BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

so after owning Harley's the engine guard was attached to the frame.. what I have  noticed on the BMW is that the crash bars are mostly attached to the engine and sub frame.  If the bike tips over will push the engine or shift the engine out of alignment from the frame  The energy has to go somewhere I'm assuming that BMW does not have engine guards because it can't absorb the energy from A fall since the guards do not attach to the  frame .....


Looking for some protection and highway pegs to attach to s engine guard, but just thought I would ask first

What frame.  But no, guards will not move the engine and if they did it would take some mighty crash so there would be no bike left.  Have a look at a BMW GSA to see what is possible. I am not suggesting you should do that to an RT though.

Hello Ihbond.


On a Harley the engine is attached to the frame.


On a BMW RT the frame is attached to the engine, which is a stress-bearing part of the overall chassis structure (this is one of the reasons why a BMW is so much lighter than a Harley Tourer).


That is why the guards are mounted in that manner.

RTman10 wrote: What frame.  But no, guards will not move the engine and if they did it would take some mighty crash so there would be no bike left.  Have a look at a BMW GSA to see what is possible. I am not suggesting you should do that to an RT though.

Rtman I see your point. What frame...I did look at the GSA, good suggestion...


Any guards and pegs you might recommend ?

beemerboy9 wrote: Hello Ihbond.


On a Harley the engine is attached to the frame.


On a BMW RT the frame is attached to the engine, which is a stress-bearing part of the overall chassis structure (this is one of the reasons why a BMW is so much lighter than a Harley Tourer).


That is why the guards are mounted in that manner.

It sounds like the engine could take the crash bars energy from a tip over...

Don't know if you have an RT yet but before you consider covering it in scaffolding try using it a bit.  Pegs are something that have not managed to escape to this side of the pond and I cannot see how you could get your legs comfortably round the pots to reach them.  IMO the most effective guards you can fit are the OEM cylinder guards.


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RTman10 wrote: Don't know if you have an RT yet but before you consider covering it in scaffolding try using it a bit.  Pegs are something that have not managed to escape to this side of the pond and I cannot see how you could get your legs comfortably round the pots to reach them.  IMO the most effective guards you can fit are the OEM cylinder guards.


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Scaffolding, lol...
No sold my Harley and picked up a 2016 r1200rt a month ago. I do not have lots of saddle time yet..figured it would not be any worse than with the Harley full dresser.

Ihbond wrote:
Scaffolding, lol...
No sold my Harley and picked up a 2016 r1200rt a month ago. I do not have lots of saddle time yet..figured it would not be any worse than with the Harley full dresser.

I have the factory OEM guards and they have worked perfectly on at least 2 occasions.  If you drop an RT, it will settle on the lower edge of the cylinder head and the pannier.  If you drop it hard enough, it will also land on the mirror.  As mentioned previously, the engine is integral to the frame and plenty strong enough to hold up the bike.  Highway pegs are another story, personally I have never felt the need for them.  If you stretch your legs forward while riding the cylinder heads definitely limit where you can go.  Those cylinders also provide a lot of protection for your legs in a crash or from flying road debris.  Just my 2 cents.

Agreed the mirrors can touch down but being hinged you just end up with a scuff on the replaceable cover. With scaffolding there is always the danger the bike can roll,over the bar causing all sorts of damage to the fairing panels etc. 


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timminator wrote:
I have the factory OEM guards and they have worked perfectly on a least 2 occasions.  If you drop an RT, it will settle on the lower edge of the cylinder head and the pannier.  If you drop it hard enough, it will also land on the mirror.  As mentioned previously, the engine is integral to the frame and plenty strong enough to hold up the bike.  Highway pegs are another story, personally I have never felt the need for them.  If you stretch your legs forward while riding the cylinder heads definitely limit where you go.  Those cylinders also provide a lot of protection for your legs in a crash or from flying road debris.  Just my 2 cents.

So it sounds like the Oem held up well, and the are not just another eye candy piece of chrome...good to hear...
Guess the best thing is to just and get some pavement time.
Thanks

They are made of stainless steel with hard rubber inserts inside and out.

I used the Illium Works in gray to put on my 15.
I have dropped the bike. They did save my bikes paint on the bags, the front upper faring, and the mirrors.
I was on a goat path chasing a site for our clubs All PA ride. You collect pictures of your bike in front of what the topic is that year. You visit all 70 counties in the State of PA. Last year was airports. Year before Train Stations, before that Post office's.
So on this rutted goat path and come to a quick stop, typical rookie mistake grab a hand full of front brake, the bike takes a nap on its right side and guess what, it was on a down hill grade. I was with other guys we got it uphill again standing on its own sneakers and no damage to the paint of the bike at all. Scuffed the bars themselves but hey I can rattle can them if they work on my nerves too much, or powder coat them after I throw it down a few more times.
They do not have to be removed for any regular service. They IMHO are the strongest setup with the cross member tying both sides together. They went on easy and well. Gives you a place to hang some aux lights and I do have their highway pegs also. I am short a 5'10" and can still use the pegs over the cylinders. However I usually only put one leg out at a time to stretch or change position. On extremely long highway rides I do put both out and it works for me. The pegs mount about any way you can think of and the pegs rotate around which allows you to lock in a foot position that is comfortable just moving your foot forward or back.
All that said they are not cheap neither the bars or the pegs. However on that one stupid drop it would have been my right bag, the cylinder head, the upper panel, and the mirror, they paid for themselves and then a lot more on that one drop.
Again IMHO they are well worth the investment and do give you options for aux lights and I use the rears for tie down points for my roll top bag on long trips. The rears also are a lower profile so if you take a passenger with you they do not interfere with them as much as other types that come up higher.

the thing is, do people fit crash bars to all their bikes, or is it just Harley and BMWs. Surely if your prone to dropping your bike, you should maybe ride a lighter bike. i do understand that accidents can happen, but I've never come across so many stories of dropped bikes than you get from BMW riders.

Is it because by fitting steel bars everywhere they end up too heavy to keep up.

RTman10 wrote: Is it because by fitting steel bars everywhere they end up too heave to keep up.

:whistle: