Renthal or other aftermarket bars?

[AndyW]

After a couple of hundred miles 'brisk' riding round North Devon at the weekend I experienced what I image to be something along the lines of Tendonitis in my left wrist and some tingling in a couple of fingers!

I've read on the forum that a number of people have swapped out the standard bars for various Renthal replacements having experienced discomfort due to the way the ends of the standard bars are angled inwards slightly.

I would like the chance to see some after market bars fitted before I make a decision/hand over any money!
Is there anyone within a reasonable riding distance of Weston-S-Mare (south of Bristol) that has Renthals or similar bars fitted that I could take a look at?
No pressure but we're off to Germany (guess where! in three weeks time so I want to sort something out pretty quick

Alternatively posting photos here with details of the 'product code'/dimensions of Renthal (or other) bars fitted may help.

Many thanks
Andy

 

[Wizard]

Depends what you mean by "reasonable"

I went to a local Renthal stockist and played (squatted and stuck me arse out holding the bars). When I found a set I liked, I checked the catalogue for dimensions, and ordered the nearest set of Fat Bars. Bloomin brill

Oh, and camera's giving grief, so no pics.

 

[NeilG]

With a bit of assistance from Tobers and Joker's threads I fitted a set of Renthal Fatbars - 966 model.

Big improvement in riding position, less sweep and slightly narrower, feels more like riding a bike than an armchair.

Needed to fit NN's 'back and up' risers to stop handguards knocking the screen (Secdem fitted - probably would have been OK with original). Hand position is now slightly further forward and marginally lower than with the standard bars, but the angle is much better - straighter. Ideally I would have preferred the bars a bit more forward and lower but then would have had to compromise on the screen.

Originally tried Twinwall bars, but swapped them to Fatbars as the tie rod fouled the tankbag (standard BMW model). This meant I had to deviate to M8 bolts and Rawlplug expanders for bar ends, as the inner dimension of the Fatbar is less than the Twinwall. All fits fine now with no fouling and Secdem at middle adjustment.

 

[AndyW]

Depends what you mean by "reasonable"

...........................................................

............I might get over your way one day but not in the next three weeks!


Thanks Mr W and NeilG ..............anyone else............PLEASE

 

[Tobers]

I work in Slough so if you want a blast up the M4 you can take a peek at mine.

Honestly though, just go for it. Fitting is pretty simple. Get Nippy's up & back risers as well otherwise you'll be uncomfortably far forward.

I've got a set of "Sebastian Tortelli" twinwalls by the way which are lovely.

Andy

 

[ALEXG]

Try slackening off the torx bolts that clamp the bars and rotating slightly . I've done this and been pleasantly surprised by how an ever so slight change takes the strain off my wrists .

 

[sproggy]

Get Nippy's up & back risers as well otherwise you'll be uncomfortably far forward.

Andy (Tobers), I think that's a somewhat unsafe assumption to make! I love my twinwall 999's just where they are - fitted straight onto the yolks with no risers. I'm 5'7" and have my seat on the low position - if you're taller and have the seat on high I can understand the bars being too low but not neccesarily too far forward...

It's all a matter of taste, really. I like the riding position that I now have (not too different from the K1200R) and find it comfortable both on the motorway (leant forward into the wind and closer to the screen) and in town (not too much weight on wrists). The standard screen did need modification, though, to clear the hand guards.

AndyW, I'd suggest first finding bars that put your arms/wrists in a comfortable position, fitting them to the bike and riding it, and only then deciding whether you need them further up or back.

 

[earthmover]

Andy
PM,d you.
Mark

 

[cookiemonster]

couple of pics of twinwalls on my 12

I've the NN risers on also. As it happened i started with 966's, found them too flat and changed them for 999's. They do make a huge difference though; easily the best mod i've made to the bike.

Here are a couple of pics; not sure how well you can really see the bars though:

 

[sproggy]

I had a couple of attempts at taking pictures of mine but had to give up - black bars, black controls and handguards, black side panels, black tank and beak.......just wouldn't come out in a way that showed anything useful.

 

[AndyW]

Thanks guys .........appreciate the tips and advice.
My plan to take a look at bars before I buy sounds more and more a good idea if I am to get the bars that suit me (996, 999 or...........???). Anyone know of a bike shop in the Bristol area that carries renthal bars? (have made enquiries to UK distributors but no answers yet)
Once having found the right bars, fit and try before considering risers etc is a good idea!

