ATV nerf bars prevent foot injuries and act as small side bumpers during races. They can be replaced easily in racing applications, but lightweight aluminum bars may offer less protection.
All-terrain vehicle (ATV) nerf bars are small, tubular steel devices designed to prevent a rider’s foot from getting caught and injured by another ATV. Mounting to the vehicle’s frame, ATV nerf bars generally fit between the front and rear tires and protrude almost to the outer edges of the tires. Some ATV nerf bar designs include a tape or panel that sits horizontally on top of the bars. This is intended to prevent the rider’s foot from slipping off a footpeg and being pulled under the rear tire during a hard landing or a difficult area of track or trail.
ATV nerf bars are designed to act as small side bumpers for the vehicle. During a race, contact will often be made between two ATVs, with the typical result of entangling the tires of the two vehicles. This is dangerous in any form of open-wheeler racing, as the tires tend to try to climb over each other, resulting in spectacular flips, crashes, and mid-air crashes. By placing a small tubular bumper between the two tires, contact is often limited to a simple bump and race continues for each driver.
In most racing applications, ATV nerf bars are replaceable by simply unbolting the bars and snapping new bars into position; however, in factory applications, the bars are often welded to the frame. The advantage of a replaceable component on a racing car is the ability to make repairs quickly and without cutting the old part and welding the new part in place. Some riders also prefer to use different types and sizes of ATV nerf bars for different conditions or on different tracks.
Racing ATV Nerf Bars are made from a lightweight aluminum to reduce vehicle weight. This has positive and negative connotations. While the bars are light and allow the vehicle to accelerate a little faster, the lightweight alloy also offers less protection for both the vehicle and the driver.
This sacrifice of strength for weight can often be the demise of a race team. Lightweight ATV nerf bars can bend from moderate contact, blocking rider access to a shifter or brake lever. In this scenario, the desire to save a minuscule amount of weight in the form of lightweight ATV nerf bars may cause the ATV to be unable to finish a race, with the end result of lost revenue.
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