Guards - protection or just farkles?

[WbCherry]

Brake disc guards are aluminum. The rotor is tempered steel, but slightly more expensive.
If an impact is bad enough to warrant the guard, wouldnt it jam the rotor anyway?
Do they promote brake fade (like the large front covers) or increase mud retention, leading to wet brakes? Or crud under the pads?

Guards under the bottoms of the front forks? Seriously?

Heel guards. When people are buying titanium axles and sprocket bolts...can't heel bumpers be replaced by that high-impact plastic sheet (Zydex or whatever) ? Or touch-up paint?

Radiator guards. They're a joke. My IMS tank actually protects better. The rad guards are just getting in the way of airflow, and threatening to rub through the tank.


Exhaust shrouds...no, just kidding. I'm not THAT stupid.


$300+ titanium footpegs. Really? Titanium's lighter than steel, but not stronger at the same weight....they need to be the same weight to be bend-resistant.

Carbon fiber case stckers?

The Touratech oil sight glass "guard". It's the same shape as stock! Just red! What?!

Saving weight with an aluminum sprocket....then using an aluminum fin for it? If one bends, won't the other?
Why not just buy steel?
Why don't they make quick-change rear sprockets, anyway?

Please discuss.





Oh, and while I'm complaining...why does the kickstand NOT have a wider foot (besides its other travesties)?
Doesn't the term "dirt bike" imply that you're not gonna park it on firm concrete?

And why is my nose bleeding?

 

[OlderHuskyRider]

I don't have any of those costly farkles, I usually make my own, they look like crap, but they are usually free, like this stand foot, works real good.

 

[organ donor]

WbCherry is right ... on all counts! The reason why we buy this superfluous junk is that it affords a feeling of having seriously contributed to creating the finished product. We all know that what we´re buying is mainly only WEIGHT (except you can only get the special 630 EFI by purchasing the twin Arrows ... and the JD tuner doesn´t weigh much).

Now that my 630 is finished, a void has opened up and I´m waiting for my nose to bleed.

 

[glangston]

Mostly desert and forest trails for me and not the tight trees of Others, so only a skid plate. No rad guards brake guard or any special hand guards, personal decision

 

[rancher1]

I have ruined 2 radiators without guards, none with them. I have bent both front and rear rotors without guards and none with guards. For me it is not the replacement cost of the rotor but the non replaceable race I am in or the multi day trip that I have planned and spent good money on. I would rather be riding than waiting for my buddies to come back while I wish I had the protectors. I will admit to transferring stuff from one bike to another to save money however.

 

[LawnDartMike]

I use P3 pipe, 7602 radiator, Motosportz disk and TM Designworks chain guards. All have saved me money in the long run. Just make sure whatever guards you get are designed well and strong.

- I've bent a front rotor from just catching a rock as the front tire slid into a deep rut. I now have disk guards on both ends. Not fun to have to pump up the brakes to get them to work because the rotor keeps moving the pads apart. It doesn't take much of a tweak to the rotor to ruin your day.

- I fell over hard on a melon sized rock that impacted on both the right radiator and 2t pipe. Bent the radiator guard and smashed the plastics but the radiator was untouched. It would have been a long push out with a smashed radiator. It also moved the pipe in the mounts but didn't dent it.

- The rear disk and chain guards are chewed up from rock impacts. Not sure what damage would have been done without them but I'm sure they probably paid for themselves.

 

[water racer]

Wait until you burn a hole in your pants on a hot 4-stroke exhaust.
GP

 

[Motosportz]

The rad guards and disk guards are very much a useful product. I have rotor guards that are HAMMERED and the disk looks perfect. We build our lighter than you would think you would want to and the design is that it flexes some and removes 80-100% of the impact force. We have sold mountains of these for over 5 years and have yet to get on back broken or a rotor damaged. People Email me saying "Wow these are beautiful but don't seem strong enough", i tell them if you manage to break or bend one I will replace it free. I have yet to send one out. Last year i head on a guy at good speed. He went to the hospital type impact. It hit right at the front disk guard, put two huge gouges in it, bent the 50mm forks and triple clamp beyond us the the rotor was perfect. Our rad guards are simple but effective design and if you ride tight slick woods are almost mandatory. These parts are useful and can be the difference of rescuing a bike from the woods or riding on. IMHO. I ahve piles of thanks and testimonials on our guards from over the years.

I spend money on a bike in this order...

