Performance... cosmetic... Handlebars!
02-14-2014 | 03:44 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Superstock
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 250
From: Seattle
Performance... cosmetic... Handlebars!
OK, so here's what I want to know. I have another set of bars that looks like it's maybe 2 inches higher than stock. They're currently on my 2000 VFR800.
I have taller bars that I'm going to put on my VFR800, and then pirate those stockers over to the VTR, so everybody gets a 2 inch or so gain.
Who has done this before, and what issues did you run into with cables, fairing clearance, or other things that haven't occurred to me yet?
I don't wanna get both bikes taken apart and then find out there are major fitment issues.
I'm scary dangerous with a dremel and a cut-off wheel, and I can't afford a new fairing right now.
I have taller bars that I'm going to put on my VFR800, and then pirate those stockers over to the VTR, so everybody gets a 2 inch or so gain.
Who has done this before, and what issues did you run into with cables, fairing clearance, or other things that haven't occurred to me yet?
I don't wanna get both bikes taken apart and then find out there are major fitment issues.
I'm scary dangerous with a dremel and a cut-off wheel, and I can't afford a new fairing right now.
Last edited by FTL900; 02-14-2014 at 03:47 PM.
02-17-2014 | 05:31 PM
#5
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Superstock
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 458
From: Rome, GA
The helibars on my bike are just a tad shorter than the 2" gain those VFR bars look to give you, I'd say hydrolic line wise you will be cutting it close. I have a little bit of wiggle room on my hoses and wires, but not much
Oh and the only fairing clearance issue I have is at full left lock my brake fluid reservoir will clip the fairing just slightly but could easily be relocated a tad, and at right lock the fairing sometimes turns my high beam on
Oh and the only fairing clearance issue I have is at full left lock my brake fluid reservoir will clip the fairing just slightly but could easily be relocated a tad, and at right lock the fairing sometimes turns my high beam on
Last edited by insulinboy; 02-17-2014 at 05:33 PM.
02-17-2014 | 06:33 PM
#6
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Back Marker
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 249
From: Utah
I did braided front lines and had them add 2" but don't think it would have mattered. If they are adjusted so the high beam button doesn't hit, your fingers will get smashed at full lock
02-17-2014 | 07:01 PM
#7
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SuperSport
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 965
From: Asheville, North Carolina
I have the 2"Heli-bars on the 2001. The only issue I have had (with cables, brake lines, or clearance on switches)
I replaced the brake lines with steel braided -(for a VFR800)
The throttle cables can be adjusted out at the carbs.
As for the fairings- If you remove the mirrors- and from the factory -there are square Rubber (two hole) buffers between the fairing stay, and fairing.
I added three of these rubber buffers to both sides(between the fairing stay and fairing)... This raises the fairing enough to clear the headlight(selector) switch.. So, No need for the dremel tool...
I replaced the brake lines with steel braided -(for a VFR800)
The throttle cables can be adjusted out at the carbs.
As for the fairings- If you remove the mirrors- and from the factory -there are square Rubber (two hole) buffers between the fairing stay, and fairing.
I added three of these rubber buffers to both sides(between the fairing stay and fairing)... This raises the fairing enough to clear the headlight(selector) switch.. So, No need for the dremel tool...
02-17-2014 | 10:51 PM
#8
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Superstock
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 250
From: Seattle
Oh, I forgot, I already have braided brake lines on it, and they have plenty of room, since they were slightly long to begin with.
They were pirated from my Bandit 600 project bike when it needed +2 longer lines after a handlebar swap.
I put 70 miles on the bike today, my first ride longer than fingers on one hand.
Observations... this thing is a BLAST to ride!!
It feels SO much more like a sportbike in the corners than my VFR800...
lean it over and I can hear it talking to me... c'mon, you can lean farther than that, it's okay, c'mon over a little more...
