Honda CBR650R Crash bars topic

Aardvarck · Dec 23, 2021

Hi guys,

My name is Roman, 34.

I’m new to motorcycle world and on this forum, however I really enjoy being part of this community!

I’m completely newbie so your help is what I would really appreciate.

Here is the deal:

Some inputs:

I live in US (NC), but English is not my native language so sorry for mistakes.
My bike is a new Honda CBR 650R ABS 2021
I passed MSF courses and have Motorcycle endorsement in my driving license, but still 0 practical experience so I’m not comfortable to ride this bike on common roads so far - I decided to do practicing on empty parking lot in our appartments complex to get fully familiar with bike for at least coupe of weeks or more.
I did tip over (shame on me!! ) my bike recently on right side.. I was staying next to it from left side and holding bike and I was trying to move it little bit when this happened .. As I learned in practical way.. this bike is quite HEAVY, especially with full tank of gas and other fluids.. I was lucky enough that my bike got just few small scratches and that’s it.
Now I’m afraid to tip it over again and decided to put some protection on my bike before practicing any more.
I decided to install crash bars on my bike to protect it from tip overs but I can’t get to service and install crash bars there since.. I’m not comfortable riding this bike on common, public roads so far, lol . Delivery by truck is quite expensive and will be my last resort I guess..
Btw, I bought these crash bars: https://www.ruchkagaza.com/product-page/honda-cbr650r-2019-2020-street-crash-cage-with-sliders - quite expensive but looks solid.. package just arrived and now I'm puzzled how to install them..According to these crash bars installation instructions (not very detailed I would say) I need to install crash bars to certain mounting points but there are some native (I mean installed from factory) Honda nuts and screws which I need to unmount first..However before unmounting them, I would like to ensure this is safe for my bike, also would like to know which tools to use ( to buy, basically) to do so..

Sorry for long read, it was all prehistory, here are my specific questions:

Q1. Do you know what these nuts / screws / things (?!) designed for? Please see photos attached:

Mounting point 1 from bike's right side. This monting point was covered by black plastic cap which I removed:

Mounting point 4 from left bike side ( basically, symmetrical just from other side), was also covered by black plastic cap which I removed:

Monting point 2 from bike's right side - there was no any cap, but I see someone labeled it / left blue mark:

Mounting point 5 from bike's left side - there was no any cap, but I see someone labeled it / left blue mark:

Q2. Do you know which tools are the best to safely unmount these.. nuts? I guess I need socket set and drive for 3/8 and 1/2, but not sure, may be other / more tools will be required?

Q3. Do you know if these https://www.ruchkagaza.com/product-page/honda-cbr650r-2019-2020-street-crash-cage-with-sliders crash bars are safe for engine? I read some scary topics somewhere here saying that such protection as frame sliders may “kill” the engine in case of tip over.. this is what I absolutely would like to avoid..

Thank you so much!

miweber929 · Dec 23, 2021

They look prettysolid but one of the bolts is the swingarm pivot. You need to know what your doing to remove it and put it back right. Honestly, it should go to a shop.

NC is a beautiful place to ride, you’re quite lucky. Congrats on the new ride!!!

Motojack · Dec 24, 2021

Yea I'll echo what was said above.

To tackle that job you will need a decent socket set, power bar and torque wrench. You would want to make sure you torque those nuts and bolts back up right, I wouldn't mess around with that if it was my first time.

I made some dumb mistakes when I was learning on my first bike!

Nice bike to! 👍😀

kspjk · Dec 24, 2021

Congrats on the new bike. Yes, I think you’re being sensible to get comfortable with the bike first before venturing out. Do bear in mind that sometimes slow manoeuvres (in the parking lot for example) can be more difficult than faster road riding when you’re new. Riding is a very personal skill, so go with how you feel.

More on the topic in question, I agree with the above comment about taking it to a COMPETENT shop to have this cage installed. It looks like one of the mounting points is the swingarm pivot and I’d hazard a guess that the top mounting point is somewhere on the cylinder head. As said above, it’s not an easy task removing and installing the swingarm pivot. But more on the top mounting point, I’d be worried because if the bike tips over then all the shock might get transferred directly to the engine and that can’t be a good thing.

