F800GS Holan Crashbars report - Page 2

NoFace · 02-20-2009, 01:56 PM

Mounted my Holans today. No problems at all. Took about an hour or maybe one and a half. Just let all bolts be loose with slack until every bolt is connected and then tighten. That way no force needed with connecting the halfs in front of cylinder. Did not have to grind anything -the right side plate was curved to avoid interference.

alonzo · 02-20-2009, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoFace

Mounted my Holans today. No problems at all. Took about an hour or maybe one and a half. Just let all bolts be loose with slack until every bolt is connected and then tighten. That way no force needed with connecting the halfs in front of cylinder. Did not have to grind anything -the right side plate was curved to avoid interference.

Hmmm,,, right side plate with my bars was curved too but just wouldn't clear the clutch cover. Took a fair amount of grinding to get it bolted up. But, as I said. I'm happy with the Holan's -- alonzo

mdski · 03-04-2009, 04:18 PM

The Holan bars are back in stock and shipping. I had mine on backorder since 2/10 and got them yesterday. I put them on today and they look great! Go on in about half an hour. Directions are not very detailed, but assembly is straightforward. Use Loctite and don't over torque the bolts.

Protection and coverage looks good. They are off center a tad, but otherwise fit and finish is excellent. Another nice thing I noticed was the lower parts of the bars stick out and seem to offer protection to the shifter and brake pedal. They look like they will work with most skid plates. I've got the SW-Motech skid.

DiabloBlanco · 03-05-2009, 05:55 PM

Mine just came in today, I might just be motivated enough when I get home at 10p tonight to go into the garage and install them... seems like general consensus is the instructions suck but the hardware is pretty easy to figure out. If in the next few weeks or whatever you want to check them out feel free to swing by, I'm over in South Mpls. (also came today is the black wire headlight protectors)

DiabloBlanco · 03-06-2009, 12:44 PM

Here's a link to them on mine (sat in the garage till 1145 last night putting them on)
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...&postcount=548

The instructions are more like a rough guide. At first I thought I was missing some screws/nuts/spacers from what the instructions said SHOULD have been there and what WAS there. Put it all together and everything was there (with two extra screws).

It took a little tugging and muscling to get everything in place and ready to screw down tight, but took about an hour (with 15 just to prep). There were a few times I thought "there's no way..." but it all works out fine. A word to the wise though, there are 4 M6x30 and 4 M6x20 screws and the instructions call for 6 M6x30 and no x20; the instructions say the bottom two on each side uses M6x30, in fact it uses M6x20 and you only need 2 M6x30 for connecting the left and right bars (I didn't realize all this until after the fact, so my right side bottom is using 2 of the x30 and my left side using 2 x20 with the connectors using 2 x30, so I have 2 x20 leftover that would've been better served in the bottom right said with two extra x30s leftover. Not a big deal. You just HAVE to have two x30 for connecting the two bars because the x20 are too short.

But, now that they're on I'm quite impressed and pleased. Good looking and well constructed. How they'll hold up in a crash? I'll let someone else test...

Ballbearing · 03-06-2009, 01:40 PM

Well, I settled on these bars and decided to purchase them a few minutes ago. Unfortunately, they are showing out of stock.

Rob, any idea when you'll have some more?

Thanks.

MCMXCIVRS · 03-06-2009, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiabloBlanco

The instructions are more like a rough guide. At first I thought I was missing some screws/nuts/spacers from what the instructions said SHOULD have been there and what WAS there. Put it all together and everything was there (with two extra screws).

I didn't even get instructions. I looked the bars and hardware over and they seem pretty straight forward to install. I'm pretty sure I'll figure it out.

I'll have lots of goodies to install when the bike comes in.

F800 Rob · 03-09-2009, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MCMXCIVRS

I didn't even get instructions. I looked the bars and hardware over and they seem pretty straight forward to install. I'm pretty sure I'll figure it out.

I'll have lots of goodies to install when the bike comes in.