Anyone else??...................

 

[AndyW]

I had a couple of attempts at taking pictures of mine but had to give up - black bars, black controls and handguards, black side panels, black tank and beak.......just wouldn't come out in a way that showed anything useful.

.........which Renthal bars did you fit Sproggy?

 

[sproggy]

.........which Renthal bars did you fit Sproggy?

999 Jeremy McGrath bend - the same as cookiemonster ended up with. They took me a few days to get used to but now I love them - the bike feels completely different (in a good way ). But just as all the pro motocross riders have different shaped bars, different shapes will suit different GS riders so it definitely pays to look at a variety of bends.

Me, I just looked at the Renthal specs (here), decided the 999's were what I needed, ordered some (ebay) and fitted them. Fortunately I'm happy with my choice but that's probably more down to luck than judgement!

 

[TheJoker]

Andy, when I sold my GS, I took my bars off, they're still on a shelf in the garage. Would they be worth £50..? if you don't like them, send them back? They'll fit straight on. Check out the aforementioned thread about how they look on the bike. "Unfortunately" mine are anodised blue, so unless you've got a blue (fast colour) bike, they might look a bit out of place...

Well worth it, hated the ride to the dealer after I put the OEM bars back on

 

[AndyW]

So far............

Thanks TJ - my GS is (the even faster) Red - blue bars may still look ok. Appreciate the offer so have dropped you a PM.

Renthal bar options (so far):

Wizard - I checked the catalogue for dimensions, and ordered the nearest set of Fat Bars. Bloomin brill

NeilG - Originally tried Twinwall bars, but swapped them to Fatbars 996 as the tie rod fouled the tankbag (standard BMW model). This meant I had to deviate to M8 bolts and Rawlplug expanders for bar ends, as the inner dimension of the Fatbar is less than the Twinwall. All fits fine now with no fouling and Secdem at middle adjustment.

Tobers - I've got a set of "Sebastian Tortelli" twinwalls by the way which are lovely.

Sproggy - I love my Twinwall 999's (999 Jeremy McGrath bend - the same as cookiemonster ended up with)

Cookiemonster - As it happened i started with 966's, found them too flat and changed them for TwinWall 999's. They do make a huge difference though; easily the best mod i've made to the bike.

Looking at other related threads there seems to be an even spread between FatBars and the TwinWalls
- with the TW's the original bar ends/hand guards fit straight on without any DIY??

Usefull info:
FatBar model options, dimensions and Part No's
http://www.renthal.com/fbmaster.asp

....and the same for TwinWalls:
http://www.renthal.com/twmaster.asp

 

[sproggy]

- with the TW's the original bar ends/hand guards fit straight on without any DIY??

No - you need to cut the end weights down - basically removing the smaller diameter part so that the 'fat' part of the weight butts up against the end of the bars. Other than that the bars fit on with no cutting or modifications although if you don't fit risers you are likely to have to modifiy the screen otherwise the hand guards will hit it, limiting steering lock.

 

[AndyW]

Finally got round to fitting a set of bars that I bought from TheJoker, a set of TAG T2 bars (TAG Metals), much the same as Renthals. No idea what the bend is but they look and feel good - test ride tomorrow

Gone for the straight fit for the moment, no risers and just sitting on the bike I like the position but the test will be in riding the bike!!!! Rough measurements show them as about 0.5" higher and 1.5" further forward than the standard bars.

Thanks to everyone for your input and particularly the guys that have documented the installation process :niceone:

Noticed that the standard bars have what appears to be a ceramic(?) coating where the heated grips sit.......anyone had issues with heated grips and non standard bars???????

Thanks again

 

[sproggy]

If you haven't fitted risers please check that you've got clearance between the hand guards and screen on lock before you ride the bike. When I first fitted my Renthals, the lock was severely restricted and I nearly dropped the bike a couple of times as a result. Re-profiling the screen did the trick.

I don't think the coating under the grips is anything to do with heat insulation - the grips don't get that hot! I reckon that on the right hand side it's to reduce friction between the throttle grip (as it rotates) and the bar. On the left hand side.......anybody's guess!