Bark Busters or not?!?

[TommyB 754]

Took my probends off both my bikes a couple years ago...

[jayc250x]

I won't ride without wraparounds. Adjust them right and you will be set. Sorry but flag types and gloves do NOT protect you from hitting trees worth a damn.

I agree. I once hit a tree so hard that it completely cleaned the left side of my handlebars - barkbuster, clutch perch, grip - everything. Not a mark on my hand though. i don't think it would've been pretty without a guard.

Personally, I use barkbusters to protect my controls more than my hands. A simple drop into soft dirt will break a lever every time with no guards or flags. I use quality wrap-arounds, and I can throw my bike off of a building w/o damaging my controls.

JayC

[grejji]

I'm one of those people that broke their arms from a bark buster. Badly. I shattered my radius and ulna. I have a plate and 7 screws in my radius and had two external pins in my ulna. It &%$#@!ed my growth plate and I wasn't done growing so now I have constant pain in my wrist, not to mention I got to see bone tear through the top of my arm.

So did the handguard rotate and smash your wrist? Or did it stay put but your arm slipped between the bar and the guard?

I'm interested in what happened because there are a few triple tree mounting options that prevent rotation. Maybe thats not what happened, though.

[malignity]

My hand got caught in the cusp of the bark buster, and it spun around facing the other way. It used my handlebar as leverage as it spun, causing massive compound fractures. I'm not a small guy either; large framed and over 200lbs at the time.

If you REALLY want wrap arounds, I'd personally recommend non cusped ones (yes, they do make them actually, I'll try and find out who makes them as my friend has a pair on his XR600) or the simple aluminum ones like this:

[ndekens]

Well I went with a set of pro-bends again. I had them on my last bike and since im not a super aggresive rider just a mild woods rider I am willing to take the risk. Plus I can still do the job if I were to break a wrist or hand............couldnt find a AVS style bendy lever for my front break anyway.

[jqueen]

What is a cusp as it relates to bark busters?

[malignity]

What is a cusp as it relates to bark busters?

Same as the 'cup' essentially. Get ones that aren't cupped.

[dhdrider]

Like someone said earlier. If your hitting trees on a consistent basis, your doing it wrong.

I disagree. If you are doing a harescramble or enduro as race pace through woods that are just wide enough to fit your handlebars through (and sometimes not even wide enough for them), hitting a tree is going to happen.

This is Cole Kirkpatrick (best Enduro rider in Texas and National Enduro winner). He runs simple style wraparounds like Malignity was referencing. I run the same kind as well. I don't think he's "doing it wrong."

[xteammike]

If yourace harescrambles I think full wrap around are a must have. I have Highway Dirtbikes hardgaurds, they are pretty much bulletproof!http://www.highwaydi...s.com/HDB_Shop/

Edited May 16, 2012 by xteammike

[norsepeak]

got the Cycra CRM's and used them a lot on my last enduro. If you ride the woods at a pace faster than a liesurly trail ride pace they are a fantatic peice of safety equipment.

[motoxvet]

I have a pair of full coverage from Enduro Engineering. I didn't like the way they fit on the bars. I couldn't rotate them down enough (at all) in hoping to prevent the stuck hand/wrist situation. I really think those severe breaks are kind of a fluke, kind of like getting a finger cut off in a brake disk during a crash. But beyond that, on DAY ONE I wacked a small tree(5 inch diam.) and KNOW it would have been very painful if not broken fingers. I personally believe if you are ALWAYS IN TOTAL CONTROL, you're not going fast enough or you really arent racing.

[MINGHAG]

I personally believe if you are ALWAYS IN TOTAL CONTROL, you're not going fast enough or you really arent racing.

Thats called riding over your head, which leads to wrecks. If your racing I can see using wrap arounds, but just riding trails for fun, flag style would be fine to keep the pricker bushes out of your hands.

[Dirt Hokie]

fast is fun, i dont " race" but more then one bike in the woods is always a race. My hands feel naked without them. Plus they help prevent broken levers, and bars. I am always in control, until i am not. The take it easy relaxing rides are the ones i wreck on most often.

[grejji]

Same as the 'cup' essentially. Get ones that aren't cupped.

Still confused about the whole "cupped" thing. Is there maybe an example of a brand that does it vs a brand that doesn't?

Thanks for posting your experience... It won't deter me from using them, but at least I won't be riding with them without knowing the risks.

[6 Riders]

My KDX came with wrap arounds and HUGE plastic cups on those, I like them when it's cold as the block the wind, but in general I don't use a "cover/cup/plastic thingy" on my bark busters, I run them "naked". I've also upgraded to cycra "pro-bends", great BB's if you ask me.

<casual woods rider, I find plenty of trees that would hurt if it wasn't for the BB's.

[orangyktmthing]

I have used full coverage bark buster handguards ever since I had my old 89 cr 250. The bark buster handguards are a must where we ride, where you are riding TIGHT single track (first/second gear, 5-15 mph). The trees are spaced narrower than some handlebar widths, so making contact at some point is inevitable. Those flag style are great for the 35mph trails that are wide, but if you can do 35 on a single track, it isn't tight.

[malignity]

Cusped:

Non Cusped:

The non-cusped, you can't get your hand caught in like I did.

[motoxvet]

The bark buster handguards are a must where we ride, where you are riding TIGHT single track (first/second gear, 5-15 mph). The trees are spaced narrower than some handlebar widths, so making contact at some point is inevitable.

Thats what I was saying. Sooner or later and the harder you push, the sooner it's gonna happen. OR....On a tight single track, you can get away with never hitting anything if you ride like an old lady.

[slotracer577]

As torn up and sap covered as my guards are, I would not ride without them. Even for just protecting levers. Yes, I have seen a break caused by hand guards, guy missed a gap jump, nosed into the 2nd, hand slipped between the guard and bar, breaking his wrist. I also watched him baby a bike back 30 miles after breaking a brake lever due to a no mph tip over with no guards. If you ride you take risks, pick your poision. I prefer the known protection from trees and broken levers vs the uncommon broken wrist. Note that I only use guards than mount to the top tripple so they cant rotate without bending. I also dont use guards with rubber hose in the ends of the bars as I have seen those pull out.

[Sierra_rider]

Fact is, that whatever you run can hurt you. Pick your poison, but I like having all my digits so I run full-wraps. I even run the Cycra's with the evil plastic deflectors, I'm damn lucky to not have broken my wrists. ?