Mileage: 9,811
Today I installed BMW Hand guards. Why BMW and not Barkbuster or some other after-market brand? Well, in this case I think the BMW design is the best. Most of the hand guards are aluminum, which is fine for knocking the brush out of the way. However, I suspect the aluminum is more likely to bend if the bike goes over.
The BMW hand guards use steel tubes. They’re strong! I suspect it would be hard to break a clutch or break lever with the BMW solution.
A second reason I went with the BMW solution is that there’s no advertising on the plastic guards. Frankly, I don’t want to be a rolling advert for Barkbusters.
The BMW guards come with aluminum bar ends to replace the heavier steel ends that came with the bike. Given the weight of the steel tubing used in the guards I don’t expect that the handlebars will feel any different.
I fitted the large plastic guards with the optional spoilers to the steel bars. Mostly I’m seeking a little more wind and rain protection. The plastic guards need to have two holes drilled in them before the spoilers can be attached. I don’t know why, but BMW chose to provide shiny bolts to attach the spoiler to the guard. I think black bolts would look much better. I may replace those bolts at some point in time.
One problem with the factory guards comes with the availabilities of throttle locks. Fortunately I was able to purchase a compatible Kaoko, but it appears that that particular model may have been discontinued, so there’s not a lot of stock available.
The bike was lacking an SAE plug for attaching accessories, or a battery tender. I installed a fused connector directly onto the batter with the plug end tucked in below the handlebars on the left side. It has a cover and tucks away out of sight when not in use.