Are Frame Sliders Good Or Bad? | MC Garage
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
- Nobody wants anything bad to happen to their motorcycle, which is why lots of us consider bolting frame sliders to our bikes. But will frame sliders save your bacon, or could they actually cause more damage in a crash? We’ll investigate in this video from the MC Garage.
--
Frame sliders, crash bobbins, fairing protectors-whatever you call them, they’re designed to help protect expensive and vulnerable parts when your motorcycle tilts off its tires. The theory is that by positioning a sacrificial friction point on the side of the bike, that part will take the brunt of the impact and abrasion instead of your tank, radiator, fairing, frame, engine cases, and other parts. We dive into the topic of motorcycle frame sliders and their pros and cons in this MC Garage.
What Are Frame Sliders?
This whole crash-protection conversation would be so much simpler if the parts were just called “tip-over protectors” because even the crappiest kits on the market are going to do something to reduce damage if your bike falls over at a standstill. And let’s be honest-tip-overs in your driveway or at the gas pump are common ways for a motorcycle to succumb to gravity. And for those scenarios, frame sliders are definitely a good investment.
Do Frame Sliders Protect Your Bike In A Crash?
But motorcycles are made to move, and once you crank up the kinetic energy by adding speed to the equation, things get a lot harder to predict. How well frame sliders work depends on a lot of things, like how your bike hits the deck. Did it go down violently in a high side, or was the crash more gradual, like a front-end lowside in a sweeping corner? The surface your bike slides across affects the outcome too. Asphalt may be abrasive but at least it’s flat. Soft stuff like a grassy highway shoulder or a gravel trap at the track are almost guaranteed to cause a wheel or handlebar to dig in and cartwheel your bike, and that’s when things get really damaged. The point is that high-speed crashes are capricious, unpredictable SOBs, so it’s important to have reasonable expectations.
What Are The Different Kinds Of Frame Sliders?
So now that we recognize that frame sliders aren’t a magical force field, we can talk about these accessories like reasonable people. For starters, sliders come in two styles: Cut and no-cut. Cut kits require sawing holes in your fairing for the slider to pass through, whereas no-cut kits use brackets that position the slider around the fairing.
If the goal is to help protect your bodywork, why would you ever want to dremel a hole in it? Well, in general, cut kits are more structurally sound. The location of the slider and the strength of its mounting system haven’t been compromised to work around the bodywork, so the slider is more likely to stay put and do its job in a tumble.
No-cut kits are usually easier to install, but they aren’t always as strong because the slider is offset from the mounting point, sometimes by a lot. That gives it leverage to bend the bracket or whatever it’s bolted to.
Slider kits also come in varying lengths, from pucks that tuck in close to ones that extend way out there. As a general rule, longer sliders are more appropriate for the street and shorter stuff works better at the track. Let me explain. Street protection is more about avoiding damage due to tip-overs and low-speed falls, and being able to ride home instead of having to call a tow because of a cracked radiator or severely bent handlebar. For those purposes, a longer slider is better since it props your bike up and keeps more stuff off the ground. However, that long slider is more likely to bend and break or damage its mounting point if a lot of force is applied to it in a faster crash.
Racers and track riders are dealing with a different scenario. They’re liable to crash at higher speeds, which often means a harder impact and a lot more slide time. In that situation, you want a shorter slider, which is less likely to get wrenched off the bike and also keeps the motorcycle closer to the ground so it’s less liable to tumble. Shorter sliders might not do as good a job keeping your fairings pretty, but they’ll still help preserve the really expensive stuff like your frame and engine covers.
Do Frame Sliders Cause Bikes To Flip Over?
Now, whether you ride on the street or the track, frame sliders won’t do jack for a motorcycle that’s cartwheeling toward the horizon. And that brings us to that contentious bit of forum folklore about frame sliders actually causing bikes to flip over and tumble.
Read the write-up on Motorcyclist: www.motorcyclistonline.com/ar...
Subscribe: th-cam.com/users/Motorcyclist...
Motorcyclist Shirts: teespring.com/stores/motorcyc...
Shop Products We Use: www.amazon.com/shop/motorcycl...
