ProTaper Contour 1-1/8" Bar Conversion

[8000rpm]

First and foremost- shoutout to kelamist for the inspiration!

Ordered up some goodies in efforts to get more leverage on the steering. I went with a gold ProTaper Contour Universal Low-Bend bar and some ProTaper Oversize Bar Mounts. Hopefully I can squeeze out a wider and more useful grip on the bars for even better maneuverability/comfort. The bar mounts have a 4mm offset that I believe will come in handy for clearance between the bar and tank. Stay tuned.

[8000rpm]

Here's an update! At first glance, the new hardware included with the new clamps didn't look like they'd fit in the triple tree.. but to my surprise the OEM hardware fit like a glove! Install was easy, however I ran into the same issue that kelamist did- the throttle cables were too short and were binding at full right lock. Moving the throttle tube in towards the triple solved it. Unfortunately, by the time you moved it all to where things are not binding, the hand positions were not that much wider than stock bars. The angle of the bars was still different, though. These bars had measure lines so you could cut equal amounts off the ends, which I did to clean the look up. If you're looking for a slightly different riding position and an improvement in looks, I recommend this mod.





I'm currently in the works of retrofitting the OEM bar-ends onto these bars. If you didn't know, the OEM bar-ends are screwed into a welded part of the stock bars. To use these bar-ends elsewhere, you'll have to make your own rubber expansion mount. It's easy enough and you can source the parts easily at any hardware store. The list of things you'll need are:

2x longer but same spec bolts as the OEM bar-end bolts
4x washers that fit inside the handlebars
2x rubber tubing that fit inside the handlebars
2x nuts that fit on the ends of the bolts as well as inside the handlebars

The order would be [bolt][bar-end][washer][rubber tubing][washer][nut].

The idea is that by tightening the nut, you compress the rubber tubing in between the two washers, which expands inside the bar and creates a nice pressure fit for the bar ends to mount to the handlebars. Without them, anything over 5k is definitely buzzier.

I'll post up pictures of the bar-end retrofit when I finish. Cheers!

[8000rpm]

Well here we are! Bar-ends are on and mounted as described. They are very secure and aren't going anywhere. The rubber hose was a tight fit to begin with and required some serious jimmying and hammer shmacks to get the whole thing into the bar.



Tip to anyone mounting bar-ends with this method- find a way to keep the nut on the end from spinning when you tighten the bolt with bar end inserted into the bar. I used a couple dabs of hot glue to get things going. Once the pressure builds up, the nut usually stops spinning on the washer.

No more cable or wire binding, either. Installing bar ends pushed everything in just a little bit and gave just enough comfortable slack in the cables and wires. I also flipped the bar clamps to have the bars offset towards me. The clamps come offset by 4mm. There is still plenty of clearance between the tank and bar-ends. Just trying to see what's most comfortable. I like this config a lot so far.



Cheers!

[8000rpm]

Here's a stock bar comparison. The ProTaper bar is a little wider after cutting it down to size and has less of a bend back.

[bwally199]

Oct 22, 2015 10:27:04 GMT -6 8000rpm said:

Here's a stock bar comparison. The ProTaper bar is a little wider after cutting it down to size and has less of a bend back.

Hey I was wondering if you had filed the little notches off for the controls to hold them in place or if you drilled new holes in the bars for them to go into? I was worried they wouldn't stay put if I cut the notches off. Looks great by the way I just got mine in today.

[8000rpm]

Hey thanks! I filed the nubs off. I didn't trust myself to drill the hole correctly/straight into the bar, plus you get to rotate the bars over and over until you find the sweet spot without having to drill new holes, the controls just rotate when not tightened down.

[bwally199]

Yeah I ended up drilling mine. Figured if I messed up I could just file the tabs down after. I wasn't sure the controls would stay tight without the tabs that's why I went that route. I'm assuming they stay tight since you did it this way.

[bwally199]

[8000rpm]

Man! Black looks sweet. Yeah, no rotating once you tighten down the screws. Either way works!

[bwally199]

Its actually a different bend than you used. I ordered the universal low bend because I was worried if I went with anything else the cables would not reach for the controls. To my surprise when I received them in the mail they actually sent me Carmichael bend. They fit just fine. Had to cut off at the 4th line on each side. They feel ten times better than before!