Clubman handlebar and stock mirrors

[cambo]

Finished!

All done...all I need now are new handlebar grips but I'm not worried about that.

Glad I was able to button everything up without risers or new brake lines but I did have to do some custom cutting to make it work.

I did lose a bit of my turning radius...but nothing that'll prevent me from pulling a u-turn in traffic. But in tight parking lots, I may have to 3-point it.

Likewise, I can't use the theft deterrent handlebar lock either...because fork won't turn to full lock.

It's not pictured but I adjusted my mirrors so that they are sloping up, and not sloping down (as pictured) with the handlebars. Probably the best benefit of this new position...I now have completely unobstructed rear view!

haha, I think the most exciting moment for me not the end product, but realizing, in the middle of it, that it was going to work.

Here's a video so you can see the new riding position: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UP7qMOvdI4]Fz8 clubman bars - YouTube[/ame]

 

[thach1130]

LOL cambo, looks like something that could be achieved with some clip on and you wouldn't have to deal with the handle bar clamp sticking up above the fork. But none the less it looks very cool. that drooping angle of the handle bar must be comfortable. I'm thinking of bringing my handlebar to a shop and see if they can bend them down for me ^__^.

 

[cambo]

LOL cambo, looks like something that could be achieved with some clip on and you wouldn't have to deal with the handle bar clamp sticking up above the fork. But none the less it looks very cool. that drooping angle of the handle bar must be comfortable. I'm thinking of bringing my handlebar to a shop and see if they can bend them down for me ^__^.

thanks dude! hey sorry about canceling on you again today btw...

haha yeah I was looking at clip ons but I just didn't know how to do the conversion, it seemed way more complicated.

 

[xXAvroArrowXx]

4) Avro- I'll be drilling the bar...I want to keep the nipples on there for if/when I get tired of the riding position and want to come back to stock.

Good on ya! I'm all about being able to return to bone stock. I'm not planning on selling anytime at all - I'm just OCD that I don't do a permanent mod my led tail lights kinda bug me because I spliced rather than buying the OEM style connectors......

 

[master paper clip]

He'll yea Cambo that shit looks nice.... How's it feel compared to a super sport position.... Almost had a Cambo moment there

 

[cambo]

He'll yea Cambo that shit looks nice.... How's it feel compared to a super sport position.... Almost had a Cambo moment there

haha, thanks dude...it feels awesome, much more aggressive...I feel like the bike really wants to corner now. I just rode it to the gym and back and it was an interesting familiarization ride. Pulling out of the gym parking lot, I felt like it was Day 1 or learning how to ride again lol!

I am definitely ordering risers tonight though...it was a little too much of a forward lean for me. Lower back was on fire on the way home! deadlifting tonight probably didn't help but I'm not 100% satisfied with the handlebar position right now. Controls are really awkward but there's not really any room for tweaking. 2" risers should fix that.

 

[decooney]

Cambo,
I'm wondering if you wanted to avoid the cost of two risers, and keep the bars close to the triple clamp for a clean look - a good metal fab shop could cut the lower handles off at the 45 degree, remove a 2-3" section out of the sides, and reattach it. You'd have to grind the tig weld smooth and repaint the bars. This way you could orient the direction and angle of the grip section of the bar exactly how you want it. Just a thought... Good Luck.

 

[decooney]

another project

Cambo,

I saw this photo on a local bike and thought of your project. Appears the owner just took the factory bars and turned them upside down. Can't tell if it would work good or not, but its another idea.

 

[cambo]

Final Update

I received the 2" risers today and installed them right away. I went with Rox pivoting risers...80 bucks off amazon. Feels like a solid product, came with stainless steel bolts.

I had to make two modifications to make it work at the new height:

1) Punch yet another hole in the left side headlight fairing to pass the clutch cable through so it'd meet the handlebars at the new height lol. I'll cover the old hole with a "Hemi" or "V-tec" sticker, for the added horsepower of course...or perhaps even one of those maserati wanna-be, non-functional fender vents. The options are endless! But I digress...

2) I had to move the brake line attachment at the master cylinder from the 7 or 8ish o clock position...to a 6 o clock position so I could mount the brake to the bar unobstructed (when the brake line was at the 7/8 o clock postion...it was pressed right up against the right side headlight fairing). To do this I had to loosen a 12mm bolt juuussttt enough to pivot the line down...but I lost some brake fluid in the process, but only a couple drops. I've still got good pressure.

