Finally found bars I like

[dbeardslee]

When I first got Betsy in 2007 she had a set of stock standard bars installed. Unfortunately they were bent, and so began a looong search for replacement bars. I tried three or four different bars, but what I really wanted was the original stock standard bars. I wound up with bars that were close, but lower than the originals, and they put me more forward on the bike. They worked for quite a while, but as I've gotten older some old skydiving injuries have been making themselves known, and of late it's been killing my back riding in that forward position.

So I looked and looked and looked, and I finally found bars that were real close to the specs on the originals. They're marketed as "Honda GL Chrome bars", and they give me a pullback that's within 1/2" of the stockers, and about 1" taller the way I've got them installed. And the stock brake lines and cables work just fine. It puts me in a more upright riding position, which might not be as good for handling, but it eliminates the pain in my back.

They're 30" wide with a 7" rise, 11.5" pullback, and 5.5" center width, and they're made by Emgo. I got 'em from Niche Cycle Supply.

Now I can move on to painting the gas tank... again.

Here's what they look like on the bike -

[blue giant]

I bought the same bars for my 79 Standard. I like them as they fit my comfort zone perfectly.

[Prisoner6]

Those bars look like they'd be mighty comfortable on a Standard.

Emgo most likely built them to mimic the style and measurements of the early-model GL1000/1100 Gold Wing bars.

I believe there are several people on the Forum who have used actual Gold Wing bars and enjoyed them.

Your new bars look great!

[dbeardslee]

I actually went looking for Goldwing bars due to some posts that mentioned them being a good fit. DGXSER had Goldwing bars on Thunderstruck, but they got pretty mangled when he dropped her on KY 8 and went over a guard rail some years back.

Prisoner6 - I noticed your acknowledgement to Don in your signature. He was one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet. He was also a very experienced Karate instructor. He could tie you in knots and smile at you the whole time.

[Prisoner6]

Even though I'd never met Don, his passing really affected me a great deal. He seemed to be such a genuinely caring man.

I was so looking forward to meeting him someday ...

[dbeardslee]

Even though I'd never met Don, his passing really affected me a great deal. He seemed to be such a genuinely caring man.

I was so looking forward to meeting him someday ...

He was one of the good ones. We had a group that used to get together in my mancave pretty regularly, and Don was always there to wrench on other people's bikes. He was an engineer by trade, and he was a darn good mechanic, too.

When he dropped Thunderstruck he got boogered up pretty good, and one leg was pretty mangled. When he got out of the hospital he decided to part it out, and Steppenwolf and I went over to his house and pulled the engine and the rest of the salvageable stuff for him. We got it to the point that he could sit out in his mancave and work on getting stuff ready for ebay. It gave him something to do 'cause being immobile was driving him crazy. He always liked to be working on something.

I didn't mean for this to turn into a DG memorial thread - but what the heck. He's worth it.

[BowlingSS]

I wonder how the old 75-80 Yamaha 650 bars would work. They had plugs/weights in each end to cut down on vibs. I used to used them on my Flattrack bikes.

Bill

[dbeardslee]

I wonder how the old 75-80 Yamaha 650 bars would work. They had plugs/weights in each end to cut down on vibs. I used to used them on my Flattrack bikes.

Bill

I put weights in the bars I took off. I just took a piece of 5/8" bar stock and cut a couple 5" pieces and beveled the ends. I took a piece of old bicycle inner tube and cut 5" pieces from that. Then put some oil on the inside of the inner tube, stuffed it up inside the bars, and tapped the 5" pieces of bar stock up inside the inner tube. Worked great. I'm thinking about doing something similar with these new bars but I'm considering cutting some grooves in the bar stock and using o-rings instead of the inner tube.

[brcree]

bars...

I will be looking into a set of these for sure!

[dbeardslee]

I will be looking into a set of these for sure!

When I first changed the bars they felt... funny. Probably because I was used to the old ones, and there's definitely a change in way you take a corner with these. But it's amazing how fast you can get used to stuff, 'cause now they feel totally natural and much more comfortable. I'm likin' 'em a lot.

[brcree]

Yep, will order one for sure......thanks. The orig. do feel a bit goofy!

[MaximPhil]

I bought the same bars for my 79 Standard. I like them as they fit my comfort zone perfectly.

Hey Blue Giant,
Great to see you back on line here.
Phil

[Prisoner6]

When I first changed the bars they felt... funny. Probably because I was used to the old ones, and there's definitely a change in way you take a corner with these. But it's amazing how fast you can get used to stuff, 'cause now they feel totally natural and much more comfortable. I'm likin' 'em a lot.

You know, Doug, that's so true ...

The first time I rode each and every bike I've owned, the bars felt a bit awkward (some more than others).

But after spending a little time in the saddle, I became accustomed to the bars' measurements, and grew to actually like them that way!

[Roadman48]

I use XS650 bars from Mikes XS ( XS1/XS2 Replica Bar (25-0652)) on three of my bikes, including my SF, and love them. The perfect rise and width for me, 6'2" and 250.

Larry

[blue giant]

Hey Blue Giant,
Great to see you back on line here.
Phil

Hey Phil, How's it goin' eh?

Cheers,