Mine is geared -2 on the back to help with fuel range. Then the dang bike is geared so high that I ran 4th gear for the first 30 freeway miles, 6th gear on the return.
Even so, I got the RROD at 90, and milked it to 112 (in 6th gear on the return ride) before stopping for gas.
I put 4.07 gallons in, which means I got just over 25mpg, and had about 4 miles of freeway travel remaining before it turned into a 1-manpower pushing machine.
So next ride I have to get into high gear and stay there, to get a better idea of the actual freeway range.
For the first half of the ride, my right wrist and elbow hurt a little. By the trip home, it was okay. Amazingly, the seat was fine and never got my attention the whole day. Plenty of room to move around.
My neck was achy from helmet buffeting by the time I got home. I'm looking at a Zero Gravity touring windscreenafter the bar swap.
Does anyone have any direct experience with this windshield?? I'm wondering about this one vs the double bubble.
(Sport-touring shown above, double-bubble shown below)
I think I like this one better than the sport-touring one, and it does okay on my VFR800. I am not a great fan of the upturned lip.
Extra points are rewarded for pictures installed on your bike in addition to your personal opinion of either windshield.
They were pirated from my Bandit 600 project bike when it needed +2 longer lines after a handlebar swap.
I put 70 miles on the bike today, my first ride longer than fingers on one hand.
Observations... this thing is a BLAST to ride!!
It feels SO much more like a sportbike in the corners than my VFR800...
lean it over and I can hear it talking to me... c'mon, you can lean farther than that, it's okay, c'mon over a little more...
Mine is geared -2 on the back to help with fuel range. Then the dang bike is geared so high that I ran 4th gear for the first 30 freeway miles, 6th gear on the return.
Even so, I got the RROD at 90, and milked it to 112 (in 6th gear on the return ride) before stopping for gas.
I put 4.07 gallons in, which means I got just over 25mpg, and had about 4 miles of freeway travel remaining before it turned into a 1-manpower pushing machine.
So next ride I have to get into high gear and stay there, to get a better idea of the actual freeway range.
For the first half of the ride, my right wrist and elbow hurt a little. By the trip home, it was okay. Amazingly, the seat was fine and never got my attention the whole day. Plenty of room to move around.
My neck was achy from helmet buffeting by the time I got home. I'm looking at a Zero Gravity touring windscreenafter the bar swap.
Does anyone have any direct experience with this windshield?? I'm wondering about this one vs the double bubble.
(Sport-touring shown above, double-bubble shown below)
I think I like this one better than the sport-touring one, and it does okay on my VFR800. I am not a great fan of the upturned lip.
Extra points are rewarded for pictures installed on your bike in addition to your personal opinion of either windshield.
Last edited by FTL900; 02-17-2014 at 11:01 PM.
02-18-2014 | 03:53 AM
#9
Senior Member
SuperBike
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,544
From: New South Wales Australia
I have a cheap Chinese screen and it is a massive improvement over the standardrd one.
I too like the way that the bike munches miles.
My record is 920 Klms in a day that I did last year.
Total trip was 2400Klms that I did in 3 days.
I had a backpack, tank bag, soft panniers and another gear bag strapped on and all was well.
I wouldn't want to take a pillion, but one up these things munch the miles and are fun to boot!
Good to see you getting some miles up but be careful, if you get the bug it will consume a fair bit of your time.
I too like the way that the bike munches miles.
My record is 920 Klms in a day that I did last year.
Total trip was 2400Klms that I did in 3 days.
I had a backpack, tank bag, soft panniers and another gear bag strapped on and all was well.
I wouldn't want to take a pillion, but one up these things munch the miles and are fun to boot!
Good to see you getting some miles up but be careful, if you get the bug it will consume a fair bit of your time.
