Wunderlich engine protection bars

I have them on my 05 RT. They bolt to the bottom of the crankcase..I've read of instances of the crankcase being ripped open from rather minor strikes to the bars. Should I remove them?

Bar Removal?

I'm sure you've seen the very recent thread describing exactly that event in a minor hit.

Here's an observation.

On GS models, bash plates get mounted to the same type places BUT the bash plate doesn't have much leverage on the mount point and a significant amount of an impact is vertical, the direction of strength. The load also gets distributed to all of the mount points

On the Wunderlich bars, there is substantial leverage on these mount points and there is twisting motion if the bar is deformed that goes in the weakest direction of that mount point. When the bars bend, the load (that will exceed a typical bash plate hit) gets distributed to 2 points with most of the force on only 1 point.

The factory viewpoint could be relevant - the guys who designed the engine and frame know what they meant to have mounted at the various points and if BMW doesn't make a bar for that mount point, its likely use of that point for a bar was never considered. Does anyone know how the RTP bars mount or if there is any factory bar using the Wunderlich mount points?

I have some interest in new ZTechnic bar ( as an accessory mount as much as a "protector") but because they haven't posted mounting instructions on their website so I can examine its design more fully, I've done nothing about it. No bars or anything else over the heads of my RT at present - maybe I should carry the emergency rubber head cover....

I've got the tourtech (sic) bars on my RT. I looked at the others and chose these due to their being made of stainless steel and not powder coated carbon steel as the others. I use them as mounting points for my highway pegs and Hella FF50 driving lights. They would protect the bike in a tipover in a parking lot situation but I hold no illusions that they would be a benefit in a collision with anything solid. I carry insurance on the bike and hope never to need it; if push came to shove and I dinged my case as in the other thread here I'd haul it to my dealer shop and call the insurance company.

Do the Tourtech bars attach to the crankcase like the Wunderlich?

No offense to any of you GS folks, but how much hard offroading do you actually do on these [huge] bikes? I raced offroad for over 20 years with nothing more than a skid plate. I can't imagine doing serious, heavy duty single track on a bike this large.

So my question is "how much crash bar type of protection do you really need?"

I have these on my R1200S: http://www.advdesigns.net/xcyhegubymaa.html

They are actually designed for the GS and should provide ample protection in rocks as well as on pavement (I hope to never find out!).

Crash bars that crack engine cases seem kind of self-defeating. I'm just sayin...

bjhughes said:

No offense to any of you GS folks, but how much hard offroading do you actually do on these [huge] bikes? I raced offroad for over 20 years with nothing more than a skid plate. I can't imagine doing serious, heavy duty single track on a bike this large.

So my question is "how much crash bar type of protection do you really need?"

I have these on my R1200S: http://www.advdesigns.net/xcyhegubymaa.html

They are actually designed for the GS and should provide ample protection in rocks as well as on pavement (I hope to never find out!).

Crash bars that crack engine cases seem kind of self-defeating. I'm just sayin...

Click to expand...

After looking at yours and then looking at mine I'm not sure yours are any better. It appears yours attaches with only two screws that also screw into the crankcase. Mine are attached in four places on the bottom and then also attached on each side up top. I would think yours would be more likely to break the casting than mine in a drop. I'm thinking anything that would cause mine to rip the crankcase open would likely have ripped it open anyway..I'm beginning to see why BMW uses a plastic material that is more forgiving than other valve cover protection...

The covers on mine are hard molded plastic...extremely durable stuff. They attach to the cylinder heads using 3 allenhead bolts (they do not attach to the cases at all). I really just have them on to cushion a tip over, or scrape (on lean) before hitting metal. I doubt they would provide protection in extreme situations, but then I hope to never find out!

I'm the rider that posted re engine damage; let me stress right away I'm not, repeat, not, slamming Wunderlich. I have other products of theirs on my bike and they are top notch, the bars are also well made. The original reason for putting bars on was to protect valve and bag covers in a tip over. Of course I did not have them on the only time I tipped over while stopped and scuffing the covers. However, in this case, after a very low speed impact the oil 'pan' had a hole punched in it where the bar mounts. So the bars are off, probably for good. Altho to be fair, in the past, I've used bars attached to the steel frames tubes with no problems. Motorcycling has its hazards, this just reinforces the point. I'm taking the bike ('07RT) to a welding shop that specializes in TIG repair and will post the results.

I agree the X-Head Cylinder Head Protection Guards appear to be the best solution right now. They are more protective than the BMW protectors and use the same mount points. They will help protect in a slow or no speed tip over which is all any of the systems are likely to protect. Anything beyond tip-over is likely to be in-effective. I also notice Touratech is coming out with a similar full coverage polymer cylinder cover similar to the X head design. I like their design a little better.