Issue: I was looking for an extra insurance policy for my 2008 KLR650 as I knew that it would be dropped at some point in the future and I wanted to mitigate the damage if possible.  After visiting numerous forums and reviews I ordered a set of the SW-Motech Crash Bars from www.aviciouscycle.ca

Setting the Stage: I’d just returned from vacation and had been thinking of ideas for my next blog post and then it hit me. Literally.  On the way home from work I was hit from behind by a woman while she was talking on her cell phone.  Thankfully she finished her important conversation prior to exiting the car to help me out.

It was the strangest feeling, while waiting for the light to turn green I felt a sudden jolt, my KLR was torn from under me and was bouncing off the hood of her car.  I took me a solid 10 to 15 seconds to figure out what had happened.  When I realized that I had been hit and that I was on my back in the middle of a busy roadway I did a quick health check and sprung to my feet.  That’s when I noticed that the driver was still on her phone. WHAT THE %#$@?  She claims she didn’t see me stopped at the light wearing my bright yellow safety vest.  How could she have seen me while she was focused on her phone conversation?  Other than a sore neck and shoulder, I escaped uninjured.  Got lucky this time.

Solutions: I had installed the SW-Motech crash bars for the KLR650 only a month earlier and was hoping I wouldn’t have to test them out. (I’ll update a blog with installation instructions).  I believe that the bars did a superb job when I was hit and I highly recommend you add them to your KLR650.  In fact, I think they are a must have for any KLR650 rider.  They SW-Motech crash bars were approximately $250 with shipping and I’m convinced they saved me from $1,00o worth of damage on this one incident and they’re still in decent shape considering they just absorbed a significant impact.

Notes:

• Although the SW-Motech crash bars are scratched from sliding on the pavement and the left hand bar is slightly bent toward the fairing of my KLR650 they are still in good condition and won’t need replacing. (I can correct the bend and cover the scratches).


• I believe the SW-Motech crash bars have saved me from repairing/replacing the following components: radiator, left side fairing, shift lever and any other damage it may have caused to the engine or transmission.  Not bad for $250.


• The SW-Motech crash bars look good on the KLR650.


• They were fairly easy to install and took a total of 1.5hrs.  Just follow the instructions included with the bars or check YouTube for the how-to videos.

Feel free to post comments or leave question.  Stay obsessed my friends.