mardak Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Hi guys. I was sitting on my new (unridden) bike last night and I noticed that the inside of my thumbs were under some tension. I have very wide shoulders, but even so I felt like the bars were forcing my wrist into a more straight position than optimal. To test my theory I put old handgrips in my hands, closed my eyes, and held them at a comfortable 'resting' position just above my bars. Sure enough, my wrists naturally sat at a moderately more swept back angle. Since I have a very knackered throttle wrist I've done what I can to hit the ground running with my new bike, and fit Vibranators and grip puppies to quell vibrations. I'm tempted to fill the bars with play sand as well, but all these measures are kinda pointless if my wrist is sitting at a bad angle for me. I'm considering buying an Evo Adventure handlebar, but can't find comparable specs on the stock bars anywhere. Anyone know them? Sweep and height being the most relevant. Thanks, Mark. '16 FJ09 - Mivv Carbon Oval full exhaust¦MCCruise TBW/FJR switch cruise control¦Corbin seat¦GPR steering damper¦Givi D2122S windscreen¦MT-09 Adventure footpegs¦Motodynamic taillight/flushmount signals/fender eliminator¦OEM heated grips¦Shorty levers¦T-Rex sliders¦SW Motech Blaze bags¦KTM handguards¦Vibranators¦Grip Puppies¦CF fender extender¦Pyramid rear hugger extender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsimple Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 I hated the stock handlebars, and also had the pain in the thumb. I went through quite a bit to get rid of them. I highly recommend you give this a read. http://fj-09.org/thread/2924/handlebar 2015 Red FJ 09 2013 WR250R - little boy blue - sold 2012 DL650 V Strom - sold 2007 FZ6 - sold 1986 FJ600 - sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eeetea Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Interesting discussion. When I first picked my bike, I rode about 120miles home. By the time I got 20 miles from home, I was struggling to pull the clutch in, sharp pain RSI. I've been riding bikes for years and NEVER had this issue. Somethin' ain't right! I've angled the levers down, and its better but not perfect. Interestingly I had the opposite problem with my TDM900, bars angled in too much, whereas these are angled too outwards. My R1200 GS was pretty good, but perfection was my KTM990 Adventure... So alternative bars? What's the answer then chaps? Honda SS50, Kawasaki Z200, Honda 400/4, Yamaha TDM900, Yamaha XT660Z Tenere, KTM 990 Adventure, BMW R1200GS, Mr Stevens, and my favourite of all: Yamaha MT-09 Tracer...a bit like FJ-09 only properly named :¬P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member wessie Posted April 1, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted April 1, 2016 can you rotate the bars in the clamps to provide a different angle? Yamaha do a set or bar risers http://www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk/products/motorcycles/mt/mt-09-tracer.aspx?view=accessories&partcode=2PP-FHBRS-00-00&year=2016 but I'm sure there are cheaper pattern parts available This signature is left blank as the poster writes enough pretentious bollocks as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickrides Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 My wife and I both have the same problem with our new FJ09s. Thumbs killing us by the half-way point of any ride. Rode about 3 hours today and it was almost unbearable. The pull back angle is too freaking flat. When I got home I compared the FJ09 bars to the "Superbike" bend bars I have on my Kawi ZRX and Ducati Monster and they have more of a bend toward the rider and are far narrower than the FJ09 bars. This is clearly a very poor design and I will be looking for replacement bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member wessie Posted May 15, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted May 15, 2016 My wife and I both have the same problem with our new FJ09s. Thumbs killing us by the half-way point of any ride. Rode about 3 hours today and it was almost unbearable. The pull back angle is too freaking flat. When I got home I compared the FJ09 bars to the "Superbike" bend bars I have on my Kawi ZRX and Ducati Monster and they have more of a bend toward the rider and are far narrower than the FJ09 bars. This is clearly a very poor design and I will be looking for replacement bars. I don't buy the poor design comment as it is not something that generates much traffic on this forum. It does not suit you & your wife but you are a very small sample in the pool of Tracer/FJ owners. Your comment is a bit like me saying a Ducati Panigale is a poor design because my legs won't bend to the position of the foot pegs! As I say above, Yamaha has designed a system that is adjustable and offer parts to further adapt the bike to suit those who have different dimensions to the stock set-up. This seems to be a good design feature as some bikes offer little scope for adjustments without making bespoke parts yourself. This signature is left blank as the poster writes enough pretentious bollocks as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickrides Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 I don't buy the poor design comment as it is not something that generates much traffic on this forum. It does not suit you & your wife but you are a very small sample in the pool of Tracer/FJ owners. Your comment is a bit like me saying a Ducati Panigale is a poor design because my legs won't bend to the position of the foot pegs! Read more: http://fj-09.org/thread/3347/bad-wrist-angle-stock-sweep#ixzz48k29xFLL OK, I'll give you that. I think the bend is more of an "adventure" bike style than a purely street style. But it seems that more than just a few people have an issue with it. I'll just buy some aftermarket bars that work for us. Certainly, the bars aren't welded on and can be changed to suit individual needs. BTW, the Panigale is a bad design because the exhaust roasts everyone's