My last RRS had (I think) plastic BMW sliders. They came with the bike and did their job admirably. I put that bike down way more than I care to admit (it happens when you commute in winter in Wisconsin) without a single scratch to the heads. The stock heads were cast magnesium on the R1100RS, not aluminum, so probably were even more expensive to replace.
New RRS will also have plastic BMW sliders, just integrated in the optional head design. The 40 years of GS edition R1250GS has these heads with yellow sliders. Sliders are around $40 each to replace. My guess is that they'll be OK for a stopped tip-over but if the bike has enough momentum to keep rolling further onto the head, the side of the case above the slider plastic will get torn up.
Here is a HP head -- nearly identical design, included to highlight which part is plastic.
My thoughts exactly. It doesn't take damaging too many parts on a RS to make it no longer worth repairing by your insurance company, and as you've experienced, the heads can be perfectly fine and the rest of the bike is still (easily) a write-off. I understand why people fit crash bars, but they sort of feel like training wheels on a RS -- and I'm sure that's influenced by my previous experiences with an RRS with just side covers and didn't feel I needed anything more.
New RRS will also have plastic BMW sliders, just integrated in the optional head design. The 40 years of GS edition R1250GS has these heads with yellow sliders. Sliders are around $40 each to replace. My guess is that they'll be OK for a stopped tip-over but if the bike has enough momentum to keep rolling further onto the head, the side of the case above the slider plastic will get torn up.
Here is a HP head -- nearly identical design, included to highlight which part is plastic.
(04-25-2022, 12:58 PM)Freddyfruitbat Wrote: My take-home message from this experience was that for a big crash, engine bars are somewhat pointless. For a very low-speed crash or a tip-over, it would be good to have some protection there - cylinder-head covers seem a good idea.
My thoughts exactly. It doesn't take damaging too many parts on a RS to make it no longer worth repairing by your insurance company, and as you've experienced, the heads can be perfectly fine and the rest of the bike is still (easily) a write-off. I understand why people fit crash bars, but they sort of feel like training wheels on a RS -- and I'm sure that's influenced by my previous experiences with an RRS with just side covers and didn't feel I needed anything more.
Craig
'20 R1250RS
Previous: '21 R1250RS, '03 K1200RS, '01 R1100RS, '83 R800
'20 R1250RS
Previous: '21 R1250RS, '03 K1200RS, '01 R1100RS, '83 R800