Hand guards

[seven]

There isn't a whole lot of information on this forum regarding hand guards so I thought I would start a thread in hope some of you have answers.

• Looking for something that would protect my hands in the event of a crash where I am gripping the handlebars. I have heard stories of people grinding off fingers when doing 2 finger braking and their outside fingers get pinched under the brake lever as the bike scrapes along the ground.
• Looking for something that would block some wind from my hands to help keep them warmer as the temps get cooler. I have poor circulation in my hands and am looking at getting some heated grips but maybe deflecting some wind will help as well. I would consider heated gloves if I could find a set that will offer proper tactile feedback and protection which, from what I have read, is a bit of a unicorn.

I have seen some bar end protectors and barkbusters but am wondering what happens in the event of a crash/slide. It seems to me that these protectors would just tear off or rotate away.

Any insight you might have would be appreciated.

 

Shawn

Edited September 2, 2020 by seven

[FNGFZ07Rider]

I had Barkbusters VPS on my 390 Duke.  It did cut some some wind chill but not as much as I hoped.   My fingers still went numb when temps went bellow 45 degrees Fahrenheit and  at freeway speeds.    I rode a friend’s bike with the Storm Guards on it and it completely cut the wind to the fingers.  
 

As for durability, the aluminum backbone is super tuff. I’ve dropped the bike on a concrete step (on accident) and it fell right on the aluminum.  No dings and barely a scratch, wasn’t bent at all.  When picking it up, I left a idiot scratch on the VSP plastics.  It also protected at brake lever completely.

[GoldenMT07]

Does anyone know if the Barkbusters Storm fit on the 2021 MT-07.  I know the 2021 handlebars are a bit wider but I wouldn't think that would matter.

[Triple Jim]

On 9/2/2020 at 1:57 PM, seven said:

I have heard stories of people grinding off fingers when doing 2 finger braking and their outside fingers get pinched under the brake lever as the bike scrapes along the ground.

A few years ago a racing instructor pointed out to me that once it's obvious you're going to crash, you need to let go of the grips and try to push away from the motorcycle, letting it go its own separate way.  Getting tangled up with a crashing motorcycle is not a good thing.

I do like hand guards for cold weather riding and would like to get a pair for my MT-07.

Edited April 17, 2021 by Triple Jim

[FZ not MT]

1 hour ago, GoldenMT07 said:

Does anyone know if the Barkbusters Storm fit on the 2021 MT-07.

I have them on my 2016 FZ-07, and they work well. They look good too!

The diameter of the bar should not matter as they are attached to the bar ends. I have the stock bars which are threaded. I believe you have to buy an extra adapter kit for that but it was cheap. No clue how the bars are set up on your 2021 although you could check the parts sheets of the two on bike bandit to see if they use the same bolt to secure the weight at the bar ends.

 

[ElGonzales]

I've freshly installed a set of sw-motech kobra handguards. They are also mounted at the end of the handle bar instead of the weights. It's also possible to insert LED turn indicators into them.
They are available for a lot of bikes, so you also have to look for the correct adapter kit for a original or non-original handle bar.
 

 

[DewMan]

On 4/18/2021 at 5:56 AM, ElGonzales said:

I've freshly installed a set of sw-motech kobra handguards. They are also mounted at the end of the handle bar instead of the weights. It's also possible to insert LED turn indicators into them.
They are available for a lot of bikes, so you also have to look for the correct adapter kit for a original or non-original handle bar.
 

 

 

I'm more impressed with the paint job than the handguards. 

[Devilman]

On 4/18/2021 at 5:56 AM, ElGonzales said:

I've freshly installed a set of sw-motech kobra handguards. They are also mounted at the end of the handle bar instead of the weights. It's also possible to insert LED turn indicators into them.
They are available for a lot of bikes, so you also have to look for the correct adapter kit for a original or non-original handle bar.
 

 

Where did you get your fork protectors? I like what you have done to the bike.

[ElGonzales]

1 hour ago, Devilman said:

Where did you get your fork protectors? I like what you have done to the bike.

They are part of a conversion kit to build a "Super 7"- MT-07 from KEDO / JvB-Moto from Germany: JvB-moto Front Fork Gaiters 'Super7'.
Kedo isn't shipping directly to the USA, but they have a local distributor in Kansas: https://www.thevintagespoke.com/shop/MT07.htm

I know, quite expensive for some rubber pieces. I've read that some cheaper generic Harley Davidson fork gaiters should fit too...but I saw pictures and it was not so perfect like these. And I had bad experiences with cheap fork gaiters in the past, they fell apart after 1-2 years, so I drank two beer and then I was ready to fill the online shopping cart.

The colour was my first attempt with car wrapping foil in this winter. It's Oracal 970 saffron yellow matte  (great fool proof wrapping film if you're an newbie idiot like me) with some black matte vinyl decals from hooligan stickers.

To be not completely off topic: I think about adding some yellow horizontal stripes to the hand guards, for enhanced visibility in traffic.