Mr Jensee wrote:Maybe but have you ever laid your bike over intentionally to see what the real crash bars do? They do a great job of protecting the saddlebags as it. I worry with all these added metal pieces bolted onto the Voyager plastic, that more damage might be done on a serious impact because it has to compromise the structural integrity of plastic pieces.
I can appreciate your perspective... I agree it adds yet another item you need to ensure is bolted on safely. This part of the trim does not install on the saddlebag plastic, it bolts to the crash bar and in the center rear frame as a wrap-around but not attached to the bags. I've seen the trim rails that are attached to the plastic and I agree, I would not want that extra weight on the plastic.
Yes, I have laid it over (not at speed though, thank God) and the primary crash bars kept from damage. I was able to determine that these are properly referred to as trim (thanks to the AVA Tech Center data). As you indicated "dressing" more than protection. I do like that it has provided limited protection from scratches and such. I try not to be hard on it but yesterday was an exception.
War Story alert (confession is good for the soul, etc.)...
I got stupid and was thinking about my task list while commuting into work (distracted). I was in the left lane of a familiar stretch of road and was not vigilant, not allowing enough of a safety margin and my speed was faster than I should have been and the vehicle in front of me stopped dead fearing a left turning vehicle in front of him (that never happened). I applied the brakes past threshold braking and the rear locked, fish-tailed and the left side went into the rear passenger corner of a "well-endowed" Jeep Wrangler ("well-endowed" with nerf bars all over the rear). On the bike; the trim rail section, that is connected to the crash bar, was snagged on part of the Jeep's Nerf bar and peeled back the trim, protected the saddle bag from impact. I continued to swerve past (still upright) and into the right lane, across the intersection and into a pull off area (held the locked brake till the bike straightened out). All that safety practice that I do paid off as well as the prayers. Lesson learned; to remember what I teach others; 360 degree awareness, slow down, minimize distractions, ample safety margin between me and other vehicles, etc.
I was able to locate a replacement (part #K53002-005) on eBay, once I found out what exactly to put into the search parameter... Brand new still in plastic, amazingly.
As always I appreciate all of the honest feedback!
Best Regards!
~Steve