I was riding my Harley and saw many new riders in the state ignoring the value of the engine guard. The main question which arises among new riders is, do motorbike engine guards work? 

Engine guard protects the rider’s leg from any injury caused by collision or if ever the 100-pound motorbike falls on the rider. Additionally, riders can lift the heavy motorbike with the help of an engine guard if they ever fell on the ground. In short, motorcycle engine guards work.

However, there are some cases when the motorbike engine guard doesn’t work effectively. Let’s look at what it means for you and what you can do about it.

Do Motorcycle Engine Guards Work?

Crash bars or engine guards are made from a steel material that can’t be broken down easily. 

Manufacturers made engine guards from heavy-duty steel solely to protect your leg if you ever face any unfortunate situation. 

Motorcycle crash bars are attached to motorbikes through multiple joints, making them distribute the accident impact in all directions this ultimately protects you from any harmful shock which might harm your joints. 

We might all fall from our motorbike while taking a sharp turn. 

And in this situation, the engine guard protected our legs from the heavy motorbike falling on us. 

Motorbike crash bars not only protect your legs during slip. But it also protects motorbike tanks, engines, radiators, and other crucial parts from any damage. 

Last but not least, the engine guard also protects your legs from being crushed between motorbikes and pavements. 

Overall, the motorbike engine guard works, and you shouldn’t consider removing it ever.

How Motorcycle Engine Guard Work? 

No doubt, motorbike engine guards work by protecting your legs from various injuries during accidents. It also works by protecting crucial motorbike parts from wear and tear. Now let’s see how motorbike engine guards work? 

Engine guard is made from heavy-duty steel that connects through a motorbike by multiple joints. At the time of impact, the engine guard distributes the shock uniformly, which otherwise travels through your legs and injures them. Engine guard also acts as a cage around both your legs, thus protecting your leg from being crushed.

But please remember, engine guards can’t protect you if you ride more than 40MPH or you fall from your motorbike far away. 

Why Sometimes Engine Guard Doesn’t Work? 

It’s not so uncommon when motorbike engine guards don’t work. Anyway, not all safety equipment protects your leg fully. Let’s look at what it means for you and what you can do about it.

Motorbike engine guard sometimes doesn’t work if you ride over 40MPH or choose the wrong size engine guard for your motorbike. Additionally, engine guards made from aluminum are not so strong and can break down quickly. Whatever the reason is, it’s always best to not rely on only one type of safety equipment. 

Although it’s rear, sometimes low-quality engine guards break at the time of impact. That’s why I always recommend not saving money when buying an engine guard for your motorbike.  

Advantage and Disadvantage of Motorbike Engine Guard: 

Till now, you’ve seen how engine guard works and why sometimes it doesn’t work. 

Now let’s see some advantages and disadvantages of the motorbike engine guard. 

Advantage of Motorbike Engine Guard:	How:
Protect your leg:	Protect your legs at the time of impact.
Reduced repairing cost.	Engine guard protects your engine, radiator, and other crucial parts from dents, thus saving your money on repairing.
Provide comfort.	Install new highway pegs on your motorbike engine guard to facilitate your feet an extra space and opportunity to extend your feet.
Give a dashing look.	Engine guard adds a dashing look to your motorbike and gives you an aesthetic look while riding.

Advantage: 

Protect Your Legs: 

The most significant advantage of engine guards is protecting your legs from any severe injuries during an accident. 

They also protect your legs from your 80 LBS motorbike if it falls on your leg.

Reduced Repair Cost: 

Probably no one loves to spend their hard-earned money on repairs, and that’s where engine guard comes into play. 

Engine guard protects your engine, radiator, and other crucial parts from dents, thus saving your money on repairing. 

Rember, a penny saved is a penny earned! 

Comfort: 

Long rides aren’t as comfortable as it seems. I mean how it can be comfortable when you’ve to place your feet in one place only. 

But fortunately enough, you can install new highway pegs on your motorbike engine guard, which will give your feet extra space.

Installing highway pegs on your engine guard doesn’t require any rocket science, and you can install it easily. 

Dashing Look: 

Engine guard adds a dashing look to your motorbike and gives you an aesthetic look while riding. 

Think of Ghost Rider! 

Although adding an engine guard to your motorbike is a personal preference, I think you should at least try to add an engine guard to add the dashing look. 

Disadvantage: 

Safety: 

Aluminum or low-quality engine guards tend to break easily. 

Even at the high-speed impact, the engine guards break down quickly, which would destroy crucial motorbike parts. 