- Hand guards (been there, broke the fingers to prove it)

- Skid plate (stops the frame from getting beat to death and the case from a rock going through it)

- Rad guards (I ride on roots and slick log crossing and they get a lot of use. Never been stranded by a smashed / leaking rad. Also never experience overheating and our guards actually as somewhat of a heat sink and displace heat)

- Rotor guards (Bent a few roots in my life that ended a ride / race, never since I run guards)

- Suspension (best performance buck spent period)

- Damper (love the feeling, like the lack of fatigue, makes me feel hero in nasty rocks and roots, saved my ass a few times)

I feel these all add a good level of performance and protection for returning home under it's own power. I don't see any of these as useless fluff. Look around at the races and you will see this stuff is standard for a reason.

 

[WbCherry]

I only race my dog. Maybe a few rabid lesbians.
If you're standing behind your products, in writing, MotoSportz...with a replacement garauntee...I'm impressed.

Just wondering how much of this is needed. Or just follow-the-leader attitude.



That being said - MotoSportz! Why the skinny little foot on the kickstand? Just ordered one. I want it to double as a dining room table.
And can you make us something like the KTM's have to increase oil capacity?




Edit: But seriously? $300 titanium footpegs?

 

[rt3856]

I only race my dog. Maybe a few rabid lesbians.
If you're standing behind your products, in writing, MotoSportz...with a replacement garauntee...I'm impressed.

Just wondering how much of this is needed. Or just follow-the-leader attitude.

That being said - MotoSportz! Why the skinny little foot on the kickstand? Just ordered one. I want it to double as a dining room table.
And can you make us something like the KTM's have to increase oil capacity?

Edit: But seriously? $300 titanium footpegs?

I read your comment on oil capacity. I have an Idea that will be a little more sano than the KTM monstrosity.
when I get home I am going to measure my side case and see if there is room to make a custom side case that could hopefully allow maybe a half quart more.
duno but it sounds like a good idea to me.
maybe a chunk of aluminum and a milling machine a little time...... any thoughts?

 

[ray_ray]

Some of this stuff is not needed by everyone ... and if you never crash, you need even less ... I've got to have radiator guards as I crash too often ... my guards now are bent all up, radiators also and no leaks ... I'd like to have a skid plate but not yet ...

I don't like riding in any terrain such as big rocks that can trash the brakes, frame, engine ...etc , so when I am in these area , I just go slow ... I'm lucky enough to have all types of riding places and can pick what I want to ride in ...

Ride within your level, keep the bike up as much as possible, and a stock Husky is fine machine ( with radiator guards)

PS -- Bikes are like girls ... Some wanna buy'em things ... make'em look pretty ... dress'em up ... Some of us ride'em hard and put them up wet ... tell'em how great a time we had with them, brush a hand through their hair and ride'em again before they quit grinning at us ...

 

[510 SM SC]

Ha Ha good thread. I am required by the tracks and my Club, SMUSA to have axle sliders,hand guards( or
bar end sliders),safety wire all plugs and catch-cans for all fluids to save the track. That said, if you race ? some stuf is required. carbon fiber looks cool, Ha Ha good for 1 hit. Sometimes
plastic is better...

# 510 SMUSA

Rob

 

[erigre]

I think Kelly hit it with the order of protection needed. Obviously he sells most of this stuff (I've purchased many of the MS protection bits and will continue to as needed), but he's right.
Some of the parts you mentioned are superfluous for sure, but the core protection parts are needed, at least where I ride. Rocks, roots, and tight trees will all conspire to have you walking and/or pushing out, C-A rider, no discretion.
It adds up, but you should be able to protect for less than $500 and probably be able to move parts to new bikes or sell as you change bikes.
What it really comes down to for me is being able to ride when I have the chance to ride. Break my hand, crack the case, smash a rad, bend a rotor and my ride is pretty much done for the day, maybe longer. It's worthwhile insurance to most likely keep me from walking or wasting my precious ride time.
And yes, it's fun to shop for cool, thought out products, but no $300 footpegs for me!

 

[Motosportz]

Footpegs...

The stock huskys are CRAP, dull fast and bend EZ. That said I usually run them. BUT i worked for Fastway for years and did a some of the development for those pegs. Like an autoclutch I used them for years and there are real benefits but kinda moved on. Recently I bought a used GG250 and it was cramped for me. So i found some old Fastway pegs I had here and slapped them on in low boy config for more room. WOW, there is performance gains there. the amount of control you have over your bike goes up notably. I really like that. The Cons are they tear up your boots and are sometimes hard to slide you feet of as you come into a corner. Also take maintenance which adds to the routine. BUT the level of control of your bike for sure goes up.

