Dragging the 905 Bars

I recently found the lean angle limit with the 905 front crash bars on. The angle cut pipe on the lower mount touches pavement before the peg feelers. Not sure how much sooner it hits but it can't be much because my foot touched first and a split second later I heard the crash bar grinding. I think there's room to grind (with a grinder, not the pavement!) a bit more off the end of the pipe so hopefully the pegs touch down first. I don't like solid parts dragging!

C5INC said:

I recently found the lean angle limit with the 905 front crash bars on. The angle cut pipe on the lower mount touches pavement before the peg feelers. Not sure how much sooner it hits but it can't be much because my foot touched first and a split second later I heard the crash bar grinding. I think there's room to grind (with a grinder, not the pavement!) a bit more off the end of the pipe so hopefully the pegs touch down first. I don't like solid parts dragging!

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Just by eye balling it, the bars look like they would hit just a hair before pegs. I've only scraped a peg once so far in my 7k miles, so I'm not real concerned with this. Some of the more agressive riders' might want to beware though.

C5INC said:

The angle cut pipe on the lower mount touches pavement before the peg feelers.

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I'd call that a design flaw and contact 905 about it.

Toecutter said:

C5INC said:

The angle cut pipe on the lower mount touches pavement before the peg feelers.

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I'd call that a design flaw and contact 905 about it.

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+1 on that. I will put off my purchase until that has been resolved.

OK, so here's the dealio...

I was originally calling *Bullshit*, or at the very least highly doubting that these bars would/could be scraped, cause myself and two other guys lowered my bike 'gently' and all the factory shiznit touched first. I was pretty sure all was well and good.

I stand corrected...

I can tell you though without a doubt that you can drag these things. It aint easy and it takes just the right combination of road camber, dive-bombing and a slightly over loaded bike even with a Penske shock.

I dragged the left one a half dozen times and the right side only once this weekend while down in the Gap area. All times ON the gap (coming to our vacation spot and leaving) so I was fully loaded with gear, clothes, camping stuff, etc.

In 4 days of riding without being over loaded, I never dragged them once, and I contribute that to the Penske. A stock shock with the right conditions could probably get it done though with the right person aboard.

I'm going to encourage 905 to increase the angle and/or shorten that lower bar by a 1/4 inch - 3/8's.

I never thought it was going to put me down, but it was a tad unsettling. But not nearly as unsettling as setting up for a corner, thinking you're going to tap the front brake a tad and having your lever come straight back to the bar.

My reservoir was (and is full), but that's another topic I'll post up later.

I'm going to hit my bars with an Angle grinder at the bottom, I think that will take care of it, at least for me. If you're an aggressive rider, I'd highly suggest you do the same. You can just hit the bottom with some black paint, no body will ever see where you ground them if you do.

-MD

I scraped my crash bar on the way home today from work. Normally the onramp I take is congested, but I left early and had a chance to go faster.

I leaned over to the right and heard a scraping sound. The bike jerked a little and I started to straighten up. As I did so, I heard another scraping sound and the bike pulled. The rear end felt skittish. Luckily I was steady on the throttle and nothing else happened, but as I straightened up completely and finished my ride home I wondered what would have happened if I panicked and pulled the break or rolled violently off of the throttle.

I thought it could have been the peg feeler, but I have leaned the FJR further than this before. After all, I ride this onramp at least five times a week. I was concerned it was the 905 bars, and as soon as I got home I noticed this:





and the peg feeler for reference, with a scrape from before I put the crash bars on:



I wrote to 905 and attached two of the pictures. I hope they have some advice as what to do. Between this and the broken weld problem reported in another thread, I am taking these off as soon as the weather cools down today.

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I was looking for this thread and originally posted this in another 905 crash bars thread. I hate to double post but I'm going to leave them both for the time being since I think it's important.

For the record, I have a stock suspension and the ride stiffner (wrong term?) is set to "hard." I had five pounds of gear in my Givi top case, about five pounds of gear in each side case, and a near-empty tank of gas. I weigh 170 pounds, so the bike was definitely not overloaded.

Am I missing something? It shouldn't matter how loaded down the bike is or what type of suspension it has or how it's adjusted. If the crash bars touch down before the peg feelers, they will pretty much always do that regardless. Granted, the crash bars are located more forward than the pegs, but still...

It's starting to sound like maybe they're called crash bars because they cause the crash.

nofreeride said:

Am I missing something? It shouldn't matter how loaded down the bike is or what type of suspension it has or how it's adjusted. If the crash bars touch down before the peg feelers, they will pretty much always do that regardless. Granted, the crash bars are located more forward than the pegs, but still...

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I agree with you, but when someone else on this forum posted that they scraped the 905 bars there were some questions about the bike being overloaded, set too soft, etc. Just wanted to give as much info as I could.

I have yet to hear back from 905 but given their past I am going to wait a few more days.

Okay, not trying to hijack this topic, but there are some that feel Wild Bills Highway pegs have caused some to crash. I would think if that was the case, your 905 bars would have respond the same way. I've only scrapped pegs 3 times since owning my FJR. However, not one of these times has been since I put on Wild Bill's pegs.

