Frame Slider Options

[Vellos]

Was hoping some of you veterans could give your opinion on three frame sliders I'm interested in, but don't know which is truly better.

Vortex has the aluminum bases that you then attach a puck to. Not sure how well this design works though, I'm skeptical.





Shogun is a company I've heard good things about. They don't make a standard frame slider, just the no-cut, which has the plastic joint.



Woodcraft looks a little different. Not sure if the design is any better, they look really short.



Thanks.

[Bueller]

Vortex good
Woodcraft good
Shogun crap

[Vellos]

Is that because of the joint?

[MetaLord 9]

I'vE got a set of LSL's that I like a lot. They're another type that you have a standard slider to which you attach a replaceable puck

[Survivalism]

No cuts are no good unless the bike has a suitable mount ( meaning no cuts w/ joints / bends = bad )

I was going to get LSLs on my f4i but the one frameslider hole that was already cut was not the same mounting point the LSLs used, thus i ended up with vortex shortys.

From what i have learned your going to want the shortys, the longer pucks have a higher chance of "grabbing" something and causing some serious damage, frame sliders are designed to save your frame, not your plastics.

[Foolds]

Depends on your bike on what you want.. r6 the best is woodcrafts (Most bike this is true)

[Vellos]

Was looking for reasons behind opinions. What makes the woodcrafts a better choice?

[Bueller]

Was looking for reasons behind opinions. What makes the woodcrafts a better choice?

Replaceable pucks, the woodcraft attach from the side in case the slide wears the puck down most of the way it is still easily replaced. I crashed a couple times on Vortex and I just replaced the single puck without having to buy a full new set of sliders. The Vortex held up very well on my R6. I had a set of LSL's on my first Buell, did not care for the mounting but that is an odd ball installation.

[TransNone13]

By looking at them you can see the Woodcraft sliders come with more robust hardware and the fact that the ends are capped would allow them to slide further as they wear and stronger on impact. (more material more, more resistance) Maybe that's not true, but that's my impression.

There is also motovationusa, I purchased a set and I've heard/read good things about them.

http://www.motovationusa.com/

[MetaLord 9]

The nice thing about the LSL's is because they're mushroom shaped (yes ha ha, moving on) they appear less likely to catch in a divot and give the bike a fulcrum point. You probably won't go wrong with any of the brand mentioned above and "best" is probably more dependent upon what people have or feel partial to than anything else.

Just remember, frame sliders are intended to save the frame, not the plastics

[TransNone13]

Just remember, frame sliders are intended to save the frame, not the plastics

Good point, there are strickly under bodywork frame sliders. I think they are the best bet alongside the shorties. There are also some interesting designs from Rizoma. They vary by bike, but they are high quality and worth checking out as well.

[Sarge]

One thing you need to pay attention to is actually the mounting hardware and what it's made out of. When I was shopping for Sliders for my RSV I almost settled on the RhinoMoto's (I think) but I saw some NASTY pictures of those black iron bolts collecting water and turning completely to rust, typically taking the frame with it. Messy, messy stuff. I ended up settling on the R&G's because of the design (not as pretty, but they mount straight in with a long, stainless steel bolt that won't rust.)

[cptschlongenheimer]

Great info in this thread.
Please sticky?

[OUTLAWD]

woodcrafts are quality and parts are available just about everywhere. jplracing on here is a woodcraft dealer as well.

[asp_125]

I have shortys (Woodcrafts) on the track bike you saw yesterday. Ann had the no-cut long sliders (dunno brand). Mine survived a 70mph lowside at HPR, hers bent in a low speed drop in the dirt parking on top of Golden Gate Cyn; cracking the bodywork. Long sliders and those with offset mounts act as a fulcrum. I don't see why folks don't want to cut their fairings.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

I kind of like the replacable nature of the Vortex. I got mine so long ago (8+ years) I can't remember the brand, but I had to cut the left fairing. I'm sure the Woodcraft units are quality too, like I've heard about all their stuff.

