hard to avoid with any type of frame protection.
And finally, with enough speed or impact force(the bike falling off an embankment at lower speeds) a steel slider is harder than an aluminum frame, and the frame itself can break, which can also be a good thing if you have full coverage insurance, as it's better to get rid of a wreck sometimes than deal with a compromised frame.
Pros and cons to everything.

I agree,

During my superbike courses we were taught that it's not that the sliding that is the issue, it's what we hit while sliding that is the issue.....

[TrueGrit]

I agree,

During my superbike courses we were taught that it's not that the sliding that is the issue, it's what we hit while sliding that is the issue.....

As I was sliding in both of my crashes all I was thinking the whole time crystal clear in my head was" This is going to hurt!" realizing I may impact something at anytime to stop.

[BigBSBusa]

Here are pics of my '05 GSX-R1000 after my low-side doing 60+ MPH. You can see the parts that frame sliders can't protect. I was extremely glad to have them, however, as the cost of just the bottom plastic was over $400, at the time.

[sixpack577]

I agree,

During my superbike courses we were taught that it's not that the sliding that is the issue, it's what we hit while sliding that is the issue.....

Yep, kind of like falling never killed anyone...just the sudden stop...
Lmao

[sixpack577]

Here are pics of my '05 GSX-R1000 after my low-side doing 60+ MPH. You can see the parts that frame sliders can't protect. I was extremely glad to have them, however, as the cost of just the bottom plastic was over $400, at the time.

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Wow, the road really ate that aluminum Vortex peg and brake pedal end, lol, but that slider did a great job, with pretty minimal plastic damage.
I go back and forth about putting sliders on my '03 Gsxr1000, but they just bolt on with no fairing cutting on that year too, and for $20 are worth what they can save.

[BigBSBusa]

Wow, the road really ate that aluminum Vortex peg and brake pedal end, lol, but that slider did a great job, with pretty minimal plastic damage.
I go back and forth about putting sliders on my '03 Gsxr1000, but they just bolt on with no fairing cutting on that year too, and for $20 are worth what they can save.

Absolutely right. Cheap insurance.

[TrueGrit]

Absolutely right. Cheap insurance.

I've put them on every bike I've owned.

[Bumblebee]

Here are pics of my '05 GSX-R1000 after my low-side doing 60+ MPH. You can see the parts that frame sliders can't protect. I was extremely glad to have them, however, as the cost of just the bottom plastic was over $400, at the time.

View attachment 1709201

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That's a lot of grinding.....

When I was teaching the bike courses, the phase where I spoke on proper riding gear came along and I'd bring an apple with me to show the damage pavement can do to it then tell them to add the weight of a person and speed to imagine what the real damage could be from impacting the pavement without hitting anything....

It always baffled me as to how many of them didn't equate pavement to sand paper.....

[TrueGrit]

Deer hit frame slider first as you can see bent the he11 out of it and saved my knee on busa. Not very helpful on the king. :-) . Some day I'll dig out computer with 85mph slide picts. Ouch.

[AmericanThunder]

The R&G sliders are expensive but also don’t need drilling. Still in two minds

[TrueGrit]

The R&G sliders are expensive but also don’t need drilling. Still in two minds

I think they're all expensive now!:-0

[Bumblebee]

As I was sliding in both of my crashes all I was thinking the whole time crystal clear in my head was" This is going to hurt!" realizing I may impact something at anytime to stop.

I've dropped a bike a couple times on the street, both at really low speeds,

Once was when I was 16 on my Kawasaki triple, I was entering a very busy intersection on a green light making a left turn and hit what I guessed was antifreeze.....I slid completely through the intersection coming to stop at the far side...the bike didn't even shut off.....I pulled in the clutch, picked it up, looked back to see if there were any parts on the road (there weren't) and rode away .........there were lots of cars at that intersection and a few of them knew my dad......he knew about it and it was the first thing he talked about when I walked through the door......oddly enough it took very little to fix the bike....

I ended up in a farmer's field on my RZ........I was coming around a sharp bend only to find a stopped farm tractor so it was either hit the tractor or the field......the bike never fell over but as it was late spring the field was muddy......the farmer gave me a hand getting the bike to the road and told me to go to his farm and wash it off as it was a rolling pile of mud...the rad was packed full......of course he knew my dad too.......the old man had a good laugh at that one......but told me it was a good thing I wasn't killed.....I thought that was nice of him.....

[Hayabusa Wannabe]

Not solid handle bars . My BMW had Crash Bars

Boy did I conflate two different topics. Duh. Well, I got my first dumb move out of the way in the new year. That is the good news.