Tiger 900 Crash Bars

[Kikdrum]

I'm surprised there's not an entire thread on this subject (or maybe I can't find it) as there's a lot to talk about. Mainly, options. It's either get crash bars that protect the entire bike but have bolts that have the potential to break off in the engine casing, get frame mounted bars that don't protect the entire bike, or go without.
I chose Outback Motortek bars. I had a fall and one of the bolts going into the upper engine casing sheared. I wrote to the company and the distributor but haven't heard back yet. The bars have a great design in exception for mounting to the engine casing. I'm now considering SW-Motech bars. They mount to the frame, one engine case point, and to each other, but limited on lower engine case protection. Uuuuugh!!
What is everyone else using?

 

[brooke]

I'm surprised there's not an entire thread on this subject (or maybe I can't find it) as there's a lot to talk about. Mainly, options. It's either get crash bars that protect the entire bike but have bolts that have the potential to break off in the engine casing, get frame mounted bars that don't protect the entire bike, or go without.
I chose Outback Motortek bars. I had a fall and one of the bolts going into the upper engine casing sheared. I wrote to the company and the distributor but haven't heard back yet. The bars have a great design in exception for mounting to the engine casing. I'm now considering SW-Motech bars. They mount to the frame, one engine case point, and to each other, but limited on lower engine case protection. Uuuuugh!!
What is everyone else using?

Probably way to late with this reply but your right on with your idea on the need for further discussion on engine bars . I just checked some SW moteck info and yes they do have a mount at the frame , good , but I think they also have an attachment to a longitudinally mounted engine bolt which could exert side ways , transverse , force on the bolt . Not good . I’m thinking bolts should never be transferring forces to the engine cases , just holding the bars in place . Also the longer the tabs are between the bar and the hole in the tab the better . This allows for the tab to bend more instead of passing on the force to the engine and making it easier to bend things back into shape after a big get off .
Just a couple of thoughts , perhaps inviting further discussion .

 

[brooke]

Well since most are dropping the ball on this one , I’ll soldier on .
Finally got around to putting the Givi / Kappa guards on the 850 . The instructions are top notch and the black finish is identical to the Triumph paint so they almost disappear on the bike . The right side fit perfectly but the left side caused much anguish . After having it partially on and off a couple of times I put the rear tab in the vice and moved the rest of the thing around it a little bit , the wrong way , then again in the correct direction and on she goes slick as spit . Must say things bent rather easily, buttery even and the whole thing is quite light , the tube being . 95 wall thickness and 1.25 OD . I was doing it alone with just the side stand and a little help from the warden , at one brief point an extra hand is required . I oiled all the supplied bolts that were destined for the engine and installed them by hand without the guard to insure they mated well . All the engine threads were dry as bone . After the Loctite , I snugged up everything , a little here a little there till all was tightened to my liking . There were no torque specs included in the top notch instructions but with the torque wrench and specs from some where it all came together .
My buddy was impressed and pointed out that they offer protection for radiators , which some expert had told him are very fragile , so will have order the rad screens , the genuine Triumph ones look very nice . Hopefully you get the photo…

 

[Kikdrum]

Well since most are dropping the ball on this one , I’ll soldier on .
Finally got around to putting the Givi / Kappa guards on the 850 . The instructions are top notch and the black finish is identical to the Triumph paint so they almost disappear on the bike . The right side fit perfectly but the left side caused much anguish . After having it partially on and off a couple of times I put the rear tab in the vice and moved the rest of the thing around it a little bit , the wrong way , then again in the correct direction and on she goes slick as spit . Must say things bent rather easily, buttery even and the whole thing is quite light , the tube being . 95 wall thickness and 1.25 OD . I was doing it alone with just the side stand and a little help from the warden , at one brief point an extra hand is required . I oiled all the supplied bolts that were destined for the engine and installed them by hand without the guard to insure they mated well . All the engine threads were dry as bone . After the Loctite , I snugged up everything , a little here a little there till all was tightened to my liking . There were no torque specs included in the top notch instructions but with the torque wrench and specs from some where it all came together .
My buddy was impressed and pointed out that they offer protection for radiators , which some expert had told him are very fragile , so will have order the rad screens , the genuine Triumph ones look very nice . Hopefully you get the photo…

