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Equipping the Bike - what's the best gear? Anything to do with the bikes equipment, saddlebags, etc. Questions on repairs and maintenance of the bike itself belong in the Brand Specific Tech Forums.
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  #1  
Old 15 Sep 2010
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Hand Guard Protectors
Anybody got opinions on the best handguard protectors to protect my levers on a trans African trip?

I'm riding a BMW Dakar and getting last minute jitters that the standard plastic ones aren't gonna hack it!

Thanks!

Rob
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  #2  
Old 15 Sep 2010
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Take a look a Burkbuster from Australia.
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  #3  
Old 15 Sep 2010
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Thanks Thomas. They look the business and I found a reasonably priced local supplier too.
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Old 15 Sep 2010
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I've just installed barkbusters on my 650 Dakar. They look very solid!
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Old 16 Sep 2010
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Hand guards ....
.... ACERBIS that's what I would go for.

Installed some on my old HondaTA, they are very solid and the price was ok, too.
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Old 16 Sep 2010
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Acerbis multiplo e. Saved my levers more than once. I also like the curved design which is supposed to prevent your hands getting trapped if you have a spill. Never tested that particular aspect though.
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Old 22 Sep 2010
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KTM handguards seem to fit numerous different bikes, quite cheap too!
I did consider fitting a really strong set (with ally braces) but concerned if the bike did go down the handlebars on the bike would bend or worse snap, something worth considering when making the choice....
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Old 22 Sep 2010
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Barkbusters
I put Barkbusters on my F650 Dakar for SibirskyExtreme last year.

My bike (me!) fell countless times* on various surfaces ranging from soft sand to large granite boulders in both wet and dried-up river beds, off/onto metal pontoon bridges, on fast gravel tracks and in trackless crosss-country bogs.

My hands and the control levers never suffered anything.

Highly recommended.

I'd be interested to know of Stickywebs 'reasonable local supplier' if less than GBP80ish.


* Has to be more than 50 times
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  #9  
Old 22 Sep 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stickyweb View Post
Anybody got opinions on the best handguard protectors to protect my levers on a trans African trip?

I'm riding a BMW Dakar and getting last minute jitters that the standard plastic ones aren't gonna hack it!
I'm going to have to agree with others about the Barkbusters but with a couple notes:

1) you'll need the adapter kit if you don't have the OEM heated grips
2) they include bar risers which make standing up much nicer.
3) be very careful when you install or adjust the one on the brake side.

My girlfriend's bike has had no issues but on mine it keeps getting set too close to where the lever comes in to the bar. It pivots on the bushing in there and when you pull in the lever the other end pivots out a little and, in my case, hits the barkbuster which does its job and doesn't budge, and results in you having hardly any usable pull on your brakes. I'm sure this is 100% user error in the installation but it is something to be careful about.
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Old 23 Sep 2010
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And be careful they don't hit the tank on full lock.
Last edited by Starbeck; 26 Oct 2010 at 13:12.
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  #11  
Old 23 Sep 2010
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I bought them here: Bark Busters BHG10 Handguards - BMW F650GS 2007 Motocross Gear from Dirt Bike Bitz

Everything you need is included!
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  #12  
Old 23 Sep 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Starbeck View Post
And be careful they don't hit the tank on full lock.
The ones for the F650GS / Dakar have a different piece on the inside of the handlebars so that's not a problem.

Reminds me though that we had trouble with the screws for one of the bar risers (BMW's fault not barkbusters) and a little over-exuberant screwing cross-threaded the thing. :/
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