If you didn't receive instructions, that was my mistake. Use the contact form on HolanUSA.com, and I'll be sure to email you a set over.

Next Holan shipment is less than 10 days out.

Rob

Singletrack_mind · 03-09-2009, 02:12 PM

I guess I was lucky and got a set from the last shipment at F800 Depot (thanks Rob). Like some other folks here, I found them to be a bit of a challenge to fit. In the end, I did get them all lined up without any modifications, but there were certainly some times where, as someone else said, I was thinking "there is no WAY this is going to work". One of the oddities I remember from the instructions was that they confused the right and left spacers for the upper mounts, but that's easy to realize when you are actually putting it all together. Also, as someone mentioned, my set is a little off center when done. It's not a big deal, and could possibly be tweaked back if I had the patience to take them off again, but I don't.

I am using the Hyde Racing plastic engine guard, and was able to mount the Holan bars with it after two modifications:

On the left side, the Hyde bolts to the engine at the same point the forward end of the Holan mounting plate uses. The Holan has a spacer behind it, so I simply cut another spacer that was 3mm shorter, and bolted the Holan parts over the Hyde. It worked nicely.

On the right, the Hyde comes up high over the exahust and obscures the area where the lower mounting plate needs to go. I cut out just enough plastic to clear the lower end of the Holans and again, it all bolted up neatly.

There is one big downside to this combination though: You have to remove the Hyde engine guard to change the oil. That's OK, but now the crash bars are gong to have to be partially disassembled to get that one bolt out on the left side so I can drop the guard. Given all the work it took to get them mounted, I am not looking forward to this. The hardest part will be dealing with the nuts that back up the "Sacrificial" bolts on the left side lower mount plate. They happen to line up right on the edge of the Hyde plastic, and press hard against it. It is very easy to accidentally loose one of those nuts over the edge, and when you do, it's pretty damn difficult to retrieve from inside the bash guard because it sits very close to the engine. I think the solution to this will be to weld some nuts to the back of the plate in the same way Holan already has on the right side. Holan never envisioned removing the mounting plates with the bars still bolted to them, so the forward bolt on both plates is pretty well covered by the crash bar. Since I will need to extract that holt far enough to free the bash guard, I cut down a basic L-shaped allen wrench so I can access the bolt even with the crash bar still in place.

I'll wait a few thousand miles before going through the oil change routine though.

I chose both these pieces largely because I wanted all the junk I needed to add to the bike to be as snug and form-fitting as possible. In that regard, both parts are great, and they can be made to fit together well.

johngil · 03-10-2009, 11:10 AM

I really liked not getting instructions w/ my set of bars. It added one more beer to the job.
I get questions/comments on the Holans every time someone checks the bike out.

MCMXCIVRS · 03-10-2009, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johngil

I really liked not getting instructions w/ my set of bars. It added one more beer to the job.
I get questions/comments on the Holans every time someone checks the bike out.

I think I'll send an email for the instruction. Then when I do the install in less time, I can sit back, relax and enjoy the beer while admiring the bike and the bars.

Ballbearing · 03-15-2009, 10:57 PM

Does anyone know if the adventure spec bashplate works with these bars?

I didn't see anything when I searched.

Thanks,
Jason

F800 Rob · 03-15-2009, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ballbearing

Does anyone know if the adventure spec bashplate works with these bars?

I didn't see anything when I searched.

Thanks,
Jason

The Holans, I can confirm, do not. Neither do the BMW, SW-Motech, Hepco & Becker, GIVI, or Wild@Heart. I've had a set of each at one point along the line.

Nothing to my knowledge works with the ADV Spec bashplate except for the ADV Spec bars. Possibly the Metal Mule, but they are even more expensive than the ADV Spec for what looks like less coverage.

n8foo · 03-16-2009, 12:25 AM

Does anybody elses Holans not line up exactly right? On the right side, my fingers don't fit between the bike and the bars (1/3 inch), but on left side I could easily polish the plastics (2 inch). Did I get a bum set or is this par for the course?

