Acerbis Vision Handguards

The Acerbis Vision Handguards come in a few colors (white, black, and orange) and include 4 watt LED lights on each guard. Depending on where you look these come in around $125 to $150. They are a bit more expensive than standard handguards, but remember they pull double duty. Standard handguards will run you at least $70 and auxiliary lights will cost about the same at the low end. Depending on the alternative you pick these will at least break even with those other choices, and this way you only have to figure instillation of one product.

I choose the white to better match the stock Honda color scheme. I was a little disappointed with the color when it arrived, it is more of a pearl white than a pure white like Honda uses. Other than the slight color difference the handguards look great. Don't be expecting a super protective handguard though. they only have a single point of attachment, unlike the more robust offerings from Acerbis and others that have a two point attachment. If your not doing hardcore trail riding these are excellent and offer great wind deflection and minor protection from branches on trails.

The lights while only 4 watts per side have good light output. Between the lights on the handguards and the stock headlamp you have more than ample light output for trails and back road night riding. I don't see any need for additional lighting on my bike. The lights are also on a swivel and can turn left and right. Its mostly useless, I would rather they move up and down, but it gives you a little flexibility in aiming them. The one issue I have with the supplied wiring is the cheap switch these come with.

On the left is the switch I purchased separately, the switch on the right was the switch supplied with the kit.

The switch it came with was too big to be mounted conveniently on my bars, and the quality seemed lacking. I also had troubles trying to operate it quickly with riding gloves on. I opted to pick up an alternative switch that I could mount on the left side of the bars closer to the hand controls that could be easily switched quickly with gloves on. While wiring this I also chose to run an auxiliary power source with an SAE connector. If your running wiring anyways now is a good time to add an extra connection point.

I choose the SAE connector because of the add on options. You can get a standard 12 V car plug, or USB connector to plug right into the SAE terminal. Also it gives you a great spot to easily connect a battery tender for winter storage without pulling panels to connect to the battery.

The handguards themselves mount in the bar ends. This is easy to do on the left side, just trim the end of the grip. The throttle side is a little harder. You have to trim the grip, then grind or cut out the end of the throttle tube. Then you have to disconnect all of the controls from the bar. You will notice holes in the bars, and pins in the inside of the controls that match up with those holes in the bars. So you have two options. Grind the pins off, or drill new holes in the bars slightly more inboard so you can get the throttle tube flush with the end of the bars. I choose to drill new holes.

Once the throttle is set back farther inboard on the bars you can then mount the guards. Acerbis supplies bolts and expansion collars that slip into the bars. I recommenced putting some thread lock on the bolt prior to threading it in. The vibrations from the bike are enough to cause the bolt to back out. Its also a bit hard to tell how far to tighten the bolts. You have to play it by feel. Chances are you will have to tighten it up from time to time for the first few weeks. Once you get it they are pretty sturdy.

All and all for my riding style I like these. They work well for my light trail riding and are awesome for extended road riding. I never noticed how much the wind beats up your hands while riding until I had these installed. I would recommend these to anyone who prefers to stick to fire roads and back roads over tight trails. If your looking to get deeper in the woods then go for something with a two point mounting system that will not bend in on your hand when you hit a tree with your bars. If your looking for a clean way to mount some extra lights on your bike, and a little protection for your hands then these are a great option.