If it was my bike, I’d probably go with the usual method of crash bungs and engine covers, which I’ve been told often requires cutting parts of the fairing.

Those blue markings are there so you can monitor any of these fasteners becoming loose due to expansion/contraction and vibrations. You typically see this on critical fasteners.

good luck!

kspjk · Dec 24, 2021

Regarding tools, yes it would be good to invest in good quality tools if you plan to do any basic wrenching.

I think Honda uses metric fasteners. Most of my sockets are 3/8 drive, and only the big ones (for axles and swingarm) are 1/2 drive. I cannot stress how important it is to get good quality tools. It can make a difference between an easily done DIY and a very expensive repair bill. Those allen/torx head bolts strip so easily if you use cheap tools.

On a side note, if you can afford it, get a set of AF/standard sockets as well as metric. This is because sometimes the AF tool fits better than the metric tool on a metric fastener (would you believe?). It’s all about small tolerances. Before you wrench on any nuts and bolts, try to wriggle a metric socket and then an AF socket to see which has less play, then use the one which has less play. It might just save you a stripped head.

But get yourself a shop manual before anything else.

Aardvarck · Dec 24, 2021

Guys,
Than you so much for your help and advices!

I agree with you - better to do this mounting work in dealership where I bought this bike to make sure all installed properly.
Plus.. now I’m not sure if these crash bars are good for my bike - if they posses a threat for my engine then I do not need these crash bars at all and better to stick with more standard solutions.
Could you please recommend any good alternatives protection for my 2021 Honda CBR650R ABS?
More focus is on protection against tip overs, I do not plan to do steep turns like on track, where sliding on hard surface can occur, at least first 6 months will be riding like grandpa and only early morning while roads are almost empty )

Motojack · Dec 24, 2021

Aardvarck said:
Guys,
Than you so much for your help and advices!

I agree with you - better to do this mounting work in dealership where I bought this bike to make sure all installed properly.
Plus.. now I’m not sure if these crash bars are good for my bike - if they posses a threat for my engine then I do not need these crash bars at all and better to stick with more standard solutions.
Could you please recommend any good alternatives protection for my 2021 Honda CBR650R ABS?
More focus is on protection against tip overs, I do not plan to do steep turns like on track, where sliding on hard surface can occur, at least first 6 months will be riding like grandpa and only early morning while roads are almost empty )

I have the cbr '21 version also. I have evotech crash bars on, front fork sliders and r&g rear swing arm sliders. I also have enging casing covers on from GB racing. GB racing g still dont have alternator cover for the 21' version of our bike but they confirmed they are releasing that soon.

The consensus is out on crash bars but I think with the evotech ones they are the best of the bunch. I've seen some dodgy ones that bolt directly on to the engine casings 😬.

I confirm they work I dropped the bike by accident when I was working on it

miweber929 · Dec 24, 2021

Aardvarck said:
Guys,
Than you so much for your help and advices!

I agree with you - better to do this mounting work in dealership where I bought this bike to make sure all installed properly.
Plus.. now I’m not sure if these crash bars are good for my bike - if they posses a threat for my engine then I do not need these crash bars at all and better to stick with more standard solutions.

I personally like these bars better than most because while they do mount to that middle engine bolt that’s somewhat “weak”, they mount to other solid bolts so would really spread the load out in the event of a tip over. I have no idea of their fit or quality, however.

Search on here for “sliders” and you’ll see a TON of info already on which ones are ok and why most are not.

You’re in the US so parts are fairly cheap to replace in a minor tip over, be sure to visit an online discount vender like Babbitt’s or BikeBandit to see how inexpensive this stuff actually is and decide if bulky sliders that possibly could cause more damage are worth it. If it were my bike I’d run R&G or GB case covers (but they don’t have ‘21 ones available yet) and replace things as needed. Hopefully tip overs will get less and less as time goes on.

kspjk · Dec 24, 2021

Here in the UK, the popular brands are GB Racing and R&G. R&G seems to have the crash bungs and engine covers for the 2021 CBR. GB Racing only has a couple of items.

kkweon · May 3, 2023

Aardvarck said:
Hi guys,

My name is Roman, 34.

