Ducati Monster Forum

These are the Metisse X-Pad sliders:
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d147/pompino/X-PadAll.jpg)
Wildhairaccessories (http://www.whaccessories.com/MetisseSlidersXPad.htm), and a few other places carry them.

They have built-in shock absorption pads.  I'm no engineer, but it seems like a good idea to me.  Any engineers wanna weigh in?

Don't know about the engineering aspects, but they sure do look sweet!
I think the gold anodised ones would match my CRG levers, too.

Hmmm.  What's the old expression, caveat emptor (buyer beware)?

Sliders are all about energy absorption.  Their website has a nice little cartoon diagram showing what I assume to be a graph comparing impact energy absorption of their slider vs. the competitors, but there are no units on that graph (that's a good way to piss off an engineer  :) ), so it could just be old fashion snake oil salesman b.s.

The only way to verify the manufacturer's claim that their slider is better is through verifiable, independent testing.  At the risk of an old cliche, we need more data.  I think this would be a really good project for one of the more reputable motorcycle magazines to fund.  I'd love to see that research, as sliders are a pretty important accessory.  It would be a pretty easy test.

My gut feeling is that with sliders, simpler is better.  The nature of the plastic material is that it absorbs impact energy through plastic deformation - the more material, the more energy absorption.  It looks to me like this manufacturer is trying to over-design the thing with fancy geometry (maybe like an auto's crumple zone).  Crumple zones work with metal - I don't think that approach will work with this material. 

Conventional sliders have been in use for a pretty long time on tracks and they have been working pretty well.  But, like I said, open mind and all, we could use some more data.

My $.02.

John

Most sliders are Delrin which has some inherent shock absorption properties, too.  Let's just say, it can't hurt.  It would depend on the circumstances of the fall whether that did anything to protect the frame.

Theres never enough material to actually save your bike from anything. Just save it from too much of.

Cycle cats design was the best IMO. Long pucks. nice and beefy for loads of energy absorbtion. and best of all a puck snap design to prevent damaged to your engine.

There is also another gadget that breaks it before the frame and prevents your frame from damage too.

for a simple tip over seems like the metisse would be nice since the absorbtion of the shock material would cushion the fall, but now sure how it would help on a high speed since i would worry about all those bolts being sheared off and flying around.

not to threadjack: the maker of these has a lot of Monster stuff https://metisse.de/index.php?id=13&L=1

I have a set on my Suzuki Bandit 650S.  I think the right hand side slider could be a bit longer for my bike.  I think I will definitely go for a different slider on my Monster.

I have them on my 1200. 

Have you been to maximum-suzuki.com?  ...great place for Bandit tech.

I'm with John on this one. The idea must certainly be the "crumple zone" that John mentioned and it is a valid idea. But there is simply too little available travel to absorb much energy.

Cycle cats design didn't prevent much frame damage IMO.

When those things snapped off they'd distort the frame around the mount hole.

Fine for a race bike because the frame was still 'straight'.

Useless for a street bike because the ins co would still write for a frame change.

Yeah I'm very skeptical for the same reason. I've raced with Cycle cat sliders and had my share of crashes. I've slid until the slider has ground down all the way to the bodywork, and I've broken sliders off as they were designed to do. (cycle cats) This shock absorbing design won't help if the slider takes a side load and if it doesn't snap off like the cycle cats, it could cause damage to the frame.
I'm thinking about how these might work and it would depend on how far they stick out as to if they would be effective in a tipover, or very minor lowside. If the slider is already very short,(close to the bike), then after in compresses even more, wouldn't it then offer even less protection?....something to think about. And I'm giving them the benefit here that the shock would even work at all. I'm not really convinced that it has enough damping or travel to be effective.
From my lowsides where the bike was going fast and slid far, what normally happens is that the slider just grinds down. It protects everything just fine and when I get the bike back to the pits, I just bolt on a new slider and adapter nut since it's aluminum and the threads get destroyed every time. I've also had the adapter nut snap off, and I'm glad it did. Before it snapped, it bent the end of the frame tubing just slightly but left the weld intact with no worries.  
I've switched to Speedymoto sliders because I can't get CC spares anymore. Hopefully I won't crash test these!

Good point. I give an example in my above post about that. Fine for a racebike...not for street. So that design doesn't really have an advantage at all unless you're racing.

This is how far they protrude, uneven on the left and right sides:
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d147/pompino/DSCN2116.jpg)
The sliders are aluminum and delrin or teflon (I can't tell without spectroscopic data  ;) ).  The outer pucks have a larger surface area than the Cycle Cats on my Monster.

Yes, Maximum Suzuki is a great site.  I am selling my Bandit though, as it is too tall and too heavy for me.