Handguards (wind protectors) for GS500???

[GS Paul]

Hey all! Winter is coming and I'm buying heated over-grips. I'm also looking to get handguards to protect the front of my hands from the wind. Any suggestions for HANDGUARDS? Success? I have a 2001 gs500e.
Thanks for any input!
Paul

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[adidasguy]

Bluresmudge and nortwest riders are experts there.

Ask them.

I know some have hippo hands.

[peteGS]

I found Bike It brand Venom reinforced guards fit my GS450 no dramas... a lot I looked at seemed like there would be brake and clutch lever clearance issues, but it was hard to tell online as not many had good measurements.

Some Googling showed me lots of road riders had used the Venom guards so I took a gamble and it paid off nice.

[GS Paul]

I'll look into those. Thanks

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[Big Rich]

I just bought these on eBay recently:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321056109155?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Still waiting for them in the mail, but I figured they should come on and off fairly easily.

Edit: fixed the link.

[GS Paul]

Thanks Big Rich. Went ahead and ordered the same ones. Hope they're easy on-off like you said. We'll see..
Cheers
Paul

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[peteGS]

Good call Rich, those look much better for cold protection.

Keeping the wind off my hands in winter was a bonus with mine... just doesn't get that cold here

[yamahonkawazuki]

Good call Rich, those look much better for cold protection.

Keeping the wind off my hands in winter was a bonus with mine... just doesn't get that cold here

Hmm may have to get those for the pig. winter riding a goped at speed sucks lol.

[Big Rich]

Well gents, the Moose Racing shields came in the mail today. I didn't have a chance to install them before work, but just went out on my lunch break and tossed them on. I'll make any final adjustments in the morning before I leave, and can let you know how well they work.

[Janx101]

you mean.. like this?... looks like an easy race to win 

[Big Rich]

Ha! I'd hate to get side swiped by one though......

I also found out pretty quickly - the "Moose Racing" logo is just stitched on to the fabric. A couple minutes with a razor blade and they were gone.

[Janx101]

  ... now how the heck are the mooses gonna know 'you wanna run'?? .. 

[Big Rich]

I can say they definitely offer some wind protection. The mounting is a little strange (since the strap wraps around the throttle cable and wiring for the controls). And without any support like normal hand guards, the winds at high speeds can press the fabric up against the levers - but not enough to activate the clutch / brake. On my short 6 minute ride home, I took my gloves off halfway home to see how much wind was actually getting to my hands. Mind you, it was 38° F (what is that, 3.5° Celsius?), and my hands weren't cold at all til I took off my gloves. I'll try and get a pic later if anybody is interested.

[Janx101]

Don't plan on riding in that much cold.... But hell yeah still interested .... Might want to race a moose! 

[Big Rich]

As a reminder, these are on my GS450 - close to the same size overall as the GS500:



The hand shields look a little bit too big for the rest of the bike, but when it's that cold out I really don't care.......

[Janx101]

that looks handy! ... hahahah... handy...  ... cheers brother! ... 

just one thing though .. cant quite put my finger on it.... hmmmmmmmmmmmm

oh yeah! 

[Big Rich]

Haha! Yeah, that's exactly how I described them to a friend this morning.

[Zwerski]

I have Vstrom 650 handguards on mine. Some trimming for the clutch cable and a couple other spots and they bolted right up. Hand controls on both bikes have the same bolts and lengths from pivot bolts to ends of bars. New set was $45 on eBay.

[craigs449]

I have Enduro Engineering handguards on my 2002 GS 500E.....they were leftovers from my last KTM.  I put them on their originally to block some wind for cold weather riding, but they certainly did their job when I hit a deer at about 55mph a few months back!  None of my controls or hands got messed up.