I currently do not use frame sliders but was looking at the Woodcraft version. I've heard pro's and con's about their usefullness. Should I or shouldn't I? Btw, I have been know to crash a time or two!
If you plan to run frame sliders, woodcraft is the only brand I would recommend. They have saved money in most of our crashes.
I stopped using them. They can prevent damage, but when they cause damage it seems to be way worse. I've seen stripped motor mount threads and bent/broken bolts. When they catch the dirt or edge of a curb they can send a bike tumbling that might have otherwise slid on one side. FWIW I have completely destroyed bikes with and without frame sliders, so maybe it doesn't matter? Shorter more solid sliders would be best if you use them. Woodcraft look pretty good. Someone told me Vortex makes a short race slider?
Yeah, woodcraft would be the only choice for me since I got rider support from them this year!!! Plus, their sliders are for go not show! I just hate to cause more damage than good if thats the tendency.
In a minor lowside, good sliders can damn near prevent 100% of the damage. I tucked the front in the rain in T5 at Barber last year and the bike slid on the slider (Woodcraft) across the track and came to a stop in the grass. Not a single scratch on the bike, bodywork, or anywhere. Without the slider, the bodywork would have been scratched all to shit. In a bad wreck, sliders won't do shit. I always hear the whole "they will make the bike tumble" argument, but i have never seen it happen IRL. Not saying it is impossible, but you are more likely to tear shit up without sliders than you are to have the bike tumble because of sliders (when talking about the short, Woodcraft sliders). I would stay away from the long ass pogo stick sliders though.
i agree. i doubt they make the bike tumble considering your rearsets and clipons stick out further and more "sharply" than woodcraft sliders do anyway.
my last crash as soon as my bike slide of the track and hit grass it flipped and flipped and flipped. i have sliders, and wonder if it wouldnt have flipped if there were none?
In many bad crashes of mine, the frame slider (any brand) came back bent as shit and filled with dirt. While I can't prove it caused the bike to flip... I stopped using them for the last couple of years. Bodywork is a lot cheaper then rebuilding most of the bike.
I can't prove it but it was either the footpegs, clip-ons, or frame sliders that made my bike flip in three crashes (lowsides) last year.
I've seen many frame sliders that cause way more harm than they prevent. Any slider that sticks out far tends to act as a lever when a bike goes down. I've seen long sliders break frames and cases. Woodcraft sliders are the only ones I use. Their short design and solid pucks slide great and don't have much leverage on the frame or motor mounts.
I had a set of Lockhart Philips sliders on my bike. I lowslided on the right side one day in the wet and only minimum scuff to the tail of the bike. I lowslided again on the left side at Tally and ended up in the dirt/grass and the damage to the side fairings were miminal, a few scratches near the bottom and a small crack but the front end was messed up. Next I want to get some Woodcraft sliders though. I'm not getting them for the length though, because I think a longer slider would provide more protection for the fairings if its a slow, lowslide crash but the replaceable pucks is really the bees knees. With Lockhart I'd have to get a whole new kit at $75+.
I have a set of Woodcrafts....1 lowside and had minimal damage to the tail - just slid across the track. $15 later, 1 screw, the new delrin went on - good as new!
It's my professional opinion that during a crash in excess of 30 mph, the results of frame slider protection becomes more of a crap shoot. Things like clipons and rearset footpegs are more likely to catch and flip a bike if it hits something during a slide. From wadding up my fair share of bikes and dealing with motorcycle crash related info, I would rather have good quality sliders on my bike than not. Sometimes it can make the difference between picking your bike up and being ready for another race and taking you out for the whole weekend. For racing applications, it's genuinely worth the money to buy some good case covers. Those will get used a lot more in a crash than anything else.
I was going to make a new thread but saw this was close to my topic: I agree sliders can save or be a nightmare, based of my experience from maybe 40-45 mph lowside at fontana on just pavement that the slider was a nightmare. It was bent so bad that the slider had to be grinded short so it can actually unscrew from the frame, but also the short short can be helpful on lowcrashes. So here's my thought, I don't see most pro teams using them bc of their theory of causing more damage which I agree,goes in dirt boom your bike is goner, hits a rumble strip n it might catch that, when if u don't use them your bike will be pretty much parallel to the ground with your case savers preventing possible tumblesor possible bent frames perhaps, same goes for rear spools that stick outperhaps your swingarm could get bent from getting caught sooooo do ama teams not want to use them period bc of the damage reason and have money to just slap on new bodywork all the time bc they want to make sure they look professional every weekend for the sponsors, I mean I'm sure they could get free sliders and throw them on but they don't, so what is their reasons?? Are they on the same page as me??
