Laverda 1000 engine guards?

Garbrand

Garbrand

Full member
Location
Eelde, Netherlands
Hi, yes, I know i know you shouldn’t crash, but are there any engine guards for an RGS?
As my engine is currently being overhauled and the parts are harder to come by, I’m still looking for some protection.
 
Could always add some outer Kevlar covers to give them a bit of protection. Might not work in all situations, but should be good enough in most low side crashes or accidentally dropping your bike.
 
I realize it’s a different bike, but for my 750 SF I installed a 20” long metal pipe capped off at the ends w plastic Wood Craft crash pucks( as used on modern sport bikes) I mounted it to the front engine mount bolt. On your RGS it could be mounted on the frame down tubes or the lower engine mount plates. Not the most elegant solution but it would save that Bayflex bodywork from a tip over.
 
I have seen pictures of flat alloy blades, approx. 100 mm wide that fix to the frame downtube and run horizontally back past the engine on either side. There not very structural and look as horrible as my description sounds. In the Pommy lingo, pretty daft and next to useless. A better option would be looking to adapt some Ogry Nobs, there hard plastic knobs mainly used on Supermoto bikes as crash protection. One good thing is they limit the damage and reduce the forces applied to frames and engines. You can get kits that bolt to wheel axles and engine mounts. One downside is the stupidly high price for a small lump of rubber or plastic.
 
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Decades ago, I adapted Honda CB750 (pre-1980) crash (protection) bars; not a straight fit, but from memory it was very simple: a bit of cutting and a couple of 'U' bolts; no welding was involved. They were worth their weight in gold, and yes, they were put to the test numerous times in the Andes. You can see them in this photo. Disclaimer: All activities suspected in this picture are strongly denied.1792444556543.jpeg
 
I adapted a set of Royal Enfield crash bars to my Laverda Atlas; it looked simple but turned out insanely complicated. It needed to be cut and shut to fit, but with its inbuilt tapered shape, that proved, as I said, insanely complicated to actually do. I managed in the end, Thanks to El Presidenty Chriss help. If you attempt something similar, start with something squarish in shape, or you will regret it in spades.
 
Here is the crash bar I made for my 750 and the plastic Wood Craft pucks- you could fab a different mounting bracket to attach it to the frame down tubes or front lower engine mounts, although mounting it higher up would protect the tank and fairing more
 

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The jury is still out for me, I had knobby thinks on my ZX7R, it fell over at walking pace and smashed plastic bits galore.

Could it have been worse without them???
 
78jotadave said:
Decades ago, I adapted Honda CB750 (pre-1980) crash (protection) bars; not a straight fit, but from memory it was very simple: a bit of cutting and a couple of 'U' bolts; no welding was involved. They were worth their weight in gold, and yes, they were put to the test numerous times in the Andes. You can see them in this photo. Disclaimer: All activities suspected in this picture are strongly denied.View attachment 108601
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Thanks, you’ve given me some ideas. It does need to be fitted in such a way that they don’t fold backwards at the slightest bump🫣Because this is what it’s supposed to prevent… this engine is for sale on Kleinanzeigen
And… it’s got to look neat as well…😇
 

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Similar to a chant I say to myself in puckering moments, I just remembered there are 2 chants. The first is PLEASE DONT CRASH, PLEASE DONT CRASH. And the second is HOLD MY LINE. HOLD MY LINE. They work best if you say them twice. It's been a while since they were necessary; the last occasion was a sudden loss of air in the front tyre at 100kph. They saved me again. I am agnostic, so I have no idea who they are directed at.I just remembered there is a 3rd, it goes like this O NO NOT AGAIN. That was from my learner rider days.
 
Vince said:
Similar to a chant I say to myself in puckering moments, I just remembered there are 2 chants. The first is PLEASE DONT CRASH, PLEASE DONT CRASH. And the second is HOLD MY LINE. HOLD MY LINE. They work best if you say them twice. It's been a while since they were necessary; the last occasion was a sudden loss of air in the front tyre at 100kph. They saved me again. I am agnostic, so I have no idea who they are directed at.I just remembered there is a 3rd, it goes like this O NO NOT AGAIN. That was from my learner rider days.
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FFS is shorter, and quicker to mutter through your clenched teeth. Or was that clenched bum cheeks? ;)

Haven't had a white-knuckle situation for quite some time... knock on wood!

piet
 
sfcpiet said:
FFS is shorter, and quicker to mutter through your clenched teeth. Or was that clenched bum cheeks? ;)

Haven't had a white-knuckle situation for quite some time... knock on wood!

piet
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I went bush a couple of weeks ago in the three trailer road train I was piloting, trying to avoid another oncoming road train that was more partial to my lane than his.

During the event …. everything went silent, and in slomo (adrenaline I presume) it managed to return to the bitumen without any damage. But my undies supply was depleted by one!

The other driver simply called out on the radio “That was sketchy”

View attachment IMG_1650.mov
 
Chris, what's the go with this mentality? I regularly see it around Sydney with the B Double dirt hauliers driving them like Dodgem cars. They're hauling Dirt from the new Sydney Harbour Tunnel dig. One a while back, rolled his truck trying to go around that tight curve in front of The Conservatory of Music. Unbelievably, no one was killed.
 
Vince said:
Chris, what's the go with this mentality? I regularly see it around Sydney with the B Double dirt hauliers driving them like Dodgem cars. They're hauling Dirt from the new Sydney Harbour Tunnel dig. One a while back, rolled his truck trying to go around that tight curve in front of The Conservatory of Music. Unbelievably, no one was killed.
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They get paid by the tonne, hence they overload and ‘launch it’ to get back and reload. ‘Mudcarters’ have a bad reputation for their Supertrucker antics.
 
chrisk said:
I went bush a couple of weeks ago in the three trailer road train I was piloting, trying to avoid another oncoming road train that was more partial to my lane than his.

During the event …. everything went silent, and in slomo (adrenaline I presume) it managed to return to the bitumen without any damage. But my undies supply was depleted by one!

The other driver simply called out on the radio “That was sketchy”

View attachment 108738
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Sketchy…?
There’s a time and a place for dry laconic reactions… that probably wasn’t it
 
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