Are frame sliders good or bad? Short answer: yes.

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.

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.

So glad someone actually talks about slow speed or stationary drops/tips. Thought it was just me.

If I ever get me an R1 I would put two extra small wheels on the rear.

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

Can I add this to my wife's car?

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!👍👍

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

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 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.

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 GUYS MAKE ALOT OF INFORMATIVE VIDEOS* 😌 Keep up the good work😀

This whole motorcycle ownership experience has been a real-life exercise in "you get what you pay for"

yes... tweak your frame to save your plastics. thats an amazing idea.

Some of the best MC content on KZfaq comes from this channel - especially your instructional / maintenance-based vids. Looking forward to new 2018 content guys!

Crashes where the engine impacts the ground should be evaluated on a (drumroll) case by case basis.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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.

I was so worried about damaging my bike, I ended up leaving the bike in the garage and driving an old SUV instead.

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.

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..

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).

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.

ari knows his crashing 😆👍🏻

My personal view of frame sliders is to keep them on track bikes. A nice smooth track will aid with sliding. But, on the road, anything that's fixed to the bike that sticks out, and is then in contact with the road surface in a crash, could see that part catch a piece of street furniture, (drain cover, cats-eye etc) causing the bike to dig in and flip. If the bung or slider hits a lamp-post or barrier in a side collision, again, the bung could flick the bike and spin it sideways. I've been riding for over 30 years, and did seriously think about fitting parts like this to my VTR1000, but, I've decided against it. I think (on street bikes), they are mainly just for show. In a dry/static drop, they could do more damage to the frame than if they weren't fitted. (they could push or distort the frame). Yes, I get that some can protect the plastics from damage, but, as an example, the ones available to fit my the frame on my VTR1000 will NOT protect the fairing or exhaust. The plastics and silencers will hit the ground well before the crash bungs do, so, what's the point? I dunno, if you like em, fit them. Some insurance companies here in the UK don't like things like these fitted to a bike, mainly because (the ones I've spoken to) class them as a) race additions, and b) could potentially cause more damage to the bike in the event of an accident (and therefore more needing paid out).

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!

That has to be the most sensible discussion on this topic, ever.

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.

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.

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.

Ari, you should be starting a new channel named Motorcycle Myth Busters! Would work wonders!

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

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.

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.

capricious and SOB in one sentence is one of many reasons why I am a fan of Ari! Another great video.

Dropped mine practicing wheelies in a parking lot. With frame sliders I picked the bike up and rode on. Had I not had them, it would have been $1000 damage or more. Get them. Only damage was scrape to the slider, tiny scratch on the exhaust, and a bent rear brake pedal (easy DYI fix.)

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.

I have an FJR 1300 with frame sliders. I was sitting on my bike trying to push it backwards on a slight incline into a parking spot and there was gravel. My foot slipped on the gravel and over the bike went. My frame slider worked perfectly preventing any fairing or frame damage and the only thing impacted was my ego. ;)

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..

by far these guys are the best and there technical reviews are excellent. Well done keep up the good work.

Recently caught on to your channel. One of the best in the category. Congratulations.

On a budget, I’d invest in good rider protection. The bike can look after itself.

To be argumentative I suggest that carbon fibre sliders could be effective depending on the resin recipe. That’s all, good video as usual

To be honest I have $20 sliders on my bike. Long sliders are known to snap the frames of the FZ6 so I have plastic mid sized slider. I can say they work as well, I went down at about 40mph and while some parts on my bike got trashed the cheap $20 Ebay sliders kept my frame and motor from getting any damage. I put more of the same kind on when I rebuilt my bike because after seeing them handle that I am happy. Yes I plan on putting a cage on it as well as on my new bike when I get it but those cheap sliders work just fine.

As someone who has been in accidents with both *frame sliders* AND *race rails* I will say this: Frame sliders will help your bike if it isn't going anywhere and/or at low speeds. Race rails on the other hand... Lets just say I still have my leg AND my bike thanks to them.

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.

This brings one question to my mind; why didn't the factory install crash protection?

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'm a big fan of cages over sliders, sure it's a good amount of weight, but damn is the protection top notch.

Those t-Rex kits are quality af.

If the racers at trackdays run them and we have the same bike, you bet I'll be running them. Thanks Ari!

Frame sliders are very useful at the track, much less so on the street since your bike is much more likely to hit something before it slides to a stop. Also, no frame slider is going to keep your paint perfect in a crash but they do a good job of keeping your bike rideable. Lastly, sliders with offset hardware are crap. I'd rather replace a body panel than the motormount tab on a frame. With some patience, planning, and drill with a hole saw, your slider installation will look like it was done at the factory.

