Crash knobs

[windy]

G'day guys,
I am looking into getting some crash knobs/sliders for my 04 zx10.
I have read into these and are still confused. My questions are what type/brands/styles are the way to go?
Any help info you guys have would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Nathan

[Marshy]

For a trackbike, the most important feature is that they are as short as possible!! The longer they are, the greater the likelihood that they will 'dig in' when the bike leaves the tarmac and hits the grass/dirt/gravel at the edge of the track. Something digging in causes cartwheels and crazy damage, and while there's some things you can't get rid of (handlebars, footpegs), you can control how long your frame sliders are. Some racers don't use them at all, figuring that the damage that will be saved by the sliders can be completely outweighed by the possible damage of a cartwheel.

Road bikes don't have to worry about this as much (no dirt or gravel traps to hit), and on a road bike you are trying to protect the expensive OEM fairings from damage, usually from being dropped at low speed or a standstill. But I've seen road bikes that have dented frames from long frame sliders that have fallen off the sidestand!! Long sliders equals a lot of leverage on the bolt going through the frame, too, and frame damage around the bolt hole is also quite common. Offset 'no cut' ones are normally even worse, although there are a couple of designs that are ok (mounting to multiple frame holes etc).

So, if they are very short as they should be, then the issue is that they don't have much plastic to wear down, and you can end up wearing the frame bolt, making removing them very difficult! So you need ones that have a solid puck, not a hollow one with the removal bolt inside.

In short, buy Woodcraft! Nothing else I know of fits all these requirements. They make two puck sizes - race and street, with the race ones being shorter than the street ones.

Here's what they look like (those are the street pucks; the race ones are shorter).

http://www.woodcraft-cfm.com/Assets/Images/Framesliders350.jpg

[windy]

Thanks heaps marshy, always a wealth of knowledge.
They are the ones I was leaning towards for my trackie.

[Mouse]

Hi Marshy,
What are your thoughts on the GB Racing style? I think they make a long and short one and their pucks are a "half egg" shape. But if you have been using the Woodcraft on your R6, I'll probably go with them :)

Thanks again for info!!

[Marshy]

Mouse, I haven't used the GB ones - they weren't out when I switched to Woodcraft, and I've stuck with Woodcraft ever since. Judging by the sheer quantity of delrin on the tarmac, my supposition is that the Woodcraft ones will last longer in a big slide. The GB is presumably going for both aerodynamics and to reduce the chance of digging in by being rounded.

The question then is: is a more rounded 'half egg' shape more or less likely to dig in to the dirt when the bike slides off the track?? On the one hand, it doesn't have a sharp edge to catch on, but on the other hand a rounded knob may be more likely to dig its way down into a dirt surface.

My money is still on the Woodcraft. But I'm sure the GB ones are good too. Just steer clear of the long, hollow tube designs!

[Maccarocks]

I have to agree with Marshy here.. the Woodcraft sliders are by far the best I have used... I crashed my 08 ZX10 at Broadford and it went for a good slide, the Woodcraft frame sliders did a fantastic job (as did the GB casing protectors) and I got away with very minor damage.. just had to replace the slider (but it had done it's job) and no flipping or cartwheeling.. they are excellent additions to your bike and reasonably priced as well....!!

[Mouse]

Thanks fellas for your thoughts, think I will go the Woodcraft ones. Tried and tested ;) Next question, who has the best price on them?

[Tristan]

I have the pp tuning ones and I have seen a few bikes crash with then and they work very and there awesome quality and cheap under $100