Project ZX6R

[Blade]

Double edge sword tbh.

If it's a low speed crash they will help but if it's a high speed they can dig in and do more damage than good apparently. Which is why you don't see many on track bikes I believe.

[DaytonAndy]

I can see why pros don't have them as their speeds are way faster than us mere mortals could get near hence the digging in and flipping. However I'd definitely fit them to my next road bike again though. I have the slightly shorter ones on mine (supposedly to stop the digging in) and they did their job at Oulton. My bike slid a fair way along tarmac and into the gravel and came out relatively unscathed. The crash bung (combined with engine casings which are also a must imo) definitely did its job there and I was back out in the afternoon just having to bend the gear pedal back out a bit.
I tend to feel that if I have a huge accident and the bike ends up flipping then it was a huge accident anyway and anything could have happened and was never likely to be cheap. Without crash bungs even a small drop can end up costing a fortune!
Fwiw I also have r&g carbon tank protectors as they're pretty exposed at those corners and tanks are expensive!

[Perkles]

I've got the short aero r&g ones on mine,they are hardly noticeable

[Blade]

Fair point Andy and it's difficult to call.

I dropped the Blade at Oulton as you know. It had crash bungs fitted but I still lost the side fairing, top fairing, seat cowl and tank although saying that I had a low speed spill at 10 mph and they did there job and saved a lot of expensive damage.

As I say its difficult to call but your probably right and in general they are worth having. The only ones I definitely wouldn't bother with though are the ones on little extension brackets as they will just snap the minute they hit the floor and offer absolutely zero protection imo as the design is fundamentally flawed having the little weak extension arm.

[Kwacky]

I will be going for the R and G aero ones. I didn't want to cut the fairing but I've got no choice as these stick out too far.

[Blade]

Have a look at evotech ones Kwacky. I have them on the ten and prefer the traditional round design to the aero option from R&G. Personal choice and a case of horses for course's obviously. Just another option, suggestion, recommendation that may be of use.

[Kwacky]

I noticed those on your bike. They do good stuff.

[Blade]

They came already on the bike as well as other evotech products. I've also bought from them in the past and decent kit. Not sure how they compare price wise with R&G but if you ring them up they will give you a discount code to enter on the website as he did that and free postage when I ordered the exhaust hanger.

[Kwacky]

I've gone for an R&G tank pad. £12 delivered. There are a lot of choices but this one looks subtle enough and should hopefully do the job.

[Kwacky]

[Blade]

I would have gone clear.

[Kwacky]

Clear looks cheap.

[Blade]

How so it's invisible ?

[Kwacky]

You inevitably get a darkening line around the edge of the pad and they frequently discolour so they become opaque.

[Blade]

Try venture shield it's invisible and doesn't fade. Cleaning will prevent any line building up.

[Kwacky]

Aside from not having the time in the winter to clean it, the jacket I ride in gets covered in road grime so that transfers off the jacket onto the tank pad. I've used venture shield on other parts of bikes with good results but it's not up to the job on the tank for the riding I do.

[Blade]

Oh I see I thought the sx was your winter commute, my bad.

[Kwacky]

The SX is the work horse and will do the majority of commuting but I'll continue to switch between the two bikes throughout the year.

[Kwacky]

Currently chatting to a couple of suspension experts about options for the bike.

Both have said the same thing - the rear on my model is fine for road and the occasional track day. It will need a new spring and both have recommended a revalve. Front forks should be fine with a refresh.

Time to find out how much that'll cost.

[Kwacky]

a service on the rear is £135 and a service and a re-valve is £185 all in.

rear springs are approx. £85 depending on where we go for them.

the front is £112.

delivery back to you £10

we will also provide a £50 set-up included in the price FOC.

That's Parkitt Racing. Seems reasonable to me.