Some of you may be familiar with Peter Sever, better known as WheezyRider. He is the guy who rode his GL1800 AROUND THE WORLD - literally. If you haven't checked out his blog at http://www.wheezyrider.com/ and have a few hours (or days) to kill, I encourage you to go read it through.
While riding, through heat and snow, he wished for something to better protect his hands. He tried a product that he thought might work, but it was junk, and he quickly discarded it, reworking his own design to do the job.
Once he returned home to Canada, he started thinking about those hand protection devices that he had made...and the idea took seed.
Several years later, the end result is the Perfect Ride Handguards. He's been showing me these during the development process for over a year now, 3D-models, during the design of the injection mold, and more. They are just about to be released, and he wanted me to have one of the first sets.
I've had just enough time to get them mounted and try one quick ride around the neighborhood before I head off on vacation tomorrow. So I wanted to get a quick "Pre-review" (i.e. P-Review) so people know just what an amazing amount of thought and design has gone into these quality items.
The handguards came to me in a bag with a stapled top - although I'm told this is a pre-production package:
The handguards fit any GL1500 or GL1800 motorcycle. They can be fit to a GL1800 with an absolute minimum of tools, while the GL1500 takes a bit more work - a hole has to be drilled and tapped.
Once installed, the handguards can be removed or reinstalled in minutes with NO tools.
Installation instructions are a bit sparse at the moment, consisting of an installation video for the GL1800 (which is dirt simple) - and no instructions at all for the GL1500. That's going to change very shortly. There is an UNCONDITIONAL warranty - if there's one thing I've found out about Peter's love of this product, it is that he designed it with the absolute highest quality materials, and expects it to LAST.
The handguards themselves consist of two round, high-impact plastic shells. They flow the wind around your hands - keeping them warm in winter, and something I'm very interested in: dry in rain! There is nothing more miserable than riding in rain with soaking wet gloves.
The very tough plastic tabs fit on the top and bottom of the brake and clutch levers, while the included hardware replaces the OEM Honda clutch and brake lever pivots.
There is a dizzying array of hardware included with the kit. From left to right:
- rubber washers, used to prevent the thumb wheels from coming loose once tightened
- knurled nut to fasten helmet pin in place - it includes a hole to allow it to be tightened using an allen key, screwdriver, or any other round thing you can stick into the end. These replace the locknuts on the OEM clutch and brake pivots.
- Knurled thumbscrews - these fit through the side of the handguards and screw into the ends of the motorcycle's handgrips. The GL1800 has existing threaded holes for this, the GL1500 does not.
- Washer and lockwasher for the knurled nut - this takes the place of the OEM lockwasher.
- Three sets of spacers - these are used to fit between the end of the handgrip and the inside of the handguard, depending on the type of grips you have installed on your bike.
- Stainless steel pivots/helmet locks. These are the key to the system: they replace the clutch and brake pivots, mount the hand guards in place, and give you a place to hang your helmet. They also have a hole in the top for use in tightening. Not only that, you can put a lock through this hole once the helmet D ring is put over the pin, allowing you to lock the helmet in place.
- Nylon slip washers - these are put in place at the end of the throttle grip, to allow it to turn smoothly without binding against the spacers.
The pivot is truly a formidable piece of hardware. Machined from a piece of solid 316 stainless steel (the steel aircraft parts are made from), it is hard, tough, and corrosion-proof. Handling this piece, it is clear why the kit is guaranteed for life!
The thumbscrew fits through the side of the handguard, and into the end of the grip. The knurled nut fits onto the bottom of the pivot once it is installed, locking it in place. Both are also machined from 316 stainless.
I am so impressed with the construction and simple installation of these handguards, and I absolutely can't wait to get out and put them through their paces!
I expect to have a ride report - hopefully including a video - soon. In the meantime, I will include the demo and installation videos here, and a link to the Perfect Ride Website.
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