See more from us: www.motorcyclistonline.com/ - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
![ตีสิบเดย์ [FULL] | ครอบครัวสะท้านทุ่ง "นางบี & อ้ายสติ๊ก"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/A1rhYcxxNtA/mqdefault.jpg)
Are frame sliders good or bad?
Short answer: yes.
Awesome... Reminds me of my dad's great advice. "It'll work out, one way or the other." 😂
thank you
I know this comment is over 2 years old, but it made me laugh today.
This should've been a 5 sec video lol
This comment is grammatically incorrect. You gave two choices but answered yes. Are you saying yes to being good or yes to bad?
I would say that the comments to this video accurately reflect what we have seen since we began making frame sliders in 2003. Most riders who crash with them are glad they installed them. We have had customers who were grateful for our products and we have had customers for whom the sliders did not meet expectations. There seems to be an unusually high number of physicists who ride sportbikes and have pre-calculated the results of all crashes they will have and thus sworn off frame sliders. I have crashed with and without frame sliders, so I can say from experience that in certain events they will work as expected, but of course there are crashes where the sliders will not help. Keep your expectations realistic and don't waste too much good riding time thinking about it.
Wise words
Well Said, especially the unusually high number of Physicist that are actual riders. Freaking laughed my butt off. EVERYONE is an expert, until they are not. Seek wisdom, not skepticism.
Frame sliders saved my R1 in a low speed crash. I clipped a sidewalk curb while turning in an intersection, both sides hit the pavement. The damage was almost exactly $100 thanks to EBay, including the new sliders.
How much did you pay for the pair of crashers that saved you? I was about to get one from ebay, but after this video i dought.
@@syfiltzo $50
My bill of damaged goods is $90, new frame slider and a new CRG bar end mirror. I suppose I can add a new rear brake pedal to the list but it was slightly scraped not bent.
@@themystx2 slightly scrapped is a battle scar, i would leave it as is
If I ever get me an R1 I would put two extra small wheels on the rear.
So glad someone actually talks about slow speed or stationary drops/tips. Thought it was just me.
Slow speed on a super sport? Does not compute.
@@kennethpowers8995 owning a sport bike doesn't mean you always aim for speed. I own one, but mainly because i love the design, i rarely drive beyond speed limit.
Nyahahaha I was mostly kidding, I do 80% of my playing during legit track sessions not on open roads. I will admit though, it doesn’t feel natural to me going 40-50 mph to me on a sport bike. Overall I feel it takes more effort to ride slow than to ride fast anyway. Almost anyone can hop on a bike and go 100+ in a straight line but then lay it down trying to slow maneuver a parking lot. Slow speed stuff is indeed important and should be fundamental really.
Lol my bike fell over and the frame slider just bent and cracked the fairings that surrounded it but it did reduce the damage that could’ve been done😅
Adventure riders. We got this.
I hit a big bump in the road and my bike launched in to the air. The frame slider got hung up on the power line. When they finally got the bike down it was like new. Hail to the frame slider!👍👍
Some of the best MC content on TH-cam comes from this channel - especially your instructional / maintenance-based vids. Looking forward to new 2018 content guys!
I'm a trackside marshal for British Superbikes, and those guys seem to favour the flush fitting kind with multiple securing points. The bodywork is sacrificial but they seem to protect the frames and engine without digging in
Yup, totally acceptable for racers to wreck some fiberglass and a clip-on at the track. There are spares in the trailer, right? For street riders it's a different story.
- as said in this video.
Can I add this to my wife's car?
Miroslaw Gad 😂😂😂😂
😂
lmao..... oh come on !!!... (..you just made my day... lol...)
im really sad this doesn't have more likes... lmao u got one from me.
Just remember that the car is still likely to tumble if she high-sides it at the supermarket.
*YOU GUYS MAKE ALOT OF INFORMATIVE VIDEOS* 😌
Keep up the good work😀
before i bought my first biike i watched all your videos guys, and im so glad you guys are back, giving us good short lessons, and now in the past 2 weeks i was troubled of getting or installing a frame sliders on my bike, thank goodness you guys decided to make a video for it,, thank you guys..
Thanks for posting. It's great to hear that our vids helped give you an informed start in motorcycling. That's what this show is all about.
