supersports with frame sliders...

[iwannadie]

ok i keep seeing these high end bikes like the R1 and others lately, alot of them with big frame sliders all over them. i saw a pair of matching R1s with 3 sets of sliders on each bike! really who in their right mind buys an R1 and is worried they cant handle it they are ready for the drops like that. if im that worried about dropping that expensive of a bike that i need 3 sets of sliders on it i wouldnt buy it. i can see putting sliders on a learner bike no problem but once you move up to the big bikes you shouldnt need them. im starting to think these are learner bikes for these people. just scarey really.

the matching R1s ive seen around alot lately they look like total beginners. i saw them at a stop light once they both almost dumped them coming to a stop then again trying to take off. then last night i saw them together racing on a back road with no street lights, covered in gravel and rather poor surface conditions. do they think the frame sliders will protect the bike when wreckd at those speeds?

[Sev]

I'm considering getting frame sliders for my bike. The way I see it if the prevent $80 worth of damage just having them there, they have paid for themselves. Sure, they might not look all that great, but then again I don't like the way riding pants look, and I still wear them.

[iwannadie]

I'm considering getting frame sliders for my bike. The way I see it if the prevent $80 worth of damage just having them there, they have paid for themselves. Sure, they might not look all that great, but then again I don't like the way riding pants look, and I still wear them.

i dunno to me a 10,000$ super sport with sliders all over the place screams of a problem waiting to happen. like a dodge viper with a 'student driver' sign on the top.

and another thing, why do they cost so much lol 80$ for a bolt with a plastic cylinder? id make my own for 5 bucks.

[Telesque]

I'm considering getting frame sliders for my bike. The way I see it if the prevent $80 worth of damage just having them there, they have paid for themselves. Sure, they might not look all that great, but then again I don't like the way riding pants look, and I still wear them.

Maybe it's just me, but I picture most anyone riding a high-end (read: lots of money) bike to be the sort who'd rather look cool and shell out some cash for new plastic than the sort who'd run around with 'training wheels' on. Sliders, I'd then guess, would be for someone who plans on ditching the bike quite a bit (or at least once, for sure), and thus equating to 'fresh meat'.

But, ah, that's probably a stereotypical, inflammatory, completely unfounded comment.

[Sev]

I like to think of myself as being fairly level headed. I started relatively small and worked up to this bike. But I like it a lot. A WHOLE lot. I'd like to maybe protect it incase something bad did happen. It's the same reason that I wear a helmet, and jacket, and chaps, and steeltoes. I don't want, or even expect to fall. But at least this way I can minimize the damage to myself.
I look at frame sliders the same way.
Either way it's just something that I'm considering getting.

PS - take a look at what actually goes into frame sliders a decent pair has a machined billet aluminum mount. Usually covered with protective material to prevent oxidation and corrosion. And covers that are high grade impact resistant polycarbonate plastic. They need to be held together so that they don't snap off either.

If you can make me a pair of that quality for $5 I'll give you $50. Remember, they need to look nice though, I don't plan on putting garbage on my bike.

[iwannadie]

well its up to you if you want them, but again someone on a super sport with sliders doesnt look very confident.

i wont get into how every thing you bolt on to a bike is insanely over priced. dont buy into the hype of how they are 'super special'.

also you might want to read the Gear topic, it has some interesting stuff about steel toed boots and how risky they actually are.

I like to think of myself as being fairly level headed. I started relatively small and worked up to this bike. But I like it a lot. A WHOLE lot. I'd like to maybe protect it incase something bad did happen. It's the same reason that I wear a helmet, and jacket, and chaps, and steeltoes. I don't want, or even expect to fall. But at least this way I can minimize the damage to myself.
I look at frame sliders the same way.
Either way it's just something that I'm considering getting.

PS - take a look at what actually goes into frame sliders a decent pair has a machined billet aluminum mount. Usually covered with protective material to prevent oxidation and corrosion. And covers that are high grade impact resistant polycarbonate plastic. They need to be held together so that they don't snap off either.

If you can make me a pair of that quality for $5 I'll give you $50. Remember, they need to look nice though, I don't plan on putting garbage on my bike.

[varenka]

Same principle as insurance, iwannadie. You don't get it because you think you need it, you get it because it is s smart investment.

To not pay a small amount for something that can save you big is shortsighted.

[iwannadie]

Same principle as insurance, iwannadie. You don't get it because you think you need it, you get it because it is s smart investment.
To not pay a small amount for something that can save you big is shortsighted.

someone on an R1 as a First bike isnt likely making a rational decision in the first place. im sure the sales person at the dealer made a good case to get slides to protect their first bike. like i said i can see the use for sliders, but its like training wheels (as Telesque called them) and not a good idea all together on a performance machine.

[Gatineau_Guy]

I have to agree with Sevulturus. I installed frame sliders on my monster about two weeks ago. My wife is learning how to ride and was nervous about scratching the bike. Last week we were on a group ride. It had poured rain for the last half an hour. The group leader decided to turn without signaling at the same time I looked back to make sure we had not lost someone. I had to brake hard and dropped the bike (I had spent hours practicing emergency braking in dry conditions but not wet conditions ) The frame sliders took most of the damage. I have a scratch on the knob at the end of the clutch level and some rubber worn down on the hand grip (about $20 worth of damage if and when i decide to replace those parts). Not a scratch on the bike (I was sore and bruised though ). I shudder to think what would have happened to the bike without the sliders. I think it is a personal choice. I look at it this way, at least they are trying to be cautious (even if they are riding two much of a bike).

It is raining here in ottawa again this weekend and my wife is forcing me to ride to a parking lot to practice my emergency braking in the rain . And she will not let me live it down that she was not the first one to drop the bike !

Cheers,
Gatineau_Guy

[iwannadie]

i was just thinking about the sliders and how they could actually cause more damage... lets say you drop the bike doing 30-40ish mph, the bike falls over and is sliding along on the nice sliders. what happens when it hits a defect in the rode, even a small hole or gash, it could catch the slider sticking out. it would send the bike spinning or flipping over? or what happens when you loose controll your feet come off the pegs or your arm slips down and comes between the slider and the ground that thing will go right through you.

also they are fairly slick plastic and would let the bike slide easy and not slow down, if you are trapped under it, you might get pulled along further with it. or the bike can simply slide away and cause more damage when it hits some thing/one.

the sides of most bikes are fairly smoothed off(no thing jetting out) and have enough contact to slow the bike down fast when it does slid. most everything that would come in contact with the ground is really designd to break off(foot pegs/controlls). sticking these obstructions on them doesnt seem like an over all good idea unless you only plan to drop the bike at a stop and not get stuck under it.

just my thoughts....