I know that since I've been reading post like this and ones about Wild Bill's I've been too concerned while in the twisties about scrapping them. Before, I would just ride the bike (I love to use them on the slab). I think it's SAFE to say that the 905 bars WILL scrape. With this being said, those of you that have them KNOW in aggressive cornering they can and will come in contact with the road.

I have NOT found this to be proven with Wild Bill Pegs.

Just a thought,

Dave

I've never had a problem with the Wild Bill Pegs that I leave folded out at all times and my feet are on them more than most.

My feelers are the first to scrape the very few times that happened which is fully loaded with wifey as pillion.

And no problem or scare doing it.

Just my 1.5 cents,

Mike in Nawlins'

Patriot said:

I've never had a problem with the Wild Bill Pegs that I leave folded out at all times and my feet are on them more than most.
My feelers are the first to scrape the very few times that happened which is fully loaded with wifey as pillion.

And no problem or scare doing it.

Just my 1.5 cents,

Mike in Nawlins'

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I had WildBill pegs and while I never feared they'd put me down, I would scrape those puppies in corners pretty often if I forgot to put them up. I was always careful though to make sure they'd fold in. I think most of the folks that got bit by them also had the extensions on them making them stick out even further. However, that being said I know some didn't.

With the 905 crash bars, as I posted earlier, when I got them I layed my bike over, gently and the foot pegs touched first.

That being said.

That doesn't take into account things like:

- Compressed suspension, ie. compressed forks diving into a corner.

- There was no load on the bike in any way. Side cases were off, as was the top box and my fat ass wasn't sitting on it.

- My testing area was FLAT

1) In order for me to drag the bars, it took a combination of things. IMHO a heavily loaded bike (I was packed for the trip and only dragged them going and coming to my vacation destination). Your weight and suspension settings, may vary

2) The crown or camber of the road. In the places I did drag them, the road was FAR from flat, they were off-camber corners, often switchbacks on the dragon.

Did I feel like it would put me down? No, but the scrapping was harsher than anticipated since I anticipated NONE.

Have I removed the bars? Nope. Do I think they will put me down? Nope, but I didn't believe all the hub-bub about the Wild Bill pegs either and there are still lost of those in use.

I'm not trying to defend 905 in any way. I have made them well aware of the issue and asked them to shorten that lower piece by 1/4-3/8 of an inch. I will hit the bottoms of mine with an angle grinder before my next high-risk highly aggressive adventure.

But I'm keeping them.

I would ask 905 and encourage anyone that's buying them who rides aggressively to ask them if they've made any changes to them before buying them, or be prepared to do it yourself, either with a grinder or by breaking them in the manual way.

Be prepared.

I doubt that they have changed them yet. They don't have an FJR to test fit anything on, if they did we'd have Gen 1 bars by now and we don't.

I highly suspect that there is less than 5% of the people on this board ride their FJR's hard enough to ever scrape them. But that's my take.

-MD

mdisher said:

They don't have an FJR to test fit anything on, if they did we'd have Gen 1 bars by now and we don't.

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I could probably arrange a ride-in about the middle of next month, if it needs to come to that....

I had posted about dragging the bars a while back in another thread. I do ride aggressively and have hit the bars both loaded and unloaded.

I have been dragging my feet on contacting 905 because I am gearing up for a trip out west. (Should be out there mid Sept) That being said I, will try to make an effort to contact them and maybe arrange a meeting to try some design changes I'm thinking of. They are only a short hop away from the first stop in Cali. I not sure how much could be done in half a day but would sacrific that time on my vacation if it would help. I'll update everyone if I can do this. Of course won't help with the gen 1'rs. Sorry.

I just dragged mine today in mountain twisties, causing me to lose control at about 35 mph. I was riding one up, on a mountain road that I have ridden at least 50 times without incident of course. I even have a heavier hyperpro spring on my shock, not to mention the 1.125" riser dogbones. Buy these bars at your own risk.

The bars SCRAPE! There is no doubt about that. I have had them on since the development phase and even had one replaced because it wasn't clearanced properly for mounting. I clearanced it and told them and they changed the design.

That said, I continue to grind mine every now-and-then to get the angle on the bar perfect. I know, I could use a grinder, but the parking lot is much more fun. I am almost down to the weld in one location and the pegs still don't hit in time to warn of the bar touching down. I never thought about them redesigning the bar to be shorter, but I suppose that would solve the issue. I sure like the protection, though, and would recommend them to anyone considering them.

I am with others in stating that 90% of the riders on this forum do not scrape pegs and would not scrape these bars. For those that do, be forewarned. By the way, proper riding technique can mitigate scraping on all but the most extreme "Oh SH*t" moment. Just a thought.

I scraped mine once on a decreasing radius sharp corner on 17 in VT, and have stock suspension. I increased the preload on the front to 2 (may go more as it seems softer with age, actually going the RaceTech route soon). I haven't touched since, but I suspect close. I usually have 1/8 chicken strips on the rear, not usually smaller. So, it will depend on a lot of things, front suspension loading, style, etc. But, I still recommend getting the bars. They have saved me hundreds as I have had a parking lot drop on each side, got away without a scratch. Made my own sliders which stick out 2-3/4", which still allows the bottom bar to touch before the sliders will (~ 3.25 is max. IMHO if you're thinking about it, but it will save your paint). Benelux sliders on the back.

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