lol, yes

 

Yes rider proctection when squeezed by cagers and bike (clutch/brake lever) protection during a drop

 

You can have handguards for armor to protect your hands, without the wind deflectors (protectors)... Hands are vulnerable on a motorcycle. You want to protect them as they can come in handy at times.

http://www.zeta-racing.com/handguard/armor_bent/index.html

 

Invader's RIGHT! Just try "pickin' your nose" w/ your hand in a cast...!

I got mine to deflect the wind when the temperatures drop. They make a big difference in my riding comfort. I found myself riding in the cold often enough, even when living in Vegas, that they were well worth it.

I remove the plastics when it's hot. The rest (aluminum spine) have saved levers.

...Yes they might save your clutch/brake lever in a minor drop. But most of the guards I've seen cost more than the lever. So let the lever break. Most levers are designed so the tip breaks off and you can still ride home.

And IF they break MORE than that, UNLESS you carry spares - you ARE toast.
:goodluck:

 

I got mine to deflect the wind when the temperatures drop. They make a big difference in my riding comfort. I found myself riding in the cold often enough, even when living in Vegas, that they were well worth it.

 

They also stop rocks and large bugs from hitting your most sensitive exposed body parts (assuming you are wearing a full face helmet). I've been hit in the fingers by rocks (yes, even with gloves on) where it is dangerously distracting.
In the rain, I've noticed, no matter how hard it's raining, my gloves are always dry (they are water repellent, not water proof, so it makes a difference). In the dry cold, I don't think they help much, BUT, for some reason they DO seem to keep my hands from cooling when it's hot.
In the Philippines, I probably wouldn't have them, unless it was for impact protection.

 

I think they're worth it for the clutch/brake lever protection alone. Haven't seen many people with good hand guards have to replace their levers after a lowside or other minor accident, but I have seen a lot of broken levers from accidents without them.

 

True... When i got hit by a car with the handguards on the bike bounced off the pavement on each side and the ends of the handguards were scuffed.No broke levers.

I dropped my bike in this video without the handguards on and the end of the clutch lever broke as you can see in a photo at the end of the video..

 

In my part of the world it's used primarily for hitting cars wing mirrors. And of course the levers when the bike falls.


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i took a car from front once
i dodge enough to escape myself, but the handlebar hit the car in the windshield and i crash

the handguard "just" saved my fingers

now that's your choice...
wind or finger, but depend which you loose
one will nerver feel the other frome the same way...

(sorry for my "fluent" english xD )

 

I have experience of two sets of metal wrap around handguards break and damage other parts of the bike. On my KLE a topple was enough for the metal to bend and snap off a valve on the top of the fork. On the Versys the stock one snapped and broke the screen in half.

I now have plastic only ones. The main thing they do is take the worst of the rain off my gloves.

 

My hands stay cold as it is, the wind break effect to me is worth its wieght in gold.
I also get hit by a lot of road debris, coal mines, means coal trucks and trucks coming off muddy heavy debris mining roads, in my estimation from a cracked windshield, my hand guards have saved my fingers more then once.

 

They do save the levers and throttle/grips, and the rest too when falling not as low on them.

I like my smaller protectors/wind deflectors with reduced wind drag... Zeta now has new more aerodynamic design:

http://www.zeta-racing.com/handguard/x2/index.html

 

My barkbusters were put on to protect from the cold but they have also saved damaged to clutch lever when I dropped bike as they are really strong.

 

I think unless you do a lot of off road riding, through the woods, etc. that they are really mostly about wind deflection.

Yes they might save your clutch/brake lever in a minor drop. But most of the guards I've seen cost more than the lever. So let the lever break. Most levers are designed so the tip breaks off and you can still ride home.

 

Wrong

 

Wished I had them on my old Nighthawk when a dump truck pulled out on the interstate up in Virginia. Gravel flying all over the place hitting everybody. Several hit my helmet. A couple hit my fingers...not fun at all!

