Hi all,

Just wanting some opinions on barkbusters. My friends, who are all motocross riders, tell me not to put the metal wrap around hand guards on. They say they are too dangerous as you can get your arm stuck in the event of a crash and snap your wrist/arm etc if you went over the bars. I'm sort of just getting back into riding after a long period out of the scene. I was never into MX but into enduros and it was sort of standard to fit them. My friends all use basic plastic guards and reccomend the same for me. I would just like to protect my fingers maybe a little more. We no longer ride on tracks but only in the forests etc.

 

You would have to wrap your arm down and inside the handguard and then fall forward to break your arm /wrist because of a handguard. They are MX'ers, they (I assume) do big jumps and haul butt. If you just ride trails in the forests, I doubt you're doing much of that. I don't see how one could break a bone because of the metal handguard. They will save your fingers and levers and take a beating. Mine have paid for themselves ten times over in the last 9 months.

 

handguards are one of the best mods i have done to my bike. Like Cliffsta said they have paid for themselves many times over. I have bounced off several trees and dropped the bike with out breaking any levers or any bones. i highly recommend handgaurds for riding enduro style in the woods!

 

I disagree with your budiies...wrap around metal ones is what I recommend for in the woods...the first time you catch a tree, your fingers will love you for putting them on. I can't count the times I have hit trees when I was younger on my parents Honda 3-wheeler and was lucky enuf to yank my hands up out of the way just in time to escape the brake levers from crushing my fingers.

 

what do mx riders know about trail riding? get a good set and save money on lever and finger breakages

 

I'm in the market for bark busters and wondering which ones fit without having to mess with the clutch and brake levers. On my KLR the Meier ATV bend was about the only one that cleared the levers. Also, is there a plug in the stock bars that needs to be removed?

 

there is a plug in the stock bars, but I feel it is best to leave it in here and simply tap it to the same pitch as the hand-guard bolts. (I removed mine, but that was before someone suggested that they could be tapped...there is a hole in the center of them already also). I have recently installed the moose contour bend handguards which have the bend to allow room for the levers, but some adjustment on controls is always necessary...I don't think you'll find any handguards that that simply bolt on...other than the cheap stock ones. Good luck.

 

I have Fly Racing bars and use the MSR version of the barkbuster with the MSR deflector in White. It looks nice with the gold bars.. They have saved my hands and my levers several times. I can get you a pic if ya want to see what they look like.

Keep in mind when you say barbuster you are actually refering to a copyrighted brand name that other companies have copied the idea on.

Str8 out hand guards will protect you from small branches and such. It will offer very little to no protection in the event you fall off or hit something hard like a tree or a rock face.

I think honestly it is all a matter of preference. Now that I have them, I wont go back. Just be prepared to drop about 60+ bones on a good pair with the plastic deflector and the aluminum bar.

 

Zeta are good!

 

I got Cycra's, I originally wanted the Acerbis plastic molded over aluminum one's but was up sold. Mine are just fine and have replaceable plastics. I would also recommend upgrading to a decent pair of aluminum bars. You'll want or need them eventually...