Won't argue on the looks... and I can't say how well the HD bars actually work in a moving crash due to the mounting points and them not having any lateral bracing. And I can't even speak to the sense of security thing. BUT, in over 35 years of riding it's been my experience that there are two types of riders... Those that have dropped a bike... and those that will drop a bike. Granted, I haven't dropped my Sportster yet, and I have a couple of other bikes that I haven't dropped either, but yeah, I've dropped a few too. Most of them have been stupid stuff at 0 mph, but a few weeks ago I went down, while actually moving, on my R1150GS. The bike slid 6-8 feet before coming to a rest on its left side, and the only damage was some grinding to the engine guard and lower part of the left side bag. I continued my ride and made it home with no issues. On that particular bike, if I hadn't had good engine guards on it I very likely would have been screwed and had trouble getting home.

Like I said, I've never dropped a Sporty, and I have no idea what parts touches down first or how much good the guards really do, but, styling choices aside, anything that minimizes damage is a good thing, IMO.

You can see the scrapes the guard left on the asphalt...





If not for the guard there would have been more vital, and costly to replace, motorcycle parts doing the scraping.


Of course the engine guards on the GS are designed to actually do something.





If you look closely you can see the left side lateral support bar just below the header. This bar runs from the guard's main loop to another mounting point at the rear of the engine, and prevents the loop from just folding back in a crash. These guards are hell for stout!

Can't say about the HD versions but in a simple, and very common, parking lot drop, I'd think they'd help prevent some damage.


.

 

There is a caution.

Many on this forum have had issues removing the two upper torx bolts.

So make sure you have the right size torx, insert the torx socket, hammer it a couple times into the bolt, maybe apply a little heat and remove them.

 

Concur with the torx note above - I believe the correct size is 45 for the bit...

Anyway - here's a couple of pictures of mine with the black mustache guard. I love it.

 

Love my bars. First thing I bought. Now I have highway pegs and lowers thanks to the bars. Friend of mine had em on his and only scuffed em on slow drop.

 

Joe,

The most common problem is buying the wrong guard for the bike, IE; it don't fit. I suggest ebay or amazon although HD has the right one and can install in seconds (you will need minutes).

Mine was from Amazon, fit easy enough, as noted in a real 80KM + crash your not gonna have much use for this as it folds (my KLE crash bent the bars but saved the leg) but the residual resistance is good for you.



Keep it on the rubber,

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Crash Guard Advice: used to protect gas tank, forks, etc., for parking lot type of of low speed or stopped loss of balance tip over. Also helps you to pick up the bike as it will not fall all the way over usually keeping the tires still on contact to pavement (not high in the air which makes lifting the bike hard to do). One day, you will drop your bike from low speed sand or loss of balance, especially as you get older your legs can get weak or knee can suddenly give out. That's the purpose of the crash guard; protect the bike and make it easier to lift the bike if it falls over.

 

Harley-Davidson sells a crash bar for Sportsters, but it costs about $200. Too much to pay. I saw them on E-bay, chrome or black powder coat for about $120 and some as low as $65. Read the E-bay seller's buyer complaints as some see to have poor fitment issues and look for any return policies that have restocking fees.

 

I just put one on today got on ebay new $31 + $10 shipping. My jiffy stand is trickey I got to hold it down till the bikes weight is on it damn near fell over on me when I first got it. I will see how it looks when I take it out of the shed. Hope it aint too fugley.

 

Better to spend a few Hamiltons on an engine guard than a few Benjamins repairing the damage. However, certain Sporty models just don't have that appeal with an engine guard.

 

i like mine also, if you go down, they protect alot of spendy stuff