New lightbar

Over the past few weeks I've been preparing my G650GS for this year's riding season, making a few improvements, and some adding necessary protection. With the master brake cylinder cover installed, and the Touratech fork protectors in place, the next logical step was to install engine crash bars.
Since the G650GS has a slightly different engine position versus the F650GS (single), many of the aftermarket crash bars don't fit. It appears that the engine is slightly off-center, making installation of aftermarket pieces difficult or impossible. To play it safe, I found a nice set of gently used BMW guards for sale on-line.
These crash bars came off a Dakar model, however, I assumed they would fit. Nevertheless, while the lower mounting tabs aligned perfectly with the holes in the frame, the upper part, which mounts to a single bolt in the frame midsection, was slightly off. I'm not sure whether this was due to the G650GS redesign or due to the fact that the bars were used (and possibly bent), but a few hits with a rubber mallet put the tabs where I needed them.

Previously, I had made and installed a lightbar, attached via the same mid-section bolt. Although I stretched the crash bars enough to accommodate the bar, I found that the lightbar was too narrow, and the lights interfered with the crash bars. Well, what was I to do but to make a new lightbar.

The material of choice, as in the previous lightbar, was an aluminum two inch angle purchased at a local hardware store. I had more than enough of it left from my last fabrication, so there was no need to go shopping.  Since the old lightbar proved itself roadworthy in over 3000 hard miles both on and off-road, I decided to maintain the original design, extending the bar's width and making a few cosmetic changes. (The original bar was designed with round lights in mind, but I now have rectangular lights mounted.)    

To begin, I traced the old bar onto the aluminum.

 Next, I added an extra inch o each side and cut the rough shape using a scroll saw. To insure that both sides would be identical, I made a round template out of a cardboard.

I reused my original brackets for attaching the ligtbar to the frame and secured those to the bar using 6mm panhead stainless steel screws.

Since the new lights are rectangular, I sawed off the round ends.

I then decided to smooth the design a little and altered the angles.

Next, I laid out the location of holes. This is strictly a matter of taste and has no effect on the strength of the unit.

With the holes drilled, I smoothed out all sharp edges with a file, followed by a 400 grit sandpaper.

Next, I attached the lightbar to the frame and secured the lights.

A view from behind:

And one from the side:

And a full frontal: 

As you can see, the lightbar (in my opinion) neither sticks out too much, nor does it affect the "flow" of the bike. This unit is the least amount of material I feel comfortable using, while still maintaining rigidity and strength. The previous unit worked rather well and did not result in any excessive vibrations.
Here is a picture with the lights on, using 35 watt H3 off-road bulbs.

With this setup, I am not only more visible to other drivers, but I gain all-important lateral illumination. Unlike many aftermarket lightbars mounted on the high fender, these lights do not sit high enough to obstruct, or deter from, the front turn signals.