Well I received my crash bars today and decided to install them. Everything bolted up ok. I thought because the top of the crash bars had a bend for the horn everything would work out just fine. The problem I am having is the horn now sounds like shit because it's hitting the bars. I can't bend the horn back anymore because it's too close to the front engine cover. Any suggestions? Or just say the hell with it it's the best it's gonna get.
thats too pretty to settle. make a slightly bigger bracket, or bracket extention/adapter? Longer bolts and a nut behind them or something? I cant visualize te exact connection, but cant believe it wont work. Are you sure it sounds bad because its hitting, and not just getting a weak signal or some other reason? because unless it was keeping the actual cone from moving, just breasting on the crashbars shouldnt keep it from working.
The horn does work. The sound is now vibrating or transmitting through the bars. Your right I could make a longer bracket. I want to keep the bike as stock as possible.
I thought about mounting it like my R90/6. The horn mounts from one of the bars top bolts. The horn would hang down lower than the orig stock horn. To be honest I just didn't want it to look like crap or stick out like a sore thumb.
if te bars and the horn are both stock, it should fit properly...I would think the germans wouldnt allow otherwise. maybe reposition the crash bars up a bit?
I'll try to give that a shot tomorrow. I think you are right. I might be able to raise the bars up a bit. Being very careful today rubber strips around the bar brackets trying not to damage the frame paint. I never thought to try the horn while I had it loosely bolted up. Live and learn I guess. Now it's time for a cold beer my garage had to be 100 degrees inside. Can't wait to go to the rally next month in Tenn.
Those aren't stock BMW crash bars, are they? I thought the BMW ones didn't cross from one side to the other. I've heard the ones like you have can bend the frame in a crash where the others won't. Solution: sell those and get the other style!
The crash bars look a bit low to me from the pics; most I have seen are closer to the tank. That said, I've heard the same thing about fream bending is you crash w/ the bars on. My recommendation is to leave them off all together (or don't crash, I guess.) kix
Philip, Just take the horn OFF! It'll be less weight, and that /5 will go FASTER!!!!!! Kidding! Hope everything works out! Is that the bike your bringing to the Airhead Rally? Booj.
The other thing I have head about (I believe this was from Oak on the Airlist but I could be wrong), is that crashbars on a bike have the potential of turning a lowside drop into a highside crash if they catch something in the pavement. The theory is that if the low bar hooks into a small pothole or ridge in the road, the whole bike could flip over. On a road bike, I think crash bars really arent necessary, and could produce this disastrous outcome. On a GS bike, however, they make good sense. Just a thought.
The BMW crash bars that I'm familiar with don't cross in front of the frame but attach to each side. They're designed to fold back to the valve cover and provide support there. And I guess they do what they were designed for. I heard a story once of a guy going down, the bike sliding a ways on it's side, but the valve cover wasn't holed so the rider got back on and went on his way.
I don't think you have been to any of our air head rallies in Tenn or N.C. When the drinking starts everyone needs a little help.