Lever / Hand Guards - Want 'em? Need 'em

[Woodcraft]

There has been a lof ot talk lately about lever / hand guards on road race bikes. Dane Westby's Daytona crash set off a conversation that got a lot of people thinking. I talked to many riders in the pits (about 1 in 3 or 4) that had experienced some type of incident where they or someone they knew fell when they got their front brake lever bumped.

There are also a few others (Scotty G for one) who have lost pinkies when a bike lowsides and sucks your hand under the bar. We have something in the works that will help with both of those situations. It's a guard that is clamped to the bar itself (patent pending) and protects the hand and the levers.

I was curious (before moving to mass production) if there was any comments that people wanted to make on this. We thought of a lot of factors in the design - but I wanted to put it out there. We should have a working real prototype for the Classic.



Comments? Feedback?

[butcher bergs]

How would this be set up on a machine when the throttle tube is flush with the bar in the instances that OEM clip-ons are used?

[Chippertheripper]

Disregard anything previously written in this post.
Except for the part about whatever they build being a quality product.

[Degsy]

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How would this be set up on a machine when the throttle tube is flush with the bar in the instances that OEM clip-ons are used?

We did some thinking on this at bomo and came up with a similar design (it's the obvious design). We just said that it would require a 1" longer bar. We aren't interested in making any, we just mulled it over after Daytona.

Eric, smart move patenting that. It will probably end up on Rossi's bike. Make sure you make a motoGP version out of unobtainium for eleventy-billion dollars ;-).

[Degsy]

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H beefs, short answer, not many street folks would want this and it may even not be DOT legal.

[butcher bergs]

^^

I was asking because I run OEM clip-ons....

...and please fix your damned phone!!

beefs

[Wanderer]

Kind of reminds me of the Rizoma Proguard, but this looks more designed for hand-saving..

http://www.rizoma.com/en/products-bi...rd-system.html

[Rada]

I like it.
I broke a leg in a 1st turn mx crash where my front brake lever bumped the bike to my inside and sent me over the bars in front of the pack.

I'm pretty sure this would have prevented that. I used to run plastic hand guards for roost protection from time to time but they do nothing to protect accidental lever actuation.

[Rossco]

If you could make something that attaches to it to block wind off the riders hands I would pick up a set.

[Degsy]

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^^

I was asking because I run OEM clip-ons....

...and please fix your damned phone!!

beefs

1.buy a bike from the 21'st century. Jesus, that bike was a relic when I raced one.

2. The beefs thing is a standing joke now.

[Woodcraft]

How would this be set up on a machine when the throttle tube is flush with the bar in the instances that OEM clip-ons are used?

The original design is for racing clipons. As we develop the piece, we will be able to make smaller OD bar ends that the guard can clamp to. It's pretty simple and the added parts should be inexpensive.

[Kurlon]

Looks good to me.

Now, give me a version with LED turn signals integrated and replacement bars for my CFM clipons with an internal wiring path... awwww yeah....

[Woodcraft]

I run em on my turd, I'll never ride a dirty without em, but I can't really see these being hot sellers for road race bikes.
There are tons of flavors of handguards on the market right now, although I've yet to see some clamp on ends like that. What's the reason for that?(other than easy fitment to wc clipons)
Whatever you guys do build, i'm sure it will be top quality.

I think you might be surprised how many people either have had their brake lever accidentally hit (or know someone who has). It was about 1/3 when I was asking people about it last Loudon.

Street guys would only want it for pinky protection (and to have a cool race part when they catch on). I've had a bunch of inquiries and more than a few racers have told me that they won't race without one once they are available (mostly guys who have been hit in the lever). I plan on running them on my own bike....it only takes one guy to make an unexpected weave on a start to cause a problem.

[Woodcraft]

If you could make something that attaches to it to block wind off the riders hands I would pick up a set.

That's a little outside the design intent...plus I think wind guards would potentially be big enough to get in the way at lock to lock steering travel.

[Woodcraft]

Kind of reminds me of the Rizoma Proguard, but this looks more designed for hand-saving..

http://www.rizoma.com/en/products-bi...rd-system.html

Yes, we definitely saw that. We wanted more protection, plus a unit that is more affordable than the Rizoma unit. I think we've got there. Plus, from many years of woods riding, I personally really lke having the gaurd with the initial 30 degree dip...it keep me from irritating my hand. Our bar-clamped design will be much more universal.

[butcher bergs]

The original design is for racing clipons. As we develop the piece, we will be able to make smaller OD bar ends that the guard can clamp to. It's pretty simple and the added parts should be inexpensive.

Yeah, I suppose I could just use my Woodcraft clip-ons from my spares kit. Was asking purely out of curiosity.

[Chippertheripper]

Edit: nevermind, I was looking at this without my specs on, in the pic it looks like it goes all the way around towards the triples like a regular bark buster. I didn't see that it was a short "L".

