Has anyone lowered their handlebars?

[jeff400650]

I installed the risers (60mm) from my link above, and they are exactly what I wanted! They are 35mm shorter than the stock ones. For me, it really transforms the bike. It feels better just cruising along, but is really great for aggressive cornering. Easier to get forward in attack(ish) position. Better road feel.

They clear the tank trim by 1/4" at full lock. And they are very svelte and lean. Easier to get my big hands down to the key. 

It was a bit of a pain to get to the nuts under the top clamp, but I'm very glad I did it.

[texscottyd]

@jeff400650 - I’m glad that worked out for you!   Would you mind posting a couple of pictures of the finished project?  It sounds like an easier route than swapping handlebars would be.   

[betoney]

8 hours ago, jeff400650 said:

They clear the tank trim by 1/4" at full lock. And they are very svelte and lean. Easier to get my big hands down to the key.

Nice!  Just  enough tank clearance AND more room to reach the key, Win, Win! 

Like @texscottyd mentioned, a couple photos from different angles would be nice, it could help others.

[jeff400650]

[texscottyd]

Ohhhhh...  that’s tempting.  I’m not a fan of the design of the original risers, and this - in typical Rizoma fashion - looks beautifully made.  This addresses the height, not the width or sweep...  honestly, I think I’m ok with the standard bar if I get it down and forward like this.   Decisions, decisions.   

So @jeff400650, just to clarify, the bottom of the switchgear housings still clear the top of the tank at full lock in both directions?  That looked like it would be the first point of interference on my bike.   

Thanks for the updates! 

-Scott

[Trambo]

Swanky! Rizoma makes beautiful stuff. Good pics, too... clearances are uber-tight, no joke.

[jeff400650]

The soft, outer insulation for the wires touch the tank trim on the left side at full lock, but in no way seem problematic. And the risers come with a pair of nice little spacers that can be used to raise them about 4mm. I tried them first with the spacers, but could see that I did not need them, so took them back out. Also, they are offset 5mm forward and back like the stock risers, so you can mount the for more or less reach. I like the forward position.

the throttle cable got tight with the lowering and wanted to not return to closed at full left lock, I adjusted it for more free play with the thumb wheel adjuster, and all is well.

I have only ridden about 10 easy miles on em. I am about to go for a little longer ride with good twisties in a few minutes.

[2and3cylinders]

 

 

 

these were great and cheap

1.     Outlaw Racing TH-08 “Low” Black 1-1/8” Handlebars (shortened 18 mm w-ends drilled & tapped M16 x 1.5 x 30 for OEM M8 threaded bar end inserts).  Packed full & solid with BBs

 

[iitywygms]

On 4/27/2019 at 1:50 PM, jeff400650 said:

The soft, outer insulation for the wires touch the tank trim on the left side at full lock, but in no way seem problematic. And the risers come with a pair of nice little spacers that can be used to raise them about 4mm. I tried them first with the spacers, but could see that I did not need them, so took them back out. Also, they are offset 5mm forward and back like the stock risers, so you can mount the for more or less reach. I like the forward position.

the throttle cable got tight with the lowering and wanted to not return to closed at full left lock, I adjusted it for more free play with the thumb wheel adjuster, and all is well.

I have only ridden about 10 easy miles on em. I am about to go for a little longer ride with good twisties in a few minutes.

So it's been a year.  Still have them on?  Any regrets?

[WKE002]

Great Timing on Handlebar question. without seeing the bike yet and pic above, why does the manual state able to adjust 1 of 2 position only.... handle bar are round, hence why limit to just 1 of 2 which one can rotate as much as possible (that been said does not hinder the tank). 

For those that have meddle/change handlebar, can i confirm its 22nm torque for the 4 screws that hold the handlebar. much appreciate. 

 

[BBB]

@WKE002, the risers can be turned through 180 degrees and that moves the bars slightly forward and backwards, hence 2 positions.

Yamaha doesn’t acknowledge that you can rotate the bars in the risers, in fact it has an indent on the left which it suggests you align with the riser tops. You can of course do as you wish.

[texscottyd]

18 hours ago, iitywygms said:

So it's been a year.  Still have them on?  Any regrets?

I can’t speak for for original poster, but I did exactly the same thing and LOVE the results.   It feels more natural to me than the stock setup, especially in combination with the CalSci shorty windscreen I use.  The slightly more forward lean is nicely balanced by the airflow at 75 mph or so. 

I’ve put about 1,500 miles on the bike with the Rizoma risers, and my only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.  

More details in the following thread... scroll down to look through follow-up comments.  

 

[iitywygms]

22 minutes ago, texscottyd said:

I can’t speak for for original poster, but I did exactly the same thing and LOVE the results.   It feels more natural to me than the stock setup, especially in combination with the CalSci shorty windscreen I use.  The slightly more forward lean is nicely balanced by the airflow at 75 mph or so. 

I’ve put about 1,500 miles on the bike with the Rizoma risers, and my only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.  

Thanks for the info.  Did you run into any issues with cables or levers?  Sounds like this is pretty straight forward swap.  I just pulled the trigger on getting some.

 

[texscottyd]

26 minutes ago, iitywygms said:

Thanks for the info.  Did you run into any issues with cables or levers?  Sounds like this is pretty straight forward swap.  I just pulled the trigger on getting some.

 

No problems with cable lengths, although you will need to play around a bit with handlebar and switchgear locations to get everything to clear.    I ended up with the bar rotated up a few degrees from stock, which angled the levers a bit further down...it feels perfect for me at 6’1”.    I installed these Rizoma risers with the offset towards the front, for a slightly longer reach to the bars.    I run the seat in the tall position.   I also have removed the factory hand guards, and I doubt these Rizoma risers would work with them installed, due to clearances with the mounting hardware around the switchgear.  

One install tip:   Remove the bodywork and fuel tank to get full access.   Tightening the bolts into the new risers from under the top clamp takes a bit of work, and it’s easiest to come at it from behind the upper triple clamp and above the air box.   

It’s a straightforward install, and I am really happy with the results.