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Dealer told me that handguards with the exoskeleton (like barkbusters) were no good.

6391 Views 19 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  Dave 300x, 
Wugsy
When i suggested that i would add some, he said they would change the balance of the bike and could cause a lot of vibration. How true is this?
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U
The BarkBusters I run on my 650 have shorter bar end weights, which may contribute to vibration, but I can't notice any.

I appreciate the wind and bugs being deflected from my hands moreso than any vibrations there might be.
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Axel Johansson
He's trying to up sale you for those expensive Kawasaki handguards and the labor to install them. That's why they're called stealerships
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twowheeladdict
Wugsy said:
When i suggested that i would add some, he said they would change the balance of the bike and could cause a lot of vibration. How true is this?
Click to expand...
Was he trying to sell you something different? You planning to ride off road?

I have the barkbuster style handguards on my trail bike, and had the Kawasaki ones on the 2012 versys 650. My KLR650 and my KLX300SM had/have wind guards.

Good luck with what you chose and make sure they fit without interfering with the controls.
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J
the barkbuster to come with smaller bar end weights. on my CB500x this did result in more handle bar vibration. So when I installed barkbuster, I went conservative and found longer screws so that I could maintain the OEM bar end weights. just in case the lighter ones would lead to more vibration.
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onewizard
They make Versys specific Barkbusters. Your dealer is full of bull crap. My barkbuster were part of the farkles from my DEALER!

www.kawasakiversys.com

Barkbusters

So who has fitted these and how? I recently ordered a set and they don't seem to fit on the bike for crap. The instructions said to bolt them straight in w/o the stock bar internals and no end weights, but I'm not drilling out stock bar internals (I shouldn't have to). They were an easy, no...
www.kawasakiversys.com www.kawasakiversys.com
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Wugsy
twowheeladdict said:
Was he trying to sell you something different? You planning to ride off road?

I have the barkbuster style handguards on my trail bike, and had the Kawasaki ones on the 2012 versys 650. My KLR650 and my KLX300SM had/have wind guards.

Good luck with what you chose and make sure they fit without interfering with the controls.
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He wasnt trying to sell me other handguards. Just advising me not to remove them.
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Wugsy
JRW2007 said:
the barkbuster to come with smaller bar end weights. on my CB500x this did result in more handle bar vibration. So when I installed barkbuster, I went conservative and found longer screws so that I could maintain the OEM bar end weights. just in case the lighter ones would lead to more vibration.
Click to expand...
Hmmm considering the price of them, and much of a rigmarole it is to remove them and get them to fit...not sure if i want them so much now. I watched videos on youtube and some people were full on bending their clutch and brake levers. And that was with the specific barkbusters.
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Wugsy
onewizard said:
They make Versys specific Barkbusters. Your dealer is full of bull crap. My barkbuster were part of the farkles from my DEALER!

www.kawasakiversys.com

Barkbusters

So who has fitted these and how? I recently ordered a set and they don't seem to fit on the bike for crap. The instructions said to bolt them straight in w/o the stock bar internals and no end weights, but I'm not drilling out stock bar internals (I shouldn't have to). They were an easy, no...
www.kawasakiversys.com www.kawasakiversys.com
Click to expand...
Yeah that dealer was doing my head in, but he was the only with a versys for 100s of kilometers.
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onewizard
It is unfortunate but true, many salespeople have no clue. If possible talk to their mechanic. My dealer I recommend to everyone, it is a family operation, the semi -retired father was asked about going to synthetic oil. He said to wait untill 2000 km. So I bought kawasaki oil. My first service the head mechanic said Kawasaki trains mechanics, he had that training, apparently I could have had synthetic oil at zero km.
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Wugsy
Damn. Thanks for that factoid. I guess at the end of the day I really just need to do my own research.
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GeoGator
I like my Barkbusters, they work great, no issues of any sort.
Sky Tire Wheel Cloud Plant
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SpotTheDogg
Hilarious
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cthwaites
Wugsy said:
When i suggested that i would add some, he said they would change the balance of the bike and could cause a lot of vibration. How true is this?
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Not true.
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J
Wugsy said:
When i suggested that i would add some, he said they would change the balance of the bike and could cause a lot of vibration. How true is this?
Click to expand...
This statement could be true for anything you add to a bike. Different windshield, top box, side cases. ect. even a passenger that keeps moving around. If handguards were that dangerous no bikes would have them.
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Jungle Phantom
Salesmen/women are an excellent source of information... just so long as
you know how to interpret what they say... and that's more true in the motorcycle industry
than any other.

Fortunately interpreting what they say is quite simple, as all you have to know
is; the facts are the exact opposite of what they say.(y)(y)
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Wugsy
GeoGator said:
I like my Barkbusters, they work great, no issues of any sort. View attachment 189785
Click to expand...
Love the panniers you got there. How are they treating you?
How did installing the barkbusters go? It sounds quite difficult in most videos I've watched.
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GeoGator
Wugsy said:
Love the panniers you got there. How are they treating you?
How did installing the barkbusters go? It sounds quite difficult in most videos I've watched.
Click to expand...
SHAD SH23 Panniers - Zero complaints, quick on/off.
The OEM bar end weights are a bitch to get off, when you remove them, you have to destroy the clips that hold them in place. I found a YouTube video on how to remove them. Kawasaki designed the clips to be disposable. You won't use the OEM bar weights with the Barkbusters. The Versys-X kit comes with bar end weights, I added the optional weights also.
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Exiled2earth
Do your own research, decide your budget. Who cares what anyone says at the dealer? Unless there is some fact to back something up, its just a statement. You decide if its true or not....

You decide what goes on the bike, most things you don't even need dealers anymore to order.

Ive had barkbusters on my bikes, and they have saved my wrists...and other things...what else do you want them to do. They in my case have actually made the bars more stabilized. And less buzzy..
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Dave 300x
Wugsy said:
When i suggested that i would add some, he said they would change the balance of the bike and could cause a lot of vibration. How true is this?
Click to expand...
That is 100% not true. Barkbusters are a great addition to your bike. When I was first introduced to Barkbuster it was in 1983 and since then there are probably a million happy riders with them on their bikes. I have a video that shows the install of the T-Rex Racing Barkbusters (not all Barkbusters are the same metal frame) and why it is important to keep the bar end weights for the install and keeping the vibration at stock OEM levels. T-Rex has a better design on the metal backbone of the Barkbusters by have the handlebar clamp extend up over all the cables, wires, front brake reservoir,etc. and on the bar end utilizes the factory weights. There is no vibration. I've been running with the Barkbuster for a year or more and they are rock solid.
See my YouTube channel for many X300 installation and accessorizing of common upgrades. I just added a video yesterday on adding an oil pan drain valve and using a creative funnel concept to not have to remove the skid plate for oil changes and not have a mess inside of the skid plate.
LINK to the Barkbuster install on a X300:
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