End Result:

I definitely did a trial by fire ride today lol. I buttoned everything up, skipped the around the block test drive, and rode the bike 40 miles straight into work (also because I was late).

Fellas, I can't express how much I love the new ride. I think I giggled like a school girl the entire ride in. I literally feel like I have a brand new, completely different bike with this new riding postion! Additionally, I love the more aggressive riding position to better suit the aggressive look of our bike!

Cornering is SO fun now and absolutely effortless. And those you that know me know that cornering is NOT my forte lol.

Like I said, I rode 40 miles (1/4 city, 3/4 hwy) and it took me about an hour. No discomfort in the wrists or shoulders. Lower back wasn't on fire at all (it was on fire when I did a test ride wthout the risers...and this was within 1 mile of riding!)

With the new position of the bars that the risers afford me...I can still almost sit fully upright. I did notice at times that I could feel the back of my neck straining to keep my head looking straight up... so I would remedy this by coming up to an almost upright riding position for a bit...and then when I wanted to get back into speed racer mode, I could drop into that new forward lean.

G'damnit I love the new bars. Hands down my most favorite mod I've personallly done so far.

Next up: relocating the rear sets back a bit to space my body out. Current leg position is fine...but it could be better.

Thanks for reading!

 

[master paper clip]

What's this blasphemy.... No pics?
And when u come to jersey u better bring that baby with u, gotta see this is person, love the super sport riding position, feels comfortable to me so i would love to do that to my bike with a suspension swap

 

[cambo]

What's this blasphemy.... No pics?
And when u come to jersey u better bring that baby with u, gotta see this is person, love the super sport riding position, feels comfortable to me so i would love to do that to my bike with a suspension swap

haha, blasphemous indeed! I just ran outside to take some pics but you beat me to the punch in calling me out! lol. 'Final Update"...updated

and definitely dude, if anything I'll drive up there with the bike in the back of the truck instead of riding the whole way.

 

[thach1130]

Nothing to it cambo. I've made a few trip to NJ and back no problem. Just make sure you have a day of rest in between

 

[cambo]

Nothing to it cambo. I've made a few trip to NJ and back no problem. Just make sure you have a day of rest in between

shit I forgot you make that trip regularly man...maybe we can both head up there to ride with wf

 

[randyka]

So I finally did the mod, and everything worked out really well! The brake line BARELY fit. I'd have to say that this was one of the best mods I have done so far. The ergonomics are incomparably better. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

 

[randyka]

Picture time...mods so far: bikemaster clubman handlebars and vortex rear sets. When I lock the steering, the handlebar pretty much touches the gas tank now, but man...i love how the bike feels now. Accidentally uploaded all the images twice..don't know what happened. http://imgur.com/a/SpNvu#UABmwqR

 

[cambo]

bummer, I can't see any of the pictures...but I'm also at work where the security policy is ridiculous.

I'm interested to see how you mounted yours. For me, even with the use of risers and permenently removing the tank fairing...I can't achieve full lock. Not to mention my left side headlight fairing looks like swiss cheese from all the holes I drilled throught it lol, trying to accomodate the clutch cable.

 

[randyka]

haha oh no! i didn't need to do any drilling...there is quite a bit of a sweepback with the bikemaster clubman handlebar. The riding position is a lot more natural for me since the bars are angled down. The feel is really close to a gsxr-600...so a very comfortable supersport feel. LOVE IT since i take the bike to the track a lot + long rides.

 

[randyka]

Finally figured out how to attach files.

 

[cambo]

ahhh you mounted it that way! looks good dude! I flipped it the exact opposite. Now I get why you said the brakeline barely fit...I'm surprised you didn't have to get new lines!

Here's a pic of the bike the way it's set up currently: tank faring missing and how low my handlebars are, even with the riser. You can make out all the holes in the fairing lol. And I still can't get full lock...but I'm damn close. I think I'm just going to make the jump to clip ons once I can find a decent deal on fleabay.

 

[goonanc]

Cambo,

I saw this photo on a local bike and thought of your project. Appears the owner just took the factory bars and turned them upside down. Can't tell if it would work good or not, but its another idea.

that's what we used to do as kids, i was wondering when someone would see it, or if i was the only one. simply rotate and flip oem bars for the same effect. then they will fit perfectly, then just reverse all controls