On my own racebikes I only mounted case covers. I consider the fairing as a disposable part. If your bike slides on the fairing that's a big surface and a lot of friction. It will slow your bike down fast and prevent it from high speed impact into barriers. I saw live crashes where bikes with frame sliders hit walls/barriers and got totalled, because they didn't slow down much while sliding. I also saw bikes with long frame sliders locking into curbs and damaging the frame and/or the engine.
I would only mount short racing sliders when it's absolutely necessary, like on the new R1 where parts of the frame aren't covered by the fairing.
I agree!
well said random rider...
oo yes !
OEM case covers are more often cheaper to replace then buying case cover protectors.
Yep, but if you crash during endurance, you really don't have time to change it :D .
That has to be the most sensible discussion on this topic, ever.
You covered it all. Bravo! Surprised I didn't see a sponsor for this video...who wouldn't want this exposure from arguably the best journalists catering to North America (and beyond).
Very informative, you answered questions I didn't even know to ask about sliders. I like to protect my ZX-14R but don't plan to cut holes in the fairings. Thanks again MC Garage, Great Job.
by far these guys are the best and there technical reviews are excellent. Well done keep up the good work.
Just had this conversation not too long ago and your views are spot on with mine. On a side note sliders have saved me more than once on and off the track.
Recently caught on to your channel. One of the best in the category. Congratulations.
My view (I think) as a returning rider after 20 years is that I need to re-learn low speed control and frame protection is a good idea for that.
I personally prefer no-cut sliders. My thinking on the matter is this. I've read many bad reviews on the no-cut sliders, most of them saying that at a low speed crash the things just snapped off and did nothing. Where as with cut sliders they are stronger and most likely will not break off. Problem is, like you mentioned in the video. Sliding with a frame slider is bad news, because if there are any divets in the roads, it will send your bike flying. I would rather my frame sliders protect my fairings in the event of a standing drop, and break apart in the event of a slide, rather than risk them catching pavement and sending the bike flying. I know sliders and race rails are completely different, but I've seen many examples of race rails catching pavement and sending the bike flying. I've seen it in person from other riders with those kits and sliders are also capable of this.
HeroRR i fuckin love u
On my CBR I use Shogun, and on my VFR I have T-REX sliders.
I use R&G classic frame sliders on my 2010 FZ1S.
HeroRR T Rex fuck yeah I have them on my 07 CBR600 they're amazing, saved my bikes fairings from 2 tip overs.
HeroRR I understand and on some level agree with what you're saying. However, pay attention to the shape and design of the no-cut mounting bracket. On my 06 CBR1000RR the no-cut bracket (I THINK they were Vortex) cantilevered over the right side case cover. The bike fell over on that side, bent the bracket into the cover and damaged it.
This was a very well put together video, short and sweet. Good point about the longer sliders, never heard anyone mention the torque there even though it's very important
Crashes where the engine impacts the ground should be evaluated on a (drumroll) case by case basis.
Ticonderoga Dixon good one.
Lol
👏👏👏
Hit the nail on the head. A 2 point low height slider is the best choice. After a few tries I figured this out, keeping the important bits such as forks, frame, engine are far more important than extra plastic protection at the cost of structure damage.
Excellent as always, very informative.
Thanks for those vids ! Liked.
You aren't making enough videos, another awesome job!
This whole motorcycle ownership experience has been a real-life exercise in "you get what you pay for"
i love how you guys help me out with info and my female friends started watching your channel, NOT BECAUSE THEY RIDE, they have no clue what you guys talk about, they watch because of Ari Henning
seriously, i was like WTF
capricious and SOB in one sentence is one of many reasons why I am a fan of Ari! Another great video.
I have sliders, they were used 1st lap on Gratton racetrack. Because of them I could finish the day and the next day too. Worked for me.
In fact I reccomend them.
Great info as always. No nonsense just informative content.
Lots of informative content here, especially for the carbon fiber part !
Very informative and useful vid! thanks MC garage!