They are badass-beautiful tho. http://twitpic.com/25d9y

Ballbearing · 03-16-2009, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by n8foo

Does anybody elses Holans not line up exactly right? On the right side, my fingers don't fit between the bike and the bars (1/3 inch), but on left side I could easily polish the plastics (2 inch). Did I get a bum set or is this par for the course?

They are badass-beautiful tho. http://twitpic.com/25d9y

This alignment issue has me a little concerned, but, the bars do look good. What do you think about the level of protection n8foo?

Thanks for the info Rob.

Anybody have ideas on the best bashplate out there (to go along with the Holan bars) ?

03-04-2009, 04:18 PM	#18
mdski Adventurer Joined: Feb 2009 Location: NO VA Oddometer: 22	The Holan bars are back in stock and shipping. I had mine on backorder since 2/10 and got them yesterday. I put them on today and they look great! Go on in about half an hour. Directions are not very detailed, but assembly is straightforward. Use Loctite and don't over torque the bolts. Protection and coverage looks good. They are off center a tad, but otherwise fit and finish is excellent. Another nice thing I noticed was the lower parts of the bars stick out and seem to offer protection to the shifter and brake pedal. They look like they will work with most skid plates. I've got the SW-Motech skid. __________________ 2007 Ducati 1098 2003 HD Deuce (for sale) 2009 BMW F800GS

03-05-2009, 05:55 PM	#19
DiabloBlanco Intl' Hops Inspector Joined: Jun 2007 Location: Minneapolis, MN Oddometer: 301	Mine just came in today, I might just be motivated enough when I get home at 10p tonight to go into the garage and install them... seems like general consensus is the instructions suck but the hardware is pretty easy to figure out. If in the next few weeks or whatever you want to check them out feel free to swing by, I'm over in South Mpls. (also came today is the black wire headlight protectors) __________________ -Jordan- Summer 09 Venezuela to Minnesota: Summer http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=449804 The goal of course is everywhere US (MN, WI, IA, KS, OK, MO, TX), Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela. 11 down, 184 to go.

03-06-2009, 12:44 PM	#20
DiabloBlanco Intl' Hops Inspector Joined: Jun 2007 Location: Minneapolis, MN Oddometer: 301	Here's a link to them on mine (sat in the garage till 1145 last night putting them on) http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...&postcount=548 The instructions are more like a rough guide. At first I thought I was missing some screws/nuts/spacers from what the instructions said SHOULD have been there and what WAS there. Put it all together and everything was there (with two extra screws). It took a little tugging and muscling to get everything in place and ready to screw down tight, but took about an hour (with 15 just to prep). There were a few times I thought "there's no way..." but it all works out fine. A word to the wise though, there are 4 M6x30 and 4 M6x20 screws and the instructions call for 6 M6x30 and no x20; the instructions say the bottom two on each side uses M6x30, in fact it uses M6x20 and you only need 2 M6x30 for connecting the left and right bars (I didn't realize all this until after the fact, so my right side bottom is using 2 of the x30 and my left side using 2 x20 with the connectors using 2 x30, so I have 2 x20 leftover that would've been better served in the bottom right said with two extra x30s leftover. Not a big deal. You just HAVE to have two x30 for connecting the two bars because the x20 are too short. But, now that they're on I'm quite impressed and pleased. Good looking and well constructed. How they'll hold up in a crash? I'll let someone else test... __________________ -Jordan- Summer 09 Venezuela to Minnesota: Summer http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=449804 The goal of course is everywhere US (MN, WI, IA, KS, OK, MO, TX), Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela. 11 down, 184 to go.

