I'm confused as to which oggy knobs to get for my GS500F http://www.mcas.com.au/_product.php?section=1&prodid=9617 will these ones do even though they're for the E?

I am pretty sure you will need to cut a hole in the fairing to fit them.

Frame sliders - great way to increase risk of damaging the frame without actually providing any protection for the plastics. I don't recommend them.

So there's nothing I can get to protect the fairings then? Bummer.

It all depends on what you want.

If you race - that's one thing. buring1 can tell you what you need for that.

If you're in a high speed slide - I don't think anything will help you other than luck and soft grass.

If you worry about damage if your bike falls over - which is probably most common thing for lots of us commuters and street riders, then they really are good. Without them, the turn signals punch through the fairing. With them, they take the fall and protect the plastics and engine covers. Been there - had it happen without them (punch!) then with them (no damage).

Then there is the cool factor - I think Suzi looks really cool with them whether you think they do any good or not.

Quote from: adidasguy on October 06, 2011, 02:14:30 AM

If you worry about damage if your bike falls over - which is probably most common thing for lots of us commuters and street riders, then they really are good. Without them, the turn signals punch through the fairing. With them, they take the fall and protect the plastics and engine covers. Been there - had it happen without them (punch!) then with them (no damage).

That's what I'm worried about  but I don't want to have to cut a hole in the fairing in order to fit them. I don't understand why they don't make knobs to fit.

There are a few frame sliders that are designed to fit through existing holes in the fairing - they mount to brackets that mount to engine bolts. It's pretty typical though to have to cut a hole in the fairing to install sliders.

I don't own a GS500F, so I don't know much about the turn signals. On the GSX-R 600 I owned, the signals would be pushed through the fairing, but it wouldn't cause any damage. I'm not sure that the F is the same.

Personally, I believe in taking my lumps when I drop the bike. It tends to happen when you're learning, and (based on my personal experience) you can't expect the frame sliders to prevent all damage. With experience, drops become less of an issue.

If you do have to cut to make them fit it will not be a huge hole. You will just have to drill a hole to get the bolt through then the slider should fit on the outside.

R&G make sliders specific to the GS500F,
http://www.rg-racing.com/browseType/Crash_Protectors/Suzuki/GS500_FullyFaired/CP0158BL.aspx
Another option to consider

Ive come across frame sliders that mounted without cutting through the fairing.  (made for the gs500)

I think they were on Ebay actually, but that was a couple of months ago

Quote from: lucky4034 on October 06, 2011, 07:41:21 AM
Ive come across frame sliders that mounted without cutting through the fairing.  (made for the gs500)

saw these as well, called T-rex sliders. here's a link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/T-Rex-Suzuki-04-on-GS500F-Frame-Sliders-No-Cut-UHMW-PE-/300604401466

in a higher speed slidei can only imagine engine mounts getting ruined if the slider hits something solid. i could be wrong though

Quote from: mitch79 on October 06, 2011, 05:54:11 AM
R&G make sliders specific to the GS500F,
http://www.rg-racing.com/browseType/Crash_Protectors/Suzuki/GS500_FullyFaired/CP0158BL.aspx
Another option to consider

By the looks of it you still need to drill holes to install these as well.

Yep...those are the ones I seen.  And it looks to me that they are direct bolt-ons.  I don't see anywhere the fairing is in play.

As far as what happens in a moving spill... (obviously there are all kinds of factors involved) when I considering putting some sliders on my bike, I read a study that suggested that frame sliders are prone to grabbing or embedding into the surface they are sliding over and as a result can force a sliding bike to instead begin flipping.  (Which would obviously compound the damage)

Just something to think about....  Good for protecting against drops, but potentially disastrous in a slide.

R&G is what I was speaking about.
Small hole - they look cool.
Anything further back wouldn't protect the front. Turn signals do punch through and crack the fairing. I wish they just popped in without damaging anything, but they don't. There are no natural holes in the fairing for sliders as some other bikes have. Probably because the fairing isn't designed with racing in mind. Liter bikes race with the fairing on so it is natural to make provisions for them in their design.

Quote from: adidasguy on October 06, 2011, 04:33:05 PM
(pic)

Hey, nice rack!

(didnt think Id ever be saying that to a guy..    )

PS: when I did a slowspeed drop, my indicator managed to punch through without damaging fairing. noticably.
There was just a miniscule 1cm tear line on the hole.

Got the Oggies on my '09 naked GS500. Easy fit, pretty solid units, I particularly liked the way they have machined the central bolt.
Gawd know WHAT happens to a bike when it goes over into a slide. It might be an Oggy or a lever or your ruddy foot that digs in or you might come to a dignified rest on a patch of delightfully soft green velvety grass, who can predict.
As an aside, I was moving out of a parking spot at Bankstown Square on Wed when a happy voice bellowed out "Are ya movin'? 'Ows the 500?" and it was a decent bloke who, in chatting, told me he works at MCAS through the week!  Runs an older Triumph Triple, but we wouldn't hold that against him!

Don't skimp on frame sliders. External frame sliders are worthless. In a crash they'll fall off and if you drop the bike on it's side at a slow/stop they'll  stand a good chance of breaking the fairing retainer screw/bolt/thing. My friends fairing was destroyed by cheap "no cut" frame sliders.

If you're afraid to cut them, have a professional do it. It's really as simple as measuring, drilling a pilot hole, and then following through with a dremel on super slow speed to bore the hole out. The hardest part is actually taking out the engine mounting bolt.

Oooooorrrrrrrr, convert to naked and but the crash bars I got from the uk for 60 bucks landed.

Yeah, the sliders that mount to a fairing support bracket are worse than useless - they are actively dangerous to your fairings.

Also, best way to install is with a laser pointer. Put the bike up on a stand (either center stand, rear stand, or up on jackstands so that it's level) align a laser pointer on an external stand, so that it's pointing directly down the bore of the mount hole. Without disturbing the pointer or the bike, install the fairing. Mark and drill where the laser is pointing.

R&G comes with a pointy bolt thingy. You remove fairing. Put in the new longer rod for the engine mount. Stick on those pointy thingies. Put fairing back and mark where these touch the fairing inside. That's where to drill the hole. Then you take off the pointy things and put on the mounts for the sliders. That works really well and their instructions are easy to follow. Since the final hole is somewhere like 1.25" (I don't have it here right now) they say to drill a tiny pilot hole to be sure you have the right spot, then drill the final big hole. Extra pilot holes will be cut out when you do the bigger hole.