Himalayan 450 Trail Blazer Hand Guards

The Himalayan 450 does not come with any type of hand guard protection. With adventure style bikes, it is not IF you will drop it but when. I have dropped my Triumph bikes more times that I would like to admit. Having crash protection is essential. The hand guards not only provide wind protection, if sturdy enough, they will protect from damaging the levers and other components vulnerable when dropped.

I began reading forums and other articles related to hand guards for the new Himalayan. Of course the first place I looked was Hepco and Becker. These are the hand guards on my Triumph and I absolutely love them. Sturdy and I know they can take a big hit (even if I did bend the bolt). Of course they do not make them for the Himalayan 450. So that is when I began my research.

Most folks seem to go with Barkbusters. These are a universal fit and a bit pricey. Another option was the Royal Enfield hand guards. They area perfect fit but I could not find any information about how sturdy they were. I kept looking and finally decided to go with the Polisport Trail Blazer guards. They were not super expensive, many folks said they fit easily, and a few folks said they have dropped their bikes and they were unscathed. Sold! I will give them a try.

These too are a universal fit. They have different types of connectors since they are not Royal Enfield specific. The handlebar bolt that comes with it does NOT fit. Wrong size. You will need to order new bolts. I got mine from Bolt Depot (I get all my bolts from them).

I order two extra just in case I bend them again. You do not need to use the inserts provided but just screw them into the existing hole. The length will allow for the new hand guard. Once these came in, I started the installation process. It is actually quite simple so no tutorial is really required.

First you assemble the plastic hand guard to the metal bar. Once assembled, you will need to attached the clamp. Go ahead and insert the plastic insert to prevent scratching the handlebars and you figure out your placement.

I removed the handlebar weight and began to figure out the best placement for the clamp. I did loosen the throttle side so I could move it up and down while assembling the clamp. Take note that the hand guard goes OUTSIDE the handlebar weight. This is one reason for the longer bolt since the weight is beveled.

Loosely tighten the outside bolt and then carefully working with the clamp, find the best placement. You can see that it fits on an angled part of the handlebar. Once loosely tightened, check the placement. If you are satisfied, tighten ALL the bolts. I did use thread lock as well. After completing the throttle side, remember to tighten the bolts back up. You do not want it rubbing the clamp from the hand guard.

Now just switch to the clutch side. You do not need to loosen anything as it is an easy fit "as-is". Again loosely tighten the bolts, find the perfect placement and tighten. Again, use thread lock.

It took about 30-60 minutes for the complete installation. I really do like how they look and also that they were not overly expensive. I am hoping they are sturdy enough to take a good hit as well.

I like how they look as they match the black very nicely. They do provide needed hand protection as well with the wind.