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

Lots of informative content here, especially for the carbon fiber part !

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.

PREACH! We get messages EVERY DAY from grateful customers when a Motovation Frame, Fork, and Axle slider kit save their bike from catastrophic damage! Motovation slider kits are all made using a proprietary slider material designed to SLIDE properly.

Wouldn't there be a greater chance of an expensive bent frame? Replacing fairings are pennies comparatively.

Had​ a​ sweeping​ corner and​ tip over​s​ and​ the​ sliders were​ a​ magical forcefield.​

R@G frame sliders saved my body work on my S1000RR and frame fliders saved the important bits on my ZX10R. Has been worth it for me.

Part of me wants frame sliders, the other half of me thinks it's a vain attempt at saving your bike. The moment it's a crash involving speed I don't think they'll do anything at all. Literally a 'drop your bike' piece of insurance. I don't know, I just feel it's totally pointless the moment you're moving. And from the crash videos I've seen, none of them would have been even remotely saved by frame sliders. Thanks for the vid though!!

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.

If you're a newer street rider watching this, the very best (and also cheap in comparison) protection you can for your bike and yourself is taking riding lessons.

I had the nastiest surprise in 2011 when I installed frame sliders on my CBR600RR. I was doing a track day at Sepang, Malaysia. I keep hearing scrapping sound at Turn 14 but didn't care too much of it. After the 5th lap, I pitted expecting to find my foot pegs to be grounded up. To my horror, the sound I heard was me touch my frame sliders. I could have cartwheeled in that corner

A buddy of mine just crashed his bike pretty violently. Brand new to riding on an fz09 hit the curb on a highway median threw him off the bike and the bike slid about 20 feet up the road luckily he bought the bike used and it already had frame sliders on it they did a pretty good job of protecting the bike. Although his left rear set is bent all to shit and the stator cover is road rashed and cracked the damage could of been a lot worse I'm sure

For most people i think it would be a YES. From my experience riding on the road (and falling), it's the slower corners with wet or dirty surfaces that make you fall. If you're going really fast it won't make any difference on the road. I once fell on ice, in the shadow, on a nice 15°C day. I knew it was slippery, and at 45km/h the bike slided as soon as i leaned just a little bit. If i had a slider, it would've saved me a lot of work afterwards, since i damaged the rear fairing and scratched the engine cover. The bent clutch lever costs pennies.

Really depends on what kinda rider you are. If you're a commuter who doesnt spend a lot of time at high speeds, then your probably looking a worthy investment. However, if you are a high speed rider, a track day everyday kinda rider. You might want to give it more thought. My frame sliders have saved my bike TWICE (Both under 30mph) and costed a whole lot less than having to replace the fairing.

Concrete roads with expansion joints come to mind catching these things. And curbs. I know of more than one guy really messed up by curb strikes. One head. One hip. First one TBI. Second huge hematoma twice the size of his head took months to absorb.

I lay my bikes down and observe contact points. In my bikes contact points are handle bars turned fully right _ left and rear fairings So i build my own crash bars that are atached to my hamdle bars that give a good 3 cm distance plus from front fairings and under tail crash bars that are attached to a solid mount and rear top case mount. Hardware i use is 12 mm plain metal tube That gives a good 2 kg added weight and fair(ing) protection.

UK here. Looking at a set of R&G crash bungs for my Suzuki Gsx 1250fa. Yes they are pricey. Puts me off a little.

I know this video was geared towards sport bike riders but cruiser and touring bikes are just a likely to tip. When I started riding I had a Dyna, loved the bike and the look but I hated the engine guard. Almost took it off until I hit a gravel shoulder and layed down. It kept the bike above the gravel and skidded with minimal damage. Last year I was riding at night on my Road King and a moose came out of the ditch, again I go down at full highway speed. The engine guard kept as much off the asphalt as could be expected. The Big Breather filter wasn't even touched despite more than one tumble. I can't think of a scenario now where I would take the engine guard off.

Maybe the should design breakaway sliders so the work on low speed spills and accidental drops but break away on hard impacts to protect the frame and keep it from tumbling.

I bought radracing brand off Amazon for $50 and saved more potential damage after i had roughly 30-35mph low side. Bike slide on right side, caught high end of a curb,either flipped or flopped and ended up laying on left. Only speculating because i didn't see that action due to me tumbling. But ,the bolt stayed on and bent , housing got ripped off. Total damage was clutch cover bolt sheered off, bolt housing cracked, everything else was mainly comestic. Thankfully my bike was and has been repaired.

