katana crash bars

[frogsyko]

Hey guys! Okay...I've dropped my bike 2 times now after owning her for 3 weeks! I'm thinking of crash bars. I know they don't exaclty look cool or whatever, but I don't want to keep replacing stuff after repeatedly dropping it. (Note to self: Buying a bike that is more than 3 and 1/2 times your size may make you look smaller, but it is a b**ch to keep off the ground)

I can't find any of these bars for my Katana, has anyone seen them in passing while surfing the great unknown?

[axel_2078]

I've seen a few Kat riders in the forum ask about them before, but to my knowledge, I don't know of anyone that makes them.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by frogsyko

Hey guys! Okay...I've dropped my bike 2 times now after owning her for 3 weeks! I'm thinking of crash bars. I know they don't exaclty look cool or whatever, but I don't want to keep replacing stuff after repeatedly dropping it. (Note to self: Buying a bike that is more than 3 and 1/2 times your size may make you look smaller, but it is a b**ch to keep off the ground)

I can't find any of these bars for my Katana, has anyone seen them in passing while surfing the great unknown?

I've seen them for the sportbikes but not the katana. I'm thinking that the Katana is a popular bike. The metal shops around you that maybe make the crash cages could fit your bike up with one. That's what I would do.

[Gixxerdale]

You just need to break that earth magnet spell you've placed on your Kat!

[frogsyko]

Gravity is very fond of my bike...so is my drive way....it may be hard to seperate the two. I may have to take Jammers advice and see if my dealership has any words of wisdom. I think I'm gonna lower the bike and see if that makes a difference...now I only need to find the tool kit....

[viper94bite]

how tall are you? I love the katanas. unfortunately my insurance costs would be much to high.

[Uncle Bob]

First question, have you had any training ?

Why are you dropping it ?

Do you mean "engine guards" ( crash bars sound, you know....) or frame sliders ?.

[frogsyko]

Hehe...I'm 5'4"....insurance is very high if your trying to get full coverage...i just went with liability...

I have not had any training, until the last few days. I am signed up for the MSF course (or whatever it's called) but the classes are full until July, there is no way I'm gonna just look at the bike and not try taking her out for a ride...July is too far off...

I keep dropping it because I haven't learned to balance it, and she is very heavy. I think I need to spend more time with her and more thoroughly examine her limits...

I guess I am talking about engine guards, but I heard them called crash bars, or crash cages. I'm not talking about frame sliders, though...those might work...

Anybody have any suggestions for what I should do till the course gets here?

[themeatmanlandry]

Let me guess: low speed gives you the most trouble, right? Am I right?

Me too.

A wise person (well . . . not really) once told me this: Keep your ****ing feet down.

It works. You have to be ready to catch that booger when it goes.

Yes, crash bars . . . engine guards . . . whatever, that's what I call them.

Good luck
<keep your ****ing feet down>

[frogsyko]

Okay...gotcha....keep my ****ing feet off the ground...

The only problem with that....is that I keep loosing balance with my legs nearing the ground as in landing gear and then they crumple under the weight of the bike...maybe it's time to do some leg presses at the gym or something...

*shrug*

thanks for the advice...and good to know I'm not the only one!

[themeatmanlandry]

Where you set your eyes makes a really big difference at low speed, especially in the beginning. Try not to look down. The ground's still there, you don't have to look to see it! Keep your eyes front, and always realize that "with speed comes stability," i.e. at lower speeds, you don't have the gyroscopic effects of the wheels to help keep you up.

This next part sounds like hooey, but I've heard that the gyroscopic effect of the crankshaft assembly can stabilize the bike somewhat. <anyone care to elaborate on the truth/falseness of this issue . . . i read it somewhere, so it's definitely up to scrutiny?>

I can't speak to it being true, but that's what I've heard. FWIW, a new guy shouldn't be concentrating on revving the engine for low speed stability. He should be concentrating on "keeping his ****ing feet down."

Your legs are probably plenty strong to hold the bike up, you just lack experience and confidence. Hang in there.