Good info guys, I've been going back and forth about frame sliders for quite some time, this helps
Thanks dude. Your channel is really educational
Whats the difference between crash pads and frame sliders? Like PUIG have
yes... tweak your frame to save your plastics.
thats an amazing idea.
ari knows his crashing 😆👍🏻
Hey MC team. Thanks for always distributing relevant information. And also explaining things to a point that people don't have to be certified mechanics to understand.
You're welcome!
Great review, even better thumbnail.
Classy & informative 👏 👌 you are an underrated Master in the Field. Kind Regards & big Respect to you 🙌
Ari, you should be starting a new channel named Motorcycle Myth Busters! Would work wonders!
Great Videos! Glad I found your channel!
This video is so spot on. Oldie but goodie; tipped over the bike parking on an incline, the frame slider got beat up, but no body damage, just a tiny scrape on the bottom of my rear brake pedal and a busted bar end mirror. It would have resulted in an ugly scratched/dented tank that would’ve cost hundreds to replace over a $20 frame slider. If you don’t have them, why not?
How to adjust a motorcycle suspension for your next MC garage episode would be great!!
Good video, very informative, thank you
Great points. When I crashed my Cbr many years ago with emergency braking on a ramp, the frame sliders broke and the bike flipped from side to side about four or five times.
I appreciate the note on materials too, because when I was shopping for sliders for my current monster 821, I was attracted to the red sliders that were aluminum, but went with black synthetic frame and axle sliders from evotech instead.
Great video. Thank you.
Loved your channel. Keep it up
Helping me a lot in the stage of early Rider...👍👍👍👋👋
Excellent as usual!
Great information! What do you think about the crash cages in comparison to the sliders?
Good info. Keep it coming.
Having 10 years of racing/track school/riding & road riding these are really a 50-50. I’ve seen them save expensive bits.... and seen them hook into grass or gravel and make it worse by flipping them over, etc.
Great video dudes.
Mine saved my lower left leg. I had a cage not just a puck. I say fuck the bike. Save your body parts.
Good info! Thanks a bunch!
Love the videos. You guys are the best
They helped me. My track bikes sliders worked for my 25mph lowside.
That was a learning experience, I learned I don't wanna do that... again.
I've heard this kind of sliders are attached to the chassis and that eventually in a fall it could cause damage to the integrity of the chassis. Is that true? Thanks! And great video btw.
Great info, thank you
I have only ever dropped a bike one time and I was not even riding it. I was moving it in my garage and when I moved it the kickstand pushed back a bit and I didn't notice. When I went to lean it on the stand, the stand slid back and it fell to the ground. I was terrified and sure the tank was going to be dented, but it was actually just laying on the frame slider the previous owner put on. Zero damage whatsoever. So happy they were on there.
You've nailed this conversation,I think manufacturers market these sliders as some kind of force field and choose to not mention that they often cause damage,not to mention not being most aesthetically pleasing hardware you can bolt on a bike,as you say : who wants to buy a £24,000+ Ducati and start hacking and sawing the fairing panels to fit ugly sliders.
I live close to a race track and I've seen in the pits the carnage that these things can cause to a frame,as they provide leverage to the impact causing frames to twist,snap and buckle beyond repair and the digging into grass/mud and causing a destructive cartwheel theory is exactly correct.
Dude, what is that jacket? It's kickass! Btw, great video!
Had a sweeping corner and tip overs and the sliders were a magical forcefield.
Gj bro!! With a new bike a frame engine case/sliders are a must un my opinion. What are your top 5 must haves accesories to help protect your bike? Thx in advance, u are my motorcycle guru to go!!! Keep up the good work!!!
Ini my country Yamaha sell OEM frame sliders, which aren't quite rigid as the aftermarket ones, and aren't expensive either.. But it can do the right things, which is absorb impact..
Helpful stuff, thanks. As you said, you get what you pay for. Found a good provider in the UK called RG but overseas availability is limited. Any other suggestions?
Hey Ari ! What about crash bars ? I got a concours 14, i like the idea but you have to bolt them to the engine mounts according to the videos i'v seen. Good or Bad ?explain please. Always glad to see Mc garage pop up on my feed! maybe you ccould do a video on handle bar risers and how they affect handling ect... Cheers !!
Nice information brother keep it up 🤗🤗🤗
That's an indepth knowledge thanks...!!!
