Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

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Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by Lorgar » 20 Mar 2019, 9:38 pm

One for the more experienced (than my novice self) riders here.

Do you think there is any merit in adding lever guards for street riding? A little protection against clipping a car mirror, post, whatever...

Or really just pointless off the track?

Cheers.
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by magnum012 » 20 Mar 2019, 9:53 pm

The bark busters on my Drz keep the breeze off my hands, makes it so much nicer in winter, and it stops bugs smashing your knuckles. Also good for coming through the back gate and pushing the gate open .
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by TassieTiger » 20 Mar 2019, 11:11 pm

Depends on bike in my op.
Personally, I’d stay awAy from the full cage steel bark busters and opt for the plastic hand guards that bend...if you hit something and go over the bars with the steel, locked on bark busters - you’ll snap your wrists...(speaking as a rider trainer with DECA and HART).
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by deye243 » 20 Mar 2019, 11:59 pm

magnum012 wrote:The bark busters on my Drz keep the breeze off my hands, makes it so much nicer in winter, and it stops bugs smashing your knuckles. Also good for coming through the back gate and pushing the gate open .


Hmmm gloves would fix this problem :D ........ well it did for me 40 years ago ;) ....... except the gate :allegedly:
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by Lorgar » 22 Mar 2019, 8:45 am

TassieTiger wrote:Depends on bike in my op.
Personally, I’d stay awAy from the full cage steel bark busters and opt for the plastic hand guards that bend...if you hit something and go over the bars with the steel, locked on bark busters - you’ll snap your wrists...(speaking as a rider trainer with DECA and HART).


Sports bike, for daily city/suburbs commuting, and weekend rides.

Interesting thought on the steel guards. Will factor it in the decision.
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by Lorgar » 22 Mar 2019, 8:49 am

magnum012 wrote:The bark busters on my Drz keep the breeze off my hands, makes it so much nicer in winter, and it stops bugs smashing your knuckles. Also good for coming through the back gate and pushing the gate open .


deye243 wrote:Hmmm gloves would fix this problem :D ........ well it did for me 40 years ago ;) ....... except the gate :allegedly:


I wear pretty heavy duty gloves so bugs hasn't been a problem, nor the cold yet.

We'll see what some rain and a Melbourne winter does for that though :lol:
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by Bruiser64 » 23 Mar 2019, 8:33 pm

I have bark busters on my 660 Ténéré, but it’s a dual sport. Bark busters are a necessity if off-roading or dual sporting in my opinion. They protect your hands from the scrub. They also prevent your levers being pushed in by scrub when riding along a track. Plus WHEN you have an off on a track the protect the levers and master cylinders (where relevant). Having said that I see no need for them on a road bike. A set of Andy Strapz overmitts Aretha best wet weather hand protection I have ever used. Plus I always carry a couple of spare pairs of gloves. Cold wet hands suck the sweat off a deceased chaps love spuds in my experience. 20 minutes can seem like twe hours when your soaking wet in winter.
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by womble » 24 Mar 2019, 2:07 am

winter in Melbourne they are helpfull. otherwise you need thick gloves that have no feel.
barkbusters also sell a street bike version.
but heated grips are probably one of mankinds best inventions ever.
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by Bruiser64 » 24 Mar 2019, 10:55 am

womble wrote:winter in Melbourne they are helpfull. otherwise you need thick gloves that have no feel.
barkbusters also sell a street bike version.
but heated grips are probably one of mankinds best inventions ever.


Absolutely spot on about the heated grips. I have fitted the Oxford Heated Grips to several of my bikes. They are excellent value and work very well. I would suggest running them through a relay so they shut down when the ignition is off. They do say they will shut themselves down once the voltage drops, but I hate the risk of a flat battery, so prefer to connect them via a relay.

I also have the Gerbings heated jacket, socks, pants and gloves. I can’t run them all when I ride my Ténéré as it doesn’t have the stator output. But my ST1100 (when I had it) would run it all without difficulty. If I rode a bike in Victoria in winter I would use my heated clothing all the time. I have had hypothermia on a bike and it is awful. Why suffer unnecessarily when with the simple application of money you can avoid it?
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by Baronvonrort » 24 Mar 2019, 11:35 am

Lorgar wrote:
Sports bike, for daily city/suburbs commuting, and weekend rides.

Interesting thought on the steel guards. Will factor it in the decision.


It might protect levers if you drop the bike I wouldn't bother for a road bike.

I slipped on some oil going on a slow corner with a Yamaha RD350 many years ago, broke clutch lever was able to ride home just had to get it going with feet before knocking it into first getting away from the lights. had to avoid all hill starts. :D
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by 2freeq » 24 Mar 2019, 7:49 pm

My young bloke has bark busters on his DRZ 250. Riding to work a ute reversed out of a driveway with half a dozen sheets of plaster board hanging off the rear of the tray. The full impact of the bike doing 50kph and the plasterboard sheets was on the left bark buster. twisted handlebars out of his hands and bucked him off and he ended up on the road. Bent the crap out of the bark busters and the handlebars. He ended up with 3 breaks in his little finger which required surgery and now can't bend his little finger middle joint anymore and some road rash. Would hate to see the damage caused if those bark busters weren't there and his hand took the impact. Having said that i'm not about to install them on my Harley but if they suit your bike why not.
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by Sarco » 30 Apr 2019, 11:55 pm

I have an R1200 GSA and I would not be without the OEM bark busters. I did 3 years of the city commute (Mill Park to Vic Barracks) Mon to Fri, and they pay to fend off the FWitts.
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Re: Motorbike lever guards for street riding?

Post by Goose#24 » 01 May 2019, 10:27 am

I personally wouldn't bother if it's only on road riding your doing, if you put the money you would spend on gloves and barkbusters together it would buy you a decent pair of gloves with protection in them.
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