Clip-ons v. Standard/original bars

[akmnstr]

I'm 5-8 165 and 22 years old so some would say I can put up with the crouched over stuff better.

Dude, well of course you can put up with the crouched over stuff.  When I was 22 I was fine being stuffed in a box for a day.
Now at greater than twice that age I need a little more comfort.  But I think you have identified the variable that will best correlate
with ergonomic preference (age). 

[GLantern]

When i put clipons on my 695 i actually found it more comfortable than the stock bars.  I guess my reach was a lot farther than i thought.  I had the motowheels with a 1.5inch rise

[magspipes]

ride with the stock bars was ok.  good leverage and comfy/upright.  at slab speeds tho, me = windsail.   the only true gripe i had was with the angle at which my wrists were at.  seemed absurdly pointed out.  i switched to tomasellis.  love them.  i guess if i had to keep the stockers on, i would have tried flipping as some others here have tried.

[GLantern]

ride with the stock bars was ok.  good leverage and comfy/upright.  at slab speeds tho, me = windsail.   the only true gripe i had was with the angle at which my wrists were at.  seemed absurdly pointed out.  i switched to tomasellis.  love them.  i guess if i had to keep the stockers on, i would have tried flipping as some others here have tried.

From what i have heard flipping them causes a LOT of wrist strain

[magspipes]

From what i have heard flipping them causes a LOT of wrist strain

looks like i'm never going back then!  good luck with 1098!

[Drunken Monkey]

For whomever was wondering what the variobars look like...






As far as position and angle go... well they don't call them vario for nothing... Angle's adjustable +/- 20 degrees, and I could raise or lower them a good 2 inches with the risers I got.

[jagstang]

For those who mounted clip-ons above the triple, how did you end up with that much fork above?  I have my front end dropped a couple of lines down on the forks, and I fear that dropping it more would make the front too twitchy.  Are the showas on my bike not long enough to mount clip-ons above?

-Nick

[Drunken Monkey]

For those who mounted clip-ons above the triple, how did you end up with that much fork above?  I have my front end dropped a couple of lines down on the forks, and I fear that dropping it more would make the front too twitchy.  Are the showas on my bike not long enough to mount clip-ons above?

-Nick

Don't use my set-up as a guide. I've got SBK forks which are slightly longer, a slightly lower rear & aftermarket wheels. After all that it's not dropped as much as it looks.

[He Man]

I got tomasellis moutned under the triple, its TERRIBLE for me. 5'6 145lbs. My back hurts, my wrist hurts, and im a very flexiable guy. This weeks project is to move the forks up enough to get the triples to bite.this will make it close to stock bar height. which was great for me. I switched becasue i bent my bars

[mangeldbug]

If you do get a handlebar, dont try to get an OEM Monster bar.  They put my wrists at bad angles no matter how I rotated the bar.  Ow    Big pain after only ~50 miles

I ended up getting a BikeMaster Superbike bar.  They are great - very comfortable and I can now ride 300+ mile days without my wrists screaming bloody murder.  Plus, they are only $20 shipped 

[the_Journeyman]

I'll probably keep the clip-ons for now and watch ebay for a cheap stock bar & clamps and maybe worry about it this year.  I'm 30 and have no problems with the crouch.  Rear-sets would be nice, but pretty spendy at $300+ it seems.

JM

[Artforge]

I've got a set of the TBR clip-ons mounted above the Triple on my M900ie (dropped the triple so the fork tubes are flush with the top of the bars).

I find the riding position pretty comfortable (when not stuck in NYC traffic) and the handling is excellent - no noticable twitchyness from the front.

Oh, it looks great as well (I second this as a valid reason)

[Gus]

I was looking at the Rizoma clip ons that come with the triple for my bike, but I have a top mount Bitubo steering damper.  I don't want to replace that piece so am i basically screwed into staying with the stock handlebar?

[mmakay]

I don't want to replace that piece so am i basically screwed into staying with the stock handlebar?

No, you're just screwed into keeping the stock handlebar clamps. 

[SaltLick]

i put clipons on about a month ago. Had to mount them below the triple. It took me a while to get use to them. There is some good things and some bad:

Bad:

I have a hard time seeing the light when i come to a stop light.

My back hurts after about an hour.

I can feel every bump in the road now.

My legs start to hurt after about an hour, definitely need a rear set.


Good things:

Right off the bat, more control and better handling.

Dive into the turns, i can take turns alot quicker with more control.

Looks cool.

It took me a while to build up the strength to be able to do a longer ride with the clipons. In the beginning, after 30 minutes i had to pull over to give my back a break. Now i can go about 2hrs then i HAVE to pull over and get off for a while. My neck gets tired as well, with the clipons under the triple you have to arch your back and keep your head up as far as you can stretch it just to see, ive come to hate stoplights now.  I am going to keep them now that im use to it, ask me a day after i first put them on i would have wanted to switch them back. I would suggest a set of clipons with a riser on them if your mounting them under the triple. But like i said, even without a riser you get use to them and i wouldnt go back!