I know you younger riders will laugh at me about this post, but my last bike before my Bandit was a 1978 GS750E. What a screamer! Anyway, one of the first things I did was to put crash bars on it. Here's a pic where you can see what I'm talking about...
So, I instinctively knew that these would protect the bike in various circumstances from a driveway drop to losing it in traffic...and they did. Most importantly, they saved me (or at least my legs more than once). I got side-swiped by a pickup once and my crash bar hit first, kept my leg off the truck, then bounced me back on my way. Another time, doing something stupid, I took a 90 degree turn at over 40 mph, went up the curb, across a sidwalk, yanked the bike hard left and slammed into a high cinderblock wall. Crash bar hit first, dug out a 5 foot long gash in the wall, then back into the street it sent me, shaking my head and swearing, but unhurt. And no damage to the bike.
Long story, I know, but until last summer I'd gone 23 years without a bike. When my wife lost her mind and finally let me get one, the first thing I did was start looking for the same type thing for my 1200S; I hadn't forgotten all the "saves" those previous bars had gotten me without ever even bending! Imagine my surprise to find that there was no such thing!
Oh, I learned about frame sliders and put those on, and I learned about the Suzi and Givi so-called case protectors, but my feeling is that neither is actually going to save my legs in a crash or slide...maybe keep the rest of the bike just barely off the ground, but not help me, personally.
Hence my question. Why did these go away? They used to be available for literally every brand and model. Everybody had them, it seemed. And they will do a way better job of PROTECTION, than this new itty-bitty stuff. What's the deal? Call me nuts, but I think chrome ones or powder coated black ones would look cool on bikes today, if shaped correctly and modernized aesthetically a little.
I miss them!
I'll never feel as secure as I used to.
By the way, that's me, my aunt, and cousin getting ready to cruise the neighborhood.
And, yes, that's a cast on my throttle hand/arm. Nothing could keep me off my bike!