Handlebars Swap

Okay I'm afraid this is just the beginning of this particluar mod journey... I posted a question on alternative bars a few weeks ago on got a lot of great suggestions. JONAC had the cool Jota bars (oh...and the BEST damn avatar on the site!), and Avogt18 suggested the LSL "Street bar, so I ordered a pair up. My goal with this mod to get a more aggressive position, ie: forward. The LSL Street bar has much less rise and less pull back than the stock bar. It reminds me of a rise mountain bike bar. I may need to fiddle with the angle of the bar in relation to the triple clamp a bit. No clearance problems at. A drag bar MAY work in fact.

It is wider than the stock bar so I cut 1 3/4 inches off each end. I may cut another 1/4 inch off. The install was very easy, I did need to release the pinch bolt on the bottom of the triple clamp to allow the brake lines to fall as they may. (I have the Galfer duals, no the stock single) I simply zip tied them back into place. If I do go with clip ons I'll need to re-angle brake lines from the mastercylinder.

From sitting on the bike it feels great! Reminds me of a race bike I used to have. I'm riding it to work tomorrow and I'll let ya'll know how it feels.

I can see going with VFR800 Helibars however to get the position I am looking for however.

is money a factor, because if not and you're considering helibars, i was wondering about convertibars that way you have the best of both worlds, but i'd probably just keep them in a lower position.

any advice or feedback on cutting the ends and still having bar ends? i'm in the middle of deciding between the LSL and the FZ1 OEM bar. still need a drill for the throttle housing tho...

I'm thinking about selling my HeliBars and getting the convertibars...

ConvertiBARS

thatguyx said:

any advice or feedback on cutting the ends and still having bar ends? i'm in the middle of deciding between the LSL and the FZ1 OEM bar. still need a drill for the throttle housing tho...

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I'm thinking about doing something similar.

I put on Grand Touring Tacky-grips, which are some of the most comfortable grips ever. But I also want grip heaters.

I found some that fit inside the bars (Polly-Grips is the brand name), but they won't go into the FZ6 bars because of the threaded insert that the bar ends screw into. So here's my plan at the moment.

I plan to bore out the threaded insert in the bars, leaving me with a 5/8" opening. Next I'll install the grips, and drill down through the bar risers for the wiring. Finally I'll get replacement bar ends. I think I'm going to get a Throttlemeister, which is a bar end and a throttle friction lock all in one. This will give me a cruise control for long distance.

It'll be expensive, though.

As far as cutting the bars down, before you do this take a good look at the switchgear. On many bikes, there's a pin on the switchgear that engages a hole drilled in the bars. This keeps the switches from moving or rotating. If you cut down the bars, you'll have to drill new holes for this pin. I don't know if the FZ6 has such a pin, but it's something to consider before you break out the hacksaw.

Fred

Fred said:

As far as cutting the bars down, before you do this take a good look at the switchgear. On many bikes, there's a pin on the switchgear that engages a hole drilled in the bars. This keeps the switches from moving or rotating. If you cut down the bars, you'll have to drill new holes for this pin. I don't know if the FZ6 has such a pin, but it's something to consider before you break out the hacksaw.

Fred

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I just cut them off. The controls stay in place fine without them.

looking forward to your riding review.

Well I just got into work, (gotta post here before I check email) its about a 20 -25 minute ride and I am mixed on this bar. It has very much a motocross straightness to it if that makes sence. I do like leaning forward a bit more because it puts me more into the pocket of the fairing and windscreen. What I don't care for is the small amount of pull back, I would like about another 5 to 10 degrees.

The ConvertiBars look like a great solution, pretty much infinately adjustable. Need to save the pennies for those however.

Rizoma Bars

Has anyone tried any of these bars? They are Rizoma's. They look similar to the ones above, but maybe not quite as straight. I am looking to do this mod as well. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Jon

Here is a link also...PJs Parts

jondav123 said:

Has anyone tried any of these bars? They are Rizoma's. They look similar to the ones above, but maybe not quite as straight. I am looking to do this mod as well. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Jon

Here is a link also...PJs Parts

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They do appear to be a nice bar. It does look like there is more pullback. The height looks spot on. The price is a bit less too. The LSLs are $69.95.

Hellgate said:

I just cut them off. The controls stay in place fine without them.

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I slipped a little bit of rubber under the housings and it holds it excellent, no movement at all

Let us all know what it feels like to ride mate ... I need to give mine a blast.. Haven't been on it this year yet !! how bad is that

JONAC said:

Let us all know what it feels like to ride mate ... I need to give mine a blast.. Haven't been on it this year yet !! how bad is that

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Well I fiddled with the adjustment of the bar a bit and I'm liking it much, much more. I had the bar "rolled" too far forward in the clamp and it was not exactly centered in the clamp either. I squarded those two issues away and it's good to go!

I'm still considering the variable bars/clip on things, but $360ish is a lot of coin for a handlebar, however they are the best idea/design I've ever seen. Both simple and completely effective.

No problems with bars end/weights off either, it feels, vibration wise, the same as the stock bar with the weights.

they look good Top, nice write up. im surprised that there is no more vibration though, you would think it would get worse.

madmanmaigret said:

they look good Top, nice write up. im surprised that there is no more vibration though, you would think it would get worse.

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The bar is really thick aluminum so I think that dampens out the vibs. I guess I need some time to get used to it too.

makes sense now!

Hellgate said:

They do appear to be a nice bar. It does look like there is more pullback. The height looks spot on. The price is a bit less too. The LSLs are $69.95.

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I just bought and received some of these Rizoma's and ends. I'll install, ride, take a few pics, and post with the results. The folks at PJ's sure were great! Super fast shipping!

Jon

jondav123 said:

I just bought and received some of these Rizoma's and ends. I'll install, ride, take a few pics, and post with the results. The folks at PJ's sure were great! Super fast shipping!

Jon

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Cool! They look like a great bar. I'm looking forward to hear what you have to say.