Ducati Monster Forum

So I'm considering converting my stock bars on my S4R to clip ons. I've seen a lot of different brands, stuff on monster parts.com look nice.

I am looking for information on what else is involved with clip ons. What other costs are involved? What considerations do I need to look at? I think I want above the tree clip ons because i dont want a drastic drop.

What advice does eveyone have? can anyone point me to a good thread, recommend what you have?

thanks

check out the SWAT clip ons. they mount below the top triple, but have about a 3" rise, so the change is not so dramatic.

I would recommend below the triple clipons with some rise to them.  If you drop the forks in the triple to clamp the clip ons it will change the geometry of the bike....plus I think it looks funny, IMO.  My bike has zero rise and it is very agressive.  If you are going to do clipons plan on a new triple clamp and possibly lowering the gauges. 

Got my Clip-on's from Motowheels with the 1.5'' rise. Also recently lowered the gauges and went with a Speedymoto top triple.
I have them mounted above the top tree (as u can see below) and I can ride the thing for hours without any back aches or whatever...
Yes, It looks much better with the clip-on's under the top tree, but sometimes (very rarely in my world) function wins over form..

you dont NEED it but it does look much better with one...

I have tomaselli adjustables on my 900, and absolutely love the look, feel, improved handling
etc. Would post some pics if could work out how to!

I am at the same point in my modding decisions.
I like both the Swatt's and Tall Boys from Speedy Moto.
Having seen some more snaps of the Speedy Moto items I am leaning toward the Swatt's.
 
If you look a little further down the page or maybe on the next page of Acc & Mods there is another thread on the
subject with excellent discussions on mounting etc...

ProTeal55  I like your set up. Did you do all the moving of the controls yourself? how much adjusting needed to be done?

I have had the Swatt`s with 1 1/2 in rise since October. I really like them. I have them mounted under the tripples. Lower your headlight and gauges. It`ll look really good and the riding position for me is great since I have long arms. It helps a lot for me to lean over the bike more. With the old bars I would sit up too much. It is a lot easier to turn now.

IMO I don`t really like the look of the 3 in rise bars towering up past the triple. What is the point on changing to them when they are even or higher than the stock bars. Mine are even with the top triple and I might even lower them a bit more.

ok i see a lot of folk saying they had to lower or relocate the lights and gauges. what did you have to do in order to accomplish this? Also with the Swatt's how much is involved with swapping all the controls over. Does anything fit correctly any lines need to be redone?

I wouldn't really tackle lowering the guages and headlight unless you're pretty mechanically savvy and/or have the tools to deal with it.  It's not tough, per se, but it's a bit involved. 

Clipons are one of my most frustrating future mods, I think.  There are tons of things you need to look into.

- Rise height:  I'm tall, like someone mentioned so lower clipons aren't bad for me, but YMMV
- One or two piece clamp:  if you're going to lower the guages and lamp anyway, it won't be a big deal to have a one piece clamp that just slides over the fork tubes.  Otherwise, get a two piece. 
- New triple: I hate doing one mod and leaving something to finish later.  When I get my clipons, I'm going to get a triple and new headlamp at the same time so it's down to one big project. 
- Fork upgrades:  are you dong this for aesthetics or performance?  If for performance, I'd look into respringing your current forks or upgrading to S4R lifters or SBK lifters.  If you go with SBK, you'll have to buy entirely new clipons due to the difference in fork diameter. 

You may be the type of person to just slap some new stuff on your bike and go.  I envy you:)  I'm too nitt picky.  These folks have already listed off the major brands made for Monsters but do a bit of research.  The interwebs have quite a good selection.

thanks J

I like to think i'm pretty mechanically inclined. I've just recently gotten into the moto world but i've been fooling around with cars for a long time. Old hot rods are my real passion. Like you said I just need to figure out what I want.

The 3.5" Swatt put the base of the grips about two inches lower than stock bars. The SpeedyMoto Tall Boys are a bit higher - from what I've seen my guess is an inch higher than the Swatts.
My main reason for switching to clip ons was the downward bar angle and the "radical" sweep angle - my hands grip the clip on bars at a natural angle now (for agressive riding).

just a note to people considering clipons....

i have clipons (above triple) and my friend has stock bars on his monster.

I love or hate each setup depending on what kind of riding i do. city = bars are best
but diggin into turns, and burning around mountain switchbacks id rather have my clipons


but you should realize that this may hurt your turning radius severely in parking situations,
also i have a cramp buster and i could imagine a scenario where it got pinned to the tank, pinning the throttle open by accident
may limit your mirror choices (i really want rizoma reverse retro undermounted but no go on clipons)

all in all im not saying dont get them, but its not a clear and easy upgrade, its definitely a give a little take a little

I run Speedymoto with a rise to them. I had Apex but they were to low for me and made the bike feel funny on "Push/Pull" when riding hard.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3418/3240884142_5831de89a6.jpg?v=0)


I also ran Motowheel clipons on my 620 and they felt awesome. They were top mounted.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3366/3508067688_3c5742bc70.jpg?v=0)

I put Woodcraft clip-on's on and love them.  It's like a whole new bike.  I commute about 100 miles a day (50 to and 50 from) and don't mind the more aggressive position but would not want to do more than 100 miles at a time without a break.  Install wasn't hard, I did the clip-ons first, then rode it for a week to make sure I liked ir before dropping gauges and swapping the top triple.

