cylinder head protectors - which is the best one

Benhur Malta

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Hi All,

i have seen a number of rigid ally cylinder head protectors for sale from wunderlich and touratech and the like. There are also the plastic black ones (OEM or copies of).

the bike currently has the plastic ones, and they are not in a bad condition but they have seen a drop or two i think...

what would you recommend please? I am concerned about the following points

1. the plastic ones deform and crush under the weight of the bikes so they protect mountings and cylinder heads but they are in effect disposable...are they effective after 2 or 3 drops?
2. the metal ones might be too rigid and transfer the force of the drop to the mounting points with the consequence of deforming threads, bores etc
3. the alloy ones look way, way cool!!!!!:)

any advice would be appreciated. Oh by the way I have the bmw crash guards installed and they will not be changed

R.
 
I assume you’re asking for an 1150. (By the way, they’re actually valve cover or rocker cover guards, not cylinder head guards. A common misnomer.) The stock plastic guards are good for many, many drops and do a surprisingly good job, even in the harsh, rocky terrain on the Western US. Stantons or Steptoe’s copy are extremely good if you can find them...Steptoe’s copy is actually better than the originals. (Shameless personal plug: I have a “parts wanted” posting for some Stanton/Steptoe guards if someone has a set to sell me!)
 
My bike (1200) had Touratech alloy/Stainless protectors which looked good and solid. BUT, in a proper crash (20 mph on slimy mud) -
(1) the OEM crash bar rammed into the head so hard I had to remove the protector, bent crash bar and rocker cover all together.
(2) the three M6 screws holding the head protector were all bent Z shape. They came out ok but much more impact would have trashed the cylinder head.
(3) the top rear of the rocker cover was damaged against the road.
(4) the bike suffered no other damage.
Things never happen in singles. A few weeks later I dropped it the other way (mis-judged a steep side road exit and stalled). Left side rocker cover hit the kerb and cracked.

I now have Machine Art Xhead covers. However they were quite hard & brittle and screw mounts all cracked. They were bought used so maybe that’s not normal.
I’ve replaced the mounts with 2mm aluminium sheets which will bend on impact so I’m happy the covers are now safely protected.
I’ve also removed the OEM crash bars from both sides. They were worse than useless and better gone IMO.

Nobody makes them but I believe a thick plastic pad along the lower half of the cover would do a good job. I mean the same stuff crash bungs are made from. It could also be scarred without looking bad.
 
I low sided my bike with steptoes guards on,
New tyres bla,bla( how many hundreds of customers)
The cast guard took the full impact,was a bit battered but ,I cleaned it up with an abrasive wheel and repainted.
Jobs a goodn.
If you can find some,buy them:thumb
 
mikeyboy said:
I low sided my bike with steptoes guards on,
New tyres bla,bla( how many hundreds of customers)
The cast guard took the full impact,was a bit battered but ,I cleaned it up with an abrasive wheel and repainted.
Jobs a goodn.
If you can find some,buy them:thumb
Click to expand...

Agreed, dropped mine at least 10 times now:rolleyes: - mainly stationary over the years, (I blame the foot peg clutch) make sure they have the solid rubber strips glued in place or your 0 mph tumble will shatter them in pieces. Do not fit them without.:rob
 
flatdog said:
Agreed, dropped mine at least 10 times now:rolleyes: - mainly stationary over the years, (I blame the foot peg clutch) make sure they have the solid rubber strips glued in place or your 0 mph tumble will shatter them in pieces. Do not fit them without.:rob
Click to expand...

Where did you read that Charles?
Mine had no rubbers,took a right good hit,across a manhole cover.
Main thing to worry about is good threads on the fixings
 
mikeyboy said:
Where did you read that Charles?
Mine had no rubbers,took a right good hit,across a manhole cover.
Main thing to worry about is good threads on the fixings
Click to expand...


Haven't read it.

I sourced a second hand set @ 9 years ago off someone off here or ebay, cant remember really.
No rubbers, they had been used, no dropping marks, fitted perfectly with screws supplied (thicker material = longer), no stress on the castings or otherwise as I tightened it mate,
dropped the bike RHS, as my boot got caught up on the peg 'teeth' and over I went.
Shattered the cast alu. Area around mounts was intact, the un supported areas cracked and fractured.

At that time Steppers had availability so I bought a brand new set off him, and the rubbers were supplied loose for me to fit.:beerjug:.

Had a few similar offs and also some tarmac/ice slide interface with them fitted with rubber and all good, just a rub an rattle can. like I say, at least 10 times since I fitted the new ones.
Absolutely no problem since.:beerjug:
At our last meet, David had a look too.:thumb2
 
I did have a look. It's is now nagging in the back of my mind to get the rubbers.

I'm sure Steppers will step in and tell us from the gospel of St. Eptoe.
 
tuftywhite said:
I did have a look. It's is now nagging in the back of my mind to get the rubbers.

I'm sure Steppers will step in and tell us from the gospel of St. Eptoe.
Click to expand...

Just get some 5 or 6mm solid rubber ring or similar to 1150 fuel tank 'O' rings, cut them so they're straight lengths, glue inside of steppers guards with contact adhesive - its obvious where the contact needs to be.

If you want, David, I'll take my guard off tomorrow and photo it so you can see where he recommended it to be glued.:beerjug:
Just saying as I don't want you seeking more rocking horse shit.:cool:
 
Cheers guys plenty of good hints there


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Tufty, I've sent you photos of the rubber runs….oops:barf

whew…the thing forumites do for each other…..:D:thumb2:thumb2
 
Thank you FD. Ignore the text I just sent you. You’ve explained it here.

You’re a true gent.
 
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mikeyboy said:
Best get some rubber stuff then :thumby:
Click to expand...

Not my bike, although I do have them fitted these days. :thumb

I have to say though, for static or almost static drops ie. off roading a GS I think H&B crash bars are by far the better option
 
The Machineart Moto videos on YouTube are worth a look. In particular, see the one where Machineart Moto bloke drops a new LC onto a concrete floor (probably the most common thing that'll happen to our bikes), which shows some confidence in his kit. There's another video where a bloke has had quite a big sliding 'off' (next most common reason for fitting these things?).
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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