If you know anyone or work for a company that has a 3d printer, might be a cheap replacement able to be made till you sort out a permanent one?
I'm a mechanical engineer with access to a 3D printer. The tough bit would be creating a 3D CAD model to replicate the hand guard. And even then, the design itself has weak points, as we have mostly all discovered. What would be required would be significantly strengthening those areas. Even then, 3D printing materials are unlikely to be better than injection moulded plastics. And the hand guards themselves are in the region of £20-25 so not really worth the time/effort to be honest.
Good call on the screw length Nik, I will look into getting some longer ones. I do agree it is a bit pants that these are so fragile, especially on the enduro which is likely to be dropped. All they needed to do was make them out of a better less brittle material, and a bit thicker too. My short term plan is to make a few of the plates to just strengthen the outer bit. They can then either be fitted beforehand, or carried as a repair patch if needed. Dealing with the other end is a bit more tricky. There is a local place who can cut some of these for me, so if anyone is interested I will do so (would need to get a price, but the more I do the cheaper they will be). I saw that there are alloy reservoir mounts available, which might be a good investment too (cant recall where I saw them, might have been in the accessory catalogue). They are only bits of bent alloy. If I can't find them I might make some of them too
I think ultimately the material isn't at fault if you consider it was designed as a largely cosmetic item for a mainly road-oriented bike. The Enduro should have had uprated guards. If/when funds allow I'll get some barkbusters, but I think making your own strengthening plates is a good way forward - keep me posted on that.
When mine broke on tour we used an Allen key as a splint and cable ties, followed by lashings of gaffa tape!
I agree, they're not that expensive to replace. What I don't like about them is the poor engineering design as the clutch and brake reservoirs are attached to them. If lever protection is your objective, you won't find better than the folding type such as shown. Most quality lever manufacturer have such a model. I have ported these Pazzo's from my Panigale to my Multistrada.
