Frame Slider Design and Selection
Call them crash protectors, crash coils, fairing protectors or frame sliders, all of these products ultimately seek to do one thing: protect your expensive bodywork or the essential and often expensive structural parts of your motorcycle from damage in the event of a crash. or rollover on. The slider frame concept is as old as the proverbial ‘crash bar’ and today there are as many designs and brands as there are bike models. The proliferation of this type of product testifies to the success of the idea of providing a sacrificial element to absorb part of the damage in the event of a fall. We are by no means experts on this concept nor were we the first to come.
Face it, but in this article we hope to provide you with an unbiased view so you can make an informed decision when you’re ready to deposit your hard-earned money.
Cost:
The cost of frame sliders should be appropriate for the elements they are designed for.
to protect. Price is not necessarily the best indicator of quality. poorly designed framework
Sliders made from the finest, glossiest materials may not serve their purpose as well as
well designed but less ‘bling’.
Mount Configurations:
The slider frame must be designed to mount securely to a strong enough part of
the motorcycle so that impact forces can be properly distributed or absorbed.
Here are some popular mounting configurations.
Fairing Mounted Frame Sliders
Sliders that mount to the fairing with small fairing bolts can provide some
protection in a minor rollover, but offer minimal protection in a slide. Thesis
Sliders are generally not recommended for serious riders.
Frame Mounted Sliders – Direct
The most popular and viable mounting option is directly to a selected hardpoint
Frame Sliders with this design offer the most protection and impact resistance.
distribution. Installation of this type of slider often requires modification of the
fairing and in some cases like the Honda VFR800, as extreme as requiring the
Modification of the refrigerant bottle. For this reason, many choose the first or the
The third option as a fairing modification can sometimes be quite intimidating. This option is
most popular for serious athletes, amateurs and semi-professional runners
as they provide the best protection for the money. Another thing to consider
when choosing these type of sliders is where they will be mounted.
A lots of
sport bike models offer multiple mounting locations, frame slider
all manufacturers have their personal reasons for choosing the mounting location
for them and many of them make that decision for the wrong reasons. an example is
Cost: A location that offers a short two-bolt mounting location is less expensive than a
using a long option through the motor bolt. The first one is much weaker
to lease. If you own an SV650, you’ll know what we mean. Another option is the
use of a support to avoid cutting the fairing – see below (Frame
Mounted frame sliders, engine thru-bolts).
Frame Mounted Sliders – Indirect
To address some of the concerns homeowners may have about modifying the
fairing, some manufacturers have opted for a design that allows the slider
mount it to an offset bracket which is then mounted to the frame. this displacement
introduces a new set of variables into the mix. Depending on the degree of
displaced impact forces now include amplified torsional stresses to be applied
to the frame mounting points. Compensation supports should be more robust
construction, but not so stocky as to remain intact during an impact while severely
damage frame mounting points. This is often the most expensive type of slider.
setup as most brackets require some clever CNC work and design. In some
situations the use of a support is a calculated risk, in others it is simply not
realizable. No-cut sliders appeal to most riders, so do your homework and ask
questions from the manufacturer before you buy them.
Frame Mounted Sliders – Engine Thru-Bolts
The third mounting option found only on certain bike models like Suzuki
The DL1000 Vstrom, TL1000S, SV650 and Ducati motorcycle models allow the use of the
Long mounting bolt through the engine. This method is by far the strongest.
available as impact forces are allowed to be distributed over a much larger area.
This is also the second most expensive design as these long bolts are quite expensive.
for manufacturing. The design must be structurally strong enough not to break.
encountering the various types of impact forces, but not so strong that these
the forces would be fully transmitted and damage the considerably more expensive
frame mounting points. In other words, you want to sacrifice your slider before your
fairing and then your frame in that order. It’s a delicate balance and there’s no certainty
way to ensure that any design will achieve this desired goal.
Slider Frame Material:
The choice of material used for the slider frame should be a balance of the following
3 requirements:
Abrasion resistance: the material must be hard enough to be
able to slow the bike down in a slide and not be fully worn half way through the bolt
way through a slide
Structural strength: the material must be strong but not brittle and break too
easily on impact
Energy absorption: the material used must have some energy absorption.
properties but not be so hard that all impact forces are transmitted to the mount
points or fasteners (solid steel or aluminum materials are examples of non-energy
Absorbent material).
Most high quality frame sliders today are made of some sort
nylon or other for energy absorption and with aluminum inserts to reinforce
of the fixing points. The range of types of nylon, with different levels of abrasion
the strength and “brittleness” used is also quite varied.
Fasteners and Components:
The quality of the materials used, the aesthetics and the quality of the workmanship must also be
into account when choosing the right frame slider for your bike.
Look for high quality anodized steel bolts. Uncoated black bolts will rust in a
week or less depending on where you live. Stainless steel washers between your steel
Bolts and aluminum inserts in the slider also reduce potential corrosion issues.
Socket head cap screws offer the smallest footprint allowing for a thicker and
stronger slider dimensions and are generally much more expensive than regular ones
hex head bolts. Nyloc lock nuts, where applicable, are another added security
feature. Admittedly, these are all minor considerations in the overall scheme of things, but
all add to the cost of manufacturing. One last thing to remember is
Always try to use some form of thread locking compound such as Loctite and
Tighten mounting bolts per manufacturer’s recommendations. if you’re not
see our torque reference guide.
CONCLUSION:
Where does that leave you, the consumer? Well we all don’t wanna think about it
day when we can justify the purchase of sliding frames. The truth is that
As long as bikes only have two wheels, you can expect them to fall off sooner or later.
later. Slider frames are one of the safest and least expensive ways to ensure that some
protection for expensive or sometimes irreplaceable parts of your bike. After all
some protection is still better than none. Think broken rear brake levers, gears
gear sticks or even worse: punctured radiators or coolant bottles, when you’re on miles
of civilization. The rule is the same in our opinion no matter what you are
spend your money on – buy the best you can afford and don’t be afraid to ask
the manufacturer why their product is better than the plethora of other brands
available out there. Any good manufacturer will be very clear about what
differentiates its products from others so you can make the right choice
Purchase decision.
