Integrated hand guard and lighting system

1. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

a mount for releasably coupling to a handlebar; and

a housing coupled to the mount, the housing having a blade-shaped shield portion that is spaced apart a specified distance from the handlebar so as to allow for a user to grip the handlebar;

the blade-shaped shield portion of the housing comprising a frontal surface configured to extend along a gripping region of the handlebar, the frontal surface shaped to shield the user's hand while gripping the handlebar; and

wherein the blade-shaped shield portion of the housing comprises an illumination source disposed at the frontal surface so as to illuminate a path outward in an opposing direction away from the gripping region.

2. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the housing is configured to mount at a proximal location of the handlebar to allow for the blade-shaped shield portion to extend cantilevered toward a distal end of the handlebar.

3. The lighting apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the housing is offset from the mount via a standoff that terminates at the mount.

4. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the illumination source comprises an array of LEDs spanning across a portion of the frontal surface.

5. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the housing is configured to house a power source for providing power to the illumination source.

6. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the illumination source is disposed within a recess of the frontal surface of the blade-shaped shield portion.

7. The lighting apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the housing further comprises a battery recess disposed open to and behind the recess of the illumination source from the frontal surface.

8. The lighting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a light beam emitted by the illumination source is shaped to act in cooperation with a second light beam of a second lighting apparatus disposed on an opposing end of the handlebar.

9. The lighting apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first and second light beams cooperate to widen an overall light beam emitted from the handlebar.

10. The lighting apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first and second light beams are spaced apart so as to minimize shadows dispersed from the illumination from the handlebar.

11. A lighting system, comprising:

a first lighting device comprising a right mount for releasably coupling to a right side of a handlebar, and a housing having a blade-shaped shield portion extending toward a right distal end of the handlebar at a spaced-apart distance from the handlebar so as to allow for a user to grip the handlebar, the blade-shaped shield portion of the housing comprising a frontal surface configured to extend along a gripping region of the handlebar, the frontal surface shaped to shield the user's right hand while gripping the handlebar, wherein the blade-shaped shield portion of the housing comprises an illumination source disposed at the frontal surface so as to illuminate a first beam outward in an opposing direction away from the gripping region; and

a second lighting device comprising one or more components substantially mirroring the first lighting device for releasably coupling to a right side of the handlebar to illuminate a second beam outward from the handlebar in cooperation with the first beam.

12. The lighting system of claim 11 , wherein the housing is configured to mount at a proximal location of the handlebar to allow for the blade-shaped shield portion to extend cantilevered toward a distal end of the handlebar.

13. The lighting system of claim 12 , wherein the housing is offset from the mount via a standoff that terminates at the mount.

14. The lighting system of claim 11 , wherein the illumination source comprises an array of LEDs spanning across a portion of the frontal surface.

15. The lighting system of claim 11 , wherein the housing is configured to house a power source for providing power to the illumination source.

16. The lighting system of claim 12 , wherein the illumination source is disposed within a recess of the frontal surface of the blade-shaped shield portion.

17. The lighting system of claim 16 , wherein the housing further comprises a battery recess disposed open to and behind the recess of the illumination source from the frontal surface.

18. The lighting system of claim 11 , wherein the first and second light beams cooperate to widen an overall light beam emitted from the handlebar.

19. The lighting system of claim 18 , wherein the first and second light beams are spaced apart so as to minimize shadows dispersed from the illumination from the handlebar.

20. A hand guard, comprising:

a mount for releasably coupling to a handlebar; and

a housing coupled to the mount, the housing having a blade-shaped shield portion that is spaced apart a specified distance from the handlebar to allow for a user to grip the handlebar;

the blade-shaped shield portion of the housing comprising a frontal surface configured to extend along a gripping region of the handlebar, the frontal surface shaped to shield the user's hand while gripping the handlebar; wherein the housing is coupled to the mount at a proximal location of the handlebar to allow for the blade-shaped shield portion to extend cantilevered across at least a portion of the gripping region toward a distal end of the handlebar; and

wherein the blade-shaped shield portion of the housing comprises an illumination source disposed at the frontal surface so as to illuminate a path outward in an opposing direction away from the gripping region.