Sorry I've been lagging a bit on replying to you guys! Although, it is the weekend! We've had some really nice weather here the last few days so I've been out riding! Anyway, to answer your guys questions:
+1. I was going to post the same request- please have the lower meet at the lowest point in the front, not above the bolt. It is somehow messing up the lines. Also, it looks like the rear mount ear is not straight with the rest of the lower bar. Could be just because it is a mockup. Could be it is just an optical illusion. Could be because you are trying to clear something else I don't see. Or it could just be wrong 
Another question (I do tend to have lots): On the back mounting point, is that ear touching the metal on the bike, or hovering off the bike? How much clearance is there? On a more forceful tipover, if the bar is pushed in a bit, will the front of that ear push in and gouge the bike's aluminum?
Changing where the lower horizontal bar and the vertical bar meet is going to be the first change we make tomorrow morning. I'll take some photos once that done so you guys can see what it looks like. It's a bit weird to see in the photo but the ear is where it needs to be, I believe. It's just misleading to look at because it's slightly egg shaped. Also, that mounting bracket isn't touching the bike; It's approximately 1/8" away from the bike if I'm not mistaken. I suppose it
could bend in on a harder spill but it's a relatively thick bracket so I really don't think that'd be something to worry about.
Uber strength isn't what I need, IMNSHO if I were to go down at speed the bike is pretty screwed anyway, I do want tough, to potentially handle multiple drops, at slow parking lot type speeds.. Not to brag, but I like doing the dreaded "Box" one handed, left and right, what I want to do is inside the 20' section one handed and other such things. I'd also like to drag a knee, at slow speed, one handed. Differant physics at work and a challenge I want to do. Why? High speed offs get painfull and expensive, well, quickly. I'd also like to push the envelope on braking, find the far side of good, wet and dry. These cages look like the answer I have been looking for, scratched stainless looks far better than scratched paint. Not a poke (for a change 
) My 14 is a high smile utillity vehicle, looks are secondary. Function over form. Heck, I'd like to see some short rear versions as I don't do the one handed stuff with them bags on.
Both front and rear would make some great camera points as a bonus
A lot of our customers like to use our bars to practice this exact type of stuff. If I'm not mistaken, I think they call it "Rodeo". This is one of the reasons we wanted to stay away from a single, two-point horizontal bar. When you're doing these types of maneuvers and you go down you don't always have time to get your feet down first which, more often than not, causes the bike to roll over that single protective bar and hit the upper fairings/mirrors. We're hoping with our design the bike can do that rocking motion without causing damage to any part of the fairings.
I got my bars to practice slow speed manuevers also and to see how tight of a turn around I can get. I do not want the fear of dropping the bike to cause me to be too conservative.
I know the C14 does not belong to you Ryan but just gently laying it on its side was not the reason for my purchase. I would like to see a drop test as was done with the original bars. I wonder if the mirrors would be protected in that type of drop or slow speed parking lot drop.
Yea, unfortunately there's no way the owner will allow us to do that type of testing. I'm hoping in the near future we can get a bike from Kawasaki to strap these bars on and test because they do allow us to drop them. Until then, we'll have to rely on our experience and customer testimonies.
Holy cow! What a responsive business! I am impressed beyond belief.
Ryan, you've got my CC # and address. Go ahead and put me down for the first set that comes off the line. Im only joking because i know MC Enterprises isn't the kind of company that would charge before they have a product ready to sell.
The tough decision is now going to be powder black to match my small bag guards, or raw and ready for silver powder coat. I'll have to strip and powder the rears too.
MCE have ruined it for every company I deal with from now on. They're platinum level.
Well, thank you! Yea, we'd never do anything like that! That's a good way to lose a lot of loyal customers and get the Fed's on your ass real quick, I'd imagine! Anyway, I'll be starting a new thread for a group buy once the bars and finalized and finished. That way those of you who are interested can make sure you have a set reserved from our first production run. That way you guys can all get a discount as well!
Ryan,
I know that you can't please everyone and I appreciate all of your efforts. A lot of people like what you have came up with. I was hoping for a design that followed the lines of the bike but I do understand why you have gone the route that you have.
Thanks, Pope! Yea, originally I wanted to aim for a design that went more with the lines of the bike but we just couldn't make it happen with the design we ended up settling on. I personally think the bar still looks great and will function well but it's definitely different than what I originally had in mind.
I am fairly sure they have thrown out any one-bar design at this point. It looks like you are essentially just designing your own "Top Block" type bar that will require modifying the lower fairing.
Certainly, this has merit- the 2010+ Top Block is nowhere near as attractive as the older model, and it is very, very expensive and hard to obtain. Like others, I am torn between that simple, light, unobtrusive design, and the much more visible and complex current design path that McE is taking (the Concours Canyon Cage). For me, the bathroom bars were never even an option. The currently proposed McE design is probably much MORE protection than the Top Block design, but that is not necessarily what I was looking for. Also, it is really pushing the limit of my acceptance for visibility.
Maybe McE would be interested in designing yet another product, their own Top Block clone, perhaps only as a bar (without any slider/plastic). Probably best when combined with the rear bars. That would eliminate the price and availability disadvantages of the Top Block. But I don't think that is going to happen, now.
Decisions, decisions...
Yea, I like where Gordon was going with his design. I just don't think that type of design is right for us. We wanted to stay away from a one-bar type design because it doesn't protect enough of the bike. From our standpoint, we have a bunch of different customers that all want their bike protected in different ways so we have to make bars that are going to stand up to a wide variety of situations. It's better for us to make a slightly bigger bar that's going to protect more of the bike than make a super low profile design that's only going to protect the bike in very specific situations. Of course, this all depends on the customers expectations as well. If we, like you said, also offered a single bar design along with the Canyon Cages and bathroom bars than we'd have a wide array of protection options and the customers could choose based on their riding style. That's not a bad idea...
If you are talking about the Top Block or a single horizontal bar, if the bike lands on it (which it should, based on previous discussions and photos), then it will protect the lower and top fairings.... as long as the bike doesn't roll over/pivot on it. And that can probably be prevented by also installing the rear bars (which is what I would recommend with any "solution").
Our rear bars won't stop the bike from that rocking motion. This is the main reason we had to avoid a single bar for the front.
As someone who is more on "the other board" than this one... LOL I have to say this project is really exciting! And I'm glad I read this so I didn't go jumping at a rash of "good deals"! LOL
I believe 99% of any real animosity between the different boards is in the minds of a radical few who just can't let things go. But hey, I've only been a Concours guy for a little under 2 years.
I'm KEENLY interested in the group buy, especially if it goes to include the rear protection bars. I'd like the full set up.
Ahhh, okay. So it's moreso various individual holding personal grudges. Well, that's life I suppose. If you're interested in the group buy, keep checking back. I'll be starting a new thread once these bars are done for the Canyon Cage group buy. Suuure, I suppose I can include the small rears again in the group buy as well.