right leg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member estell Posted May 15, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted May 15, 2016 I have had a numb thumb effect on long rides, not necessarily painful. It only affects my right thumb. I have done three things to help alleviate the numbness. Add grip puppies. They make the grips larger and softer. Add bar risers. They take some of the weight off my hands. Add cruise control. This will allow me to rest my throttle hand. 2015 red FJ-09: Cal Sci screen, Sargent seat, ECU flash, slider combo, cruise, Rizoma bars, Matts forks, JRi shock, slipper clutch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YamaGeezer Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I have the same wrist pain. I'm hoping someone will solve this and post their solution. I have done a couple 200 mile days and my left wrist is what's keeping me from doing more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vince Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Rotate your bars back. It will give you more sweep angle. I rotated mine back till they just touch the tank then used 2" Rox Risers to raise them back up and forward. Fixed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vince Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Routed the clutch cable behind the triple clamps and loosened up some of the wiring cable ties. Also disconnected the front brake line mount at bottom of triple clamps. With rotating the bars back far enough to get a downward point at the ends the stretch is over the 2" of the rox risers. I got the risers from an inmate for a great price and was time limited so went this route as I had OEM heated grips. If looking for bars I would look at the dirt side. Cheaper and the makers usually have the rise and sweep listed. Price of tapered bars is close to price of the risers new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickrides Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 I just finished installing Renthal "Streetfighter" fatbars on my wife's FJ09. The bend is basically the same as the "Superbike" bars I have on my other bikes--about an inch or so more pull back than the stock bars at the end of the bar. Hoping this simple mod will alleviate the thumb pain we've experienced. I did not have to change any cables. As I had the dealership install heated grips, I was not sure how much extra wiring there was so pulled off the right side bodywork to get access. Had to cut a few cable ties to get the slack I needed to pull the left grip off but that wasn't too big a deal to put back together. I took a lot of photos of where things went. Wish the dealership had not used contact cement to put the handgrip on the bar. The Renthal bars do not have threaded ends so the end cap that screws into the stock bars to support the hand guards will not work unless you have your Renthal bars tapped. I don't really like the stock hand guards anyway and with heated grips probably won't miss them much. So I will install bar end weights and see how that goes. Also, since you may not be using the piece that threads into the end of the handlebar, make sure to take that into account when determining where to drill the two holes for the posts for the controls to fit. It's about 1/2" long. It takes a large hex wrench to remove from the bars. Take them off when the bar is still mounted on the bike. We are installing the Puig touring windshields on our FJ09s. My wife has ridden behind hers and found it offered great wind protection and a nice quiet pocket for the rider. Once I have my new Renthal bars on my FJ (maybe today), I will mount the new windshield as well. One thing about the Puig windshield is that it is a lot wider than stock and you have to remove the outer cover on the handguards so they are not quite as pretty. I saw a post here about that and someone had trimmed the handguards where they interfered with the Puig windshield. Since I am not using the handguards I really don't care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g8r Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 I also installed the 2" Rox risers and noticed a big improvement to the reach and more upright seating position. I keep hoping that HeliBars will make an FJ-09 application. That will solve the concerns of any rider. The company just stated in an email that it would give a free set to a rider that will loan a bike for R&D. That is a $650 value if you live in New England near the Maine manufacturing facility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickrides Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Took my wife's bike out for about an hour ride with the new Renthal "Streetfighter" bars and Puig touring fairing installed. I'd say the bars solve the sore thumb issue about 75% based on this sampling. The left thumb was fine, the right I could still feel a bit. I have the cozys on my grips, which may help. Also, am installing the Go Cruise 2 throttle lock on both bikes so we can give our right hand a rest on long stretches of road--though we usually ride in the twisties as much as possible. At 5'10" the Puig touring windscreen works pretty well for me in the highest position. Wind just hits the top of my helmet but it is quite a bit more quiet than the stock windscreen--I can actually hear the engine when I wind it out now. There is a pretty nice pocket of quiet air behind it. Could block too much air in the summer. We'll see. It was 77 here today so not an issue. Bar risers might be an idea if the thumb issue is not close to 100% solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickrides Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Installed the Renthal "Stretfighters" on my FJ09 and took two rides in the mountains this weekend. Posted the details elsewhere in a handlebar discussion. Overall, 90-95% cure for the sore thumb issue. Still have a bit of a wrist issue so may go with risers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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