Tenere 700: DirtRacks Crash Bars, Simple Strap Wrapped Crash Bars

DirtRacks Tenere 700 Crash Bars 

DirtRacks is a Canadian company located in Langley, BC (a Vancouver suburb) operated by brothers Robert & Fred, whose passion for Kawasaki KLRs led to their development of luggage racks, crash bars, etc for that bike that has expanded to other makes/models such as the Tenere 700.  The Tenere 700 crash bars utilize 1" diameter powder coated steel tubing that install in just a few minutes, without any need to remove body panels, that bolted up with no issues...they come with longer engine mount bolts  & the rear frame crash bar mount holes are elongated to facilitate easier fitment.  They should fit all current non-World Raid Tenere 700 models. DirtRacks designs & products are simple, straight forward, hand made solutions that offer similar functionality as most mass production manufacturing without the sometimes hefty price tag...a case where good value also equates to a good functional product...reminiscent of Camel ADV products, another Canadian small motorcycle niche business in Calgary, Alberta. They currently have a Winter 2022 sale with 10% off crash bars & luggage racks. I have been using DirtRacks Heavy Duty Soft Luggage Racks all this year...you can read about them elsewhere in my blog via this link

Current version on left (Oct 2022) - original design on right (circa early 2021)

The current version of their Tenere 700 crash bars appears to have a redesigned rear bar angle tucking them in closer to the bike for improved shin/leg clearance vs the original I saw in early 2021 when I sat on the DirtRacks Tenere 700 equipped with their crash bar. 

 

They are a simple, but sturdy design that met my engineering, loading bearing  & protection criteria:

• frame mounted, not motor nor the removable front frame down tube mounting, that connect each side for additional load transfer capability & structural integrity
• they adopt similar engineering design parameters as Altrider & Outback MotorTek Tenere 700 lower crash bars, which I consider as best of breed in terms of load bearing & structural integrity, whereby stress loading is transferred in the same plane (a straight line) via a rear welded frame mount, a welded motor frame support with minimal crash bar mounting tab length to reduce cantilever type fatigue (a design compromise with some aftermarket designs) & a cross bar connecting both sides 
• I like that they do not utilize the under head light mount adopted by many other upper crash bar designs.  This area of the Tenere 700 was not designed for stress loads beyond the oem headlight/windshield/instrumentation & is minimalistic from a structural strength perspective
• allows for auxiliary lights to be mounted to the forks under the headlight whose light will track with the forks vs just straight ahead when mounted to a crash bar
• they do not interfere with the AXP skid plate
• they should provide adequate protection for the radiator, at least the bottom half of the side panels & some of the motor
• they do not impeded side panel removal or block screw access
• the design should allow mounting of small bags like the Giant Loop Possibles Pouches to the upper hoop
• total weight 3.8 kgs or 6.6 pounds

 

Tech Tips:  

• Yamaha uses a washer/spacer with a collar between the right engine bolt & the frame, be sure to place it correctly between the frame (insert collar into the frame mount) & the crash bar mounting tab when installing the DirtRacks engine bolt
• the left motor frame mount uses a washer/spacer without the collar  
• the right engine bolt (17 mm socket) is longer than the left & both are longer than the oem bolts 
• engine mount bolt torque = 75 Nm or 55 lb-ft, rear frame #6 allen bolts = 30 Nm or 22 lb-ft (I used the same torque for the #6 allen cross bar bolts/13 mm nut & used blue locktite)..see pic below from the Yamaha Service Manual  
• reuse the 4 oem #6 allen head bolts for the rear frame mount...Yamaha utilizes a short rubber hose that slides onto the exposed lower left rear frame bolt to prevent chaffing with the adjacent wiring harness that will no longer fit as not enough thread is exposed after installing the Dirtracks crash bar (a zip tie could be used to secure the wiring harness to the frame to prevent it from migrating back toward the bolt if concerned about possible chaffing)
• install 1 side at a time to ensure that the motor does not shift in the frame....hand snug all bolts until ready to install the cross bar, then slightly loosen & adjust the 2 crash bars & cross bar for best fit & torque bolts starting with the engine bolts, then the rear frame bolts & the cross bar last

 

 

Simple Strap Wrapped Crash Bars (June 2023) 

Simple Strap is a heavy duty 3mm (1/8") thick x 40 mm (1.5") wide x 6 m (19.7') long rubber strapping bought at Canadian Tire that has a maximum load rating of 328 kg at 4 wraps that makes for a good protective wrap for crash bars. I was going to use paracord, but found this & prefer that it is thinner allowing more room for panel removal & hand space when grabbing the bars to move or lift the bike.  The durable rubber ought to hold up well to spills, provide a grippy surface when needed & protect the powder coat finish. There was 116 mm or 45.3" left over.