If You're Tired of Broken Hands, Here Is A Solution.

If you’re tired of broken hands, here is a solution.

CYCLE WORLD EVALUATION

Blitzing between trees at speed is a thrill that’s hard to equal. And it’s hard to equal the pain when you misjudge the distance and slam your knuckles into a tree trunk or branch. All sorts of devices have been built to help protect fingers and hands from tree damage. The best we’ve inspected are made by Performance Products in Lacombre, Louisiana.

Performance Products handguards are made of extruded aluminum bars bent so they fit a variety of handlebar shapes, with minor fine tuning. The guards fit into the end of the bar at one end, and clamp to the inboard of the grip at the other. The clamps are also aluminum. Hardened alien-head screws hold the parts together.

We installed the guards on an IT250 in about 30 min., following the instructions that came with the guards. The left side grip has to have a half inch hole cut in it, the right side requires removal of the grip’s tip. Our IT had a throttle barrel with a plastic end piece which also had to be removed with a hacksaw. This done, the throttle housing had to be moved in about Vs in. so the throttle would turn freely. The guards needed slight bending to ensure a proper fit to the end of the bars. These guards are extremely hard and bending them requires a vise and large mallet. The next problem was the hand levers. The IT has full-length levers, while the guards are designed for shorty—three-finger clutch, two-finger front brakelevers. Regular levers won’t fit behind the guards. A set of DeHandler aluminum shorties fit right on ($16.95 at our local Yamaha dealer). After the levers were installed, we adjusted the guards so they were straight out in front of the grips, giving maximum protection.

The guards are shaped to be as trim as possible. They add about % in. to the overall width of the bars. They are bent so they don’t protrude any farther in front of the bars than necessary. The first few miles most riders were aware of them because it’s easy to touch them with your fingertips when reaching for the hand levers. After an hour or so the rider forgets they are there.

The guards cost $49.95, which sounds a little steep.

The first tree limb or tree that comes in contact with a guard without hurting the rider makes the price sound a lot lower. The guards also protect the levers from damage if you crash, so they will eventually save you as much as they cost.

With a little backyard engineering we added a pair of trimmed, stock IT guards to the front of the aluminum guards. The addition made the guards great for desert riding. The plastic guards help deflect brush and cactus and keep cold winter air off the rider's hands.

These guards seem durable and should last many years. They are available from Performance Products Inc., P.O. Box 1294, Lacombre, La. 70445.Phone(504)882-3107 B