Size question due to bar swap

[Sojourner]

I've got a GS1100ET (that's a 1980 if you didn't know) and I'm in the process of making it a bit more "L", be that L model or GL model because I like the 70's look. I recently ordered these bars...

Now I've had an '81 XS1100 Midnight Edition in the past and loved the bars and the seat, and eventually learned to love the shaft bob. The thing is that I'm mounting them on my Suzuki. The question I have for the boards is do you think I'll need to purchase new throttle and clutch cables due to the size difference (Read: length of cables)? Specs are: Handlebar Yamaha Special Bar Width: 28" Rise: 7 1/2" Pullback: 11" 7/8" Diameter. If so, do I just order cables meant for an '80 GS1100L? I'd love to get them mounted ASAP, so if I need the cables I'll go ahead and order them from Z1 while the bars work their way here from Canada.

 

[lifguardct]

I have an 82 1100L, trade ya? lol Just kidding...

I don't know for sure but I would assume there may be some issues. It may be possible to re-route the cables to gain a little slack.

 

[Sojourner]

I haven't really had a chance to check the microfiche yet (kids + football = time/2), but I noted the Bike Bandit part numbers between the L model and the E model differed.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see when the new bars show up.

 

[dr_fosg8]

You will most likely need the cables from the 1980 L model. Also, you will most likely need a longer brake line.

 

[tkent02]

Wow, have you ever actually ridden a big bike with L bars?

 

[Sojourner]

As stated previously above, I've owned a Yamaha XS1100 for a while. From what I can gather, these bars are the same size.

 

[bruin]

I can't believe you actually paid for these handlebars. I am willing to bet that most of us here have a set we would gladly give you for free or trade for your E bars. Better hang on to your stock ones, you will see how much the handling sucks with the new ones. All kidding aside, if you like it then more power to you I guess, but wanting buckhorn bars makes less sense to me than turning it into a "custom chopper".

 

[Sojourner]

I can't believe you actually paid for these handlebars.

I can't believe you thought I'd really want to hear your opinion rather than an answer to my question.

All kidding aside of course.

 

[cableguy]

I think bruin WAS kidding......

It's just that it's not common for someone with the goal of making their
GS more L like. Better dust off your sense of humor and don ye olde flame suit.

 

[Sojourner]

I think bruin WAS kidding...
<SNIP>
Better dust off your sense of humor and don ye olde flame suit.

You're probably right. I should make it a rule not to post in the morning till I've had my cup of personality (aka coffee). Note it's not easy to convey humor, or any emotion for that matter, in an electronic format. Just saying, a few emotes go a long way.

As for L'ing an E, Steve gave me the scoop yesterday when I asked him about forward controls for my E. It was something akin to "I'm sure there are, but you're going to be that guy on the forums". Wait till they see the green Docs I ride in or the cuir bouilli leather side covers I'm working on! LOL, I've been 'that guy' most of my life. It doesn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[DanTheMan]

Two sets of "L" bars gathering dust in my garage. Just sayin'......:evil:

 

[Sojourner]

Two sets of "L" bars gathering dust in my garage. Just sayin'......:evil:

I appreciate the offer, but the bars are a bit different. Note how the handle part of the XS bars dips down to more of a vertical than the standard L bars?

XS1100 (I had the '81 Midnight Edition a few years ago)

GS1100GL:

Now some of the difference can be attributed to the angle the bars are mounted in the hooks, but trust me, not all of it. The XS Special bars are almost like holding reins while riding a horse.

 

[Sojourner]

Um, WOW. The new bars came in the mail and they're huge. I'm going to carefully mount them up (sans controls) and have a long think about them. I took a lunchtime ride today now that I'm got most of the bike's issues resolved. Got it up to 70 for the first time out on some nice rural highway (Rt. 128 east out of Miamitown OH). One of the big wants, comfort wise, is bar height. I'm 6'3" and have to hunch over to reach the bars from a comfortable/upright riding position. I wager a 3" riser would do about right. Second, the angle feels wrong in the wrists. If the bars were higher than maybe it would resolve some of the angle discomfort, but I don't think it'll nail all of it. So what to do? I might keep the "Special" bars I ordered, but I'll be sawing off a couple inches off the ends. Can't say for certain till I get a few minutes to get them test mounted.

What I can say is that the bikes has brought me about 147 miles of smiles since I bought it. I'll admit it. I've been weak, I've wavered on getting a Harley or trying to find an L. Then I blip the throttle. The bike feels like it needs another gear! I've had about 4 bikes off and on since college. A '77 KZ650 (sorry Steve, I still want to say it was brown, my memory's admittedly shot though...), a blue '82 GS1100GL, an '81 XS1100 Midnight Edition, etc. Some I only had for a summer, some longer, but I simply cannot remember riding a bike I enjoyed more than this one. Maybe it's the skin my knuckles have shed, maybe it was learning to adjust the valves from Steve, maybe it was the fiberglass I had stuck in my hands for three days after wrapping the exhaust, maybe it's the countless other hours spent changing this, or testing that, or whatever. Honestly I think it has more to do with the response though. The bike is a weird mix of ice skates and Saturn V rocket. It glides across the rode- nimble and smooth. On the other hand I'm still occasionally surprised when the powerband kicks in- when you can feel it come alive under you, begging for you to open the throttle wider.

