can't think of a good reason why people don't use them

I think they'd be dead handy for bashing through some sections or taking a cheeky 'rest' against a tree

Have I just started a trend or have I egg on my face

Several riders in our club use them. Saves broken levers and protects the hands. Makes the bars quite wide in tight sections. Always hated the thought of my wrists stuck during an endo.

I guess you could always shorten the bars by an inch (half inch from either end )

Heard lots of stories (mx / trail / etc) about broken wrists, but don't know of it ever happening. I guess if you know a few people who have used them with no problems the odds must be OK

I have a DRZ400 which I use instead of my Scorpa in Long Distance Trials and Enduros.

For Enduros I use the hand guards as they stop stones hitting my knuckles and branches snagging the levers.

For LDT's, I swap to a set of Renthal trials bars with shorty levers and without the hand guards.

I found that the guards make it harder to get through narrow gaps on full lock, it's suprising how often this becomes a problem when you use a 400 for trials.

Yes, the guards might still be a benefit in some situations, but overall I feel that for trials it is better off without guards.

I put lightweight all plastic acerbis hand guards on a trials bike but took them off after one ride because they made the steering feel noticably heavier in the tight bits.

I was trying them out after having problems on an exploration ride with the lever knobs catching on vines and branches.

ok, sounds like I could suck it and see, or just accept it's a bad idea

I know one person who broke a wrist, and another that broke both wrists at the same time. Both were attributed to the bark-busters on their bars.

Being that the idea of them is to stop your knuckles being bruised by stones or scraping trees, why use them in low speed events like trials?

They are no longer allowed in some MX events, as the riders were using them to nerf other people off course, and many top enduro riders are starting to ditch them. The reasoning is that a broken leaver will cost you 5 minutes whilst you change to the spare that you carry, whereas a broken wrist will make you miss a couple of events.

If I had to use them, I would investigate the open end versions.

Edited April 4, 200620 yr by ARAF

cheers for the input guys. Think I'll file that idea

cheers for the input guys. Think I'll file that idea 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Next you'll be looking at heated grips for next winter.

I guess I'll add my two cents to the fray.

I started out riding trail/enduro bikes about 20 yrs ago. All of my bikes had the aluminum type bark busters. I have never had an injury that could be attributed to the bark busters, and I'm sure that they have saved me many broken fingers. When I started riding trials, I believe I rode for about 30 minutes without handguards before immediately realizing that I Needed them. All it takes is riding a bit too close to that small twig or vine which grabs the front brake when you're not expecting it. Next thing you know, you're on your head wondering what happened.

I run the Acerbis Rally handguards and have on all my trials bikes. It's a mod I make before even riding them. Lord only knows how many sets of levers they have saved. As an added benefit, when you drop the bike in the mud, the handlebar is less likely to be completely buried.

I can't think of a single time that I wished I didn't have the handguards on the bike. However, I can think of many times that I was glad they were there.

JMHO

Rob

interesting to still read more mixed opinions. On another forum www.visordown.com (if you need to know ) I had a couple of individuals say they had broken their wrists or arms because of bark busters. Could have been trail or mx riding though, as the trials scene's not so big as it a road bike forum for the most part.

Still undecided - I reckon it could save a few levers or bruised fingers, and I only ride the yellow routes anyway. May give them a shot. Dunno