02-18-2014 | 08:12 AM
#10
Senior Member
Superstock
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 458
From: Rome, GA
I have a double bubble and a stocker and the double bubble fixes all the helmet buffeting as well it keeps the bugs from getting up under your helmet 
The sport touring screens are great, but they look like **** and kill your fuel mileage. With a slight tuck (just enough to relax my arms and get comfy) I actually notice a consistant 2mpg gain on my fuel mileage with the double bubble on the freeway with stock gearing
AllChaos, Thanks for that. I'm going to have to go find me some washers to put behind my fairings. That is a great idea
Mseththunder: I could use an extra 2" too, but the pills never work
The sport touring screens are great, but they look like **** and kill your fuel mileage. With a slight tuck (just enough to relax my arms and get comfy) I actually notice a consistant 2mpg gain on my fuel mileage with the double bubble on the freeway with stock gearing
AllChaos, Thanks for that. I'm going to have to go find me some washers to put behind my fairings. That is a great idea
Mseththunder: I could use an extra 2" too, but the pills never work
02-18-2014 | 08:41 AM
#11
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Superstock
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 250
From: Seattle
02-21-2014 | 05:19 PM
#12
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MotoGP
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 5,116
From: Gettysburg, Pa
04-01-2014 | 02:02 PM
#14
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Superstock
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 250
From: Seattle
OK, life moved on and I forgot about this thread. Skiing in Vail, dual sport riding in Death Valley, you know how it is...
So I did the bar swap - I put my 2000 5th Gen VFR800 bars on it. It was painless. No extra cable length or anything was needed, I just installed new handgrips and bar ends.
On far right turns, the high beam switch gets depressed, just like others had reported, and on far left turn, the corner edge of the windshield slid right thru that slot between the throttle assembly and the switchgear.
So I took the fairing off when I added the double bubble windscreen. I tried to 'bend' the fairing brackets up a tad by sticking a long socket extension in the end and prying on it, but I'd be really surprised if I gained anything at all there. I don't think that had any effect.
Then I shimmed the fairing above the bracket a touch, at the mirror mount. I had a small flat 2" square piece of plastic that probably came with body putty or something, and I cut it in half and put half on each side, between the fairing bracket and the fairing. It was soft, so it was very easy to drill holes for the mirror bolts in it. It was maybe 1/8 of an inch thick.
Then I loosened the bars and pulled them back until they just almost touch the tank on full turn lock. Between these adjustments, I can now get full turn lock out of the front end without banging into things, and the fairing clearance isn't an issue at all.
I like the new bars much better than the stockers- the riding position is no longer the painful "ergonomics by Gixxer" that it used to be. It's not a huge change, but it's enough to be worthwhile.
I'll post pics later, as soon as our gale force winds stop blowing.
So I did the bar swap - I put my 2000 5th Gen VFR800 bars on it. It was painless. No extra cable length or anything was needed, I just installed new handgrips and bar ends.
On far right turns, the high beam switch gets depressed, just like others had reported, and on far left turn, the corner edge of the windshield slid right thru that slot between the throttle assembly and the switchgear.
So I took the fairing off when I added the double bubble windscreen. I tried to 'bend' the fairing brackets up a tad by sticking a long socket extension in the end and prying on it, but I'd be really surprised if I gained anything at all there. I don't think that had any effect.
Then I shimmed the fairing above the bracket a touch, at the mirror mount. I had a small flat 2" square piece of plastic that probably came with body putty or something, and I cut it in half and put half on each side, between the fairing bracket and the fairing. It was soft, so it was very easy to drill holes for the mirror bolts in it. It was maybe 1/8 of an inch thick.
Then I loosened the bars and pulled them back until they just almost touch the tank on full turn lock. Between these adjustments, I can now get full turn lock out of the front end without banging into things, and the fairing clearance isn't an issue at all.
I like the new bars much better than the stockers- the riding position is no longer the painful "ergonomics by Gixxer" that it used to be. It's not a huge change, but it's enough to be worthwhile.
I'll post pics later, as soon as our gale force winds stop blowing.
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