Triumph Tiger - Crash Bars for Leg Protection

[IronJackWhitton]

Hi folks,

I know there is already a Tiger Farkles thread but I have a very specific question that I did not see answered in it.

I recently got bitten by a Tiger, used, but it's my first bike and I've never ridden before. Trust me, I intend to take all the classes my local school offers as well as annoy the crap out of neighbours by driving around in my car park to build up my skill.

My question is: When -- not if! -- I fall, which set of crash bars offers the best protection for my legs?

My Tiger already has the stock Triumph engine guards but I'd like to put some guards higher up wherein perhaps they stick out farther, thus should the bike go over, it won't pinch my leg between the bike and the highway (or byway should that be the case!)

Right now I'm torn between the Touratech or the Happy Trail -- Happy Trail seems to stick out a bit farther. I'd like to know a few things:

1) Do you folks feel it's a good idea?
2) If so which bars would you recommend?

Thanks for the input!

Cheers
Craig

P.S. First Post!

[Grover6]

Congrats on the new tiger, and welcome to the asylum. As I am picking up my new tiger soon, I have looked at all the crash bars I can find. The happy trail bars are by far the most extensive in their protection, however, these are designed for protecting the engine, and I don't think any of them would do much for personal protection. The handle bars extend past where the crash bars would.

I think that a set of hard side bags would protect against the bike crushing your leg more than engine bars would, but that is an expensive option to go with if you have no need for bags other than to act as crush protection.

I have never gone down at speed, so can't speak to what happens there, but I have gone down at slow speed, which is probably more likely, especially for a new rider. You will get your foot off the pegs and down on the ground during a slow speed drop, the body will just react that way (like your hands covering your face if a baseball or other object comes at it) you may still fall, but your leg will most likely not be under the bike.

A good set of riding boots will serve you better in this way. Look at the adventure riding boots, SIDI adventure rains are great ( I have a pair)

Others will chime in,and perhaps they will have more experience than I and can offer additional wisdom on the subject.

[River]

I agree with the addition of rigid saddle bags. I have an 04 Tiger. I was t-boned by a car last year, with the factory bags and custom fabbed crash bars. He hit me at about 30 kmh, on the rear side, slamming me and the bike to the pavement. It was the bags and the handlebars that kept the bike off of me. It blew off the footpegs on the left side and popped the bars off(I had risers installed). I was able to bolt the bars back on and ride it home(only about 2km).
Good luck in your search. I found it to be cheaper to have bars fabricated than to buy them, but I am fortunate to have friends that can weld. That way I got to design what I wanted.

Also, having the proper gear on my person added to me walking away.

[Big Jon]

A warm welcome Craig & congrats on the Tiger.
Great advice, especially on the gear. ATGAT is always best. As far as more protection, SW Motech makes some fine looking bars that match up pretty well above your existing OE case guards. You may or may not care to repaint them because I believe they're only available in a gloss black. Some guys have oversprayed them to look like the OEM flat black.

Have fun with the new girl & stay safe.

[cug]

The most likely fall you'll have is a very low speed parking lot, stop sign, drive way, ... tip over. Your leg is not in danger in one of these as you'll have enough time to get out of the way.

The second most likely one is that you get into target fixation when taking a corner, which means you'll run wide, potentially straight into a ditch. There is some potential for a low side here, so engine bars and side cases will help to protect your legs. Personally I don't like the Happy Trails stuff all too much but it'll likely do its job.

My recommendation would be to get a set of sturdy bars that go higher than the OEMs (AltRider, Happy Trail, Adventure Spec, Holan) + a set of solid case mounts and some Pelican cases + Barkbuster handguards (forget the plastic crap Triumph sells), you want something with a metal backbone, and last but not least a set of Double Take Mirrors. This will keep you going after tip overs.

[Thumperama]

I bought the Touratech crash bars for my '06 Tiger, but I opted for those based on looks and their ability to protect that big curvy tank. I don't think any of them do much to protect your legs. I have dropped mine once and it landed on the crash bars. I was stopped and stepped down into a hole and I couldn't save the bike from going all the way to the ground. Protected the tank beautifully, but then I couldn't stand the bike back up and needed help getting it back on it's wheels. Other than a couple of nicks in the powder coating and a serious bruise to my ego, the bike was fine.

