Acerbis Chain Guide 2.0 Review [Yamaha Ténéré 700 Project Bike]

The Ultimate Motorcycling Yamaha Ténéré 700 Project Bike and I are finding our way onto rougher terrain with more free-flying rocks and low-hanging branches that could derail the chain. Tossing a chain miles from any kind of support is something I want to avoid. The Acerbis Chain Guide 2.0 is my protection selection to keep my chain from being knocked off track.

Many years ago, at Ascot Park in Southern California, I went down in a motocross race. When the dust settled, I couldn’t pull my boot free from my bike. My boot was jammed between the tire and the swingarm, having derailed the chain. There was no “Take a photo before helping” culture back then, but I have the scene indelibly etched in my memory. Another time, I was riding with some friends in the middle of nowhere in the Mojave Desert, and one of the riders popped his chain when squeezing between two perfectly aligned rocks. Since then, I have mounted a chain guide on every off-road bike I have owned.

The Acerbis Chain Guide 2.0 has one job—guide the chain onto the rear sprocket, every time, with no room for error. So far, it has done so.

Made of nylon, the Acerbis Chain Guide 2.0 is designed for easy installation with long-term durability. A standout feature of the Chain Guide 2.0 is the replaceable chain slider bottom. The slider is held in place by four vertical screws that never cross the chain’s path. This unique design feature keeps the chain from scraping on metal screws as the slider wears down over time.

The open bottom assembly design also facilitates a ten-minute installation by not requiring the chain to be removed. Each Chain Guide 2.0 is motorcycle-specific, and the Ténéré 700 has two threaded bolt holes in the swingarm that the Chain Guide 2.0 bracket expediently bolts up to.

The Acerbis Chain Guide 2.0 is an essential protection add-on if you take your Yamaha Ténéré 700 off-road. The MSRP of $83 is well-spent insurance against the alternative of a broken chain and a long walk home.