AltRider Crash Bars - Fit 2012 1200 GS ??

[ThruTraffic]

I want a set of AltRider Crash Bars for my new 2012 BMW R 1200 GS Triple Black. I went to their site and found the following review on their Web page.

http://www.altrider.com/altrider-cra...200-gs/pid/713
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"I have a 2012 GS that needs crash bars. The AltRider bars looked to be the best choice and came highly recommended by my local BMW dealer. The problem is they don't fit! I contacted AltRider before buying these crash bars asking if they will fit the 2012model. The answer I got was "we have not been informed of any changes..." Another words; let the buyer find out for himself. After the dealer assured me they will fit I made the purchase only to find out the right side does not fit into the hole it is designed for. I had my son, a mechanical engineer, look at it and he determined the tolerances are too close and did not allow for paint and other variations. After an hour of hand filing and fitting I finally got them on. They look great and seem to be strong and purpose built however this lack of attention to detail is concerning!"

So I sent AltRider email asking for written confirmation that their bars will fit the 2012. Two weeks later; zero response.

So I called them. For the life of me I could not get the person I spoke to to say the words "Yes, they will fit the 2012". I couldn't get her to answer me when I asked if they'd actually installed a set on a 2012 yet. 15 minute conversation and nothing but beating around the bush alluding to this and that but they refuse to state yes they will or no they won't fit the 2012 but seem perfectly willing to sell me a set despite knowing if they fit my machine or not.

Have any of you other 2012 owners purchased these and found them to fit or not? I'm going to order a set and will report here my success/fail to mount them but would like to hear if anyone else has had a similar experience with AltRider?

[eakins]

says 05 to current. the bike has not changed.

[ThruTraffic]

I bought a set and was successful in mounting them. However, I ran into the same problem as the person I quoted in my original post. The upper mounting attachment point on the right side is off by ~1/8” to ~1/4”. All of the installation went well until I hit that part and then I spent the next hour loosening other stuff, shaking, twisting, banging with a rubber hammer, etc. to get it together.

Tip; before you install the right side run a tap through the small bolt hole to drive out the black paint BMW filled it with. Also watch the length of the bolt supplied by AltRider for this as it is just a hair too long and comes into contact with the block on my machine.

Hey AltRider – I AM NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO REINSTALLING THESE THINGS AFTER EVERY TIME I TAKE IT TO THE SHOP FOR SERVICE!!!

I have a couple of photos of the problem but it looks like I don’t have permission to post attachments. I’ll post them if I can figure out why not and get perms.

There was also a spot where the black paint had been scraped off. Not a good thing to see come out of the box but given their purpose I let it slide.

Pros:
- I think they’ll go a good job if called on
- They look great

Cons:
- PITA to install
- Will have to suffer that PITA many times over the life of the machine
- Overpriced given the PITA

[Okie Preacher]

The AltRider stuff fits tight, no doubt about it. But with the lower bars I found that it was only the first time on that was a wrestling match. Now I can have them off/on for a valve adjustment in 10 minutes.

I just installed their new upper bars on my GS on Monday. Same scenario. Same expectations for the second time on them as well.

[ThruTraffic]

I'm planning a Deadhorse ride for September. Last night I woke up frm a nightmare where I was on the Dalton Highway is nasty conditions and had to pull the valve covers for some reason. I was working through how I was going to get the suspension compressed on my own. Yuck.

So I just came in from the garage and the valve covers will in fact come off without removing the bars. Kind of a puzzle but they will come off. So I can do valve adjustments on my own and won't have to pull the things when I take it to a dealer.

Whew

Okie Preacher: I wrote AltRider asking about the upper bars but as usual they didn't respond. It looks like the upper bar will cause me to have to remove my PIAA light bar. Is that true?



PS: When I mounted my lowers I threw a chain around my lift deck and a ratchet strap between that and triple tree. Cranked on that ratchet strap and that sucked the suspension towards the lift deck. Sweet.

[Okie Preacher]

Originally Posted by ThruTraffic

Okie Preacher: I wrote AltRider asking about the upper bars but as usual they didn't respond. It looks like the upper bar will cause me to have to remove my PIAA light bar. Is that true?

I am surprised to hear that they haven't responded as I have always found their customer service to be quick and helpful. Call 'em and get them on the line...ask for Nick.

The PIAA bar mounts to one of the frame cross members behind the oil cooler, correct? The AltRider uppers mount a bit forward from there, so I think they might fit--but it will be tight at best.

I used a pair of light bar clamps from RocketMoto to mount my Krista's to the upper bars. Made for a nice installation and their customer service is STELLAR!

http://www.rocketmoto.com/index.php/...ght-mount.html

[ThruTraffic]

I called them and they really don't know. They pointed me to the instructions and it's hard to tell from the photos but I have serious doubts they're compatible.