Great video. Can you guys please do a mockumentary style video on Uccio Salucci???
The reason I am being hesitant on buying a frame slider would be:
I think that the frame slider could bend or crack the frame upon a crash (or even when tipping over) since the frame is not manufactured to withstand forces in sideways directions. If the bike would just fall onto its fairings a lot of parts would be damaged but the impact would be spread onto a larger surface area. The fairings can most of the time be replaced with much less costs and effort than the frame.
Could a somewhat experienced person please give me an answer if that makes any sense?
This makes sense to me, but I've only been riding for 2 years, and that's on dirt bikes. What you're saying is that a fairing provides the maximum surface area for an impact, reducing pressure to a minimum, resulting in less damage at the fairing mount points, not to mention impact absorption when the fairing breaks. However, a fairing is the ultimate cut slider, because it is the biggest cut slider you can get, in a sense ... so we hope it's as smooth as possible and with as little holes/gaps as possible to prevent snagging in a crash.
When I was doing salvage I had to throw out so many frames that were busted wide open because they hit those sliders with too much force/speed whatever... the ones that mount to your engine mounts can bust the studs out through the case or head, wherever it's mounted to the engine. The case covers can do the same thing if they don't have enough mounting points and when that happens you're replacing bigger pieces of your engine case rather than a cover. Relate it to a bed of nails, more points of contact is safer and wont hurt you.
Very infortmative clip. Thank you..
Me and my riding buddies discussed this topic a lot and the points were pretty much a like.
A topic that havent reminded are the cages of all kinds (not necessarily stunt bikes roll cages but a simpler designs) and there affect in an event of a crash / possible damage to frame etc..
Can you adress this topic please?
Sincerely
Ruslan.
When I had my CBR125 and went down at 20mph without sliders, the insurance company put it down as a write off, as the cost of replacing the fairing and the scraped up exhaust was more than the bike was worth. That was a 6 month old bike bought brand new. Luckily I had all the insurance on it you could ever want. Broke my shoulder on that one. The sliders wouldn't have done shit to alter any of that in my opinion.
On my ER-6F I've had two tip overs both onto the left hand side thanks to the shitty stand (before I spent £10 and got a bigger footplate, now THAT is money worth spending) and I've just spent £500 replacing one fairing as it looked pretty bad after the 2nd tip over.
The sliders would certainly have saved some of the damage from the tip overs, but I'm not convinced it would have saved all the damage. Decent sliders for that bike are around £100 - but they make the bike look like shit in my opinion. So I'm still unconvinced. I reckon there'd still be damage and I'd end up having to get a new fairing anyway.
What DID actually save me money was the case cover that cost £60. Case covers are certainly worth it, along with £10 on a bigger stand rest. If you want to spend money I'd say get those before anything else, the £10 foot plate has made a huge difference and had I bought that sooner I would probably not have had the tip overs at all. I still won't buy sliders.
If the racers at trackdays run them and we have the same bike, you bet I'll be running them. Thanks Ari!
I was so worried about damaging my bike, I ended up leaving the bike in the garage and driving an old SUV instead.
🤣🤣
You need a used adventure bike. You know it’s gonna tip somewhere sometime.
They should just make a cage like a hamster ball. Ralph Nader would be proud.
Have you guys at mc garage done a abs removal on the R3 as I see in this vdo I need to do it to my R3 Mc garage rocks
I picked up a set of Shogun no cuts for my fz6R and ended up low siding in the mountains last summer. It was a fairly low speed wreck (~40-45 mph MAx) and the bike was already grinding off the footpeg with the rear tire felt like it washed out. Somehow, by the Grace of God, the bike only suffered a broken rider peg, bent clip on, chewed up frame slider puck, and some scratches on the tail fairing... Nothing else was damaged. As mentioned, so many factors go into play as to whether these things are going to be effective or not, and I just happen to roll the dice and get lucky for my first get-off.
Good to hear the Shoguns do their job, I have a set on my SV
I have Shogun no cut on my R6 and had a low side on the weekend. Ground down the puck, rear axle spool and bar end. Also ground down my R&G RACING engine case cover protection. Fairing a bit scratched and broken foot peg so not to bad. One thing I recommend which I did was when I bought the bike I got some cheap fairings off ebay and put the originals in a box so when I sell the bike one day I can put the original fairings back on.