I just need to work out more.....

[ttime4four]

Congrats on the Tiger and welcome.

I've been down a few times (all low-side) and I've always separated from the bike. I've heard of stories of where some farkles have saved the rider - but those have been with hard panniers. I suspect big GS riders with crash bars outside of the jugs would offer a bit more low end protection - but no personal experience.

I'm a big proponent of good gear and all-the-gear-all-the time (ATGAT). Right now, my kit is:

(1) Get the best boots / helmet you can afford (Shoei NeoTech Helmet & AlpineStar Toucan Boots)
(2) Pants/Jacket with built-in armor protection (Klim Traverse w/D3O armor)
(3) Gloves (Held Steve Classic)

I'm also looking at Aerostich gear for commuting and other options for hot weather riding.

[cyclingtom]

For starters the Tiger ain't the best first bike if you've never ridden but if it's what you have then you'll have to work with it.

1. As they said - Wear good gear always.

2. Get some/lots of practice in relaxed situations. There's no real substitute for saddle time/mileage. Build your skills.

3. What will save your legs in one situation (hard bags) will cause great pain in another. No guarantees here.

4. We will always be full of advise but it really is your game to master....good luck and enjoy.

5. Ride, ride, and ride some more.

[IronJackWhitton]

Thanks very much for the warm welcome, Gents, and for the advice.

The 800 is a bit big for a first bike -- I think 18-year-old me would be a not so nice decoration on the pavement. I'm hoping the married and pushing 30 me will be far more responsible.

I've already invested heavily in gear -- I've got some Alpinestar Scouts on the way, as well as triumph's Kalahari jacket and pants. Helmet is an ICON but with that I went for fit and this one happened to fit the best even if it wasn't the most expensive.

Beyond that I have some lovely Pelican Storm cases that will mount to a Givi Rack so that will give some fall protection -- Thanks all for the advice on that note!

The bike came with the OEM handle bar 'spoilers' - i hesitate to call them guards as they don't guard much! I will look into replacing them post-haste. As well, seems the consensus is upper fairing protection is key; perhaps not a safety issue but having some upper bars is better than none at all for the sake of the bike.

The nice thing is the Wife is fully supportive of buying the nicest gear and add-ons possible...though she might change her tune when the Amex bill comes in

Thanks again folks, I look forward to being part of the community here.

Regards
Craig

[ArchRider]

I ride a 955 and have found that the Thunderbike bars are some of the best protection I've ever seen for a Tiger. I just visited their site and saw that thy do not yet have any product specifically for the new Tigers (800 & Explorer) but they do have one for the 1050. I don't know enough about that bike's configuration to know whether it will work for the others. What I do know is they created the bars because they know Tigers are prone to fall over and they got tired of fixing Tigers for simple falls.
I also agree that the gear makes a HUGE difference. Having been through a t-bone wreck myself, the gear made the whole difference. I even had my admitting trauma surgeon visit me after they fixed my ankle because he was surprised I didn't have any other injuries and wanted to know what I was wearing. I was wearing the full Cycleport gear (pants and jacket). It may cost a little bit more than the Aerostitch products but well worth it.

[JustKip]

@ Craig,
You've already gotten some great advice, so I won't repeat it all. but this one piece bears repeating and was only stated once this plainly.

Originally Posted by cyclingtom

3. What will save your legs in one situation (hard bags) will cause great pain in another. No guarantees here.

Having hard bags right behind your leg can do serious damage in a low-side, where it can grind your leg against the ground. As stated before, your reflexes will get your leg out from under the bike as it goes down much of the time. For the rare times that you don't get out from under it there's really no way to predict what part of the bike will likely injure you.
All I can say is that people almost always walk away from low sides, and it's the impact from going over the bike that causes injuries in highsides. Crash protection is to protect the bike, and is still a good idea.