They do come in handy. I like to use them because with race clutches, your ankle, or pants can get caught in the levers. This is a pictures of a different chain guard, not clutch guard. I have a nice clutch version that cover it completely up. But you can see from the picture, the levers that spin on the clutch. They are known for tearing something up. I have had my ankle touch it a few times while hitting the break, and it's not a good thing.