 

[erigre]

Recently added the fastway F5's to my 200, primarily for the lowboy factor (6'3"). Again, agree with the performance gain, which was a bonus. Not a "needed" category, but well worth the $115. Probably will add them to my new/used 09 wr125 (soon to be 165, thanks Walt!)

 

[kiwitxc]

Radiator guards are definitely worth the money, we don't ride many rocks so not so big on the brake rotor guards.

I've got hand guards & I like them, but you do give up clearance either side of the bars.

My foot pegs are ok, but I'm surprised how quick the gear lever is wearing on my 310,

 

[schoops]

The rad guards and disk guards are very much a useful product. I have rotor guards that are HAMMERED and the disk looks perfect. We build our lighter than you would think you would want to and the design is that it flexes some and removes 80-100% of the impact force. We have sold mountains of these for over 5 years and have yet to get on back broken or a rotor damaged. People Email me saying "Wow these are beautiful but don't seem strong enough", i tell them if you manage to break or bend one I will replace it free. I have yet to send one out. Last year i head on a guy at good speed. He went to the hospital type impact. It hit right at the front disk guard, put two huge gouges in it, bent the 50mm forks and triple clamp beyond us the the rotor was perfect. Our rad guards are simple but effective design and if you ride tight slick woods are almost mandatory. These parts are useful and can be the difference of rescuing a bike from the woods or riding on. IMHO. I ahve piles of thanks and testimonials on our guards from over the years.

I spend money on a bike in this order...

- Hand guards (been there, broke the fingers to prove it)

- Skid plate (stops the frame from getting beat to death and the case from a rock going through it)

- Rad guards (I ride on roots and slick log crossing and they get a lot of use. Never been stranded by a smashed / leaking rad. Also never experience overheating and our guards actually as somewhat of a heat sink and displace heat) in

- Rotor guards (Bent a few roots in my life that ended a ride / race, never since I run guards)

- Suspension (best performance buck spent period)

- Damper (love the feeling, like the lack of fatigue, makes me feel hero in nasty rocks and roots, saved my ass a few times)

I feel these all add a good level of performance and protection for returning home under it's own power. I don't see any of these as useless fluff. Look around at the races and you will see this stuff is standard for a reason.

Motosportz - interested in your comment re the damper. I've only ever used them on road bikes and I always assumed would be more for the fast stuff -eg stop you getting into tank slappers in deep sand etc. Are you saying helps with deflection over rocks and roots in tight stuff or hitting them at speed? And if set for tight stuff does it come at the expense of responsive steering?

(With you on hand guards and skid plates, easy to ruin a day with a low speed drop that breaks a lever and not much fun having your hands smashed by sticks all day if your bashing through scrubby single track, also definitely would not be willing to tackle some big rocks without a skidplate)

 

[Tessier]

This is what it look's like when you ride in New England with radiator guards. I have also cracked two carbon fiber E-Line skid platesand broken several finders. so in my book it's allot cheaper to run skid plate, radiator guards, Metal hand guards and a rear disk break guard. After those items IMO your investment starts to diminish rapidly.

 

[LawnDartMike]

Motosportz - interested in your comment re the damper. I've only ever used them on road bikes and I always assumed would be more for the fast stuff -eg stop you getting into tank slappers in deep sand etc. Are you saying helps with deflection over rocks and roots in tight stuff or hitting them at speed? And if set for tight stuff does it come at the expense of responsive steering?

(With you on hand guards and skid plates, easy to ruin a day with a low speed drop that breaks a lever and not much fun having your hands smashed by sticks all day if your bashing through scrubby single track, also definitely would not be willing to tackle some big rocks without a skidplate)

I run a GPR on my WR150. It REALLY helps even in the slow speed stuff for the reasons you speak of. I can ride with a bit looser grip and not worry about the bars being ripped from my hands. Yes you can notice a bit more resistance when turning but you'll find yourself not having to correct your line as much.

 

[schoops]

I run a GPR on my WR150. It REALLY helps even in the slow speed stuff for the reasons you speak of. I can ride with a bit looser grip and not worry about the bars being ripped from my hands. Yes you can notice a bit more resistance when turning but you'll find yourself not having to correct your line as much.

Thanks for that - there's another bit of farkle I need!

And my new Uptite bashplate just arrived - man that is a work of art - and light - when I picked up the box it felt like there was nothing in there!