Givi Engine Guards WHY?  Protection.  One reason I chose the V-Strom was its ability to travel off the paved roads.  Unfortunately, doing so increases the possibility that I'll dump the bike; I wanted a little more protection for the engine and body tupperware.  Several different guards are available on the market, but I decided on the Givi bars because of their heavy-duty 1" tube construction (I also happen to be partial to their styling).  Comparison shopping online revealed that California Sport Touring had very competitive pricing, and I have had excellent experience in ordering from them.  The web site is clean and easy to navigate; I ordered via secure server and paid via credit card.  The price was $121.52 plus shipping. SERVICE. Excellent, as usual.  Kim and the other good folks at CalSport are bikers who cater to bikers, and they're great to deal with; I recommend them highly.  I received the bars in 6 days, which is not bad when shipping from California to Texas. The guards were packed very securely and arrived in perfect condition.  They looked to be of excellent quality, with clean welds and a flawless finish.  All parts and installation instructions were included. INSTALLATION. Not difficult at all, and could be accomplished by the average home mechanic.  Metal pieces that are welded and finished often must be bent and hammered into place, but these guards fit beautifully with only a small bit of coaxing into place by hand.  Instructions were a mish-mash of about 5 different languages, but the illustrations were clear enough that I could decipher them.  I used Loctite on the new mounting bolts and tightened them to spec and had the entire installation done in under 20 minutes.  RESULTS. Really nice.  I like the appearance of these guards, and their rugged construction suggests that they should offer some protection during a tip-over. Worth the money? Yes.  $128 is not a terribly expensive farkle, and it's nice to have an addition that is functional and attractive to boot.  Money well spent!