[viper94bite]

Originally Posted by frogsyko

Okay...gotcha....keep my ****ing feet off the ground...

The only problem with that....is that I keep loosing balance with my legs nearing the ground as in landing gear and then they crumple under the weight of the bike...maybe it's time to do some leg presses at the gym or something...

*shrug*

thanks for the advice...and good to know I'm not the only one!

That couldn't hurt.

[jsvickers]

I have not had any training, until the last few days. I am signed up for the MSF course (or whatever it's called) but the classes are full until July, there is no way I'm gonna just look at the bike and not try taking her out for a ride...July is too far off...

Unfortunately, the price you're paying for that is dropping the bike more than you would if you took the class first.

The only problem with that....is that I keep loosing balance with my legs nearing the ground as in landing gear and then they crumple under the weight of the bike...maybe it's time to do some leg presses at the gym or something...

You're probably making things worse by throwing your leg out when you feel a little off balance. Also, when doing very slow-speed maneuvers, you pretty much want to stay off the brakes completely and just use the clutch to control your speed. It's a lot easier to get the hang of this on the lighter bikes you'll be riding in the MSF course

[rteichman]

Originally Posted by jsvickers

Unfortunately, the price you're paying for that is dropping the bike more than you would if you took the class first.

I disagree. I took the MSF, then rented a Buell Blast for a season before buying my 95 Katana which I proceeded to drop 3.5 times. The .5 time was right after I got it and was backing it out of the place I parked it. It started going over and I could not stop it. Luckily the wall of the house did and I was able to get it upright without it evern hitting the ground. The other 2 times were on slow (walking speed) turns.

I agree with putting your legs down. Not when you are about to loose your balance, but before starting a very slow speed turn. It looks uncool, but it will keep the bike upright. As you get more used to the weight distribution on the Katana (because that is the real issue and nothing other than practice will help you with it), you will notice you don't need to have your legs down and you will find yourself keeping them on the pegs more.

I also think that it might be a Katana issue. I never had a balance problem my first year renting the Blast, and I have found my new bike much easier to balance than my Katana

[Clint]

Originally Posted by rteichman

I disagree.

Are you really suggesting that training doesn't help?

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by rteichman

I disagree. I took the MSF, then rented a Buell Blast for a season before buying my 95 Katana which I proceeded to drop 3.5 times.

How many times would you have dropped it had you not taken the class ?.




All I can say here is that you should just park it until you take the class. All you're doing now is damaging a perfectly good bike and developping bad habits that you'll have to break in order to finish the course. And of course endangering yourself, fighting to keep the bike up repeatedly can only lead to injury for you also.

As for all these leg down suggestions, just reinforcing bad habits and taking focus away from the real issue of controling your bike properly. I seriously doubt many here can even keep the bike up with their leg if it gets more than a few degrees off center. Especially if you're vertically challenged.

[Zoe Dotes]

Crash bars are like helmets - they help protect your skin and investment...
Cool? whats more important?
MSF is great starting point - they teach you to counter-balance in slow turns, and you can practice on THEIR bike.

Good luck

[wookie]

Kat has a reputation of being a little top heavy, though.

[jsvickers]

Oops. I posted my first reply up there without addressing your initial question like I meant to...

Not sure about crash bars, but people have had a hard time finding frame sliders for Katanas. AFAIK, nobody makes them. The Katana doesn't have any mounting points for frame sliders, so you have to figure out how to mount the things, which will probably include drilling a hole in the frame, which a lot of people are reluctant to do.

I saw a thread on Katanaplanet.com a few months ago about someone developing a kit for Katana frame sliders. I don't know how far that project got and now it looks like that web site is just a bunch of classifieds.

[LayinLo]

No-one makes crash cages for the Katanas. (I personally called them for you.)

If you can get about 20 people who want them, one company said he'd be glad to make them. Not worth it for you unless you plan on stunting that Kat.


Get some 'extended frame sliders' and take that MSF.