You are cheap man. You bought your bike for a future owner or yourself? But, hey it's your business, right?
I ride it at the track as well as the road and have already been down twice on it so definitely worth it. I have spent a few grand on the bike upgrading it that I know I will never get back on it when I sell it eventually (ECU flash and dyno, quick shifter, brake lines, steering, damper, exhaust). Plus I actually like the color of the ebay fairings better than the original ones anyway.
interceptorm5 it makes sense though, especially if he's going to trade it in to a dealer. Makes the bike look brand new.
I’ve high and low sided with frame sliders. Sliders really helped on the low side, it was ground down a bit but easily replaced along with a few other bits. There was some scratches and cracks but nothing major for the rest of the bike. On the high side the slider kinda broke but still had enough material left that the bike was sitting on it when it came stationary. A bunch of stuff got busted on that one, but it was still rideable -ish home with some fancy shifting and braking. The motor cases were fine in both situations. I really believe both cases would have been much worse without sliders, I will always run sliders!
Great topic
Trex Racing saved my bike, THANK YOU!
Funny enough, I just tipped my bike over backing out of the garage 2 weeks ago. It saved my bike's body work. Only the right side footpeg got damaged (broke in half) but it was a quick fix. I'm a true believer now. I have R&G Aero crash sliders.
Frame sliders vs crash cage ? What do you recommend for everyday street use?
I have seen a frame slider break off of the frame of an FZ8 and crack the engine casing.
very informative
Short answer, YES they are a MUST. I let my bike sit outside for a couple hours so the tires got extremely cold, and when I hopped on I naturally turn the traction control off, I’ve never dropped a bike but literally 10 seconds after I leave I’m taking a left and my back tire spins out and I drop it. Frame slider protected my whole left side of the bike. I was super suprised. Only damage was obviously to the frame slider and to my pegs. Can’t guarantee the same situation but literally not a scratch anywhere else. Saved me a whole lot of money
Great information! Woodcraft, Woodcraft, Woodcraft!
My crash bars on the KTM Duke 250 actually saved my bike a lot in damage in a nasty crash doing 80 kmph. It's good to have them than not have them.
Phantom Rides try that with fully faired bike
Rutvij Sonawane I don't want to crash unless you mean I should lol
They are crash bars. Crash bars are awesome.
Sliders do what they can...
Phantom Rides I put a steel around my fearing
Dude be careful out there ! I love my KTM !
Im thinking about getting the t-rex frame sliders for my r3 any recommendations for axle sliders and engine covers?
I will need some bobbins for my bike I'm looking to get R&G ones. It was my first time dropping my bike by a silly mistake when pushing it backwards. Luckily no damage apart from the rear brake lever that needs to be pushed out abit.
To be argumentative I suggest that carbon fibre sliders could be effective depending on the resin recipe. That’s all, good video as usual
Great info
My bike (2012 er6n) had frame sliders installed when I bought it, but I've always felt like they stick out too far, they are almost the same width as he handle bars. I'm afraid that one day they will make contact with the road if I'm taking a corner in a steep lean.
Is that something I should be worried about?
The Cut Frame sliders for a 1st Gen Hayabusa, Typical round type...Work....Low slide on a sweeping turn, saved the entire side and front fairings. This was back in 1999,,,only damage was to the rear fairing which got all scraped up.
Hello I am looking for some sliders for my 20' zx6r I like the length of the shoguns but I'm not crazy about the looks. I have been looking at the shorter tst industries ones. Do you think I'm sacrificing protection (tip over only) if I get the tst industries?
Need a workshop manual for my Ducati Monster 796 S2R, where can I procure one?
Is that the R3 you did the exaust swap??? what else have you done to it since then???
Thanks from Texas.
What about cruisers that have those front end Frame attacked loop looking crashbars?
Another thing to consider is fixed rear-sets. Most of them are nearly just as likely to cause your bike to flip once in the grass. So if you already have them, some low profile frame sliders wouldn’t be the worst thing.
Mods and goodies in the R3 - video , when will that be coming? Just like the RC 390?