BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Hmmm, I'm really struggling to make my mind up about fitting a set of crash bars to the bike ahead of my tour to Italy at the end of the month. I'm not too keen but worried about dropping the bike when moving it around at low speed, u-turn, hotel car parks, etc. If this happens on tour it could be game over and recovery home but with the crash bars in place they could save my blushes. Be glad to hear any opinions?

UKDucatiman wrote: I'm really struggling to make my mind up about fitting a set of crash bars... Be glad to hear any opinions?

I think my opinion on this one is well known, so I'll stay out of it...


:alas: :alas: :alas:

The OEM head guards do the job and you won't look like a scaffolder going on holiday. £9.99 in Halfords on rubber bumper strips will protect the panniers and are nearly invisible.

drop it once then make up your own mind ,I have wunderlich chrome ones on mine and I think they look quite nice !

Some strong opinions on this subject then ; ) I'm assuming the protection (cylinder head and bottom of pannier) shown in the following pics is standard or are these upgrades?

Both are OEM accessories

RTman10 wrote: Both are OEM accessories

So, I'm all set then  :D

You are.  I think I recall the pannier protectors are over £60 per pannier . They are just stuck on.


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So as BMW were offering protection options for panniers and cylinder heads, as fitted to my bike it seems they did see the need or support crash bars as an OEM offering.

They have always produced additional protection for boxer engines going back to the year dot. Pannier protection seems to have started with the 1100 on 1995. I can find no record of them having made crash bars for panniers as these put excessive strain on the sub frame in a drop.

For me they are an invaluable addition, and blend in aesthetically with the rugged good looks of the RT and in my case it's owner. 8)


Probably no use whatsoever in an off at any speed, but then the insurance is there for a reason, however in a fall over for any reason they afford good protection all round.


Each to their own


Enjoy your tour  [attach=1]

I have to agree with Tango on this. All except his rugged good looks, as we have never met. I had my dealer install black Krauser protection bars both front and rear. The second day of ownership I abuse the front break at a stop and couldn't hold it up. Those bars are paid for. By the way, I do not believe that the plastic stick on Pannier guards will prevent any but the most minor of damage. The scratch on my rear bar, says that the damage would have occurred above the plastic guard. 5 minutes with sand paper and gloss black "crash bar and frame" paint took care of the scratches to the bars. Now you would be hard pressed to discover they ever kissed the earth.
Make this a "to be" decision. It will be one less thing to worry about, and we all know there is enough to worry about.
Enjoy your tour, stay safe.

They do you know.  With the BMW engine protectors fitted in a straight drop the bike does not roll,over the guard and only the bottom of the pannier touches down. The thick strip of rubber on the bottom stops all damage.  pick it up and you don't even need black paint to hide anything. Any moving drop of course will be a different story and sticking out bars would probably manage to destroy more than they save. I have seen a GS that had side swiped the rear bumper of a car have its rocker cover destroyed by a crash bar. But as you say, it's our own choise how much scaffolding we want to fit.

A slightly different take on the topic I know but when I was at the BMW Off-Road Skills school in Wales, they don't put any bars on their bikes.  They reckon in the long run it's far cheaper to repair the bikes than it is to cope with the additional damage caused by crash bars.


And before anybody says it - they do buy/own the bikes.  They don't get given them by BMW...

A topic which splits opinions and pretty much mirrors my indecision on to fit or not to fit. I'm sure BMW would not have released the cylinder head guards and rubber pannier protectors without some level of testing. I need to have a search to see if there is anything on the web about this. But just looking at the crash bars gives a level of reassurance about saving the bike if it tips over. Having me and the misses trapped under my lightweight Ducati Multistrada some year ago is not something I want to consider on a fully loaded RT. Also down to how confident you are about keeping the bike upright and by starting this post I've probably answered my own question!