trail drama today!

Hey guys, new to the forum so going to kill two birds with one stone in the hopes I can also get some assistance!

So I was doing some trail riding on the GS all kitted out for good ol' protection (Supposedly!) - crash bars, bash plate, cylinder head protectors. Anywho to cut a long story short. Stupidly dropped it into a rut at idle which annoying snagged a jagged rock in a puddle resulting in the protector getting cracked. This has resulted in a seriously unfortunate scenario...

The loom got snagged but can be stitched back in without it being noticeable, I do need to replace:

A valve cover
Some new bolts
New Gasket
Ignition Coil
Spark Plug Cover

and for good measure a new oil filter / oil as it was leaking quite heavily. Being in a puddle made things worse as the oil went a creamy white inferring water in and around the valve cover.

Anywho, was able to get the girl back up and roll her down to civilisation by myself and about 3 hours later she was running (albeit on one cylinder) - Got BMW to pick her up and she's now in for repairs... Circa £700 quid.

Anyone got any experience with this and how this would generally affect the engine as a whole or requiring a new Cylinder Head etc - My concern is the water, but the guys at BMW said if I could turn the bike on then it sounds as though it's okay...

Sorry to hear this tale of woe. Hope you get it sorted ok.

What engine guards (cylinder head protectors) were you using, just wondering how on earth they failed so badly?

Any pics?

JohnnyBoxer said:

Any pics?

Click to expand...

Naughty Johnny

Ohffs, you just can't protect the bloody things from everything. Rocks can get in past the bars. Drop it hard enough and the bars might bend the frame. Protection is a misnomer. Ride it, get lucky, might be unlucky. "Failed so badly my hole..."

My sympathies and welcome to the forum.
I assume the hidden rock hit the spark plug connector and loom?
I doubt any protector would have prevented that to be honest.


I'd be interested in photos of the damage and the trail if you have any though?

Keep up the off-roading, that's what they're made for!

Tengiz99 said:

Ohffs, you just can't protect the bloody things from everything. Rocks can get in past the bars. Drop it hard enough and the bars might bend the frame. Protection is a misnomer. Ride it, get lucky, might be unlucky. "Failed so badly my hole..."

Click to expand...

Engine protection which is designed specifically for that purpose then fails to protect engine is a concern?

I think its reasonable to ask which brand he chose which failed.

Its not like he rode at 150mph into a concrete bridge support. He dropped it on a rock. Not a huge spill, but with catastrophic results for the ride.

Your reaction is unreasonable, not my question.

Hey all,

A little update from myself, total cost was around £850 in repairs (inclusive of labor) and some brand new protectors / wind deflector from some plastic cracks.
I seemingly lifted the bike up quickly enough to not let water seep in and cause any damage. They were the OEM protectors - however, I've now opted for SW-Motech crashbars (High and Low) and obviously replaced the original cyl protectors. Likewise swapping out the hand guards to some barkbusters tomorrow as the stock ones are a little too brittle for my liking.

I'll get some photos soon, but as WaterMonkey said... closer inspection and retrospective of the video shows the rock engaging with the spark plug connector / loom area - so quite an unfortunate hit, however I'm no longer a fan of the OEM protection if I'm honest but that could just be me being a little prejudiced from this!

Bike is running fine and I did the 300 mile leg home without issue. Booked myself in for the BMW off-road course too.

I just think your were just unlucky because I saw my mate take a fall off a rocky path in Mongolia where he fell a good 10 metres onto rocks and the bike was generally OK. We sealed the holes and rode all the way to Almaty to get it repaired and the bike did not so much as cough. In fact I recon it was the cylinder head that saved him. As an onlooker I was sure that he must of broke something, but no. So I'm sorry to hear your news, look on the bright side your OK.


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