$493 Ducati Handguards

Oh joy, received these very well made handguards. The cast metal guards are a solid reason why the price is so high. Quality kit.



Yes, there several less expensive options. Ducatis are cool to look at, these handguards look great.

The flimsy plastic handguards offer zero protection if the bike drops.

These cast metal guards should do what needs to be done.

I'm also replacing the little mirrors with unbreakable Doubletake Mirrors. https://www.doubletakemirror.com/

500 bucks for handguards is absurd. They better give you a manicure at the same time.

They do look nice I reckon.

I was looking at an Acerbis option, but they don't have very good web appeal.

Like most nice farkles I've purchased for this bike, waiting for someone to list their used DP guards for a reasonable price.

I was considering these, went with barkbusters instead. Got the "storm" option for more wind protection (not really sure it helps). The look pretty good and as of this weekend I can confirm they offer solid protection.

Unless they thread into a fixed nut inside the bar end and the other end mounts to the riser/upper triple tree extension, they will spin upon crashing. Just like official MX/enduro racing bark busters. There are a hand full of companies that make what I speak of and they really do work well. You mention that they are cast? That might be an issue if you do crash. Official bark busters are either made of solid aluminum band with abs plastic fering or completely made of abs to allow flexing. But, in the end none of us want to crash not do we want to NEED the protection and those do look really cool. I'm sure they looks even better when mounted to the bike.

Well, I learned the OE plastic handguards are worse than useless. Fall apart in a simple drop and lousy at protecting hands from cold.

Cast aluminum is part of many motorcycles, including the Hyper. Yes, cold rolled steel offers far more resistance to fracture than any aluminum. Why situations that require repeated flex call for steel.

I have a friend that uses lasers to strengthen aircraft metals, including aluminum. The current record breaking long distance commercial jet travel is due to his invention. Same with keeping F-16s and F-22s in the air well beyond the original design allowed. We have had long talks about metal fatigue.

I suspect that in a fall that is sufficient to break the cast handguards, the bike will be totaled. Short of that, the T-Rex protection and Ducati Racing Handguards should function well.

Hope to not have to report back about future drops as I have concluded that the Hyper is NOT a dirt bike. Venturing off easy Forest Service roads required TKC-80 full knobby tires. Period.

Yes ... expensive. But I think they're a fair choice given they are OEM Ducati accessories and have the turn signals built in ... and will fit the Hyper perfectly without a lot of "modification".

You can find lots of various bark busters for protection ... I've mostly used Acerbis on dirt bikes that last 25 years ... and they never fit and always have to be pounded into position! (typical ONE SIZE fits all ... or NO size fits anything!)

The Australian Bark buster brand make some of the best but none will fit the Hyper properly if you intend to retain the aesthetic integrity as well as have protection.

So while $500 is outrageous ... it's kind of only game in town. You wanna play with Ducati ??? Bring your checkbook!

You are right. If I rode a real dirt bike I would add Cycra handguards, like I had on multiple bikes. Tough and with a bend that allowed for better movement.

Just like I had on this KTM:



But not for my Ducati because I prefer to spend the cost of a tire change on the factory metal handguards.

There is no free lunch. While the mark-up on these would please a jewelry store owner, there is a lot of effort and skill that went into the design. A complete package with bright LED signals and resistors.