I’m new to motorcycle world and on this forum, however I really enjoy being part of this community!

I’m completely newbie so your help is what I would really appreciate.

Here is the deal:

Some inputs:

I live in US (NC), but English is not my native language so sorry for mistakes.

My bike is a new Honda CBR 650R ABS 2021

I passed MSF courses and have Motorcycle endorsement in my driving license, but still 0 practical experience so I’m not comfortable to ride this bike on common roads so far - I decided to do practicing on empty parking lot in our appartments complex to get fully familiar with bike for at least coupe of weeks or more.

I did tip over (shame on me!! ) my bike recently on right side.. I was staying next to it from left side and holding bike and I was trying to move it little bit when this happened .. As I learned in practical way.. this bike is quite HEAVY, especially with full tank of gas and other fluids.. I was lucky enough that my bike got just few small scratches and that’s it.

Now I’m afraid to tip it over again and decided to put some protection on my bike before practicing any more.

I decided to install crash bars on my bike to protect it from tip overs but I can’t get to service and install crash bars there since.. I’m not comfortable riding this bike on common, public roads so far, lol . Delivery by truck is quite expensive and will be my last resort I guess..

Btw, I bought these crash bars: https://www.ruchkagaza.com/product-page/honda-cbr650r-2019-2020-street-crash-cage-with-sliders - quite expensive but looks solid.. package just arrived and now I'm puzzled how to install them..According to these crash bars installation instructions (not very detailed I would say) I need to install crash bars to certain mounting points but there are some native (I mean installed from factory) Honda nuts and screws which I need to unmount first..However before unmounting them, I would like to ensure this is safe for my bike, also would like to know which tools to use ( to buy, basically) to do so..

Sorry for long read, it was all prehistory, here are my specific questions:

Q1. Do you know what these nuts / screws / things (?!) designed for? Please see photos attached:

Mounting point 1 from bike's right side. This monting point was covered by black plastic cap which I removed:
View attachment 11552

Mounting point 4 from left bike side ( basically, symmetrical just from other side), was also covered by black plastic cap which I removed:
View attachment 11553
Monting point 2 from bike's right side - there was no any cap, but I see someone labeled it / left blue mark:
View attachment 11554

Mounting point 5 from bike's left side - there was no any cap, but I see someone labeled it / left blue mark:
View attachment 11555

Q2. Do you know which tools are the best to safely unmount these.. nuts? I guess I need socket set and drive for 3/8 and 1/2, but not sure, may be other / more tools will be required?

Q3. Do you know if these https://www.ruchkagaza.com/product-page/honda-cbr650r-2019-2020-street-crash-cage-with-sliders crash bars are safe for engine? I read some scary topics somewhere here saying that such protection as frame sliders may “kill” the engine in case of tip over.. this is what I absolutely would like to avoid..

Thank you so much!

Sorry for necroing the thread. How do you like the crash cage so far?

I've been looking to convert my bike to a stunt bike. But, unfortunately, R-gaza is the only company that produce crash cages for CBR650R so far

Hagen · May 21, 2023

Hey kkweon,

I got the cage as well and had a major crash at the track with it. Did a great job at protecting the lower part of the bike including swingarm and fairings, not even a scratch at the bar ends. Unfortunately, it tumbled over the front and I had to rebuild the nose.

My first (rear) Subcage from Rgaza would not fit as it was welded unevenly. After a lot of back and forth, I got a second one, that also did not fit until we bent it with a pry bar. Mixed feelings about that.
The paint is very dense and tough but the steel underneath rusts very quickly, so look after it.

Also the rear mount of the engine cage is a threaded rod, that goes through the hollow swingarm, no need to loosen these bolts. Only two engine mounts need to be replaced, no fairings to be cut and easily assembled.

It has risen a lot in price tho. I bought it combined for about 450$.