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PowerMadd handguards for the Serow


what you'll need:
Time needed: Not long, maybe 10 or 15 minutes.

background.
I knew the universe was out of whack when my streetbike had handguards on it and my dualsport didn't. Given my propensity to drop my bikes on a whim, I figured that I'd better get some lever protection on the Serow, pronto. Plus, my widdle bitty fingers were cold when riding without handguards in the big bad wintertime.

pre-procedure.
Nothing really, unless you count opening the packages.

procedure.
OK, first of all, grab the four brackets. Two look like "U"s, two are longer and vaguely curved. Note how they fit together -- your handlebar will go through the opening -- but don't attach 'em yet.

The only really interesting thing to note here is that the two curved brackets are curved in opposite directions, and it does make a difference as to which you attach to which handlebar. Here's how it plays out:

It'll be pretty obvious if you put the wrong one on a side -- the handguard will end up at a crazy funky angle instead of being nicely parallel to the lever -- but it's easier if you just do it right the first time. Um, I've heard. From friends.

So, OK, grab a set of brackets (the U-shaped brackets are interchangeable). Put the appropriate long/curved bracket underneath the handlebar and push the U-shaped bracket down over the handlebar. The general idea is to get them as close to the hand grip as possible -- the Serow doesn't have any room between the brake/clutch housing and the hand grip, so I had to put them on the other side of the housing. That's OK.

Make sure that any cables go below of the brackets (i.e. not trapped between the brackets where they will fray or short out). You can see in the above picture how the kill switch wiring rests under the bracket.

Once the brackets are in place, screw in the provided tiny little screw (3mm hex) -- again, notice in the picture how the wiring is outside of the bracket.

OK, now your mounting brackets are in place -- time to attach the handguards. The PowerMadd handguards are all kinds of adjustable; you can set both how far to the side the guards extend and how far away from the lever the guards sit. I chose to mount the handguards as far to the side as they'll go (basically, so that no part of the lever sticks out past the guard); this is totally personal preference. The instructions that come with the handguards explain how to set up each configuration.

So, to set up the guards like I did, you're going to put the mounting bracket to the outside of the handguard tabs, like so:

You can use either of the two bracket holes to mount the guards closer to or farther away from the lever. Because of the Serow's ergonomics, I ended up using the closer one for the clutch side and the farther one for the brake side. Totally personal preference.

For the configuration I wanted, I put the long spacer (provided) in between the handguard mounting tabs.

Thread the long screw through the chosen hole in the bracket -- don't forget the lock washers!

Slide on the handguard and attach the locknut.

Only one more step; now that everything's attached, go through and tighten up all of the bolts. Don't forget to put this bolt into the mounting brackets -- it makes sure that the brackets stay tight on the handlebar. I saved this bolt for last because you'll probably be adjusting the fit and placement of the brackets and handguards a little while getting the guards on, and it's a pain if this bolt is already in and tight. If you save it for last, you can adjust with impunity until the very end.

result.
Et voila, the Serow with new handguards! I'm pretty pleased with how nice they look -- I was a little concerned about the bright! blocks! of! color! on the PowerMadd handguards, but once they're mounted, they're actually vaguely subtle. The grey really matches the Serow, too. I am happy.