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I went with the Hogworkz 1.25" bag guards. They were like $250 I think. Well worth the piece of mind. Those stunt bike bag guards are a bit more pricey I believe.
I am strongly considering the Hogworkz ones, as I like the way they look. However looking at the others if I go with something cheap on amazon, may be a better option at least while initially learning to handle the bike at low speeds. I figure I AM going to drop it, probably few times, and having a sacrificial wheel on there that is replaceable or won't get totally destroyed might be a good option. I don't prefer the look of them, but one of my concerns was reducing lean angle and it sounds like that is not a concern.
I have been waiting to start getting some cones and doing some parking lot practice until I get something to protect my bags and keep the bike from falling completely over.
All good inputs on the crash bars, I appreciate it!
@ paws619 - My co-worker also suggested getting some garden hose sections and zip tie it for the course, on par with your suggestion, so this is a possibility but if I start to get into the deep lean at slow speed on my regular cruises I will not have them on, so I thought about something more for the long run for now.
@ Cornpipe - I did see the "Ride Like Pro" on YT with his protectors which clamp on but he wants $380 for them plus freight, and for that price I can get two full sets of crash bars from Amazon or eBay, so his price point is not attractive.
I also thought about removing the bags during the course but wanted to get used to the full weight of the bike. I only picked up this RKS at the end of last summer, so still getting used the extra weight and different center of gravity, coming off an older Softail without bags and a smaller engine, plus not riding for a years years!
I did have a milestone this past weekend, after six+ years of riding solo, picked up a cheap/soft 2up seat and a sissy bar and got my wife on the back, she seemed happy (comparing to riding on my 88cu in, slow poke) and I was able to adjust to the extra weight pretty quickly, so that's a plus but I still baby it on slow turns and need to get my practice time to get that dialed in!
I also saw that they make wrap around bars for the bags in black, it kind it takes the bike back into the classic look vs modern but that may also be an option.
Lastly, as I found a bunch of guards with the slider/roller on AMZ, they talk about "cutting off" a section of the OEM bar, which does not make sense!?
Last edited by ElectroMike; May 28, 2025 at 06:57 AM.
I went with the Hogworkz 1.25" bag guards. They were like $250 I think. Well worth the piece of mind. Those stunt bike bag guards are a bit more pricey I believe.
Good job, your saddlebag guards look mean..
What are your thoughts about the Step-up? Is it the standard reach model, does it bring you closer to the tank, and is the lumbar support good ?
I went with the Hogworkz 1.25" bag guards. They were like $250 I think. Well worth the piece of mind. Those stunt bike bag guards are a bit more pricey I believe.
I have looked hard at these a few times. Crazy question, but by any chance have you "tested" them? Either unintentionally or like on purpose with a rug or a few towels? I've always wondered if they protect the stretched bags.
My Road King had nothing from the factory. I put the below bars on it and they have never touched when the floorboard scrapes. But, when I hit a slick spot in the rain, the lower wheel touched and turned to keep the bike from digging in and the bags never touched the ground.
P. S. The wheel will get torn up a bit when it saves the bike n bags. Small price to pay for them doing the protection job.
I've been doing a bunch of research on these bars, check you swing arms and your brake line on the right side. Seems like there is a design flaw with many of these where the lower mount is not shaped proper and allows the crash bar to hit the lower swing arm and damage the break line, all depending on the suspension travel. Many had to loosen the break line and move it inward, then add a 1/4" or 1/2" washer to move the mounting bar point away to help clear the swing arm top. This is not just for no name Amazon/eBay bars, it covers some of he more expensive brand names.
After I saw that, I found a 35% promo code for the clamp on protectors from the "motorcycledropguards" YT guy, so it came out to $340 shipped vs $420, covers front, rear and primary case.
I've been doing a bunch of research on these bars, check you swing arms and your brake line on the right side. Seems like there is a design flaw with many of these where the lower mount is not shaped proper and allows the crash bar to hit the lower swing arm and damage the break line, all depending on the suspension travel. Many had to loosen the break line and move it inward, then add a 1/4" or 1/2" washer to move the mounting bar point away to help clear the swing arm top. This is not just for no name Amazon/eBay bars, it covers some of he more expensive brand names.
After I saw that, I found a 35% promo code for the clamp on protectors from the "motorcycledropguards" YT guy, so it came out to $340 shipped vs $420, covers front, rear and primary case.
Did they arrive? Did you have to mod anything? How was the install? And pics I'm still on the fence about adding rear bars, just not confident they will protect the stretched bags.
Did they arrive? Did you have to mod anything? How was the install? And pics I'm still on the fence about adding rear bars, just not confident they will protect the stretched bags.
i have 1/2" Drag specialities crash bars & had the bike down twice w/zero damage, not even a scratch on da bars...plus I think those are ugly as f! Each his own...)
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I'm still on the fence about adding rear bars, just not confident they will protect the stretched bags.