Best handguards?

hi there,

any good recommendations for good and strong handguards to put on my wr250r?

thanks guys

They're pricey but Highway DirtBike (HDB) makes the sturdiest, most well build handguards I've ever seen on a WR.

I got a set of their Ultimate Handguards. Shoot them an email and let them know you're buying for a WR250R and they can help you choose the brackets with the right bolts. This does also require you to upgrade to a 1 1/8 bar - but that's something I wanted to do anyway. Plus you can get extra bits like fold-in mirrors or switches for extra equipment.
https://www.highwaydirtbikes.com/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=HG-200

Highway Dirt Bikes is unique with the option of mirrors that fold away behind the guards for off-road riding. They'e about as tough as they come, but their bulk and straight lines do look somewhat utilitarian next to more aesthetic guards like Cycra Pro Bend etc. I've been running HDB guards on my WRR for a few years and love them for their protection and function.

My experience with any handguard has been that it's worth investing in secure and robust mounting systems to ensure they don't spin on the bars when the bike takes a little dirt nap. The expandable bar-end inserts and friction bar clamps both spin fairly easily. Before HDB I had Acerbis guards that spun and broke my front brake banjo line loose, causing me to lose front brakes for the rest of the ride.

For bar-end fastening consider the threaded inserts available from HDB, Fastway, G2 Ergonomics, or BRP Moto. All are constructed similarly and should work with most brands of guards. They only work with 1 1/8" aluminum bars though, as 7/8" steel bars don't have a thick enough wall to tap threads.

For the inner mounts consider brackets that attach to the upper triple clamp or handlebar top clamp. BRP Moto, Zeta, Cycra and Zeta and probably some others offer these. Unlike the threaded inserts above these won't work HDB guards due to HDB's longer length. But HDB's unique top clamp works great with their system (but not with others.)

I love my Acerbis ones. They are very sturdy and the sleekest, least bulky of the bunch.

EE handguards (also sold as Moose) are the stand bearer for many: I've had them on my mostly hard-dirt-ridden WRR for years with no problems:
https://www.revzilla.com/product/moose-racing-aluminum-handguards

These are a little easier to route cables through/around and are what I'd buy were I shopping today:
https://www.revzilla.com/dirt-bike/moose-racing-contour-handguards

Fancier options are fine of course but the above do the job just fine.

-morgan

grumpy-gab wrote:

hi there,

any good recommendations for good and strong handguards to put on my wr250r?

thanks guys

I have the Zeta with the integral turn sigs as I wanted to remove the oversized stock sigs.  They are essentially a Cycra hand guard.  The outside mounts are expanders inside the bar and pretty cheezy, I tapped in installed a threaded insert (Like Highway Dirt Bikes) and used triple clamp mounts for the inside mounts and are now very sturdy and unfortunately, well tested.

You cant go wrong with barkbuster handguards

I have an earlier generation Highway Dirt Bikes setup that has taken quite a beating and had held up well.

But to be honest, one of the reasons I went with the HDB setup was the options it had for electrical connections since at one point I use to carry a lot more of that type of stuff with me. Now all I really need is a SAE connection and I am good to go.

On my KTM 450 EXC I went with Enduro Engineering hand guards and they have taken a beating as well.

Look at the type of riding you will be doing and that should limit you options. For my WRR if I were going to buy a set now I probably would opt for something very cost effective (aka cheap) since I really use that bike on trails and at a moderate pace. My only requirement is that they have a metal bar that I could attach some LED spot lights to. I probably would go the Tusk route from RMATV since they generally seem pretty inexpensive and probably would work for what I need them to do.

Now if I were to really push the bike on a lot of rocky single track all the time I may up the ante and start looking at the Enduro Engineering offerings.