I thought you want the bars to bend, to absorb some of the energy of the impact.Goofaroo wrote: The steel bars can bend even in just a minor tip-over as you seem to have found out. The aluminum bars are much more durable and capable of surviving some pretty large impacts. A set of aluminum hand guards will also add some strength.
Btw, I have always used cheap steel bars, and I never bend 'em. Not sure why, but I crash all the time. Haha