As far as "black (oxide) bolts taking the frame with it", ahhhh, no way. I've had mine on for about 8 years, no problems except a little rust on the head. Yes, black oxide isn't the best coating for corrosion, but the typical decorative 300-series stainless fastnener would snap right off in a spill (typically used as the fairing screws - great corrosion protection/lousy strength). A 400-series stainless fastener offers less corrosion protection (though still superior to zinc-plated) and can be as strong as a typical high-carbon steel (black oxide or zinc-plated), but they're extremely hard to come by, most likely impossible in the sizes you need. Yes, a steel bolt in an aluminum frame CAN seize up due to dissimilar metals corrosion, but I put a little blue loctite on them to prevent that and keep 'em tight, and just shoot a little WD-40 into the plastic puck every so often to keep the rust down on the head. In this area with low humidity, and with the type of steel of the fastener, all you'll ever get is a little light surface rust, nothing like the big flaky stuff you see on the steel sheetmetal of cars where it eats right thru.

[OUTLAWD]

and SS hardware in aluminum has a high probablity of galling...I try to stick with zinc or cad plated steel wherever possible

[bulldog]

Shogun makes a regular frame slider; they do for the 600RR at least; have a set on now. I've tested these in a crash before (on an F4I) and they worked great and protected my fairings and frame 100% percent. Why not get one that prootects the plastics too; plastics are expensive to replace!

Like Sully said I would not go with the no-cut models as I have heard they protect less than the cut models because they do not have a bracket that can break. Bit more work, but there are some tutorials on how to do it easily with a laser pointer or play-do (to get the hole correct).

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

and SS hardware in aluminum has a high probablity of galling...I try to stick with zinc or cad plated steel wherever possible

Yep, and SSTL in SSTL is way worse even, but, thankfully, that's not often the case. We (TI) found that the galvanic action wasn't as bad as first thought if the mass of aluminum was much greater than the mass of SSTL fasteners, as then the electrical potential is very low. Our example was 12" long 10" OD Al investment castings with SSTL fasteners. On a bike, the much larger mass of the Al frame vs the SSTL fasteners really minimizes the problem. I only had one bolt stick on me, it stripped off and I had to drill/EZ-Out it the SSTL fastener work-hardened instantly and ruined drill bits until a tooling Engineer expert in SSTL told me some tricks and gave me some special SSTL cutting fluid and awesome (read: extremely expensive) drill bits. I put a dab of anti-sieze and use Locktite in other areas and have never had a problem since. Of course, I had the problem in OH where the humidity (and thus the problem) was much worse. No problems here. I tried to get Zinc fasteners, but couldn't get 'em from the Depot, and I was in a hurry, so I just installed the black oxide ones that came with with the sliders.

[Sully]

I would suggest cutting your fairing, sure it's more work, but it may pay off in the long run. By using the no cut type, you run the risk when lowsiding or tipping over of them ripping off, not doing their job and tearing/breaking your fairing anyway, so plan ahead and do it correctly. But then at that point (lowsiding, crashing, etc,) you may not care what the heck your fairing looks like! My .02

[Vellos]

Yes I would like to stay away from the no-cuts. Think I'll go with Woodcrafts as I've never heard anything bad about them.

[MetaLord 9]

I wouldn't buy shoguns for my 10 year old bicycle. They just seem to cheap (quality-wise) to me. That's just my opinion, but this is another one of the categories of protective equipment where the cheapest is usually not the best option, even for the money spent.

[bulldog]

I wouldn't buy shoguns for my 10 year old bicycle. They just seem to cheap (quality-wise) to me. That's just my opinion, but this is another one of the categories of protective equipment where the cheapest is usually not the best option, even for the money spent.

Seem? Doesn't sound like you have actually used these. You sure you are talking about the correct brand? I didn't see anything cheap about them when I installed them on my RR and pretty sure they even patented the material they use.

From their site:
Shogun pucks are made of shatter-proof UHMW infused with UV protective polymer. Shogun pucks absorb kinetic energy from crashes and will not shatter in cold temperature like some types of Delrin or fade in the sun. Each puck has a press fit aluminum bushing to hold it in place during impact to reduce the risk of the puck tearing off of the mounting point. Shogun frame slider offsets are CNC machined from the same grade aluminum as military aircraft. Offsets are anodized black to match OEM components. Each offset is manufactured to stringent specifications with ISO 9000 quality control. Each Shogun Frame Slider comes with high tensile strength corrosion resistant hardware (cheap imitators do not use high grade hardware and will quickly rust). Shogun uses socket head bolts in nearly every kit, allowing for stronger frame slider design in a more compact space. Newer applications of Shogun Frame Sliders make use of a counter sunk design, which distributes the force of impact over a wider area and gives additional strength to the system so that the puck remains attached to the motorcycle.

[Vellos]

Ordered dem Woodcraft frame sliders and spool sliders.