Embarrassed to say I have dropped my 2014 650 a couple of times, at 0 miles per hour, causing damage to the tank covers. Since the covers are not cheap ($180 each with the $27 silver S emblem) I invested in a Givi crash bar set, only to experience the annoying vibrations present above 6K RPMs. Lots of folks have vibration issues at lower RPMs, so my situation is not unbearable, but I do like to use the higher revs on occasion. Hence my question for the collective, especially those who have used the sliders: do the motosliders from SVracing.com provide adequate low speed drop protection to the plastics? Do they extend as far as the crash bars? I realize its not a fair comparison, as the crash bars cover much more real estate, with all the bends, but are the sliders enough for street use? No plans to go off road. Do plan to not stall out while leaning over, put side stand down on a slope, etc...
I removed my OEM Adventure crash bars and installed sliders. Mostly because of the vibes and the weight.
My .02...
I haven't dropped the bike but it looks like the sliders are out far enough to protect the plastics and engine. They stick out farther than the crash bars did I think.
Thanks for the feedback Spec. Saw some other positive reviews on a thread about the sliders started by Blair. Think I will buy a set and put my Givi on the Marketplace!
Stick the SVracing parts up SVracings arse. However frame sliders work perfectly on the street, save weight if thats yer thing, and offer a convenient place to stretch yer legs! I have only and will only ever use "Oggy Knobs" frame sliders as I trust them (and have tested them...)
Frame sliders also are convenient points to rest,raise the bike if/when required
Sliders (and to a lesser extent some crash bars) are sacrificial- bars can be rebent and painted if damaged.The slider you replace.
Dont buy cheap sliders!! I hear peeps bragging about how them bought sliders for "cheap" to protect a $10-$15K bike!!! WTF!! a decent slider can mean the difference of a bike being written off due to tank damage, frame scratch etc- or your pride n joy being a cost effective DIY repair A slide down the road will take out a few hidden extras BTW, levers, bar ends and axle nuts/axles. You may wish to consider axle sliders also.
In any case sliders/crash bars can save the insurance companies LOT$ and in the case of a minor incident make the bike a viable repair.
For those that say sliders can cause the frame to get bent, Id think if a drop was that hard, the bike wouldve been fcuked without them anyway...
I,ve used and tested both in practice, and recommend each for their own reasons. Sliders for the street and bars for the bush.
Frame sliders of all types are available on Aliexpress and DH Gate. They look remarkably similar to those sold for much more elsewhere. I will try to remember to start a thread in my forum area discussing the options. This will save people from buying the same product without the unnecessary middleman markup.
Looked on Aliexpress, and the frame sliders do look remarkably similar, to each other. The knock offs do not have the standoff part that attaches to the engine support shaft on each end as does the SV design for the Vstrom, rather they consist of a long rod, and 2 pucks. Not sure if one system is better than the other, as SVracing sells the simpler system for the SV650, while selling the more complex system for the Vstrom.
Am reluctant to trust an unknown Chinese vendor with the using quality steel and manufacturing procedures for something like this. For something ornamental, sure. Ebay has similar products, and cheaper than Aliexpress to boot.
Suspect SVracing has these made to their specs, as I cannot find Motosliders sold by anyone else, so buying from another vendor is not an option.
I removed mine and installed Givi crash bars. The only ones I would use are sold by R&G racing parts and they are not cheap. The reason being they distribute the impact force among several different mounting points. The type that bolt directly to the through bolt, such as sold by SV racing transfer all impact force to a point on the engine cases that could cause a crack or leak. Take a look at the engine schematic, the bolt goes through an aluminum engine hanger. An impact here may save your plastic bits but end up causing you to split the cases to repair a leak, or worse, a busted engine case. Repair would require case splitting. This is just my theory based on my own observations. I would not take the chance of busting my engine. I thought they were a good idea at the time until I dug into it a little deeper. I was not comfortable with that possibility so I removed them and replaced my busted OEM bars with GIVI bars.
To fix the annoying vibration remove the bolt spacer in the front and file off a few thousandths at a time. It works. I had a very mild buzz in my Givi bars above 8000 RPM's, I took about .050 off the end of the spacer and its gone.
Thanks for the feedback, Dave.
I did shave the sleeve incrementally until all the play, or space between the two tube ends and short internal connector tube was gone, now a solid connection pinching the sleeve over the clamp bolt. With bike on center stand and engine running between 6 and 9K RPMs, there is minimal buzz at this center connection but lots of vibration in the big loops beneath the tank covers, as well as very buzzy mirrors, seat and foot pegs.
Suspect the Givi crash bars amplify existing mild vibrations. Understand your concern about concentrating load on small footprint, but expect foot peg and handlebar to also support the bike should it lay down.
I Great Stuffed OEM crash bars and it helped to remove fatigue inducing higher frequency overtones. Still got primary but it is nothing like it used to.
Believe Great Stuff comes in 2 versions, one expands A LOT, the other only 50%. The version that "only" expands 50% is marketed for use near window frames, as its less likely to bow, or distort the window frame.
Not sure which version I would use, think it depends on how long the straw that comes with the can is, and how far you want the foam to reach inside the bars.
Off the bike, either should work and expanding version would certainly fill it all. On bike, less expanding version might be easier to clean up afterwards.
I can't remember if my Givi bars have an escape for this stuff where they bolt to the frame. I really don't want to remove them. I'd rather just pump it in down at the joint.
So replaced the Givi crash bars with sliders, went for a ride and now have to apologize for falsely maligning the Givis, as there is no difference. Specifically, the vibes I was experiencing above 6K are still there to the same degree, so the Givi crash bars did not magnify them. The buzz is just part and parcel of the Vstrom 650 experience :laugh2:
Am leaning towards leaving the sliders in place, as they are lighter than crash bars. Only negative to them is possible shin injury, due to close proximity, something I never considered. Guess I will see if I can learn to avoid contact with them. If not, I can always go back to the crash bars, since they are not moving on marketplace!
Thanks for the update. I appreciate you clearing this up. Little things like this can persist for along long time. Someone reads something then somewhere else says that they read this somewhere, then 10 other guys say they read it somewhere, and it starts to be tribal knowledge with a life of its own.
Much appreciated.
Regarding filling hollow tubes to dampen vibration. RTV silicone rubber (not the white caulk, the clear rubber) seems like it might be better at damping vibrations than an expanding foam.
Agree that misinformation on the net lives forever, unless corrected. Too much respect for this site and its members to not follow up with correct info, when available.
Clearly there were vibration issues with OEM crash bars, especially on the Wee, but at least for the Givi TN3101 which is specific for the Glee, this does not seem to be typical, in my limited experience.
I do like the R&G version of the frame sliders a bit more, as they seem to be offset forwards and up a bit, but at double the price, I will try and adapt to the one's I have :wink2:
Added mass will lower resonant frequencies. If the resonant frequencies are lower than your machine frequencies then the structure won't be affected by harmonics. Or something like that.
BBs in silicone rubber would probably do a great job, but would then there is the weight thing.
This summer I put on the Givi's and I have to say I don't really have a lot of confidence in them. Specifically, the bolt that holds the upper portion of the assembly together looks rather flimsy. Can anyone attest to their over all strength?
Incidentally, regarding the vibration I used thick two sided tape that you may find at a hockey shop at the joint located behind the front fender. This worked rather well.
Incidentally, regarding the vibration I used thick two sided tape that you may find at a hockey shop at the joint located behind the front fender. This worked rather well.
Regarding the vibrations. I bought my '05 used and the vibrations were bad enough to cause my hands to go numb on longer rides. After I put some handle bar risers on the bike I never noticed the vibs again.
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