Let's talk about Frame Sliders...

New to the bike and new to a 500lb bike (my last bike weighed half that) so I'm a little unsteady/unsure and want to protect my investment. What have you used? Have you needed them? Have they worked to your satisfaction? Where did you buy them?

 

Read my signature. Next question!






Joking aside, you may not even need them. I'm pretty sure I'm the shortest and lightest guy on this forum, and even though the bike's weight might be intimidating, once you spend more time on the saddle you'll forget you wanted them. YMMV.

 

It's a personal choice. I am not saying go out there and trash your bike, or kick the shit out of the plastics, but then again, are you saving the bike for competition in bike shows. If so, then with the sliders, you have defeated the purpose to try to keep the plastics pristine. Then again, if you ride hard and push the bike to its limits and over, often, then they might be worth while for you.

I drive a 2003 truck that I bought new. It is in pretty good shape for its age. I look after it. But I don't get my knickers in a knot if I bump the truck with something. It is nearing the time that this truck needs a new paint job. Paint wears. On trucks, cars, houses and yes bikes. If you get several years and 10's of thousands of miles out of the paint on your fairings, and you want it to be pristine, get it painted again. A small price to pay if you are riding a lot.

I have thought about putting on frame sliders several times, but I keep coming back to a "no".

 

Best to see if the bike you have has mounts for sliders. Some do/some don't. This could mean drilling your frame and fairing parts. Do they work? Yep! Where to buy them. Try Google. With some added operators you might find a set to fit your bike. Google images is a good place to look for mounting on various bikes.

They also make your bike heavier

 

T-Rex no drill frame sliders or GSG no drill sliders ...

 

The drilled holes compensate for the increase in weight.

 

Design/mounting points being the crucial variable here: I have heard that a frame slider can transfer a significant amount of energy into critical components that would have otherwise been absorbed by a cracked fairing or something else otherwise cosmetic. If I were to shop for these, item number one would be to make sure they mount to structurally sound mounting points (frame) and in no way integrate engine components.

 

Never really gave it that much thought. Good point of view.

Also, along that thinking, if you were to go down, all the force is being applied to a very small portion of the frame if you have sliders. The upward force to the frame is divided through a few points if there are no sliders.

 

Love my plastic & wanted to gain some protection for it - but didn't want to do any drilling or coolant tank gluing. I took the compromise and bought some sliders that just bolt on ...from: http://www.jaybeebikerbits.co.uk/
This 6th Gen fairing bolt is just a wimpy bracket underneath, so I'm sure if I go down while riding there will still be major damage. However, it did save me a bunch of scratches once... I was at the end of recovering from falling out of a tree (different dumb story) and still had a weak left shoulder - but I needed a RIDE!. Backing up a slight hill on gravel from a parking spot, gravel does what gravel does and out went my foot and my shoulder couldn't prevent the tip-over. Saved damage, had to straighten the bracket, glad I had them on there. Gives me peace of mind in the garage.

 

I hear ya on the injuries. I've spent more than enough time in a hospital bed after back surgeries. When mine starts to go over, I just give medium effort to stop the drop, then just guide it to the ground and seek help to right it.

 

The efficiency of frame sliders in general cannot be measured adequately unless several other factors are involved in the yet to be stated equation.

Going down at the ton on asphalt or concrete is a hell of a lot different than losing the assend on loose gravel or a puddle of oil at 5-10 mph.

Then we go to tipovers that sometimes happen all by themselves.

A comparison could be made by using as an example a lower side fairing panel that is cracked or scored that may need welded or filled and repainted and what a set of frame sliders costs.

All the above is not for the dudes that will never go down, have 200mph VFRs and get 100mpg.

 

Most frame sliders don't do much. Instead of breaking the plastics they just get scraped up pretty good. What's the difference? Depending on where they can be place, they just might do more damage like all the forces on a small part of the frame which damages it worse than without sliders.

Best this to do is learn how to properly ride. Sliders are the way to tell other people I'm going to crash some day so I want protection for my bike. This comes from the helmetless, shorts wearing sandle toe riders. But they look cool.:rockon:

 

I'm looking more for something just to protect in tip-overs, as I understand that there'll be more damage in the event of a crash at speed. My main concern is losing my footing at a stop or a slow U-turn, that kinda thing. I have found sliders that mount just aft of the "peak" in the fairing, above the foot peg

 

I may get a set and stick em on with Velcro.

Wishing in one hand... I wish they would just make all fairings out of fiberglass.

 

Doing the ultimate slider install - Yamaha protects the bike and their new autonomous Motobot.
More at http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/rise-of-the-machines-yamaha-creates-motorcycle-riding-robot/ar-BBofWxs?li=BBnb4R5#image=BBofRob|2

 

ummm... WHY?!?!

 

So robots can have fun too!

 

As said they can help and hurt. I run them on my track bike along with axle sliders. I have tossed the bike down the track at over 70 mph when the front folded under heavy braking and the bike slid beautifully and all I had to do was bend my shifter a little and made the next session. BUT a friend with the same bike (06 CBR 1000) did the same basic thing at probably half that speed and when the bike hit the grass the slider grabbed hard and caused the bike to tumble and had a lot of damage. For tip overs its probably fine.

 

I run R&D frame sliders on mine. I love them. Kit came with the coolant bottle to replace the stock one. It does require drilling but it was pretty easy to do. Looks like it came from the factory that way.


Forgot to add that they have been used. Both times from a misunderstanding with the center stand.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Definitely three schools of thought on sliders.
1) Many people don't bother.

of those that do, either.

2) they're not worth fitting unless they're fastened to something strong enough to withstand the impact.
3) they're better fitted to something that will be less critical like fairing mounts and absorb some impact energy.

I can see the sense in both of those contradictory points of view. On the whole I'm in the second camp. R&G do some for my bike, (2014 VFR800 not sure what model you have), that are mounted off the engine mounting bolt so go right through the bike and both fairings. Some drilling required but it's a fairly simple job. They're fairly robust and are approved by insurance companies in the UK. I think the only ones that are. I'm not recommending them personally as I haven't fitted any to my bike but have been thinking about whether to do it or not. I have seen other brands, that have just done nothing at all in a slide as the weight of the bike and the impact have bent the mounts and left the bike sliding on the plastics as if they weren't there.