Quick advise re crash bungs

[Motoracer]

Hey guys and galls, what you do with your own bike is up to you but here's my advise from experience about crash knobs.

The really long crash bungs that stick out a lot and have thoes skinny alloy mounts that go between the crash knobs and the engine are just asking for trouble in a real crash IMHO. If you drop it at very low speeds like doing 15kmph or just off the stand, then they are great as you really shouldn't get much damage if any on most bikes, with long knobs (excuse the pun). This is obviously because the longer crash bung the further away from the ground the bike will stay once it lays on it's side.

However the longer the bungs the more leverage it gets for sideways bend and the eaiser it becomes for the Bungs to bend or break the alloy mount along with the bolt inside. When they bend, they don't protect your bike at all and in some cases they make matters even more worst. In the worst case senario, which happened to my bike, the long bungs will have so much leverage that it'll rip out the engine mounts, which leads to repaires way bigger and costlier than measly little cosmetic repaires.

So what to do? If you want to use crash knobs, make sure that they only stick out from the body work a little bit so that they are not too long and end up having too much leverage during a crash. Get rid of thoes skinny little alloy mounts and get a big as solid flat washer to go on the back which will work as a solid base for the bungs. This will ensure maximum resistance to bending sideways movement during a crash.

Also, once you do crash, check the bungs and the bolts and make sure you replace the bolt, as it probably went through a lot of stress during that crash and it wouldn't survive the next crash.

If you have no crash knobs, you won't reck the frame where you put your knobs but will most probably damge the bike a lot, cosmetically. If you have crash knobs too long and big, you can almost be sure that they will work perfectly at low speed crashes but in most cases it'll make matters worst during a high speed crash. So I say, compremise and have short and stubby crash bungs with a solid base so you kind of get the best possible protection for the bike with minimal repair bills.


Choice is yours but that's my advise if you want to use it. Please note that, crashes are one of the most unpredictable things about bikes, even if you play it safe 100%, the bike could still be f#ked depending on how unlucky you are after you hit the deck.

[bugjuice]

I got some shit ones, and I've learnt the semi-hard way (mine were just shit, I haven't used them yet), so I'm getting some proper decent ones when I can loose this pair and save some more. In the long run, that $150-$200 or so for knobs could save an easy few grand in crank cases, farings and respray etc.. well worth the money.

I have a pair for sale, if anyone wants them...

[Sparky Bills]

Ive seen a few race bikes with the race knobs on the inside of the fairing.
Doesnt protect the fairing, but does protect the frame etc.
A good example is the VTR1000 Sp race bikes, the crash bungs on them stick out about 2" max!

I saw the damage to your bike at the track MR, goo insentive not to use long bungs!
Fairing damage is one thing, but Frame damage is in a totally different ball game.

[FEINT]

well written MR. .. what do you think of those frame sliders that actually have an additional bracket to save the fairing being cut?

for you '05 owners out there..... I personally have the RG Racing ones, haven't installed them but have heard they are really good.

RG Racing (UK)

Shogun l

[Blackbird]

Sound advice motoracer I've got short ones on the 'bird and when I arsed off on the East Cape dirt road, they proctected the bike to the extent that I got a few scratches on the fairing side panel at the bottom end but no other damage. The mushroom bolts weren't bent at all.

[Coldkiwi]

good on ya MR. I get nervous seeing bikes around with long crash knobs, especially after hearing about the K3 Alstare that got ripped apart up by Silverdale last year because of long knobs hitting the kerb!

[Motu]

what a bunch of fuckin wimps - whadda you think God gave you elbows for! You crash...you slam your elbow down and hold the bike up.It's easy man - you want any elbows...I got a couple to spare here,but once they're gone,that's it - OK?

[Sensei]

Have all ways found that not crashing helps to

[Kiwi]

Sensei is right - it is the best protection. Don't bycrash pads made from aluminium - they look good but they don't work - buy propper pads, like those
http://www.desmodromics.co.nz/images/moko/Suzuki2.jpg

see ya Kiwi

[sAsLEX]

hmm mine prob aint the best then! but I aint go no fairings to sacrifice to the tarmac gods

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/gallery/a.../VFR%20006.jpg

ps sorry for big pic

[FROSTY:Me]

um er well ya see um er -gosh darn it how do ya say I told ya so without sounding loke an egotistical prick??
You made some really good valid points there MR .
Thats why the crash bungs on mella yella only stick out a little ways
Im sorry though dude I feel I need to correct some thinking here.
Have a good look at the mountings on most bike fairings
Notice that although the sum whole of the mounting system is pretty solid. Each individual mount tends to be sacrificial somewhere -be it the rubber bushes with a small pin or the plastic lugs.
The point is if you over strenthen the crash bung mount you will move the stress point onto some of the basic structure of the bike.
the way I set my bungs up was that they would ground away in a decent crash and then the fairing would bear the brunt of the impact.

[Coyote]

Great advice, I thought that was the case with the longer mounts

I'm looking to get bungs on my bike, just wondering where are the best places to mount crash bungs?

[sAsLEX]

Great advice, I thought that was the case with the longer mounts

I'm looking to get bungs on my bike, just wondering where are the best places to mount crash bungs?

where the bike will first hit the ground if you lay it down I would of thought

[FROSTY:Me]

Great advice, I thought that was the case with the longer mounts

I'm looking to get bungs on my bike, just wondering where are the best places to mount crash bungs?

The thing is with the less expensive bungs is they are (Ibeleive) soposed to be universal fitting.
The idea is fit them to the bike then trim them back to suit.
Actually its the whole--nothing new under the sun syndrome.
Im from the naked bike generation--CB900's ,gsx1100's and such like
if one of those fell over or crashed it was the crankcase ends that copped the hammering.
The answer was to fit crash bars over the crankcases
Trouble was they used to smash into the cases or bend the engine mount in a crash
Sound familiar.
The most effective kind acted as a sacrificial barrier-so they gave a bit in the impact and ground awy on the road

[Coyote]

The thing is with the less expensive bungs is they are (Ibeleive) soposed to be universal fitting.
The idea is fit them to the bike then trim them back to suit.
Actually its the whole--nothing new under the sun syndrome.
Im from the naked bike generation--CB900's ,gsx1100's and such like
if one of those fell over or crashed it was the crankcase ends that copped the hammering.
The answer was to fit crash bars over the crankcases
Trouble was they used to smash into the cases or bend the engine mount in a crash
Sound familiar.
The most effective kind acted as a sacrificial barrier-so they gave a bit in the impact and ground awy on the road

I was thinking of welding a screw to hold a bung on the RH crankcase cover as that's stuffed if I ever wanted to sell the bike. As for the LH side, the cover is still looking good and I would like to keep it that way.

Problem is I'm not sure where the best place is too place the crash bungs because anywhere I can screw them onto the frame is in the way of my legs or would require a very long bolt to get the bung in a place that it would be protecting the bike

I wish I had sorted all this out earlier, I might've made it for round 2