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Best Handlebars/Grips? Helibar Fail

4K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  SPanega SS 
#1 · (Edited)
Greetings!

The previous owner of my R1 put Helibars on it... I am a sport rider and finding it hard to manuever with these. He does not have the OEM bars anymore.

So I might as well upgrade! Whats the best bars/grips for R1 canyon carving? Edit: Its a 2009 sorry
 
#4 ·
i'm comfortable with Apex risers... long distance riding, always so i needed a little more height than stock to be comfortable... i'm about to raise 'em up again
 
#5 ·
I've been wondering about this. I like those Apex risers a lot but do they really take away from the handling? I'm sure there has to be some trade-off from changing the bar position but I didn't really know if it's just harder to get into a tuck, which I don't do often, or if you lose cornering ability.
 
#6 · (Edited)
how exactly, pray you, do you believe it would take away from handling? riders come in all shapes and sizes... either you can reach the bars, or you're a pretzel (i'm not asian)

if you wanna talk handling you better start with adjustable linkage and triple clamps

i'm a tall guy and all of my rides are 600km plus in distance.. i also do a lot of touring, we're talking about 3/4s of an inch for pure comfort (adding another 10mm soon)
they are also a little wider than stock which makes it very comfortable (in similar fashion to Renthals), people fail to understand things like this are designed by the manufacturer
to best suit the lowest common denominator, in the exact same manner as stock foot pegs are pretty bloody useless out of the box :yesnod

adjustable angles at the wrist to your specific needs (8 different settings)... Apex actually designed these with track riders in mind, see their online vid :thumbup
 
#8 · (Edited)
Personally im not tall. Im about 5'7 181. Perhaps its just because im used to the lower bar position, but im finding it more difficult to tip the bike and countersteer when I take turns at speed. If there is no discernable difference in control why wouldnt they just have helibars stock so their bikes are more comfortable? There must be some pros and cons or everybody would just get helibars.

Id like to learn about what makes a good handlebar setup and what my options are, which is why I posted. Wasnt making a statement about how they are better or worse. Im all ears to solid information and good advice. How does adjustable linkage and triple clamps work?
 
#11 ·
The overall width of the bars will certainly provide more or less leverage and change the amount of effort needed to make the bike change direction. That's really basic physics. What I'm not so sure about is what actually raising or lowering the bars will change, if anything.
 
#14 ·
Does anyone know who the tallest riders are at the top level, like Moto GP? Do the taller riders change their bars to provide a more upright body position while riding?

I'm not arguing for or against the Helibars or Apex risers, just trying to understand and decide if I want to buy some for my bike. It would definitely be nice to make my bike a bit more comfy and I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of handling for that, but not too much.

Aside from different bar widths changing your leverage, sitting more upright is also going to change the overall center of gravity. That has to make a difference but is it enough to matter if you aren't an advanced level track rider? Just not sure.

-Chris
 
#15 · (Edited)
you're fishing in the wrong pond.. not many tall riders in MotoGP, seems pretty obvious :lol

here's a better way to gauge... poster above said @ 5'7" he found the oem bars to be good, i'm at nearly 6' tall and find 3/4inch plus maybe 10-20mm will be just about right.. you should note though the last 10mm is purely because we sometimes find ourselves in straight line riding for a while and I would find it easier to rest my right wrist on throttle while riding one handed

having ridden a few bikes in my day, that doesnt seem to be much at all, and NO, in case you were still wondering it has NOT affected handling in any shape whatsoever!...

if anything it has made it sharper as i'm now in a much better position, with back straight and not hunched over like im taking over Notre Dame :hammer:

i broke the bike in with oem bars, actually put nearly 8k kms on it before i switched to Apex... and i'm very happy
 
#18 · (Edited)
tou·ché :scared >:) :smileeek:

i have seen some very tall riders on an R1, even older models who appear to be comfortable but i would suspect over all arm -reach is also a bit of help..

as posted above, its a little tough to say what is going to work for every single rider, torso length and quality of posture does help as well.. the list is endless

they're a customizable item, 'is what i'm saying
 
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