Fitting some hand guards

[sc0ttie]

I got a set of these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Universal-7-8-22mm-Handlebar-Motorcycle-Bike-Handguards-Hand-Guards-Protector-/371841531733?hash=item56937b7f55:g:LrIAAOSwZQRYfcHA


They bolt on to the end of the handlebar weights no problem but I am having problems with how to attach to the handle bar at the other end. The metal attachment strip provided is too short to reach the mirror mount on my handlebars/brake/clutch lever assembly.

Details lever with mirror mount

lever with mirror mount

But even if it did, I don't know what size bolt fits the mirror mount! any suggestions on how else I can attach the hand guard on that side of it as I am stuck on how to proceed.

[Fazerider]

I bought some of those a couple of weeks ago.
I found the original bar ends fractionally too long so used the ones supplied. I couldn't get the bit the bar end screws into out of the bar, so had to saw the plastic ones down to suit... and find a screw that was shorter than the supplied one and longer than the OEM one.
I took a file to the part of the plastic guard to whittle it down to fit close enough to the fixing on the lever assembly for the metal bracket to reach the redundant mirror mount.
Luckily I found a screw of the right chunky dimensions to suit on the LHS, but the one on the right is a left-hand thread so I used a strip of rubber coiled up in the hole as a sort of Rawlplug and a 6mm bolt tightened up sufficiently.
Despite my efforts the guards still collide with the fairing at full lock, though only just… the fairing flexes enough that it's not a hazard. They also touch the mirrors at full lock. So they'll have to come off at MOT time as they'd probably cause it to fail.
Apart from that, and the fact it took me nearly 2 days to bodge onto the bike, I'm reasonably happy with them. At least my hands are warmer.

[fazersharp]

Thats the main problem in that no one has fitted any that do not hit the fairing.
I have looked into it a few times when it gets cold as I think it would just do enough to extend my ride as the only part of me that gets cold is my fingers, dont want to go down the muff or hot grips route.
Could you just chop off more of the guard where it touches the fairing 

[Fazerider]

I'd recommend heated grips. I was very sceptical before buying: a puny few watts competing with an 80mph blast of air at 0ºC probably wouldn't be noticeable I thought… I was wrong, it does make a difference.


Looking at my fitment again, the guards barely touch the fairing, filing the arrowed bit of the guards allowed me to get them closer to the bar.





It's the mirrors that are the main problem. I even bunged a couple of washers under the rearmost mount to push them a bit further forwards, but they still get pushed about 10mm by the guards. If you have different mirrors: adjustable ones or perhaps the longer-stemmed ones off the 1000cc Fazer there might not be an issue.





I'll stick with mine though, the rearwards view may be crap, but with the amount of filtering I do the narrowness is too useful to lose.


Another option is modifying the fairing mounting so that it's a little further forwards, I've noticed a few people have done that to create a bit more space.

[darrsi]

In the current position there's no way i could put hand guards on my bike without hitting the fairing.


As for heated grips, i simply could not do without them, and the pair i have now are the hottest ones i've ever bought with loads of settings.
It has to be below zero for me to use the hottest setting otherwise i would burn my hands through my gloves, which i think is very impressive.
I think once you've tried them you would never have a bike without them.

[fazersharp]

For me any amount of touching the fairing or mirrors is a no-go, in the event of an off I am not giving the insurance any excuse not to pay.
not sure about grips as its not my hands that get cold as-such but my fingers from my knuckles to the tips and as I dont really grip sort of all the way around my fingers dots really touch the grips much

[darrsi]

For me any amount of touching the fairing or mirrors is a no-go, in the event of an off I am not giving the insurance any excuse not to pay.
not sure about grips as its not my hands that get cold as-such but my fingers from my knuckles to the tips and as I dont really grip sort of all the way around my fingers dots really touch the grips much

Heat travels, trust me you will really appreciate them.

[sc0ttie]

I bought some of those a couple of weeks ago.
I found the original bar ends fractionally too long so used the ones supplied. I couldn't get the bit the bar end screws into out of the bar, so had to saw the plastic ones down to suit... and find a screw that was shorter than the supplied one and longer than the OEM one.
I took a file to the part of the plastic guard to whittle it down to fit close enough to the fixing on the lever assembly for the metal bracket to reach the redundant mirror mount.
Luckily I found a screw of the right chunky dimensions to suit on the LHS, but the one on the right is a left-hand thread so I used a strip of rubber coiled up in the hole as a sort of Rawlplug and a 6mm bolt tightened up sufficiently.
Despite my efforts the guards still collide with the fairing at full lock, though only just… the fairing flexes enough that it's not a hazard. They also touch the mirrors at full lock. So they'll have to come off at MOT time as they'd probably cause it to fail.
Apart from that, and the fact it took me nearly 2 days to bodge onto the bike, I'm reasonably happy with them. At least my hands are warmer.

