Joined Feb 2010
210 Posts | 0+
Dormansland, Surrey, UK
Well, as promised everybody, here are the handguards on my T.
Before I get both barrells, lets just run through a few things:-
WHY?
- 'Cos heated grips don't prevent my digits from freezing - they only heat the palms of my hand. I needed something to prevent wind chill. And bar muffs - nah.
DO THEY WORK?
Well I went out for a trial blast today, 1c (34f) on country roads and motorway and yes, the loss of the wind chill factor helps - After 30mins I wasn't praying to get off and warm my fingers up. Sure, my fingers were cold, but nothing like before.
DID THEY AFFECT THE BIKE'S HANDLING?
There have been reports of 'weave' induced by handguards on other bikes. On the T, at speeds up to 95mph, she was rock steady.
HOW MUCH?
This is the difficult part. I couldn't find any Tuono specific in the UK, my local dealer looked at other Aprilia's in the range and none fitted. So I ended up importing from AF1 Racing in the US:- $199.99, postage $50, Import Tax £24ish, Parcelforce handling fee £13.50 Total around £195
Yeah, v. expensive I know, but they match the bike and you get what you pay for.
Looked at Acerbis, but thought they just wouldn't look right.
So there you go. You might think they look awful etc etc but they're only on for winter -and if they do the job for my commute, then who cares?
One final point, on parking up I noticed they were covered in fine road salt - salt that would otherwise have been in the levers etc. Gritters are out early this year
Here are some pics, tin hat on.
Those of you with an eye for detail will note the leaking front right forkseal - warranty job tomorrow. Mileage 6k, April 2009 bike.
Before I get both barrells, lets just run through a few things:-
WHY?
- 'Cos heated grips don't prevent my digits from freezing - they only heat the palms of my hand. I needed something to prevent wind chill. And bar muffs - nah.
DO THEY WORK?
Well I went out for a trial blast today, 1c (34f) on country roads and motorway and yes, the loss of the wind chill factor helps - After 30mins I wasn't praying to get off and warm my fingers up. Sure, my fingers were cold, but nothing like before.
DID THEY AFFECT THE BIKE'S HANDLING?
There have been reports of 'weave' induced by handguards on other bikes. On the T, at speeds up to 95mph, she was rock steady.
HOW MUCH?
This is the difficult part. I couldn't find any Tuono specific in the UK, my local dealer looked at other Aprilia's in the range and none fitted. So I ended up importing from AF1 Racing in the US:- $199.99, postage $50, Import Tax £24ish, Parcelforce handling fee £13.50 Total around £195
Yeah, v. expensive I know, but they match the bike and you get what you pay for.
Looked at Acerbis, but thought they just wouldn't look right.
So there you go. You might think they look awful etc etc but they're only on for winter -and if they do the job for my commute, then who cares?
One final point, on parking up I noticed they were covered in fine road salt - salt that would otherwise have been in the levers etc. Gritters are out early this year
Here are some pics, tin hat on.
Those of you with an eye for detail will note the leaking front right forkseal - warranty job tomorrow. Mileage 6k, April 2009 bike.
