Adjusting handlebar position


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Spunky99

New Member
ksanbon said:
Spunky99.

Are you talking about the Mulholland climb where they just rode The Tour of CA bike race? There's some gnarly roads up there.

I came over 23 South one day when The PCH was backed up. The descent just north of the Mulholland intersection is really challenging, especially w/ sand on some of the corners!

I'd imagine having the bars forward will make a huge diff there. Please post back.
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Ya. Mulholland Dr.
I went up Topanga Canyon Blvd (Hwy 27) to Old Topanga Canyon Rd. to Mulholland and then West. They stopped and diverted all the traffic at Cornell and Mulholland so I back tracked to the 101 E to the 405 S.

The bike sure handled a lot better with the preload at 7 and the bars forward. I did notice some washout in the rear due to the stock spring being too weak for my weight. I didn't push the bike that hard as this was a fun ride and not a race.
 
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arkkornkid

New Member
all right... here's a side by side of the before and after. These are the final positions in each location that felt the most comfortable to me. Stock I had them rolled down a bit... Forward they are even rolled a bit more. I do believe I took the second pic before I adjusted my levers.

Use the tuning forks medallion as a reference and you can see the difference:
 
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Grinch79

New Member
So I'm clear the first pick above is before it was moved forward and the one below was moved foward? I guess maybe the dealer had the arrow in the wrong direction because it was already pointed towards the front of the bike. So it's moved foward when the angle is in the front towards the windshield rather than closer to the tank/rider?
 
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arkkornkid

New Member
Grinch79 said:
So I'm clear the first pick above is before it was moved forward and the one below was moved foward? I guess maybe the dealer had the arrow in the wrong direction because it was already pointed towards the front of the bike. So it's moved foward when the angle is in the front towards the windshield rather than closer to the tank/rider?
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first pic is the before

I think most dealerships put the arrows on the clamps pointing forward just out of pure ignorance.

if you look at your risers from the side you'll see that the handlebars aren't centered and the risers look to have a bit of a bulge, for lack of a better term. Stock, the bulge is to the back closer to the rider, to move to the forward position you just loosen the risers from underneath, remove the clamps and spin the risers 180 degrees, takes no time at all.
 
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Detrich

New Member
Thanks for posting the pix :). Definitely gives us a better idea of what the differences are- which from what I can see is a subtle difference. I'll prolly consider it once I'm no longer a newbie- whenever that is.

Thanks again :)
 
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arkkornkid

New Member
You're welcome... and you're right, it is subtle.... nothing life-changing but worth it for me.

And once you start breaking out the tools, it becomes addicting. I find myself looking the bike over after every ride and asking myself, "what can I wrench on now?"
 
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raven6

New Member
arkkornkid said:
to move to the forward position you just loosen the risers from underneath, remove the clamps and spin the risers 180 degrees, takes no time at all.
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what about centering the bars in the risers..??? I know everyone is just rolling the bars back and forth to get the angle they like after moving them to the forward position .. but are there "centering marks" on the bars or are you guys just measuring/marking to center them..??
 
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JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
You're still not getting what we're talking about. The riders are offset. There is no centering them. It's either forward or backward.
 
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arkkornkid

New Member
raven6 said:
what about centering the bars in the risers..??? I know everyone is just rolling the bars back and forth to get the angle they like after moving them to the forward position .. but are there "centering marks" on the bars or are you guys just measuring/marking to center them..??
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I think I know what you're referring to.... the parts of the handlebar covered by the clamps have notches that keep it from rotating. Just center them up in the risers and your bars are centered.
 
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dart1963

Super Moderator
Elite Member
raven6 said:
what about centering the bars in the risers..??? I know everyone is just rolling the bars back and forth to get the angle they like after moving them to the forward position .. but are there "centering marks" on the bars or are you guys just measuring/marking to center them..??
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If you talking about left/right centering, then yes, a quick sharpie will do just fine before rotating the risers....

I think you understand about the risers, but if not, look in your owners manual, it shows you what we're talking about.

Think I might try this myself, as I'm 6'1" with most of my height in my upper body, just need to stretch out a bit more.
 
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JnT4Life

New Member
raven6 said:
what about centering the bars in the risers..??? I know everyone is just rolling the bars back and forth to get the angle they like after moving them to the forward position .. but are there "centering marks" on the bars or are you guys just measuring/marking to center them..??
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I flipped my a couple weeks ago but can't remember. I'm pretty sure they were knurled as I had no problem getting the bars centered.
 
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JnT4Life

New Member
LOL we all three posted at about the same time. :thumbup:
 
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raven6

New Member
JonKerr said:
You're still not getting what we're talking about. The riders are offset. There is no centering them. It's either forward or backward.
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no I get it, you didn't understand my question....

my question was on centering the BARS in the risers after rotating the risers to the forward position... not centering the risers...

JnT4Life, arkkornkid and Dart1963 thanks...
 
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JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
Ahhhh. My mistake. Sorry. :eek:
 
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Roaddawg

New Member
All this talk about moving the risers...I might just move mine forward. The only reason I haven't done this yet (despite being 6'3") is I don't necessarily want to lean forward more or get lower. I want to fell comfortable and upright. Do you guys feel your forward? Or is it just not that noticable? I don't want to more any more weight on my wrists or back...that's my concern.
 
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JSP

Super Moderator
I dont notice like im "leaned" over more... It is hard to describe haha, I feel more comfortable. It isnt much of a move. I rotated mine down as well. My arm positions (elbow bend, wrist angle, etc) feel like they should now.

You shouldnt have any weight on your arms and hands even if you were in fullout supersport lean. You should have all your weight on your hips and legs.
 
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arkkornkid

New Member
Roaddawg said:
All this talk about moving the risers...I might just move mine forward. The only reason I haven't done this yet (despite being 6'3") is I don't necessarily want to lean forward more or get lower. I want to fell comfortable and upright. Do you guys feel your forward? Or is it just not that noticable? I don't want to more any more weight on my wrists or back...that's my concern.
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Just the opposite for me, that little extra reach puts less strain on my hands and wrist and I haven't noticed any strain in my shoulders or upper back.

and it really is quick/easy to change back if you don't like it
 

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arkkornkid

New Member
SupremeBean said:
Are there a proper torque settings for these bolts, in the Service Manual?

Or are they just tight?

I don't have one yet.
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I'm sure there are certain tourques, but just tight is good enough. You don't want to go overboard because the risers are aluminum and you'll strip the threads, and since it's not engine related torquing isn't a necessity. There are lock washers where the risers bolt to the triple-tree, so you'll be good there.
 
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