I've had bikes come and go, but I have a feeling this one is going to stick around for quite a while.

 

[dr_fosg8]

The red 1100gl you posted isn't wearing the stock bars if you were trying to compare to the yammie bars. Stock gl bars look like these,

 

[Sojourner]

Well I got the bars mounted, but the lines are short as I expected.

Could one of the L/GL owners measure the length of the brake line (not the cable, need the one with the fluid in it) from the front master cylinder to the first banjo? Thanks.

I could get by with the old throttle and clutch cables, but might as well change them out while I'm at it.

 

[Flyboy]

Having owned and ridden all three bikes, GSX, 850L, XS Eleven Special, I can honestly say, the most hateful one was the Eleven Special.
I am not knocking your preference, we all have our own and I respect that.
Sure the Eleven Special could get off the line in a hurry and would smoke most anything between the lights, but that was about it.
The riding position was nice around town for about 30 minutes, but on the highway, it was terrible, too much wind and found myself hanging on the bars, got tiresome real quick.
I think you will find that the Eleven Special bars are not going to give you what you are looking for, the whole package is wrong, the Eleven special's seat is a lot lower slung in relation to the bars, the GS seat a lot higher, I think you will find your arms/wrists at an uncomfortable angle after a while.
I may be wrong, but those are just my observations.
Nice GSX, by the way, like you said, they pull like a run away freight train all day long, what is not to like.

 

[dr_fosg8]

Total line length for a stock GL from the master to the splitter is 23 inches. This measurement is WITH the banjos on the line.

 

[bruin]

Glad to hear the cables were long enough for you anyway. I had so much left over when I swapped out my L bars that I didn't think you would be able to make yours reach. I'm a tall guy too and I found that I had more room with straighter bars, although I never explored the riser aproach.

 

[Sojourner]

Well...

Bruin- You mentioned in another thread that you're closer to my height (technically I'm only 6' 2.75"). On my 1100E with the stock bars I found myself hunching over to reach the grips. Also the angle of the bars from the final bend to the end of the bar, farthest from the stem, caused a weird bend in my wrist as well. I'll refer to that as 'grip bend'. Like I said, ~3" risers would address the height issue, but the 'grip bend' would either need to be straightened like a MTX bar/drag bar, or bent in more like pull-backs. I went with the thought that drag bars on risers might alleviate the wrist bend, then I'd still probably end up hunching. While bars would be higher, the grips would still be north of the tank. Between my job and playing bass, my wrists already take a beating daily. No need to up the discomfort/carpal tunnel while on the bike too. So I went with the "Yamaha Special" bars since it brought the controls up to a reasonable height, addressed the wrist angle issue, and allow me to sit upright. Since you're close to my height, have you had a problem with feeling cramped in the leg department? I've also considered getting case guards and highway pegs- possibly forward controls so I can stretch out a bit. Not HD-esque "I want to turn my bike into a chaise lounge or a hammock" type stretched out, but something where my knee angle is greater than 90 degrees.

Dr. Fosg8- Thanks for the measurement! Now to find that line or just get an entire front end kit since I'll be bleeding the system anyway.

Flyboy- See, I loved the Yamy XS1100. The only thing I had a love/hate realtionship with was the shaft bob. Eventually I learned to accept the quirk and got over the hate. Then I'd let a buddy try it out and loved the fact he thought it was quirky- haha. You are completely right about the seat height differences between the two though. I bought a leather tooling kit last month and have been practicing on leather scraps. My intention is to find a cheap '80-'81 1100E seat pan and try my hand at making my own custom saddle. I fully intend to carve the padding low up front in order to lower the stock E seat height by a few inches. On the rear I want to add padding and get the profile into a cruiser style King & Queen seat. All of this I intend to cover with hand tooled BROWN leather. Let's face it- 98% of the motorcycle seats in the world are black already. The only issue is that it might cause a problem with the aforementioned knee bend/angle. While I'm at it I am also going to try and fab some custom side covers also out of hand tooled leather to cover the whole side triangle. There's an old (as in middle ages+ old) leather technique called cuir bouilli. Basically you boil the leather with a fair amount of wax and when it dries it's damn near rock hard. That should keep them from flapping around on the sides and lets me mold them into shapes. All the leather work is of course on my over-the-winter project list. But I digress. As for the XS1100 I always loved the riding posture. I guess I like to ride my bike like I used to ride horses?

Looks like I'm going to replace my throttle and clutch cables with L length cables anyway. While the E's throttle and clutch cables will fit, I'm not sure how old the ones on my bike are and I'm with spending ~$14 each for some piece of mind. I'm thinking I'll also replace the front turn signals and bar mount them...

 

[bruin]

Maybe my seat height is lower on my L than on your E, in relation to hanlebar height. Even with drag bars I am only slightly leaning forward. My legs are cramped too although the slight lean forward caused by the drag bars has, I think, allowed me to scoot my butt back just a little more. I noticed my knees didn't hurt as much after the change. I would imagine case guards with a highway peg would make a nice alternate leg position. I have seen several pictures on here where folks have done that.