Sorry for not responding sooner. There are some very interesting threads out there concerning crash bars for the Tiger. The focus however is on the 900 which seems to have the most issues because of the design.
I did get a response from OM and it wasn't good. "Simple, I'll send new bolts." NOPE!!! It took some work, but I received a full refund. Dealer wanted to charge $500 to extract the broken bolt. I ended up doing it myself, but it was risky and could have damaged the engine casing if I didn't take extreme precautions. Regardless, the entire ordeal was a nightmare. I highly recommend NOT installing the OM upper bars. The lowers are great, but I doubt they sell them separately.
The bars look great on your bike. Looks like (from seeing the tires and cleanliness of the bike) that you ride generally on the street. As long as you're not mounting to the beak or upper front engine mounts and riding where drops are not common, you're probably in good shape.
I also highly suggest reading through the thread of this forum. It VERY informative:

https://www.other forum/threads/tiger-900-aftermarket-crash-bar-test.978542/
There are many other threads on this subject. You can probably find most of them from this one.

Best wishes!

 

[brooke]

Well since most are dropping the ball on this one , I’ll soldier on .
Finally got around to putting the Givi / Kappa guards on the 850 . The instructions are top notch and the black finish is identical to the Triumph paint so they almost disappear on the bike . The right side fit perfectly but the left side caused much anguish . After having it partially on and off a couple of times I put the rear tab in the vice and moved the rest of the thing around it a little bit , the wrong way , then again in the correct direction and on she goes slick as spit . Must say things bent rather easily, buttery even and the whole thing is quite light , the tube being . 95 wall thickness and 1.25 OD . I was doing it alone with just the side stand and a little help from the warden , at one brief point an extra hand is required . I oiled all the supplied bolts that were destined for the engine and installed them by hand without the guard to insure they mated well . All the engine threads were dry as bone . After the Loctite , I snugged up everything , a little here a little there till all was tightened to my liking . There were no torque specs included in the top notch instructions but with the torque wrench and specs from some where it all came together .
My buddy was impressed and pointed out that they offer protection for radiators , which some expert had told him are very fragile , so will have order the rad screens , the genuine Triumph ones look very nice . Hopefully you get the photo…

Sorry for using my memory for the specs on the tube size , it is in fact 25mm od and of course .095 inch thickness .

 

[grendel]

Question on the OEM, Givi, and Outback Motortek lower crash bars - do they need to be removed to change the oil?

 

[sikatri]

Question on the OEM, Givi, and Outback Motortek lower crash bars - do they need to be removed to change the oil?

If you can get at the plug at the bottom of the case, no. I wouldn’t expect crash bars to need removal, but sump guards would likely be on the way.

 

[Qship]

Depends on manufacturer. My SWMotech sump guard has a hole to access drain bolt. Lower engine guards are not in the way on my bike. Probably not on a 900 either.

 

[grendel]

If you can get at the plug at the bottom of the case, no. I wouldn’t expect crash bars to need removal, but sump guards would likely be on the way.

Found this review on Revzilla.com, it's not for a Tiger 900, but an Africa Twin. Still makes me wonder...



About
Givi TN1167OX Engine Guards Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports DCT 2018-2019
Rated 5 out of 5





Feb 27, 2024
Paul HVERIFIED PURCHASER
What I had researched and expected. They will need to be removed for an oil change. 2018 Africa Twin Adventure Sport DCT.
Purchased on Feb 10, 2024

 

[sikatri]

Found this review on Revzilla.com, it's not for a Tiger 900, but an Africa Twin. Still makes me wonder...


About
Givi TN1167OX Engine Guards Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports DCT 2018-2019
Rated 5 out of 5





Feb 27, 2024
Paul HVERIFIED PURCHASER
What I had researched and expected. They will need to be removed for an oil change. 2018 Africa Twin Adventure Sport DCT.
Purchased on Feb 10, 2024

Well that particular design for sure. There’s a sump guard involved with no access to the plug on the guard and no way to remove the sump guard without removing the crash bars. Pictures always help with these responses. There’s a variety of designs for bars out there. Unless one of knows the specific item first hand then you get a mix of answers. Glad you got it figured out. That particular one wouldn’t be my first choice, unless the install process was extremely simple. I suppose you could always drill a larger hole at the sump guard to allow for oil change without removing it, but you still might have to anyway if you’re changing the oil filter as well.

 

[CarlS]

The OEM sump guard on my 800XC had a hole that corresponding with the drain plug. Is that the case with the 900?

 

[michelebalz]

Hello, have you checked the new hepco&Becker upper crash bars for the rally pro 2024? What do you think about that? Broken bolts and frame still?