Fehling crash bars or bungs...

Just having a look at these engine bars over the Renntecs, and debating whether to just stick a pair of cheap crash bungs on instead;

http://www.biker-discount.co.uk/honda-cb500-crash-bars-cb-500-pc-32-engine-bars-chrome-141-p.asp

anyone tried Fehling engine bars, or is there a general preference for bungs?  What's the views on this one?

I prefer not to drop mine!

Not got them on mine but I have heard that they can damage the engine in an off. As they are fitted to the engine mounting bolts.
Never the less I still fancy a set even if it's only to mount some aux lights on !

I've got no strong feeling either way, but do prefer to have some crash protection on there (although I prefer not to bin it too).  I threw my old bandit down the road at 30ish, and the crash bars did a cracking job.  They were an old pair of Renntecs.  Been over on bungs too, which did a good job of sliding down the road.

The engine covers aren't a bad idea, but I suppose one can go slightly overboard (I have on my duke, it's ridiculous).

Bars all the way. They saved the engine casing when I chucked it down a muddy lane. Bars looked like someone had gone to town with a angle grinder for 5 minutes, but the casing was fine.

If you go for bars you'd be better off with some OE honda ones. When I stacked they bent to absorb the impact before the frame/engine could get damaged.

That said, I've been known to use renntec bars as a secondary footrest on long journeys as they stick out a bit further.

I can't remember what programme it was I watched, but on it they made their own carbon fibre mouldings of the engine cases and it looked reasonably straightforward,  apart from having to have the cases off to do it.

You could make some carbon fibre wheels while you are at it!

IMHO you should forget about the Fehling ones. They look nicely but don't prevent the bike from damage.

I had a crash in 2009 when a big dog tried to bite into my front tire at 35 mph. In fact, he did, but it wasn't a good idea to do so. I was so surprised about his attack that I showed no reaction at all exept beeing thrown off. The bike slided about 80 yards across the street without hitting any obstacles.

The fork was bended, headlight and instruments destroyed. The right front flasher felt into pieces. My footpeg broke out of their plate and the exhaust was scratched. But thanks to the crashbars the frame and the engine weren't damaged and even the painted parts were okay aside from two minor scratches.

This is how the crashbars looked like after the accident:



And the complete bike:



Therefore, I can strongly recommend crash bars, but go for the three-point-mounted ones, not those fancy parts.

Another solution would be the crashpads by Team Metisse that I have mounted on the black CB. They are damped inside and are designed to slow down the bike during an accident. I luckily haven't tested them yet, but after all I've heard it works as it should.

Those Fehling ones are 3 point mounted aren't they? 

These beefy Heed ones took the brunt of the damage and saved the casing, but they scraped alot on sharp corners, which was disconcerting.

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Flyingbrick those ones you have look awesome, what are they?

Oh, you're right, HomeBrew. Picture 2 shows that they are three-point-ones. At first sight, I confused them with the Honda bars I had:
http://www.cb500-wiki.de/lib/exe/fetch.php?cache=&media=verkleidung_und_anbauteile:hondasturzbuegel.jpg


My crashpads are by Team Metisse: http://www.metisse.de/sturzpads-x-pad.html?___store=english&___from_store=default
https://www.metisse.de/catalogsearch/advanced/result/?___store=english&name=&description=&short_description=&sku=&price%5Bfrom%5D=&price%5Bto%5D=&make=Honda&model=CB+500+N%2FS&year=1999-PC32&category=17&___from_store=default

Video: https://youtu.be/Jz0QhlRHoEU

But what are the cool curvy bars in the picture with the damage? They look strong and low profile.



Is that a oil temp gauge filler cap?

The crash bars are from FiveStars, a brand that doesn't exists any more. You may get them used, here is a German seller who's got a pair:
http://kleinanzeigen.ebay.de/anzeigen/s-anzeige/honda-cb-500-pc-26-32-sturzbuegel-motorschutzbuegel-five-stars/289856636-306-4904?ref=search
Similar bars as the one by Fehling have been made by Hepco Becker in black and in chrome:
http://www.cb500-wiki.de/lib/exe/fetch.php?cache=&media=verkleidung_und_anbauteile:motorschutz:hepcosturzbuegel-rechts.jpg

The oil thermometer is made by RR Ries, Germany. There are cheaper ones available by "Moto Detail", "JMT" or "JR", but the quality is not the same -you'll get what you pay for.

Stop showing me sexy bits for the bike!