Road Kings with Engine Guard Removed
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,976
Likes: 49
From: Northern California
I have no problem in admitting I have dropped my bike before. In the garage moving it around, in a parking lot moving it in a hurry and did not fully deploy the jiffy and one time on my Dads brand new Heritage moving it in my gravel drive, thanks be that Dad listened to me and had the Bars installed when his bike was new. None of the instances did more than scratch the chrome on the bar.
I sure do think they look a lot cleaner without the bars.
I have also flopped the bike on the side to replace a jiffy spring, the bars were sure nice for that, in the lonely desert there does not seem to be much to lean the bike on.
FWIW I have been riding 30 plus years and logged hundreds of thousands of miles.
Anyhow it is really the owner of the bikes preference and they look prettty good with less clutter.
I sure do think they look a lot cleaner without the bars.
I have also flopped the bike on the side to replace a jiffy spring, the bars were sure nice for that, in the lonely desert there does not seem to be much to lean the bike on.
FWIW I have been riding 30 plus years and logged hundreds of thousands of miles.
Anyhow it is really the owner of the bikes preference and they look prettty good with less clutter.
Novice
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: United States
I thought about taking the crash bars off and then this happened. I was pulling up on the pavers and I hit the coaster real slow and down she went. Good thing the saddle bag rested on the grass rather than the pavers. I don't have the rear guards yet.
Banned
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 678
Likes: 1
From: LA
I saute you. It takes a real man to admit they dicked up. A big gust of wind can be enough to knock shorter riders over at times, rolling down a slope on the jiffy stand, and parking on the wrong camber only to discover you cannot reach the ground on the other side are all typical ones. And then there's riding in winter ... remember when folks used to do that?
I have one other crash bar story that goes the other way ...
The speed limit was just about to break from 30 MPH to unlimited, so I flipped the bike to the side and whacked the throttle open ... only to discover around 70 MPH that there was an automobile sitting in the outside lane waiting to turn off the road.
I promise you, I heard the clang of the crash bar hit the rear fender of the 4 wheeler (this was back in the day when they had metal crash bars and not just plastic) as I stood up on the pegs and tilted the bike at 50 degrees, riding it at an angle right along the side of the vehicle in order to make it by! Fractions of a second poorer reactions and I would cartwheeled off the thing. Not saying I could do the same thing nowadays.
Filtering through traffic sure is easier without them too. I've actually been blasted on the horn by sports motorcycles frustrated at the old man on the dresser gumming up "their" lanes because I cannot fit through the gaps I used to.
I have one other crash bar story that goes the other way ...
The speed limit was just about to break from 30 MPH to unlimited, so I flipped the bike to the side and whacked the throttle open ... only to discover around 70 MPH that there was an automobile sitting in the outside lane waiting to turn off the road.
I promise you, I heard the clang of the crash bar hit the rear fender of the 4 wheeler (this was back in the day when they had metal crash bars and not just plastic) as I stood up on the pegs and tilted the bike at 50 degrees, riding it at an angle right along the side of the vehicle in order to make it by! Fractions of a second poorer reactions and I would cartwheeled off the thing. Not saying I could do the same thing nowadays.
Filtering through traffic sure is easier without them too. I've actually been blasted on the horn by sports motorcycles frustrated at the old man on the dresser gumming up "their" lanes because I cannot fit through the gaps I used to.
Last edited by Dun Roamin; Aug 16, 2014 at 08:17 PM.
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: Cape Town, South Africa
Just a question for those who have removed the rear guards (I have removed the front ones). I see the rear guards are attached to the saddle bag supports, if i remove the guards does that influence the stability of the saddle bags at all?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Road Master
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 992
Likes: 2
From: TN
OK - I'm in love with my bike except for one thing that keeps catching my eye in a bad way.... The engine guard from certain angles just looks wrong... Like a big ugly, disproportionate afterthought stuck on there. I don't use it for anything really (no lowers, rarely use the highway pegs...) so Im thinking of pulling it off but before I do I wouldn't mind seeing any pics you guys might have of your RK's with the guard removed.... Thanks in advance (and yes I know the thing serves a purpose and there's a pretty good chance I'll regret removing it...)
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 6,129
Likes: 143
From: Santa Cruz
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,928
Likes: 285
From: Edmond Oklahoma
Removing the rear guard requires a different bag support. There are plenty of SG saddlebag supports on eBay.