R&G Racing No Cut Sliders

While checking out a few things on BellisiMoto I saw R&G has released frame sliders for the 899/1199. They look good, but I'm not too sure about the mounting points. What do you guys think?

http://www.rg-racing.com/browseType/Crash_Protectors/Ducati/1199_Panigale.aspx

BellissiMoto - R&G Racing Crash Protection for the 1199 Panigale

That's an insane price for just a left and right slider set. Plus, they still recommend case sliders.

The left one looks similar to the T-Rex slider, except that it looks like it completely blocks access to the fairing bolt in front of it. So when you go to change your oil you have to remove the slider get that one bolt.

For $159 vs $439 I would definitely go with the T-Rex slider set. The left side is beefier, the right side is a proper case slider and most importantly, I've heard of 2 cases on this forum where they actually worked and saved the bodywork and cases in crashes.

2012 and on TRex Ducati 1199 Panigale Frame Slider Set

T-Rex all the way for me

The issue with Trex is that it won't fit with the CF cover on my R... or am I misinformed?

The R&G kit offers a lot more protection than the T-Rex kit does, but is also much more involved to install. R&G is already on the 2nd revision of their kit, they changed the right-side mounting brackets to minimize potential damage to the engine cases based upon crash results in racing in the U.K. Any of the kits that mount like the T-rex ones do (i.e. a few hard mounting points right against the engine case) can be potentially damaging to the engine cases in a hard fall, which would kind of defeat the purpose of having "protection" on the bike if it causes more expensive damage than it prevents. IMO you'd be better off with just a clutch case cover so that if there's a really hard hit it busts the clutch cover but doesn't damage the engine cases.

jarelj said:

The R&G kit offers a lot more protection than the T-Rex kit does

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[citation needed]

I find that crash protection is a hit or miss item for people. I know people who swear by having the sliders on their bikes, and others that steer way clear of them.

Personally, growing up I saw that all race bikes in my area had the round sliders installed on their bikes and it became something I had to have when I first started riding. It was a bling factor for me as it made my bike look awesome!! That was my opinion of course.

As to how well they work, who knows... Each manufacturer has their own claim on why there stuff is better than that of the other competitors. Honestly, I got the T-Rex due to the cost and the word of mouth from guys that crashed the bikes and came out bodywork unscathed. I personally find the T-Rex units ugly as sin, but I'm still installing them.

key to good crash protection is good crash absorption and impact distribution.

old school frame sliders with 1 attachment point can pose a huge threat on frames.

hence i like case covers better, since they cover a larger area.

my 2 ct

JArnold said:

I personally find the T-Rex units ugly as sin, but I'm still installing them.

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I too find the T-Rex units hideous, but given the number of bikes I've seen that have been completely saved by them, I'm reluctantly going to give them a go. That said, if anyone has any evidence of other sliders doing the job (and if they had an assist include what that was as well) I'm open to it. Anecdotal "evidence" needs to be first hand accounts or accompanied by photographs (IMO).

A lot of good points here. The bottom line for me is that crashing a bike is like rolling dice: sometimes you roll seven, sometimes you come up snake-eyes.

Just like bodily injury from crashes, you never know. I've been way more f'd up from crashing at 35 mph than I was hitting the deck at VIR at over 100 mph. No two crashes are the same and while a slider can save your bodywork or other parts from an initial part of a crash, when it sticks into the dirt after sliding off the road and catapults your bike into an end-over-end flip, then how good was it?

As was said, enough evidence on here of T-Rex actually protecting bikes from crashes (on a track even) than causing damages. I'll play those odds with them.

Jello said:

[citation needed]

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Just personal opinion from installing lots of various protection kits on lots of track bikes in our store, and seeing the aftermath of crashes at the 25+ track days we run every year.

jarelj said:

Just personal opinion from installing lots of various protection kits on lots of track bikes in our store, and seeing the aftermath of crashes at the 25+ track days we run every year.

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If you've seen that many wrecks (or their aftermath) in person, can you provide for a us a run-down on the pros and cons of the various options out there. Citing specific examples (e.g. "A" slider wore out completely during low-side; "B" slider offered some protection, but the bike was still damaged at points X,Y,Z; "C" slider stuck fast and sent the bike airborne; etc).

Jello said:

If you've seen that many wrecks (or their aftermath) in person, can you provide for a us a run-down on the pros and cons of the various options out there. Citing specific examples (e.g. "A" slider wore out completely during low-side; "B" slider offered some protection, but the bike was still damaged at points X,Y,Z; "C" slider stuck fast and sent the bike airborne; etc).

Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't exactly write it down when someone crashes, I just get to see them come in on the crash truck and talk to the rider to make sure they're OK, and I usually check out their bike to see what's up.