     Home > Dual Sport > Honda CRF300L Parts > Modification Guide > Handguard Guide - Stock Handlebars Handguards are one of the most popular modifications for dual sport bikes like the Honda CRF300L. Handguards will protect your hands and the bikes controls from trail hazards, plus they can help prevent damage if you crash or drop your bike. Another side benefit is that they offer a bit of wind protection in cooler weather. NOTE: The stock handlebars on these bikes are made of chromoly steel, and also very low in height, so we will be replacing ours right away with aluminum handlebars that are a bit taller and more durable. But before doing that, we wanted to try and get some handguards installed on the stock bars for customers who don't want to replace their handlebars right away. HANDGUARDS FOR THE STOCK CRF300L HANDLEBARS: The standard CRF300L (non Rally model) comes from the factory with handlebars that have threaded inserts/bar end weights in the ends, so that means installing handguards on them will be a little more difficult than with a standard hollow end handlebar. Most aftermarket handguards come with long bolts and inserts that slip right in the ends of a standard hollow handlebar, but that threaded insert in the CRF300L's bars is now in the way. And unfortunately the long bolts that come with handguards are too large to fit those threaded inserts, so you have a couple options (see below). The stock CRF300L (non Rally model) handlebars have threaded inserts that will accept an M6 x 1.00 bolt. Unfortunately, most aftermarket handguards come with insert kits that have larger/stronger M8 x 1.25 bolts. So, you can't simply thread the handguard bolts into that insert. There are a couple options... knock those inserts out, which we tried, and they seem to be in there pretty good. We also tried to source some M6 x 1.00 bolts to replace the larger handguard bolts, but we couldn't really find anything that looked strong enough and also had a tapered bolt head large enough to fit properly into the recessed area of the handguard where it mounts up to the handlebar end. So, we decided to drill and tap those handlebar inserts out so that they would accept the M8 x 1.25 bolts that come with handguards, and that's what we did on our CRF300L project bike. Once we drilled and tapped those inserts, we were able to install the Zeta Armor handguards using their included M8 x 1.25 bolts to attach the handguards to the end of the handlebar, and then used the included 7/8" handlebar clamps to attach the in-board part of the handguard to the handlebar (and that's what you see in the photos above). We are also going to try the Zeta front mount triple clamp mounts that replace the handlebar clamps and mount the handguards to the CRF's top triple clamp. Stay tuned for that. One last thing, if your CRF has a closed end on the throttle tube/grip, you will need to cut/trim the end of it off to allow access to the end of the handlebar for the handguard insert. If you don't want to trim the throttle tube and grip, we do offer an aluminum G2 Tamer Throttle tube that has a removable endcap on it, and we usually pair that with a pair of Pro Taper Pillow Top grips. The following handguards should work well on the stock CRF300L Handlebars once you've drilled/tapped those handlebar inserts as described above... HANDGUARDS FOR THE CRF300L WITH AFTERMARKET ALUMINUM HANDLEBARS: If you've installed aftermarket aluminum handlebars on your CRF300L, we have a separate handguard guide you can view by clicking here. OTHER PRODUCTS TO CONSIDER: When adding handguards to the bike, many of our customers will also replace their grips, mirrors, etc. Since you're removing some of these items when adding the handguards, its much easier to do it at the same time rather than later. Some of these products are listed below... If you want to add bar end weights to help reduce vibration on your CRF300L, we were able to get the Barkbusters Teardrop Bar End Weights to work with our Zeta Armor Handguards. |
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