I'm all for 'em!

 

I'll be honest. I mostly bought them because I thought they looked cool. But they definitely do help keep the wind off of my hands on colder days. if they can save my levers in a tip or crash, that is great too I would hate to have to call to get a ride home just because my letter broke.

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+1 I live in Texas and ride exclusively on roads, so I don't really need them, but I dig the coolness factor (even though I'm old enough it shouldn't matter). Now, regarding Hawk's letter - it broke; I guess broke the girl's heart he wrote it to. I, on the other hand, don't want my lever broken.

 

I thought the primary purpose was to protect your hands from brush/bushes when off-road riding. Seems like they can serve other purposes as well.

 

Exactly...... That's why Barkbusters are called Barkbusters ;D

 

You can still ride home if your break a clutch or brake lever. Done that several times, riding in the bush, then riding home on the tarmack. Piece of cake.

 

Yes you can, but I prefer not to

 

About 35F this morning on Highway. They surely helped to keep my hands from freezing.


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My sports tourer has heated grips, my Versys has barkbusters, if I had a choice in cold would have barkbusters over heated grips as I find with the heated grips my hands are still cold with wind chill on outside.

 

As to prices, Cyclegear normally has their brand "on sale" fo $45. When I looked a couple of days ago, they were $89. So I started looking around. I found these http://www.motorcycle-superstore.co...om/2/9/192/7234/ITEM/Acerbis-Rally-Pro-X-Strong-Handguards.aspx?WT.ac=SLIsearch But $83 was too high. Then I found and ordered these http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-HAND-...-NEW-/321158196654?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ac6852dae&vxp=mtr they look the same and I will post a review once mounted.

 

.
"Need" ?
.

 

I crashed my bike last fall with bark buster hand guards and SW-Motech engine bars. The SW-Motech engine bars prevented major damage to bike and paid for themselves. The Barkbuster storm hand guards saved the $15 brake and clutch levers from damage but the $135 hand guards along with the $200 original equipment handle bar were damaged beyond repair.

Since replacing the handle bar I have driven the bike without the hand guards installed. I find no difference in wind protection or warmth with or without them. Brake and clutch levers are $10-15 on ebay and 5min to replace. I have to say with what I know now I probably would have not spent the $130 on the Barkbuster Storm hand guards. The SW-Motech engine bars on the other hand have paid for themselves many times over in prevented damage from various drops and prevented damage.

 

my best farkles - hanguards and engine guards

TWO WEEK of ownership, I dropped the bike trying to get it into my garage! but not before I installed the barkbusters and the sw motech engine guards, thank goodness I did!

Saved the levers, and engine from any damages. the handguards were scuffed, so were the engine guards.

the 3rd week I went for a country ride, realized that I was potentially lost... so I turned back making a slow u-turn on to a gravel road and before I knew it, I was going down. Once again, barkbusters and engine guards save my V.

conclusion: If you're going to do mods on your bike, do these first. Just a suggestion.

Ride safely, look before you turn and TCLOCS.

 

TWO WEEK of ownership, I dropped the bike trying to get it into my garage! but not before I installed the barkbusters and the sw motech engine guards, thank goodness I did!...conclusion: If you're going to do mods on your bike, do these first. Just a suggestion....

And, importantly, they MIGHT save you from broken bones in your hands in a fall...!

:goodluck:

 

If you ride year round, you need hand guards. I rode all last winter with thick winter gloves and guards in D.C. Fingers got cold, but never too cold to ride. Without the guards my hands froze within 20 mins.

It is the first thing I put on all my bikes.

 

40 odd years ago hand guards were unheard of. I rode all year round as it was my main transport for several years. I never had gloves for the first year as I could not afford them. If it got to cold in winter- white frosts, I would wear a pair of socks on my hands with a hole cut for the thumb. When I bought my first set off gloves I felt over dressed. I had an open face helmet, no visor, an old flying jacket, and wore shorts all year round. I never owned long pants. Those were the days.