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Are crash guards/bars really safe?

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  • #1

    Are crash guards/bars really safe?

    I have been wondering about this for quite sometimes.
    There are no laws which insists the installation of crash guard if it really is a matter of safety. I read various articles which gave mixed opinions. These are the common points duscussed.
    1) Crash guard may not protect your legs completely but surely the engine (to a certain extent)
    2) Doesnt ensure that your bike remains scratch free if it falls.
    3) In cases of accidents, it traps your legs causing more damage and makes your upper body stationary.

    So I still remain confused whether a crash guard really solves the purpose. Please share your views and clear my doubt.
    Last edited by Prajwal Shyale; 05-15-2014, 04:11 PM.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

    GBD Approved

    From my personal experience crash guards are better.

    1. True
    2. True
    3. False
    4. The rider also adds weight to the bike. Should remove him and increase the mileage!
    Biking is not about what you have between your legs, its all about how well you use it!!!!!!!

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    • #3
      Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

      Originally posted by Prajwal Shyale View Post
      4) adds to the weight causing a slight depletion in mileage.
      The absence of the brain compensates for the weight and so mileage remains pretty much the same.
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      • #4
        Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

        Based on my personal experience:

        A sturdy crash-guard saves your legs. Mine was saved.
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        • #5
          Are crash guards/bars really safe?

          Yea, nothing can save the rider or the bike if the accident happens at high speeds. But in case of a dis-balance in traffic or at very slow speeds, crash guards do help in protecting the legs (mine saved twice).
          Better to install them..


          EDIT: as for mileage, it depends on various factors like riding conditions, riding habits, tyre pressure etc. so this 1-2kg crash guard has minimal (or no) effect on mileage. Ride your bike sanely and you will get max mileage.
          Last edited by nadz11.ns; 05-13-2014, 07:49 PM.
          Ride safe and have fun.
          Regards
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          • #6
            Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

            At low speed and in traffic it saved me as well twice and get a most strong available leg guard install in your bike, I would say...

            For just mileage I can not remove them....
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            • #7
              Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

              Speaking from personal experience it does saves your legs!!
              Once a female activa rider hit me from front & crash gaurds took the hit & deflected the activa, if there had been no crash gaurds she would have directly hit my legs & engine!!
              & adding to that it also helps while we take a fall!!

              *Drop a Gear & Disappear*

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              • #8
                Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

                Crash guards do protect the bike it falls...its brings down the damage from broken parts/dents to mere scratches. (Personal experience)

                And when a bike falls when you are still on it, it doesnt trap ur leg, instead it prevents your leg from getting crushed under the bike...because the guard makes the bike stay at an angle with ground, therby making room for our beloved legs.

                Sent from my Nexus 5 using xBhp Connect mobile app

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                • #9
                  Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

                  Crash guard saves a riders leg directly in case of a fall. For bikes like Bullets crash guard definitely helps to keep that heavy weight machine away from riders leg, well there are exceptions in every case. N number of times my crash guard has taken the toll thereby saving my legs from injuries in heavy city traffic. So no point in dropping them as it counts as one of the major safety factor while you are riding.
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                  • #10
                    Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

                    Crash guards were issued as a standard part by almost all the bike manufactures. Now-a-days it has become an accessory. And the sad part is that most of them avoid them to save a few bugs. But I strongly feel that the crash guard should be a part of the bike. It is indeed a safety equipment specially built for safety. If a bike falls during an accident to its side. Then the crash guard protect the legs. In fact in bullet there are 2 crash guards on in the front and the other in the back fixed along with the suspension. There are indeed a safety part of the bike.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

                      The first thing i did after i got my Bullet is fitted crashguard..Apart from safety reason it also looks cool..
                      Don't Honk Unnecessarily

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                      • #12
                        Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

                        Falls at standstill and low speed are well absorbed by guards and they protect body panels also.

                        Sent from my ST27i using xBhp Connect mobile app
                        Last edited by maninderz; 05-13-2014, 07:24 PM.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

                          My reply to your query will be quite different to others and may agree with some, based on my own fare share of slow speed crashes and one life threatening deadly head on collision -----




                          Originally posted by Prajwal Shyale View Post
                          ......


                          1) Crash guard may not protect your legs completely but surely the engine (to a certain extent)

                          Correct, Crash Guards, protect the engine and bike in case of fall.

                          2) Doesnt ensure that your bike remains scratch free if it falls.

                          ofcourse, it is not a fail safe method and amount of damage to your bike depends on the way you fall, some parts may get scratched or damaged, but it definitely minimizes the damage

                          3) In cases of accidents, it traps your legs causing more damage and makes your upper body stationary.

                          this actually depends on the way you fall--

                          if its a lowside kind of fall, i.e. you slide off while being leaned over, crash guard creates a gap between the frame/body of bike and road surface, the exact location where your legs will be, so it prevents the weight of bike to come directly on your sliding legs, thereby reducing the injury to your legs.


                          however, in case of a head on collision, it does more damage than good, to your legs, and bigger the crash guard, more the damage. imagine you collide head on with something like a car coming from opposite direction, at the moment of impact, the bike becomes stationary (for a fraction of second) because it is stopped by the car in front, with which it collided, at this exact moment of time, due to inertia, your body is thrown forward and bike being stationary, and your body moving forward, the legs will hit the crash guard with a force, which is sufficient to break bones of your legs, and depending on the size/location of crash guard and angle of impact, you may get a broken shin/knee cap/or thigh bone. this has happened with me,so i know it. AND THIS IS EXACTLY THE REASON YOU DONT FIND CRASH GUARDS ON HIGHER CAPACITY BIKES, IT IS REPLACED BY FRAME SLIDERS.

                          4) adds to the weight causing a slight depletion in mileage.
                          forget this point.

                          So I still remain confused whether a crash guard really solves the purpose. Please share your views and clear my doubt.
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                          • #14
                            Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

                            [MENTION=15693]princesirohi[/MENTION].. About point 3, i never thought about it and looks like this scenario can be nasty. Nice one.

                            But in an head-on collision, not many things can protect a rider.
                            Ride safe and have fun.
                            Regards
                            Nadeem

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                            • #15
                              Re: Are crash guards/bars really safe?

                              Thanks for sharing your views

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