2015+ R1 Protection Parts: Crash Tested, Crash Approved

As riders ourselves, we understand a crash is the last thing you want to have happen. But that’s the thing about accidents: although we don’t wish for them, we should still prepare for them. As the saying goes, “prepare for the slide, not the ride.” So do yourself a favor – protect your body and bike! A few dollars invested up front can save you from a serious headache down the road. We offer many different crash protection products including bar ends, fork sliders, frame sliders, spools, and even case savers. Although this article specifically references 2015+ R1 items (because we have results from 3 different crashes), be sure to check out what we have for your Honda, Suzuki, Kawi, etc by browsing all of the products from Womet-Tech on our store.

Recently, we announced our new TST Racing endeavors where we’re competing in CCS and sponsoring Team Westby in MotoAmerica. Both teams are running some of our finest crash protection items on their new YZF-R1’s and as you’ll see below, it’s for good reason!

Since the start of 2016, both TST’s Bart Rogowski and Westby’s Josh Day have suffered crashes which provided realworld insight into the protection performance of these parts. Bart went down on a high speed low-side during a practice session for his first CCS Race at Daytona International Speedway. Further in this post are some pictures of the TST bike and how it held up with the proper crash protection elements in place. Josh also experienced a high speed low-side during the first competition of the year at Circuit of the America’s (watch the crash clip directly below). Then, shortly after at the second event, Josh went for a wild get-off where he high-sided violently during a practice session at Road Atlanta (thankfully he was able to walk away from this one with limited injuries). You can click here or on the image below to be taken to the beIN Sports website where they captured video coverage of his crazy ride.

Josh’s Crash – Circuit of the America’s

Josh’s Crash – Road Atlanta

PLEASE NOTE: The protection on both bikes worked great for each rider’s particular crash so keep that in mind when purchasing or using crash protection products. Not every crash is the same and not every result is the same.

Frame Sliders – one of the most important crash protection components: On our TST Racebike, the frame sliders held up phenomenally. With the high speed low-side the sliders not only protected the bike from the initial contact with the track, but also while it was sliding. The frame slider puck was shaved drastically but did not succumb to the crash. The bike’s frame, plastics, and other components were not damaged. We simply replaced the puck and bolt on that one side and Bart rode it the next day. This also makes a serious case of the advantages of “no cut” frame sliders, where the component is directly mounted to a strong portion of the frame with a large fastener and no secondary mounting features are deployed (that could break). Luckily on the ’15+ R1, you get a “no cut” frame slider design without the need to cut any plastics. (See picture below)

Fork Sliders: There are quite a few myths regarding whether or not fork sliders actually work. We can definitively say there are other sections of the bike that take a harder hit than the front axle, but it can be surprisingly easy for calipers to break or rotors to bend without sliders. During our particular crash, the fork sliders made contact with the ground and were only minimally damaged from the slide we encountered. They held up great and there was no need to replace any of the parts to finish the day. Most importantly – rotors, calipers, and fork bottoms were saved. (See picture below)

Case Savers: We’ve heard many people say that case savers don’t do much for a bike, but there’s a reason they’re required in competition for all race bikes. During a crash, the engine case makes significant contact with the ground and will likely puncture, resulting in oil spills, debris, engine damage, and tons of other problems. I’m sure for some sportbike models out there, the engine is positioned where it’s significantly protected by the frame, but for most others, this is a vitally important item. For the ’15+ R1, we’ll proudly mention Team Westby specifically reached out to us for sponsorship so that they could use these high quality machined pieces along with our frame sliders.  When Josh crashed at COTA, our case savers suffered a pretty substantial amount of damage but did not give way. No puncture marks or cracks, just surface damage. And most importantly, there was no damage to the engine where these were installed. Bart’s race weekend at DIS was also saved because of the case savers. Look at how much impact the case savers absorbed and the amount of material worn away from the pavement. With this much damage, the engine case would have developed a large hole. (See pictures below of our bike from DIS)

Bar Ends: Unfortunately we did not use bar ends on our bike which, as you can see, would have helped out tremendously. You can see in the picture below that if we had bar ends on our clip-ons, they would have minimized or even prevented the damage the clip-ons endured. We highly recommend using bar ends when possible – they work! You can also see that our TST Industries lever did its job during the crash. They were 100% functional and did not break.

Overall we are very pleased at how well our crash protection products held up in real race scenarios. We are a company aimed at bringing high quality products to the market and our crash protection from Womet-Tech is no exception. These parts are not only sold by us but tested by us as well and get our stamp of approval. Be sure to stop by our website today and check out what we have to offer for your bike! If you’re especially interested in the 2015+ YZF-R1 parts you see here, check out the Crash Protection Packs, where you can get many of these items in a discounted bundle.

About Mark Lourido

Customer Success Specialist. You can find me at the twisties, at the track, or just cruising around town!