Total Motorcycle Community Forums

What's the difference between crash bars and engine guards? Is it just a name? Well I've got engine guards on mine and there are highway pegs mounted on it. When I dropped the bike on my lawn (embarrassing, I know) the highway pegs kept the bike high enough to prevent any damage...

I don't know if there's an official difference, but we used to refer to crash bars as the big bars that stuck way out and were mounted on the front of the engine (see Verm's pic). Engine guards or case savers, were wrapped closely around the engine itself.

A sturdy crash bar would protect your leg if the bike went over on its side. Engine guards were only supposed to keep you from scraping the engin on the ground.

I'm actually in opinion that Frame Sliders do more harm than good in a crash/drop. Bends you're frame if its too much of a drop. Hmm.. replace some inexpensive cosmetic parts or trash the bike because of a bent frame?

bent frame, broken plastic are both preferable to a broken crushed leg...i don't have crash bars but mostly because i have been too lazy/cheap to get them.

flynrider wrote:I don't know if there's an official difference, but we used to refer to crash bars as the big bars that stuck way out and were mounted on the front of the engine (see Verm's pic). Engine guards or case savers, were wrapped closely around the engine itself.

A sturdy crash bar would protect your leg if the bike went over on its side. Engine guards were only supposed to keep you from scraping the engin on the ground.

I guess mine are engine guards by your description flynrider: http://home.comcast.net/~acuestaj/motor ... light2.jpg

They appear to have already done their job at one point. When I bought the bike, it already had scratches on the pegs, the rear turn signal and near the front brake master cylinder. No scratches near the engine though (other than clear coat peeling off the engine case)

sharpmagna wrote:I guess mine are engine guards by your description flynrider: http://home.comcast.net/~acuestaj/motor ... light2.jpg

They appear to have already done their job at one point. When I bought the bike, it already had scratches on the pegs, the rear turn signal and near the front brake master cylinder. No scratches near the engine though (other than clear coat peeling off the engine case)

That's a nice look. It's hard to classify that one. It doesn't exactly wrap around the case (since your case doesn't stick out) and it looks like the bar, plus the highway peg, might actually keep your leg from getting squashed.

Engine guards (a.k.a. case savers) were most popular in the days of the inline-4 UJM. Those engines were wide and stuck out substantially more than your V-4 or today's more popular V-twins. The guards wrapped closely around the parts of the case that stuck out of the frame. A minor crash that dropped the bike on it's side could trash the engine with a cracked case, so they were pretty popular. Nowadays I hardly ever see them on bikes.

crash cage... i guess it works for stunters.

I was always of the opinion that they were one and the same, the only difference being the stae of mind behind which way you called it yourself. Is the cup half full or half empty? Engine guards or crash bars??? If you plan to fail, you will succeed. So mine are called engine guards... lol.


Edit:

If you do an image search on google for both, the number of hits may vary, but the products are virtually the same....

I just installed a set on my bike. I grew up used to seeing them everywhere, and I like the idea of having that little extra protection for my leg if I drop it. And the added value of protecting the bike itself. But you don't see them as much anymore.