I could not fit the plastic bar ends supplied with the guards into my bars either, so i kept my original bar ends in place and had a couple of 50mm allen bolts to use to hold the guards and heavy bar ends into the handle bars, but perhaps that is why the metal bracket plate doesn't reach my mirror mounts on the levers. I just see on this page that most mirror mounts are 10mm with 1.25 thread. http://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/How-do-I-know-the-size-of-my-motorcycle-mirrors-thread-/10000000175460326/g.html
Having fitted your hand guards did you find it helped stop the numb fingers?

[fazersharp]

I have a bit of a problem with bad circulation in my fingers which is the majority of the problem for me.
I do have very good gloves that last me about 1/2 hour when its really cold was just looking at guards to extend that comfortable ride time but for the amout of time I actually can get out in the winter im not sure heated would be worth it.
I have even thought of a bearmat size sort of shield attached to the glove that covers the fingers, just to take away the wind blast, might get in the way when going for the leavers but it would be no longer that my fingers 

[fazersharp]

I got one of these for thread measuring http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bolt-size-and-thread-size-tool-Pro-Gauge-Metal-type-M4-M5-M6-M8-M10-/262622847876?hash=item3d258aa384:g:dNsAAOSwZtJW-Zlw

[sc0ttie]

I have a bit of a problem with bad circulation in my fingers which is the majority of the problem for me.
I do have very good gloves that last me about 1/2 hour when its really cold was just looking at guards to extend that comfortable ride time but for the amout of time I actually can get out in the winter im not sure heated would be worth it.
I have even thought of a bearmat size sort of shield attached to the glove that covers the fingers, just to take away the wind blast, might get in the way when going for the leavers but it would be no longer that my fingers

So do I, surgery on veins & artery in my arm from years ago. I was wondering if muffs are easily removeable, i.e. quick detach/quick reattach and also if when it rains and the bike is parked outside will the inside get all wet and make your hands colder? Having never owned muffs, I don't know but those thoughts kind of put me off muffs.

[fazersharp]

Having never owned muffs, I don't know but those thoughts kind of put me off muffs.

The other thing that puts me off muffs is they look horrible, also they can suffer from collapsing in under wind blast but there is som sort of extra wire gaurd like a brake guard that you fit inside them.
I think what would work better for me is heated inner gloves that run off a battery in your pocket

[darrenc]

I have literally just bought some urbano tucano R363 muffs and with summer gloves underneath they are great went for an hour ride today (at motorway speed ) and they were fantastic, they are wind and waterproof and have a hard plastic strap round front to stop wind compressing them at high speeds. With all the above being said I just sadly don't get on with them I paid £45 including delivery last Friday. The first £25 takes them off my hands. Shame to see them sat doing nowt in garage but as I said I just didn't get on with them. If no one wants them I will stick them on eBay.

[Fazerider]

I have a bit of a problem with bad circulation in my fingers which is the majority of the problem for me.

Yes, my circulation is piss-poor too, even indoors my hands are like ice. I'm  very familiar with the agony of thawing out frozen fingers after a ride.


Years ago I tried a set of muffs. That didn't last long. The first day I used them I needed to wipe my visor, the muff neatly peeled the Vee-wipe off my finger and lost it. When I tried to put my hand back the thing had collapsed in the 70 mph breeze and I had an anxious moment bringing the bike to a halt.


It's hard to quantify the effect of heated grips in a scientific way, but I'd estimate mine give an extra 3ºC worth of help… less at high speed and more if just pootling around town. Darrsi's sound a fair bit more powerful.


The handguards extend that up to motorway speeds, I've found last week's temperatures easy to bear: previously 80mph at -2ºC for 25 minutes would have been frostbite territory.

[fazersharp]

but I'd estimate mine give an extra 3ºC worth of help… less at high speed and more if just pootling around town. Darrsi's sound a fair bit more powerful.

I dont do much pootling, maybe darrsi's sound so good because they are mainly used in a commuting capacity. ? although a help I dont think 3c would be enough   

IWith all the above being said I just sadly don't get on with them

Why did you not get on with them

[darrenc]

It was the first time I've ever used muffs and just didn't like how they felt, to be honest I found them a bit cumbersome and I know that's sometimes part and parcel of these things but I just wish I'd have put the money towards some better gloves instead. As I said I have been out twice both in really cold and wet conditions and not once didy hands feel cold, it was just the user experience of them that left me feeling cold.

