New handlebars on the 650 WOW WHATA DIFFERENCE!

[Anonymous]

Hey people, tonight I took the high backswept cruiser bars off my 81 650GL and put on some brand new daytona/sportbike style bars, less than half the height and backsweep as the old bars. WOW! It handles and feels like a sportbike now, and the aerodynamics are much better with the forward inclined riding position, I love it! It feels like I picked up a different bike! Anyone thinking of doing this to their bike should, you won't regret it. The handling is more sensitive and crisper, but you get used to it after a bit of riding. A+ performance for 20 bucks worth of metal.

 

[joe.d]

good for you them custom style bars ( stock ) look like crap dont they...

 

[Anonymous]

Yup, old cruiser bars sucked...

Yup, old cruiser bars sucked...

The old bars had so much back sweep, that when I first started riding the bike my wrists hurt like hell at the end of each session from turning my wrist weird to grip the bars at high speed. I adjusted my grip style to something more loose and angled differently, but I didn't feel as in control as with a full grip...so those bars had to go. Now I got the lower, less swept sporty bars and the bike is much better to ride. Thinking of altering it from a factory custom to a Great Granddaddy of the Streetfighter kind of deal...at least until I ride well enough to graduate to a GSXR 750 or 1000, LOL...

 

[Anonymous]

I just bought my bike a few months ago and it came with sportbike style bars on it. I wouldn't even think of having it any other way. I keep thinking about trying to find a sportbike style tank that fits my bike just so I have an excuse to lean forward even more Kinda makes it hard to lift the front end when I'm that far forward though.

 

[cdngeorge]

I just got my 650GL out of the shop a week ago, and I've put 1600km on it since. With a 5 hour ride on Thursday night with a full backpack behind me, I thought I would be comfortable riding in a reclining position - no way! with that stepped seat, my butt was aching after about an hour of riding. With the tiny 12 litre tank, a pit stop every hour gave me a chance to stretch.
On the ride back, I tucked into a sport-bike position, with my chest down on the tankbag and my feet on the rear pegs - WOW! What a difference. Four and a half hours in the saddle and my back feels great! With only about a month riding left up here (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), a new set of bars may be one of my winter projects.

Shark - (a) do you have any pics of your modded handlebars to post?
(b) What make/model bars did you use for your mod?

Regards,
Cdn George

 

[joe.d]

Im In Calgary
Bike prices seem a little cheaper up there in Edmonton
anyhow I took the clipons off my GS1150 and put on a pair of Flat Drag Style bars ( basicly as a stop gap ) couse I wanna put on a pair of
Rethal Bars but the ones I want are $150, im in the middle of moving so all my spare cash is sewn up in Deposits and stuff

[/list]

 

[mdole]

Re: Yup, old cruiser bars sucked...

Re: Yup, old cruiser bars sucked...

The old bars had so much back sweep, that when I first started riding the bike my wrists hurt like hell at the end of each session from turning my wrist weird to grip the bars at high speed. I adjusted my grip style to something more loose and angled differently, but I didn't feel as in control as with a full grip...so those bars had to go. Now I got the lower, less swept sporty bars and the bike is much better to ride. Thinking of altering it from a factory custom to a Great Granddaddy of the Streetfighter kind of deal...at least until I ride well enough to graduate to a GSXR 750 or 1000, LOL...

I had the same problem with my wrists hurting on my 81 GS750L. I went to Daytona bars and also started using a throttle rocker on longer runs. The combination eliminated the pain in my wrist.

Mike

 

[Jethro]

I have found that crotch rockets are more comfortable than crusiers. Seems backwards, but that's my experience. Mostly because of the bars.