• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Heed crash bars

Service issues

They might be tough to remove for service, depending on how easy it is to remove the top fastener. I havea Chinese copy of the wunderlich bar on my RT. Three socket head bolts and one set screw per side.
 
Installed a set on my new to me 2013 R1200RT last week. It took a month to ship, box arrived in decent shape and the bars (I got the rear guards also) were completely wrapped in foam pipe insulation and stretch wrap plastic in the boxes. Took some time to unwrap, but the bars were in perfect condition. The engine guard requires removing the top engine mount bolt which requires compressing the front suspension. Breaking the nut took some work, but it came loose eventually.

Removing the Tupperware from both sides made the install easier.

Assembly from there was straight forward, just leave all nuts loose until everything is located. I haven't tried to remove the cam covers yet, but I suspect the bars will need to be removed. This looks to be straight forward...remove three fasteners on either side.

I also haven't tried the protection, and I hope not to. My DL 650 Wee Strom took a few naps in its time and the Givi bars I installed saved it from major damage. I think the the HEED bars will do the same if ever needed.

The rear bars didn't require quite was much work as the front. I did not remove the side plastics as the rear bolt for the rack started spinning the captured nut. Anyway, it took some finagling, but they went on cleanly.

In all, it took about three-four hours for the install.

Quality of bends and welds is excellent, paint/powder coat is smooth and evenly applied, and everything fit without problem: better than the Givi engine and luggage racks on the Suzuki.

In all I recommend the bars as a lower cost, very protective alternative to the more expensive name brands.

Mike
 
Oh, also, I ordered directly via email and PayPal from the HEED site. $395 for both bar sets shipped to Austin.
 
Installed a set on my new to me 2013 R1200RT last week. It took a month to ship, box arrived in decent shape and the bars (I got the rear guards also) were completely wrapped in foam pipe insulation and stretch wrap plastic in the boxes. Took some time to unwrap, but the bars were in perfect condition. The engine guard requires removing the top engine mount bolt which requires compressing the front suspension. Breaking the nut took some work, but it came loose eventually.

Removing the Tupperware from both sides made the install easier.

Assembly from there was straight forward, just leave all nuts loose until everything is located. I haven't tried to remove the cam covers yet, but I suspect the bars will need to be removed. This looks to be straight forward...remove three fasteners on either side.

I also haven't tried the protection, and I hope not to. My DL 650 Wee Strom took a few naps in its time and the Givi bars I installed saved it from major damage. I think the the HEED bars will do the same if ever needed.

The rear bars didn't require quite was much work as the front. I did not remove the side plastics as the rear bolt for the rack started spinning the captured nut. Anyway, it took some finagling, but they went on cleanly.

In all, it took about three-four hours for the install.

Quality of bends and welds is excellent, paint/powder coat is smooth and evenly applied, and everything fit without problem: better than the Givi engine and luggage racks on the Suzuki.

In all I recommend the bars as a lower cost, very protective alternative to the more expensive name brands.

Mike
Thanks, Mike! Just what i was looking for,
someone's experience with a set. Didn't even know
they had the rear protectors as well. Will check
them out also. :thumb
 
Oh, also, I ordered directly via email and PayPal from the HEED site. $395 for both bar sets shipped to Austin.

Could you, please, post a picture of the rear protectors?
Now you got me going , and i don't see any on their site.
Thanks.
 
Oh, also, I ordered directly via email and PayPal from the HEED site. $395 for both bar sets shipped to Austin.

Thanks to your note here, i ordered them both directly. and at a great price. I honestly miss printed $385 and that is the price i got them for.:dance
 
I saw those too. They are a slightly different design than the Wunderlich, look to mount differently under the engine, and appear to have better head protection, through the higher cross piece. They would probably need to be removed for any valve adjustments.
I like the design so i just purchased a set, front an rear, at a decent price. I will post pictures as i get them ,with pro's and con's of it all.
Intend to mount a set of fog lights on the front bars,
 
Looking at a set of these for my wife's 2014 RT
Here are some pic's. I have also ordered the rear bars, but they are not for my year
bike. To return them would cost more than the refunded value. I could make them fit,
but I changed my mind about them.
Installation was not exactly easy, but straight forward.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0845.jpg
    IMG_0845.jpg
    50.6 KB · Views: 373
  • IMG_0846.JPG
    IMG_0846.JPG
    148.2 KB · Views: 369
I just received Heed front & rear bars for my 2009 BNW R1200RT

The total price with shipping was $490 for both the front and rear sets. The packaging is extraordinary. The installation instructions are very vague. The part I'm stuck on compressing the front fork in order to install the upper connection on the motor mount. The instructions say to sit on the motorcycle. I'll be installing them by myself, so I'm trying to figure a way to compress the motorcycle and install the part at the same time.

Any thoughts would be sincerely appreciated.
 
Those look good.
I guess if I was going to compress the suspension by myself I would use motorcycle tie-downs. With a piece of wood on the ground, tie one end to the wood either side of where the wheel would sit......put the front wheel on the board.....leave the bike in first gear and tighten the straps.
Easier if you have a wheel chock or related.
OM
 
Do you have to go through that suspension-compression routine every time you want to pop the valve covers off for a clearance check?
 
Thanks Omega

Those look good.
I guess if I was going to compress the suspension by myself I would use motorcycle tie-downs. With a piece of wood on the ground, tie one end to the wood either side of where the wheel would sit......put the front wheel on the board.....leave the bike in first gear and tighten the straps.
Easier if you have a wheel chock or related.
OM

That's a much better solution than driving bolts into the garage floor, which I had contemplated briefly. The wheel chock suggestions sounds like a must-have for this operation. :thumb
 
Suspension compression 2009 R1200RT

Do you have to go through that suspension-compression routine every time you want to pop the valve covers off for a clearance check?

Good question, Pappy! From what others have posted it may be simpler than doing the suspension-compression each time you adjust the valves, but it still involves removing 3 bolts. I'll post some pictures as I go along.


Omega Man gave me a good idea for compressing the suspension, so I'll post pictures of that also. I'm not mechanic but I can bolt and un-bolt things if I get all the torque numbers.
 
I would like to add crash protection but am afraid to give up ground clearance.
How much cornering/ground clearance do you guess is lost with these bars?
 
I would like to add crash protection but am afraid to give up ground clearance.
How much cornering/ground clearance do you guess is lost with these bars?

i have zero ground clearance issues with my 13RT with the Wunderlich engine/pannier bars, but, then again, i upgraded to the Wilbers WESA shocks tailored to my riding style and weight from Ted at the BeemerShop...

adding upgraded suspension is the way to go...:)
 
Back
Top