[darrsi]

Next time i open up the laptop i'll try and find which ones i bought.


"Dr Bike" sounds familiar but when i looked for them the heat switch looked different to mine.

[mr self destruct]

I have these exact hand guards, fitted with the original bar ends, longer bolts and a spacer to stop them hitting the fairing. However, I haven't attached them with the inner mounts at all. I suppose I could bend up a bit of flat plate or buy a bit of Mexicano from Halfords, but the guards don't really move with just the bar end bolt holding them.

[Fazerider]

I have these exact hand guards, fitted with the original bar ends, longer bolts and a spacer to stop them hitting the fairing. However, I haven't attached them with the inner mounts at all. I suppose I could bend up a bit of flat plate or buy a bit of Mexicano from Halfords, but the guards don't really move with just the bar end bolt holding them.

I think it was you who posted the link that I followed to those particular handguards.
Had I looked a bit closer I'd have realised yours is a foxeye so it wasn't a good guide as to whether they're suitable for the earlier version. That said, I'm happy with them... a bit of a faff to adapt, but they're cheap and very effective.

[mr self destruct]

I have these exact hand guards, fitted with the original bar ends, longer bolts and a spacer to stop them hitting the fairing. However, I haven't attached them with the inner mounts at all. I suppose I could bend up a bit of flat plate or buy a bit of Mexicano from Halfords, but the guards don't really move with just the bar end bolt holding them.

I think it was you who posted the link that I followed to those particular handguards.
Had I looked a bit closer I'd have realised yours is a foxeye so it wasn't a good guide as to whether they're suitable for the earlier version. That said, I'm happy with them... a bit of a faff to adapt, but they're cheap and very effective.

Ah crap. Sorry about that, didn't realise the fairings were that different.

[joebloggs]

I'm sure that muffs work better on some bike due to fairing design or more to the point how wind flow effects them. I had a pair from Oxford that used to hit the kill switch on my fz750 yet stayed in place at three figure speeds on my zx10
Great if you can get on with them

[Townhill]

I.M.H.O any one thinking about purchasing heated grips is to go for it. I never used them myself up to last year but now would not be without them. Its my first upgrade on the fazer I have just bought, along with fender extender that is. They are a cracking bit of kit and there where times in spring and autumn I had them turned on whilst riding my other bike. If I can make my ride more comfortable and pleasurable that's the way to go.
                                                   Steve

[fazersharp]

Ok out today dry but cold and had a purposeful look and feel at the way I grip and its mainly with my palm and thumb and from my knuckles to my fingertips I don't really touch the grips. Baring in mind my shit circulation in that area and my actual hands don't get cold I still don't see how heated grips will help me. I don't even use my hands much what with clutch-less changing and 2 finger braking with braided lines, I have tried wiggling my fingers around to see if that helps.
Perhaps I will just stick to short 1/2 - 1 hour blasts in the winter, after all I don't have to ride when its cold as I don't commute - but then again if I was communing I don't think my hands would get so cold as they would get used more with stop and starts and less wind blast.

[darrsi]

Ok out today dry but cold and had a purposeful look and feel at the way I grip and its mainly with my palm and thumb and from my knuckles to my fingertips I don't really touch the grips. Baring in mind my shit circulation in that area and my actual hands don't get cold I still don't see how heated grips will help me. I don't even use my hands much what with clutch-less changing and 2 finger braking with braided lines, I have tried wiggling my fingers around to see if that helps.
Perhaps I will just stick to short 1/2 - 1 hour blasts in the winter, after all I don't have to ride when its cold as I don't commute - but then again if I was communing I don't think my hands would get so cold as they would get used more with stop and starts and less wind blast.

So you have different hands to everyone else?
You don't touch the grips when riding? That's clever! 


Heat travels, if your palms are being blasted with heat then the attached fingers will obviously get some warmth as well.

[darrsi]

These are the one's i have, and they get VERY hot on the highest setting, it has to be extremely cold for me to even think about that setting.
Bargain price too.   


Just read somewhere else that these are rebranded but still made by Oxford.



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DR-BIKE-HEATED-GRIPS-MOTORCYCLE-MOTORBIKE-KEEP-WARM-UNIVERSAL-22MM-FIT-/141881650983?hash=item2108ce2f27:m:miyfM2IjN6ISfB-iIQ9whcw