It’s not only about motorbike parts but also about your body parts. Low-quality engine guards tend to add more pressure on your legs instead of protecting them. 

So it would be better for you to choose engine guards solely made from mild steel. 

But fortunately enough, even malfunctioned engine guards give you some moments to remove your leg stuck under your motorbike.

Also, read, do motorbike gears save lives? Click here to read.

Engine Guards Types: 

Generally, there are three types of engine guards divided based on the material they are made from.

Each type has its own pros and cons. Let’s see which type of engine guard is good for you. 

Type of Engine Guards:	Pros:	Cons:
Aluminum steel.	It has anti-rust properties and will last for years.	Doesn’t have much strength and it’s expensive.
Stainless steel.	It has anti-rust properties and is easy to work with.	It can’t absorb shocks effectively and is brittle.
Mild steel.	It has anti-rust properties, is easy to work with, and is inexpensive.	No real cons.

Aluminium Steel: 

Engine guards made from aluminum steel are perfect for those looking for anti-rust properties.

It will last longer and will not rust easily, but unfortunately, aluminum engine guards aren’t strong. 

Also, it’s much more expensive than steel-type engine guards, which even offer better protection than aluminum-type engine guards. 

Stainless Steel : 

Stainless steel is also non-corrosive and can’t rust easily, making stainless steel engine guards best for humid weather riders. 

But unfortunately, stainless steel is brittle, which means it can be broken by motorbike engine vibrations. 

Additionally, highly brittle solids are not good at absorbing shocks at the time of impact. 

Mild Steel : 

Aluminum steel doesn’t have much strength, while stainless steel is brittle.

So manufacturers made steel by combining all goodness of aluminum and stainless steel.  

Mild steel engine guards have much more strength than aluminum steel and aren’t as brittle as stainless steel.

Even mild steel engine guards aren’t so expensive and can absorb shocks at the time of impact. 

What more? A mild steel engine guard is easy to work with.  

Additional Accessories to Add with Engine Guards: 

No accessories are 100% failproof, and it is always better to add more accessories to your motorbike for enhancing safety. 

Upper Engine Guards: 

You can find upper crash bars most commonly in cruisers. Unlike small engine guards, these upper guards protect motorbike radiators while tipping over. 

Upper engine guards also add a few-inch space around your motorbike, thus protecting your legs from being crushed between motorbike or pedestrian. 

Skid Plates: 

Skid plates are the most crucial part for those who care about their motorbike a lot. 

Though skid plates can’t protect you from leg injuries, they can protect your motorbike frame from a low-side crash. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Final Verdict: 

Do motorbike engine guards work? Engine guard protects the rider’s leg from any injury caused by collision or if ever the 100-pound motorbike falls on the rider.

Additionally, riders can lift the heavy motorbike with the help of an engine guard if they ever fell on the ground. In short, motorcycle engine guard work.

For better prevention, experts always recommend adding some more accessories to your motorbike. 

And don’t forget to choose engine guards solely made from mild steel. 

Here are Some of My Favorite Riding Gears: 

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it helpful as you build your riding journey successfully. 

Here are some riding gears I use as a rider that I hope you’ll also find helpful.

These are affiliate links, so I’ll earn a commission if you decide to use any of them. But in all honesty, these are the same riding gears that I use and recommend to everyone, even my own family.

Motorbike Riding Pants:

For getting started, I like Scorpion EXO Covert Jeans for men (check the latest price on Amazon.com) and Indigo Protective Riding Jeans for women (check the latest price on Tobacco Motorwear).

These riding pants are comfortable so you can use these pants in summer, and these pants have a lot of space for using knee guards. 

Motorbike Riding Helmet:

Throughout my riding life, I used several helmets, and almost all helmets protect your head well. Still, I personally prefer YM- 929 of Yema helmets as it comes with Bluetooth and aerodynamic ABS shells (check the latest price on Amazon.com).

And suppose you want an eye-appealing and yet effective helmet. In that case, you can go with Icon Airform Sacrosanct Helmet (check the latest price on Revzilla). 

Motorbike Riding Jacket:

Jackets are crucial to protect your upper body. Honestly, every rider has a dream to have an affordable yet best riding jacket. And that’s why I personally recommend the Alpinestars T faster motorbike jacket because of the protection and comfort it offers (check the latest price on Amazon.com). 

Motorbike Riding Gloves:

Almost all riding gloves perform well by protecting your hands from sunburn and cool nights. And if you’re a serious rider, then you should go with Alpinestars SMX-1 Air v2 Glove, which is lightweight and offers you excellent protection. (check the latest price on Revzilla).