Top 10 Disaster Preventives When Adventure Riding

4. Real Handguards

Most cool adventure bikes come with handguards, and most of them aren’t much more than cosmetic hand fairings, really. On a recent adventure, yours truly broke a left one clipping an errant tree, and then later the right one after a balance failure while sitting still. Later, another rider broke the clutch lever on the same bike; luckily there was still enough lever to use. But it doesn’t have to be that way, and if you’ve ever been stuck miles from home on a bike with a busted-off front brake lever, inoperable clutch or mangled pinkie, you already understand what a ride-altering experience that can be. Do yourself a favor before you go and put on real handguards with aluminum mounts like these Barkbuster deals. While you’re at it, be sure you’ve got a skidplate that covers your bike’s vital organs. (Otherwise, see #10 above.)