How to adjust a motorcycle suspension for your next MC garage episode would be great!!

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.

Why cut a perfectly good fairing to install a frame slider? Well, done right it looks perfect! I removed the fairings and put a laser pointer on a tripod and aimed it at the mounting bolt. Then I put the fairing back in place and marked the spot of the laser point. Bang! Right on the money baby!

You aren't making enough videos, another awesome job!

To slide or not to slide...that is the question!

I crashed my ER6 at 110 km/h all it damages was scratches on the engine case cover and Body part as well as broken mirror. Yes, frame sliders help.

I was warned countless times by my buddy to buy and install frame sliders. Every day “did you get slider yet?” I remember watching videos on installs and watching them cut into the fairing thing “man if I mess up the drill cut that’s 600$ worth of fairing down the drain” and honestly that worried me. Memorial Day came and I crashed. Bike was wrecked. When I went it to get it repaired they totaled me 3k for all the fairings, cracked engine covers, swing arm, and new bars. I regret it to this day. If I had just done the sliders man.

I personally missing the biggest concern. Is it more likely to damage the frame due to very localized impact, meaning the place where the slider is mounted?

Something to consider: Frame sliders can actually cause worse damage than what they prevent. I had frame sliders on my 2003 Honda CB-919 and the mounting point was part of the engine block, so when the bike went down (35-40 mph) the sliders acted like a crowbar and snapped out a huge chunk of the engine, causing oil and coolant to hemorrhage, seizing the engine. I had read warnings from other 919 owners over the years, and wish I would've listened. It would've just been cosmetic damage if it weren't for the sliders.

Had a low side at about 80kph on the track (rear end got loose). Went tarmac, rumble strip then grass, thankfully she didn’t tumble!! (R&G No cut sliders on ninja 400) I’m happy that I had them or damage would’ve been a lot worse!!! Snapped foot peg hanger, bent handlebar and shattered the tail fairing and other Left hand side fairings damaged but I’m happy that nothing major was damaged. I’m looking at building a race bike and other examples of sliders I’ve seen on race bikes have them just poking out a tad past the fairings so it’s got something to slide on but not out enough to catch and send Er to the moon

I think they were much more important back in the day when we couldn't get relatively cheap track day fairing for the interweb.

Personally I’d be looking for ‘sliders’ that will abrade and are mounted on sacrificial fixings, much better to allow them to absorb and deform than pass all that impact energy straight to the frame

And I’ve heard of frame sliders (Oggy knob style) bending the bike frame and making the bike a total write-off from a low speed crash.

Very informative but I don't think you're right about the carbon fiber frame sliders. It's a quite durable material, they will hold up better than you mention in the video. If the a carbon fiber hull is rated for 4000m depth I think they can handle a motorbike tipping over at 'high speed'.

Forgot to mention you run a significant risk of bending your frame. A far more serious problem than replacing a couple fairings.

On my current bike I don't use them. I like the clean look and they money I don't spend on frame sliders can go to repairs if I do crash.

Other channels: watch video then like. motorcyclist mag: like video then watch

Not so much with the frame sliders - but side case covers will save you from a walk home after a bad day !! I had to make my own in the early 90's for WERA vintage class RD400

Frame sliders vs crash cage ? What do you recommend for everyday street use?

I bought a set of those T-Rex sliders for my '17 fireblade. I low sided the bike in a turn and it slid off into the gravel/dirt on the side of the road. The slider dug in, snapped off, and punctured a massive hole in the frame of the 'blade. rip. That being said, it was just unlucky circumstances. I'll still get another set of those T-Rex sliders for my current bike. They're going to be in a different position, so, if something like that should occur again, it might not have the same fate. Despite what happened, I still think frame sliders are worth a buy, considering a bunch of stuff first.

I have them to try to prevent crushing of limbs during some sort of crash.

My experiences have been in falls on the street, I have not had experiences in the race or circuit. As far as I'm concerned, the sliders have been very useful... I had an accident while being relatively inexperienced in a Benelli TNT 899, in a curve I lost concentration causing me to get out of the line and go to the central island of the highway, slide with dirty. causing the bike to fall immediately. slide several meters next to the motorcycle since it was going to 120kmh. The only damage suffered by the bike was that the brake pedal bracket broke. I did not go out as well as the motorcycle haha, but that's another story.

Konfuzius says: Drop it and you need it…don’t drop it and you dont need it! Intelligent man!!! If you have the money buy it Better have it than need it AeroR Entertainment 🇩🇪🇺🇸