Instructions:
http://www.altrider.com//files/produ...r_R0.pdf_2.pdf

That's too bad. I can see this hurting their sales. There are a lot of these PIAA light bars out there that will have to go if people buy these bars.

[Banshee]

I am purchasing a 2012 1200GS and just got off the phone with Altrider. I called because of that review and my concern that the bars won't fit. The person I talked to did not give me any confidence and was downright dismissive of the issue. Based on that conversation I won't buy their crash bars. It's too bad, I really wanted to. I have Altrider bits on my F800GS but that phone conversation was a real turn-off...

[birdie_xx]

Originally Posted by ThruTraffic

I called them and they really don't know. They pointed me to the instructions and it's hard to tell from the photos but I have serious doubts they're compatible.

Instructions:
http://www.altrider.com//files/produ...r_R0.pdf_2.pdf

That's too bad. I can see this hurting their sales. There are a lot of these PIAA light bars out there that will have to go if people buy these bars.

Unfortunately every accessory is made for the stock bike, without any add-ons nor modifications. It would be impossible to take into consideration every other accessory out there....I know this from a different line of accessories.

BTW, when installing any frames on the bike (engine guards, saddlebag mounts..) where two sides are involved, it helps when lot of slack is left at the mounting points. When all is connected together and aligned (sort of) then the tightening may begin, one by one... Maybe that's the reason the bars won't quite fit on one side ?

I have number of accessories on my '09 GSA and everything fits spot on .

Cheers

[ThruTraffic]

Originally Posted by birdie_xx

BTW, when installing any frames on the bike (engine guards, saddlebag mounts..) where two sides are involved, it helps when lot of slack is left at the mounting points. When all is connected together and aligned (sort of) then the tightening may begin, one by one... Maybe that's the reason the bars won't quite fit on one side ?

Cheers

Your right. Never fully tighten until all bolts are started. I learned that lesson well over ~25 years in the construction trades. The tolerance is off on the right side connector on the bars I received. That's the same connection point others have complained about with these bars.

[apexal]

I installed AltRider lower crash bars on my 2011 GS in February. They were easy to install and fit perfectly. Maybe I'm lucky or maybe it helped to watch their video and take it slowly. I really don't care if the bars have to be taken off for valve cover removal but I'll bet that just loosening the bars will be enough to squeeze the covers off the engine.

[Thunder Pig]

I have the AltRider lower crash bars, in red, on my 2012 Rallye and also had a mounting problem on the right side. The small screw on the upper mount point didn't line up correctly. I took a Dremel tool and enlarged the hole and got it to work. It looked, on my bike, that the hole in the frame was tapped slightly off angle throwing off the alignment to that hole. Not a bar issue. But, the hole is so close that I couldn't get a tool in to tighten it properly. Ended up taking the Torx bit out of the holder and using a wrench on it to get it tight. They're on, they look great and they are solid. Good stuff. And made in USA!

[longslowdistance]

Extra frame paint can make installation of the the upper portion of the bars (fixed with the long engine mount) bolt tricky.
Altrider bars stay on for service.

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by ThruTraffic

I called them and they really don't know. They pointed me to the instructions and it's hard to tell from the photos but I have serious doubts they're compatible.

That's too bad. I can see this hurting their sales. There are a lot of these PIAA light bars out there that will have to go if people buy these bars.

Got my AltRider upper bar last week... and finally got around to heading down to the garage this morning to see if I could answer this question.

Short answer... No, it will not fit with the under-beak bar for the PIAA lights.

That said, it appears that... if I remove the light-bar & install the upper crash bar... there might be enough room to simply move the lights outboard just a bit, and install them on the horizontal part of the upper crash bar just before the bend. Of course, this will require getting some mounting clamps to go around the crash-bar... but it might be doable.

So I'm holding off on the installation for now while I go looking for clamps that will work

[Zoul]

Originally Posted by ATCguy

Got my AltRider upper bar last week... and finally got around to heading down to the garage this morning to see if I could answer this question.

Short answer... No, it will not fit with the under-beak bar for the PIAA lights.

That said, it appears that... if I remove the light-bar & install the upper crash bar... there might be enough room to simply move the lights outboard just a bit, and install them on the horizontal part of the upper crash bar just before the bend. Of course, this will require getting some mounting clamps to go around the crash-bar... but it might be doable.

So I'm holding off on the installation for now while I go looking for clamps that will work

Look here ---> Linky I have used the set that's about 3/4 down the page and I was quite happy with them.