[Wanderer]

Yes, we definitely saw that. We wanted more protection, plus a unit that is more affordable than the Rizoma unit. I think we've got there. Plus, from many years of woods riding, I personally really lke having the gaurd with the initial 30 degree dip...it keep me from irritating my hand. Our bar-clamped design will be much more universal.

Awesome - looking forward to it making it to market! Rizoma is insanely $$

[union]

Id give them a go. I know a guy who got a guys brake lever with his leg.

[Pigman]

I currently fit into the *know someone who has* category. I was only questioning why you went with the outside clamp, as opposed to the: in the end of the bar type clamp.

Yup.....mee too

[eboos]

I run em on my turd, I'll never ride a dirty without em, but I can't really see these being hot sellers for road race bikes.
There are tons of flavors of handguards on the market right now, although I've yet to see some clamp on ends like that. What's the reason for that?(other than easy fitment to wc clipons)
Whatever you guys do build, i'm sure it will be top quality.

I expect that in the next few years that these will become required equipment for most race organizations.

The clamp on style would work with all aftermarket clipons, and would clamp more securely then a barend plug type mount.

The open style as opposed to the closed cage on motards will allow greater fairing clearance, and also not trap your hand as you and the bike seperate (I've had my ttr rotate away during a crash while my hand still on the bars and the Moose guard trapped my hand and bent back my fingers. It's a good thing I was going pretty slow).

Just a few observations.

[slammp]

Street guys would only want it for pinky protection (and to have a cool race part when they catch on).

If I may chime in a street guy - as far as the cool part Rizoma already offers this as a bar end with the wrap around protection for the levers. What this street guy would like is something along the lines of the Hypermotard signal/handguard combo, perhaps with a removable plastic wind guard. That too is already available from Acerbis - but not really as beefy on the protection.

[nt650hawk]

I like the slide adjustment. Not all brake levers are the same.


I'm just ghinking the the hook part front section may be just a little short. If an arm or a leg was to get between the end of the unit it could pull someone off for a ride. Things to help could be smaller screws, a shear off point or a slightly longer across the brake lever section.


I'm guessing there is some set screw in the back for mounting.



Great stuff Eric.

[Chippertheripper]

See second edited post boos. I guess that's the fork tube in the rendering, but without my coke bottles I don't see too well.

[Gecko]

I’ve been following the thread on wera bbs. Like ScottyG., I’ve had my hand trapped in a lowside. What has always worried me the most, however, is having my brake lever depressed from incidental contact during close racing. While it’s come close to happening a couple times -- i.e., light contact on the bar end -- it’s never happened hard enough or in the right spot to depress the brake lever.

As I know you are aware, there are a number of other companies also rushing to production (with or without pats. pend.) on this type of guard. Some have a closed design (attached on both ends of the bar) others have a partially closed design (affixed to the end of the bar).

Being that the lever guard is affixed only to one end in your partially closed design, the first thing that pops in my mind is will it spin out of position if pushed downward or upward allowing, thus allowing access to the lever? How tightly is the guard clamped to the end? If I punched it down or pulled up, will it move?

My other concern is the converse of the above. i.e., that the guard won’t move if something is trapped between the bar, lever and guard. This is the biggest concern with the closed design, but I also see it as a very real concern for the partially closed design. Specifically, that while your lever guard is not a closed design, there is still the possibility that a hand or forearm can become trapped between the bar, brake lever and guard.

We don’t hear of such incidents because these guards are virtually unheard of in our sport. However, one only needs to look to other bike sports that do employ them. Specifically, dirt bikes. Just post up the question on any dirt bike forum and you’ll be quite surprised how many riders/racers have had arms caught in them on dirt bikes.

Now on a +100lbs heavier sportbike at 100-150mph it might result in a hand or arm being torn off, let alone broken, if it gets stuck in there and the parts won’t yield. I see how with a partially closed design this might be slightly less risky proposition than using a closed design, but it is still a risk and a perceived drawback for the system.

If I understand correctly, part of your guard is made of plastic. I am sure that part (if not all) of the reason you made it plastic is so that if the guard sustains damage it’s an inexpensive replacement. How strong is that plastic piece . . . is it designed for wear (grinding on pavement like pucks) or designed for strength (more rigid against hard impacts) or designed to give under certain amount of pressure (i.e., if a limb were caught and snapped)? I’m just wondering if another reason for the plastic is that it’s rigid enough to withstand incidental contact during close racing and protect the brake lever, but if a limb should get caught between the bar, brake lever and guard the plastic piece will yield under extreme pressure. If that’s the case, then the metal tab upon which the plastic guard is affix might want to be shorter thus allowing a more open design if the plastic piece yielded (broke away) under extreme pressure.

What might also help is if there is a recommendation to use the guard in conjunction with a hinged brake lever: