Acerbis Rally Brush Guards

Manufacturer: Acerbis
Ease of Installation: *****
Functionality: ****
Styling: ****
Pricing: MRSP $49; optional spoiler $19 (street price ~$45 and ~$17)

After using aluminum hand guards for years, I was hesitant to try something different. After all, they worked great. I had no complaints except one, well maybe two. Aluminum hand guards are a little bit of a pain to install, particularly on some styles of handlebars. I have always used "CR High-Bend" bars. Over the years I’ve gotten used to this bend and bending the hand guards to fit it. After purchasing a new XR600, I bought a set of "XR Desert-Bend" bars. I found this particular bend of bars difficult to mate the aluminum hand guards to. More specifically, mating the Acerbis plastic brush guards to the aluminum hand guards, after putting them through the necessary contortions to get them to fit, was excessively challenging. Keeping in mind that I’m a perfectionist when it comes to this procedure, the plastic guard must mate to the aluminum guard without any gaps. After several attempts, I blew them off and decided to try the new Acerbis Rally Guards.

Installation was simple, in fact I have never had an easier to install set of hand guards. They came with all of the necessary hardware, including hardware for both aluminum and steel handlebars. There were absolutely no modifications necessary. In fact, I had them installed in less than ten minutes.

My other concern about my previous setup was clearance. I had heard horror stories about endos that included caught wrists and ripped tendons. As I grow older, I pay more attention to these stories. In this area, the Rally Guards are a huge improvement. There’s plenty of room, to pull out your hands if necessary.

I had two concerns about the Rally Guards. First, they are made of a flexible, nylon, plastic kind of material. I couldn’t believe that they’d work as reliably as the aluminum guards in the area of protecting levers, perches, etc. Actually, once they’re installed, they are pretty stiff. In fact, I suspect the little give that they have has saved me from pretzeled bars on at least two occasions. However, this is just an opinion…

My second concern regarded "coverage". I tend to ride (usually) out of control and invariable end up deep in bushes along side of the trail. With my previous setup, I couldn’t ask for better protection. In this area, the Rally Guards are somewhat lacking. My first experience with them included a bloody and bruised pinky finger. I have since made adjustments (rotation on the guards) and, after adding the optional spoilers, am much more comfortable with the amount of coverage provided.

On the whole, I’d say that these are an exceptional value. I have found them to be stylish and surprisingly reliable. I have suffered numerous crashes and two high-speed endos and the Rally Guards have survived, along with all levers, perches, and master cylinders. In fact, I’m so happy with them that I purchased a pair for my RMX250 to replace my aluminum guards…