Engine Guards on R1250RS

[tepeterson7848]

Hi folks

At 72 my strong and agile self is slowly diminishing, despite my efforts. I have never dropped a bike in 50 years, either at rest or slow speeds (gas station...). But, that time may come. My question to you BMW veterans is whether or not my R1250RS would survive a low speed/no speed drop without damaging the cylinders, other than cosmetically. I could invest in engine guards but don't really want to if I don't have to. All advice welcome. TIA and Happy Holidays! Tom

 

[blender]

My question to you BMW veterans is whether or not my R1250RS would survive a low speed/no speed drop without damaging the cylinders, other than cosmetically. I could invest in engine guards but don't really want to if I don't have to. All advice welcome.

If you’re concerned with a slow/no speed drop you might consider a set of these: https://machineartmoto.com/products/x-head-1250 The price isn’t too steep and they’re not as obvious as engine crash bars.
Disclaimer: I do have a set of these on my 1250GS.

 

[lee]

If you’re concerned with a slow/no speed drop you might consider a set of these: https://machineartmoto.com/products/x-head-1250 The price isn’t too steep and they’re not as obvious as engine crash bars.
Disclaimer: I do have a set of these on my 1250GS.

These are a popular choice. It's what we have on our RSs.
If you damage one they will sell one side instead of making you buy another set.

 

[lee]

If you’re concerned with a slow/no speed drop you might consider a set of these: https://machineartmoto.com/products/x-head-1250 The price isn’t too steep.

A little cheaper now with a 15% discount.

"15% OFF DISCOUNTS thru December 30th on ALL Products - USE Coupon Code: MaMo15DEC "

 

[bkkjack]

I have the Wunderlich sport crash bars on my RS. They are smaller diameter then your average bars, so not too ugly. I do wish I'd seen those machine art ones sooner, though.

If you're asking for advice, I'd say get something. In my experience it appears that spending the money on bike protection virtually guarantees you'll never need it.

 

[lee]

In my experience it appears that spending the money on bike protection virtually guarantees you'll never need it.

 

[fmdualexhaust]

With engine bars you don't have as far to lift the bike back up.

 

[mneblett]

Engine bars also are useful for protecting the jugs from the forces applying torque to a cylinder in a low-speed slide. For high speed slides, bars and protective covers are useless -- plan on a write-off and a new bike.

Everyone has personal experience which colors their choices. Mine: I once rebuilt two R1150RTPs into one bike. One was a crashed RTP that had gone down and dragged along on a cylinder for a short distance. This resulted in the front valve cover bolt being stripped out of the head (allowing the cover being lifted off its gasket during the slide), and the possibly momentary unseating the front side of the cylinder base from the block (a bit of oil wetness there, but I do not know whether it was already there or the result of the cylinder flexing rearward during the slide). I believe this was a highly unusual occurrence, as it occurred during a major hit (texting 16 yo rear-ended the stopped bike at 50 mph.). Nonetheless, I have become more conservative when I think of protection.

That said, I believe that for zero-speed drops, the valve cover protectors are perfectly good. In fact, I put on a set of the BMW cover protectors and they saved the right valve cover on my 1250 when I stalled at a stop sign during my first-ever ride on the bike. .

For my own peace of mind I have moved on to the factory bars, but I completely understand others not liking the aesthetics of crash bars.

 

[motorhead1977]

I have a set of the Wunderlich sport engine bars on my '20 1250 RS. I installed those after I discovered that the R&G bars (sold specific to the RS model) I initially installed prevented access to removing the oil filter! If you choose protective bars, choose carefully. Are they as fashionable as the cylinder head covers - No. But then neither is the look of my yellow Helite air bag vest. IMHO protective gear is rarely fashionable.

 

[smswy]

Hi folks

At 72 my strong and agile self is slowly diminishing, despite my efforts. I have never dropped a bike in 50 years, either at rest or slow speeds (gas station...). But, that time may come. My question to you BMW veterans is whether or not my R1250RS would survive a low speed/no speed drop without damaging the cylinders, other than cosmetically. I could invest in engine guards but don't really want to if I don't have to. All advice welcome. TIA and Happy Holidays! Tom

I have Wunderlich cylinder head guards on my 2023 R1250 R. They fit relatively snug. I may purchase their crash bars at some point since one of the models works directly with their cylinder head guards without having to use spacers on the crash bars. SW-Motech make cylinder head guards as well, but they sit almost 1" off the main cylinder covers and use intermediate rubber dampers in a few places. This may actually be good as the steel frame on the cylinder guards will take up some stress and strain initially before the rubber dampers fully contact the original cylinder covers. Then again, that may also put more stress on the 3 screws at the connection points for the cylinder guards.