There was an incredible thread that had all the different clip-on's with pictures and links.  I looked but couldn't find it, maybe someone knows where it is...

(http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp331/joev160/DSC_9645.jpg)

that looks awesome, what kind of rise do they have if any?

Here's my recently fitted Speedymoto tallboys.... much less radical than anything else pictured here.... Grip height is around 2" below stock bars with more bar down angle and (disappointingly) only around the same sweep-back angle as stock - I was hoping to get much more sweepback than has been possible.  All combined with very slightly reduced steering lock.... I'll live with it for a while to see how I like, but my initial feeling is that Swatts would allow a more acute sweep-back angle....  (How much steering lock are you guys sacrificing in order to achieve a more radical sweepback angle?)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3406/3635837690_58a7b43040_b.jpg)

Crappy pic I know...

Jeez, you guys are making searches difficult by having 19 different clip-on threads.   :P

Your grip height is ok, isn't it? If not, to me, it looks like you could raise the clip ons on the forks.
I think I mentioned the sweep angle challenge with the Tall Boys, somewhere in our 19 threads.
My Swatt set up allows a pretty radical sweep - with acceptable steering lock. I'm guessing the turning diameter has increased 10-15%. This is on a S2R - don't know if it will be the same on 696/1100

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/clipons001.jpg)

RavnMonster, the Woodcraft clip-on's I have have zero rise to them.

Hey Ungeheuer,

     As you've just fitted these I am sure you haven't had much of a chance to ride.
When you do let us know what it is like and if you can manage some more pics that would be great too.
I am deciding between Tall Boys and Swatts.

Yup, I'm happy with the grip height.  Lower but not too much is what I wanted so the height is fine.  That the Speedymotos are...um... side mounted.. means that the risers themselves actually limit steering lock and therefor sweepback angle.... seems to me that with the front mounted Swatts (as on your bike) coz the whole assembly is ahead of the top triple you can achieve a more radical sweepback angle for the same steering lock sacrifice (if I'm making any sense at all here).  As fitted I have lost almost no steering lock, but gained almost no improvement in sweepback angle either......  with Swatts I could perhaps pull the bars back more and still keep most of my steering lock.... Maybe?  lol...

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3078/3634796413_7e97a8f78f_b.jpg)

Exactly what I was getting at... [bang]

I know man, I just wanted the OP to know that it wasn't an integral part of mounting clip ons. [thumbsup]

ok so if I order the Swatt Moto clip ons from Monster parts. They show up in the mail and that will be all I will need to put them on? I'm not going to get them and then the "oh you forgot to order this part to go along with it"  am I? I can swap out my bars to clip ons and i'll be ready to roll?

additionally,

How do I remove the and grips? Is there a trick to it? I want to do the job right and not botch anything up. Also what method does every one use to lower the light and gauges?

I thought these bars would be a nice compromise between clip-ons and stock without all the additional costs/mods associated with traditional clip-ons:

(http://ep.yimg.com/ip/I/guzzino_2056_13635531)

i've seen similar bars, I think I'd rather the look of the clip ons. If i'm going to go through the trouble of moving all my accessories I might as well go all the way.

Well I guess except those bars would put the controls in position similar to clipons and you wouldn't need to buy a new upper triple, and then try and route cables and everything.

my understanding is that i dont need a new upper triple. Why would i need to replace it?

You don't need to replace it  [thumbsup]

I changed mine for bling, but if anyone asks, I tell them that the new one is stiffer = safety ;)

if you are still running the old coffin style reservoirs, you are going to need the spacer that monsterparts sells.  Kind of hard to see in this picture, but it is the half-moon shaped piece of metal sandwiched in the brake mounting clamp.  without it, the reservoir rubs on the clip-on mount.

(http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp331/joev160/DSC_6982.jpg)

additionally, you don't HAVE to swap the top triple out once you make the move to clip-on's, but the old one will still have the handlebar mounts on it.  There are a ton of things you can do with those mount's...ground them off, make a carbon fiber plate to cover it, I think some have even turned theirs into a GPS mount.

I always wanted to see a monster with some true clubman bars on it.  Those are a little ugly though.  I know buell makes a set in black as an option for one of there bikes.  Essentially they do the same thing as clipons.

I like the style of those reservoirs. They're the stock on a s2r800 correct?

i have the motowheels with their riser UNDER the triple (a speedy moto) and I love the angle.

if you are taller 6'0 or so, it is perfect.

I know there are a few guys out there with Suburban Machinery bars.  I was heading in that direction when I decided to pull the trigger on the clip-ons.  The narrow Urban Machinery bars are pretty close to the sweep/width of clip-ons IMO.  Check those out:

http://www.suburban-machinery.com/duchypmoto.html (http://www.suburban-machinery.com/duchypmoto.html)

Sweep angle stock 18 degrees, Suburban 24, clip ons up to 35.

That's what I thought, thanks