Thank god for engine guards?
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Cruiser
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
From: Hellinois
Thank god for engine guards?
I was coming up to a stoplight and wondering why traffic was not moving in either direction when I didnt see anything in the intersection. Got up closer and I see a Road King laying over on its engine guard with a guy trying to get it up.
I threw on my hazards and ran over to help him get it up, he was frazzled, pointed him to a parking lot right up the street and went to meet him and make sure he was cool and his bike was rideable.
I went back to investigate and it looked like a car was in the turn lane and started leaking oil profusely. Someone probably forgot to put that plug back in there tight enough.
I followed the line and it was a foot wide path of thick oil leading into a parking lot where a huge puddle of oil sat and no vehicle. If that RK wouldnt have went down, I would have hit that in a turn and probably went down.
He had an engine guard to low speed crash onto, I dont. So, now I think I want one. What are some recommended brands to check out? Can I install them myself easily(I've heard there are 2 infamous bolts up front)?
I threw on my hazards and ran over to help him get it up, he was frazzled, pointed him to a parking lot right up the street and went to meet him and make sure he was cool and his bike was rideable.
I went back to investigate and it looked like a car was in the turn lane and started leaking oil profusely. Someone probably forgot to put that plug back in there tight enough.
I followed the line and it was a foot wide path of thick oil leading into a parking lot where a huge puddle of oil sat and no vehicle. If that RK wouldnt have went down, I would have hit that in a turn and probably went down.
He had an engine guard to low speed crash onto, I dont. So, now I think I want one. What are some recommended brands to check out? Can I install them myself easily(I've heard there are 2 infamous bolts up front)?
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 423
Likes: 1
From: London, UK
Yep you are so right, having one on my old bike which ended in a drop you can really see they are worth every penny.
I agree they don't look so great on sportsters but I still put one on, it was one bolt each side of the frame at low level and two high up above the horn, four in total
I agree they don't look so great on sportsters but I still put one on, it was one bolt each side of the frame at low level and two high up above the horn, four in total
Last edited by ironhide_uk; Jun 17, 2011 at 03:39 PM.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 6,502
Likes: 97
From: SW Ohio
I've had one on my Sporty for 3 years now, it hasn't done anything to my frame yet. An engine guard will protect alot of parts if you ever go down, maybe your legs too.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 276
Likes: 0
From: Kansas
I put one on last year before I went on my 1500 mile trip, glad I did. When I let my brother ride my bike he did a low speed dump and it landed on the engine guard and didn't leave a scratch on the bike. Worth every penny!
Found the install to be very easy with the correct tools...FYI
Found the install to be very easy with the correct tools...FYI
Tourer
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 433
Likes: 5
From: Warren, Ohio
I went down on election day, when Obama got elected. I was going to vote and came to the curve on my road which is actually two ninety degree turns. I have been around those curves since I was ten and now I am 56. I don't know what happened, but I barely started to lean and my bike went down on it's right side. I hit the pavement, looked up and the bike hit the right guard and then onto the left guard. It went only about 30 feet. I have to say if that guard wasn't on there I would have broke a leg, ankle or both. I didn't realize until spring that the right side of my helmet hit the road. I had some road rash on my hands and leather jacket. Only 3 broken ribs.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 4,904
Likes: 9
From: Streetsboro, Oh
I have the HD bar on my XL50-it was on it when i got the bike. This past weekend I pulled it off trying to get a more stripped down look and put it back on 10 mins later as it adds a nice amount of bling to the bike. I have never dropped my bike, but my grandpa went down on a gravle drive way with his 07 Softail deluxe before he converted it to a trike and it has a crash bar in it and there was no damage at all, the bar got a few nicks that cannot be seen after a good wipe down. Sure they do not look right on every bike, but in a drop or a low speed laydown thye do protect the bike. I have heard the 2 upper engine mount bolts are hard to get out, but once they are out the bar goes on in like 5 min and with an extra set of hands even faster.
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Road Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,137
Likes: 2
From: Virginia
My engine guard saved a lot of damage when I went down after tangling with a deer. There was obviously some damage to the bike but it would have been a whole lot worse without the guard. Motor and sheet metal were untouched.
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 642
Likes: 0
From: North Carolina
I've always liked the idea of one but can't get over how the bike looks with them on the N. Maybe one day I'll crash and burn and have to spend a ton of money because I didn't have engine guards, become older and wiser, and buy bagger with enormous chrome engine guards.