Acerbis X-Force Hand Guards - Dirt Rider Magazine

If you want the roost deflection of a hand guard but hate the resulting obstruction of airflow, then Acerbis has gone all Formula One and louvered the heck out of its X-Force Hand Guard. As much of a styling exercise as it is, the guard is simple to bolt on and can be mounted over or under the levers with the included universal nylon material mount kit. It has a couple of height position options, and its bend generally stays out of the way of clutch and brake controls. On most bikes there is plenty of room for it to fit with kill buttons and lever perches, but there are always exceptions. For instance, the bolt that adjusts the clutch lever throw on a Yamaha makes it tough to get the mount close enough to the perch to have the hand guard out as far as I would have liked, but a couple minutes with a file to relieve some plastic on the mount would solve this. Also included is a second plastic part that will effectively close off the vents of the guard if it gets cold or conditions are muddy or wet. It simply attaches with a few screws.

The X-Force guards are great for the roost at the track and can handle light-duty off-road brush deflection, but are not made for busting bark. They survived a few tip-overs and seemed happy to just twist or flex out of the way. Even the blue color, seemingly the most prone to whiting when folded or scratched, is doing fine. So as a multipurpose and easy-to-mount, super-light hand guard solution, Acerbis has nailed it, and for $39.95 the X-Force guards are priced fair. Better than a bloody knuckle, for sure.

-Jimmy Lewis

||| |---|---| |HARD PARTS|91.0| |Installation|17/20| |Function|48/50| |Durability|9/10| |Design|9/10| |Price|8/10| www.acerbis.com

800.659.1440