Custom Aluminum Sliders

[GunMD]

My uncle is a machinist and I drove to KC this week to see him. A couple of hours is all it took. He told me he'd figure out what it would cost him to make a few sets if anyone is interested.

These are very crappy pictures, but I'll clean the bike up and take more later on. I just got in from the ride and don't yet have the energy to clean up.

Oh, and the overall length was increased by approx 5/8".

 

[fastersilverfjr]

I am neither an expert nor an expert, but...

I was a phone call away from buying metal sliders from wildhair because I loved the way they looked. A few well respected guys on fjrowners.com including joos very emphatically told me not to.

They very clearing stated that sliders need to be made out of a material that will absorb impact energy, not conduct impact energy. They explained that the nylon material sliders are made out of actually absorb the energy and will grind down to nothing during the process of absorbing impact energy. This is actually what saves the bike from damage. Metal sliders will simply act as rails and send the impact energy through the bike causing damage.

Again, I am not the expert. If you want more information on this, I suggest you go to fjrowners.com and either search or start a new thread.

By the way, I think those look great!!! :clap: However for the reason above, I have the nylon sliders on my baby.

 

[spine60]

Oh bunk on that, every other bike with factory slide protection in the world uses metal. Way too much over thinking here. :bleh:

 

[galxy5]

thats a wide road your going down saying every stock slider is made from metal,, could you be more specific?? like models and years,,I would like to see them!!

not saying you are wrong ,, just want to see it,, and what do most racing teams have on their million dollar bikes??

my production of higher bases for pucks is based mainly on more protection for the fairing,,in drops,,, and absorbing more impact !!! at speed,,

 

[spine60]

I don't know of any stock crash bars on any bike not made of metal??

 

[GunMD]

and what do most racing teams have on their million dollar bikes??

I presume that there is also an issue w/ weight on these race bikes. For me the added weight isn't a big deal.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Oh bunk on that, every other bike with factory slide protection in the world uses metal. Way too much over thinking here

@SPINE60:

I may have been out of the mcy game for awhile before I got my FJR, but the old mcy's didn't use the engine as part of the frame...the engine was supported by the frame by mounts. Therefore, the old engine guards on my XS 1100 were hard metal to hard metal frame. When a tipover or slide occured, the shock was transmitted to the frame -not the engine.

Since the FJR engine is PART of the frame, any shock would be transmitted directly to the engine as a point load directly through the bolt. The non-metal sliders will limit or mitigate this shock to the engine through the use of the "softer" material.

Therefore, I agree with the consensus from the other board...and I purchased from Bike Johnny. This AFTER a little "get off" in the Ohio Spring Ramble -without the sliders (just TOGs)

 

[GunMD]

Since the FJR engine is PART of the frame, any shock would be transmitted directly to the engine as a point load directly through the bolt.

By using this logic, wouldn't we all be better off not using sliders AT ALL? I mean, isn't plastic cheaper than a new engine?

:eh:

 

[GunMD]

Then again, I guess I'm not exactly impartial here...I do happen to have the alum. sliders on my bike now.

 

[yamahlr]

Your Uncle does great work Gun, but I'm one of the pack that believes that the slider should be made of something that gives way on impact. Warchild where are you on this debate? :eh:

 

[galxy5]

When a tipover or slide occured, the shock was transmitted to the frame -not the engine.

what he said!!!!

spine60,,

we are not talking about crash bars,, I have had crash bars on my Harleys,Indians etc:

we are talking about sliders,, bolted to the engine,, to lower impact,, and to save the engine from being ground against the pavement in a slide ,, at speed,, speed being the producer of heavy impact !!!!!!

 

[madmike2]

RE: Metal sliders, let's be careful and describe the "metal". I believe the Wild Hair sliders are titanium (or some other exotic metal) and the response from Joos was in respect to the fact that since that metal is so hard, the bike would continue to slide whereas the current slider material would not only absorb energy, but cause some resistance and help slow the bike during a slide (i.e., not cause it to spin and posibly flip over). I would think that aluminum is soft enough to do the same.

