Enduro21 takes a closer look at swingarm protectors, the saviours of a vulnerable area on our bikes or an unnecessary ‘bolt on’ part which does more harm than good?

The swingarm is a vulnerable part on our bikes, like the underside of the engine or brake discs and the rear chain and sprocket, they take the hits from the rocks as we are riding.

Swingarm protectors are the plastic protective ‘case’ which fits snug on the outside, either side of your swingarm as a barrier against impact damage from rocks.

Easy to fit and remove, you can look at them as a first line of defence, willing to take the brunt of the rock damage and save the aluminium rear fork legs from gouges and scratches.

Why fit swingarm protectors?

Less important in traditional, time card enduro, cross-country or sprint enduros, swingarm protection makes perfect sense if you’re into extreme or hard enduro, or simply like spending you weekend days riding hard and rocky trails.

Why? Because a new swingarm is damn expensive and even if you are not minded to go to the length of buy a new one before you sell your bike, it can easily be a negative for potential buyers if yours is all scuffed to heck.

A swingarm protector can substantially reduce that damage and therefore help the value of your bike in the long run.  is an inexpensive and lightweight part to fit and replace.

The case for…

It might only be a relatively thin layer of plastic but the swingarm guard is a genuine barrier against rocks. Tough plastic takes the hit as your bike glances or slides past rocks. The protector absorbs the impacts in the lower vulnerable parts of your bike, act just like a continuation of the sump guard or engine covers in protecting the metal. If you see the reason to fit a bash plate, then why not swingarm protectors?

The case against…

Swingarm guards’ critics will quickly tell you about the main problem being water and dirt collecting behind them and potentially doing more harm than good. Water and dirt collected behind the guard can cause abrasion, rubbing or corrosion.

They can also get caught and snagged in a crash on a hill, say, where exposed roots grab or get under the guard – although this is rare.

How to avoid that...

The manufactures would answer the case against by simply saying proper fitment and maintenance cancels that out.

Fit them correctly and remove them after each ride or race, before you wash your bike, then the problems above are very unlikely, certainly that is our reality and experience using them on Enduro21 test bikes.

Fitting and maintenance

Rule of thumb number one is make sure the bike and the guards are clean when you fit them. Don’t fit them onto a dirty swingarm.

Fit them as per manufacturer’s instructions but most go on from the back-end, often holding themselves on with a little lip and are attached with a couple of fat cable ties. The cable ties loop in behind and out the way on these Polisport guards but also turn the cable tie lugs out the way so they cannot catch on anything while you ride.

Some manufactureres supply foam sticky pads for the inside, which act a small barrier between the guard and the swingarm.

Our advice is also to make sure they’re snug and tight, with good, thick cable ties and carry some spares while you riding in case one tie gets snagged and broken. 

Take them off when you jet wash

Rule of thumb number two is always remove them after the ride, before you clean the bike. This is to make sure dirt and water behind the guards does not sit there, so not leave a mark or cause any corrosion.

Where have we used them?

Leading brands making swingarm guards which we have tested include Acerbis and the Polisport which are the one shown in these images.

We have used these in competition, training days and ride-outs but most notably at major events including Erzbergrodeo and Romaniacs. That has been on a range of bikes including KTM, Husqvarna enduro models and our Yamaha YZ. 

Any problems?

In all that riding, and it will amount to hundreds of hours, they only problem we’ve found is catching and ripping out a cable tie a few times. But it has had no bad effect and the guard has never fallen off (see above post-race picture).

The design of the guards should mean it stays in place even without the cable ties – holding itself on at the tail end of the swingarm and being held at the front behind the main frame footrest area – the front cable tie bust off but the guard stayed in place for the large part of the race.

The Acerbis guards design uses a combination of thick elasticated rubber bands and magnets which means they are dead easy to fit, remove and put back on.  

Our experience is swing arm guards take the worst of the hits and act like an additional skid plate down the underside of the back end of your bike. They actually help the bike slide over rocks and logs where it feels like the metal arms would snag more.

Like we say, they are not for every ride or for everyone but we recommend fitting them if you riding in places where you might want to preserve and protect the swingarm. In our experience they work.

Useful links:

Acerbis Swingarm Protection range: Acerbis.com

Polisport Swingarm Protector range: Polisport.com