03-06-2009, 01:40 PM	#21
Ballbearing Adventurer Joined: May 2008 Location: Indiana...Blah Oddometer: 65	Well, I settled on these bars and decided to purchase them a few minutes ago. Unfortunately, they are showing out of stock. Rob, any idea when you'll have some more? Thanks. __________________ Jason

03-15-2009, 10:57 PM	#27
Ballbearing Adventurer Joined: May 2008 Location: Indiana...Blah Oddometer: 65	Does anyone know if the adventure spec bashplate works with these bars? I didn't see anything when I searched. Thanks, Jason __________________ Jason

02-20-2009, 01:56 PM	#16
NoFace Adventurer Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Stockholm Oddometer: 13	Mounted my Holans today. No problems at all. Took about an hour or maybe one and a half. Just let all bolts be loose with slack until every bolt is connected and then tighten. That way no force needed with connecting the halfs in front of cylinder. Did not have to grind anything -the right side plate was curved to avoid interference.

03-09-2009, 02:12 PM	#24
Singletrack_mind Cave Man Joined: Aug 2008 Location: Northern New Mexico Oddometer: 311	I guess I was lucky and got a set from the last shipment at F800 Depot (thanks Rob). Like some other folks here, I found them to be a bit of a challenge to fit. In the end, I did get them all lined up without any modifications, but there were certainly some times where, as someone else said, I was thinking "there is no WAY this is going to work". One of the oddities I remember from the instructions was that they confused the right and left spacers for the upper mounts, but that's easy to realize when you are actually putting it all together. Also, as someone mentioned, my set is a little off center when done. It's not a big deal, and could possibly be tweaked back if I had the patience to take them off again, but I don't. I am using the Hyde Racing plastic engine guard, and was able to mount the Holan bars with it after two modifications: On the left side, the Hyde bolts to the engine at the same point the forward end of the Holan mounting plate uses. The Holan has a spacer behind it, so I simply cut another spacer that was 3mm shorter, and bolted the Holan parts over the Hyde. It worked nicely. On the right, the Hyde comes up high over the exahust and obscures the area where the lower mounting plate needs to go. I cut out just enough plastic to clear the lower end of the Holans and again, it all bolted up neatly. There is one big downside to this combination though: You have to remove the Hyde engine guard to change the oil. That's OK, but now the crash bars are gong to have to be partially disassembled to get that one bolt out on the left side so I can drop the guard. Given all the work it took to get them mounted, I am not looking forward to this. The hardest part will be dealing with the nuts that back up the "Sacrificial" bolts on the left side lower mount plate. They happen to line up right on the edge of the Hyde plastic, and press hard against it. It is very easy to accidentally loose one of those nuts over the edge, and when you do, it's pretty damn difficult to retrieve from inside the bash guard because it sits very close to the engine. I think the solution to this will be to weld some nuts to the back of the plate in the same way Holan already has on the right side. Holan never envisioned removing the mounting plates with the bars still bolted to them, so the forward bolt on both plates is pretty well covered by the crash bar. Since I will need to extract that holt far enough to free the bash guard, I cut down a basic L-shaped allen wrench so I can access the bolt even with the crash bar still in place. I'll wait a few thousand miles before going through the oil change routine though. I chose both these pieces largely because I wanted all the junk I needed to add to the bike to be as snug and form-fitting as possible. In that regard, both parts are great, and they can be made to fit together well.

03-10-2009, 11:10 AM	#25
johngil Reseda, CA Joined: Jun 2007 Oddometer: 3,489	I really liked not getting instructions w/ my set of bars. It added one more beer to the job. I get questions/comments on the Holans every time someone checks the bike out.

03-16-2009, 12:25 AM	#29
n8foo Adventurer Joined: Feb 2008 Location: Nashville, TN Oddometer: 76	alignment Does anybody elses Holans not line up exactly right? On the right side, my fingers don't fit between the bike and the bars (1/3 inch), but on left side I could easily polish the plastics (2 inch). Did I get a bum set or is this par for the course? They are badass-beautiful tho. http://twitpic.com/25d9y __________________ E Pluribus UNIX -- http://mybrainhurts.com/images/ADV.jpg My 67 day trip around the USA: http://n8moto.com & http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=468508

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