Engine guard W/ Forward controls
Novice
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 23
Likes: 10
From: So. Fl
I I believe the engine guard would bend first to protect the bike, the engine guards are typically lighter material for that purpose. It sure saves the bike from a lot of damage.
6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 12
Likes: 2
From: Fort Worth, Texas
100% of the time when one of my bikes have gone down over the last couple of decades, it has been at low speed ... frequently while essentially stopped. Zero frame damage and zero damage to the expensive visible parts of the bike. So, the frame has never bent in those situations.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 5,562
Likes: 4,758
From: Albuquerque, NM
6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 12
Likes: 2
From: Fort Worth, Texas
Any crash bar that looks like these at the bottom should work (https://www.ebay.com/itm/26507282762...Cclp%3A2047675). It simply attaches with the U bolts to the bottom front of the frame, so the forward controls mounted to the outside still work fine. The one I posted the link for, though, already has built-in highway pegs. If you look at my earlier post in this thread, the pictures show how they work together. My crash bar helped keep my bike from worse damage when I dumped my bike a few months ago. Only had a scrape on the back of the pipe, a tiny spot on my hard saddlebags, and the rest was scraped on the crash bar and highway peg on it. It might have also caused the bike to tilt further over to smack into my ankle, breaking it badly, even though I was almost stopped at the time. I think the shape of the bottom of the crash bar can change that, though. Some are more angled up and out before turning back toward the top of the frame, like the shape of a 7, and others, like mine, are more rounded out, like a sideways 0. I would expect the 7 style to not tip the bike over as much in a crash, protecting your feet/ankles better, while still protecting the bike from further damage. I realize they may not look great, style-wise, but the protection they provide I think is well worth it.
I'm not sure what the difference is in the frame of a 2006 vs 2004 Dyna, but bolting to the down tubes with U clamps should be fairly universal..
6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 12
Likes: 2
From: Fort Worth, Texas
I think I've figured out the difference between a 2004 and 2006 Dyna frame (at least where the engine guard mounts). I won't know for sure for about 10 days to 2 weeks when the 2006 engine guard arrives.
Best I can tell from reviewing the dimensions of 2006 engine guards posted on eBay, the two front down tubes of the 2006 frame are about 1 /12 inches closer together than on the 2004 frame.
I plan to just spread the mounting plates apart on a 2006 engine guard the 1 1/2 inches and it should fit my bike. Worse case, I'll have to fabricate some adapter plates.
I'm posting this just in case someone else searches for an answer to this question also.
Best I can tell from reviewing the dimensions of 2006 engine guards posted on eBay, the two front down tubes of the 2006 frame are about 1 /12 inches closer together than on the 2004 frame.
I plan to just spread the mounting plates apart on a 2006 engine guard the 1 1/2 inches and it should fit my bike. Worse case, I'll have to fabricate some adapter plates.
I'm posting this just in case someone else searches for an answer to this question also.
Last edited by PhillipTx; Jun 5, 2021 at 03:04 AM.
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Stage III
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Texas
I am not sure how educated you are on structural engineering, but crash bars / engine guards have a lower tensile strength than the motorcycle frame...and the crash bars / engine guards are designed to take a blunt impact, but they will sheer or break before the frame, these are designed to save the bike not total it.
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Joined: Aug 2019
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From: Unreconstructed