 

[Toynut]

Excuse me for the late reply, but, why would you need FOUR sliders/TOGs on EACH side of the bike? Balance. maybe? :erm:

You're starting to farkle up like a HOG rider.

Pick your poison and pull off the remaining sliders, OK? :haha:

 

[BrunDog]

I agree with madmike. I think the aluminum is soft enough. I wouldn't worry about impact to the frame. It can handle it, unless its a nasty highside and lands right on the button.

-BD

 

[GunMD]

Excuse me for the late reply, but, why would you need FOUR sliders/TOGs on EACH side of the bike? Balance. maybe? :erm: You're starting to farkle up like a HOG rider.

Pick your poison and pull off the remaining sliders, OK? :haha:

I'm planning to remove the TOGs as soon as I locate the original hardware for the plastics.

 

[galxy5]

I think this calls for some testing,,,, not yet sure how to do it ,, but my brother has some nasty machines designed to test rebar, angle and other types of metal,, I 'm sure we can come up with something,,like a weighted drop test ,, speed impact test,,

I am meeting him at the mill on tuesday,, so I will ask him what he thinks would work,, just need some sliders (bobbins)

 

[kerhrhr]

Somebody call Myth Busters! LMAO!!!! They might look into it. Seriously, I don't know how either of the materials described would play into the affectiveness of the frame sliders, but I suspect that they would both do the "intended" job of protecting the plastic. I know that I wish I would have had them on my bike about two weeks ago, before I had a 5mph meeting with the concrete. And even if I had them on, it wouldn't have protected my saddlebag which took most of the punishment. No chance of a flip at 5mph, but what speed do most crashes occur at? What other parts of the bike hit the ground? My right mirror hit, and got twisted around in its bracket, the right handlebar hit, and scratched up the bar end weight. The right turn signal hit, scratched the hell out of the lense, and I guess that a frame slider would have prevented that, maybe.......It sounds like if you really want to make your bike safe from hitting the ground and getting all scratched up, you should put frame sliders EVERYWHERE on your bike. Make it a Yamaha porquepine! Or you could make a bullet proof glass cage all around it. I've seen plenty of motorcycle crash videos, enough to know that there is more of a chance of a motorcycle doing ANYTHING other than just sliding on its side, and coming to a comfortable rest, scratch free. You crash, and the bike will get jacked up.........no matter what you do to try to protect it, IMHO. I am still going to get some sliders and put them on. Some protection is better than none, I suppose.

Aaron

 

[madmike2]

Much would depend on what you want the frame slider to accomplish for you. If you want a "perfect bike" after a slide, then you would have to design them far differently than anything that is offered today. If the idea is to have the bike survive in somewhat rideable condition, then you would want to get some sliders. Over the last few years there have been many posts, with pictures, of FJRs that have done unmentionable things on pavement (like falling down). Those with sliders may have roadrash on the plastic and scraped bar ends, IIRC, there was one that was a nasty slide @ 50+ mph, and the bike was rideable. In fact, the Rogdebs had a low-side @ WFO-3 and I was able to ride their bike from Lake Cours d'Alene to the hospital...though scraped up badly and missing mirrors, no other vital parts were harmed, and after having the plastic repainted and replacing the mirrors, they still ride it exactly as I rode it off the mountain.

It seems to me that the reason for sliders is, first, to protect the the plastic in case of a tip-over. Second, to help protect foot pegs, rear brake or shifter levers and clutch or front brake levers. A short ride home on a scratched bike being better than a tow truck....assuming the rider is not direly injured.

Just my $.02.

@ Toynut, many people bought the TOGs before the sliders were available. Others have purchased the Togs and then found out about sliders. If they have both, so what? Actually, the TOGs stick out farther and may help prevent body damage in case of a tip-over...exactly what they were designed to do.

 

[Windjammer]

I'm of the opinion that if you highside the bike and the metal sliders hit hard enough to damage the motor, odds are that the bike would have been a total loss according to the insurance company anyway. Sliders are intended to protect the plastic in MINOR incidents (bike tips over in parking lot, or low speed lowside accident). All bets are off in a major accident (i.e. bike goes flipping down the road or collides with an object) since too many variables exist in the accident and the aforementioned insurance company totalling the bike anyway. My .02