I had ridden a pre-owned 09 Connie with 2" risers and 3/4" back and fell in love with the whole setup. So much so that I negotiated the heli-bars with the same dimensions into the terms of the deal on my 11 that I got last week. They do feel good, but earlier this week I took a spin on another 09 that had a Corbin seat on it, in order to check out the seat, and I "think" the bike felt like it handled better and was possibly even more comfortable in that setup, as the factory intended it. I'm 6'0" 185 with a 34" reach and my initial ride on the 2011 I bought with the stock bars felt too low, but now I'm confused. Anybody else go through this? Make any changes?
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Anyone removed risers and gone back to factory bar settings?
- Thread starter jagman
- Start date
I noticed the difference in handling as soon as I installed the risers on the bike. But you get use to it in short order that it doesn't seem like a big deal. Then When I traded her in, I removed the risers. The last few rides were much better, because it handled better again. And was comfortable. The risers for me were more for the long days and trips. Shorter trips were fine without risers!
Its all a matter of personal preference and arm length. I think the factory bars are fine, in fact I wouldn't mind lowering them an inch or two. But I just came off of 17 years on a couple of Honda VFRs with much lower bars, and I have 36" sleeves. For your height, I would think the factory bars would be pretty good. I think getting some of your weight on the bars with a bit of a forward lean does make handling nicer - it seems easier to me to countersteer smoothly when I have have some weight on my wrists... not much but some. Sitting upright and steering with no pressure seems foreign to me, IMHO....
Tim Anderson said:
Also meant to ask you...still kicking around the two versions of Windshields for my 11 also. I see you have the Ultra Cee Bailey vs the Euro. I keep thinking it will be too high and the Euro should be sufficient but most say go with the Ultra. It would be great to see a pic of the full bike with it fully extended and retracted. Do you happen to have one?
firetruck
Training Wheels
well i'll lean in on this. i'm 6'6" with 40" sleeves. the concours has the lowest sport tour bars on the market. FJR, BMW are all higher and they don't suffer any handling loss. you're playing mind games with yourself guys. 1 3/8 bar rise changes nothing but posture, in a positive way. these bar risers are hot sellers, and for good reason.
Jagman said:
Jagman - I'm 6'4" so I went with the Ultra. For highway riding it provides much more coverage, and if I put it up halfway I'm in the pocket with minimal buffeting and less noise. But for around town and back road riding, I actually prefer the stock 2010 version, it is cooler and less obtrusive. I had the Ultra on for a while but went back to the stock, otherwise I'd send some pics. I'll use the Ultra for longer rides or two-up riding.
bob said:
I think you have a point. I do tend to over analyze new modifications etc. What can I say? It's an illness
The Heli bars on my bike are actually 2" taller and 3/4" back however.
I did take a 50 mile ride through 40 mile gusting N TX winds today however with my wife, and I have to say, there was NOTHING wrong with how she handled today.
Tim Anderson said:
Thanks again Tim...guess that's why I keep coming back to the Euro at 2.5" taller and me being 6' vs 6'4". Today during a 50 mile ride with 40 mile gusts, I mostly rode with the shield all the way down, only raising it to full height when on the freeway. It was far to hot to keep the windshield up for very long, when it was up however it doesn't do a lot for me or my passenger in the way of buffetting protection. It DOES however do a good job of keeping the wind off the chest and part of the helmet of course. I would really not like having something on that is too tall for back roads like today where even all the way retracted it felt obtrusive. I would like to think the Euro would make for a good compromise, but may be wrong. Guess I'll soon find out
Thanks again
Bar risers will not affect how the bike handles.
What it will affect is how that handling feels to you.
Imagine if you strapped 3" wooden blocks to your cars pedals, moved the seat 3" back and then drove it.
I rode my C14 about 8,000 miles without, then 6,000 with bar-risers, and now have done an additional 26,000 without.
I prefer without as I get better feedback from the bike, but I rarely do more than 100 miles in one hit these days so comfort is less important than feel.
If I was touring Europe you can be damned sure I'd fit the risers,.... and then take them off again when I came home.
The only thing I regret after nearly 4 years and 40,000 miles of C14 ownership is selling my Russell saddle.
So, I'm saving for a new one. 8)
Oh, word of warning to everyone, put some anti-seize on the bolts whenever ya add/remove yer risers.
If the tread strips then yer looking at either a Helicoil or else a longer bolt and a locking nut.
What it will affect is how that handling feels to you.
Imagine if you strapped 3" wooden blocks to your cars pedals, moved the seat 3" back and then drove it.
I rode my C14 about 8,000 miles without, then 6,000 with bar-risers, and now have done an additional 26,000 without.
I prefer without as I get better feedback from the bike, but I rarely do more than 100 miles in one hit these days so comfort is less important than feel.
If I was touring Europe you can be damned sure I'd fit the risers,.... and then take them off again when I came home.
The only thing I regret after nearly 4 years and 40,000 miles of C14 ownership is selling my Russell saddle.
So, I'm saving for a new one. 8)
Oh, word of warning to everyone, put some anti-seize on the bolts whenever ya add/remove yer risers.
If the tread strips then yer looking at either a Helicoil or else a longer bolt and a locking nut.
I disagree. IMO, it will effect the handling slightly because it will change your riding position. Rising the bars, rises your body, which also slightly rises the center of gravity on the motorcycle/rider. Thus the motorcycle itself will not handle quite as sharp, because the motorcycles design has now changed (as well as your feel because of your riding position). Although not drastic, it will have an effect on handling. It may not be a major difference, but it would exsist.
Boomer said:
Cap'n Bob said:
While I'm not going to be removing the risers this early in ownership, It is very likely they will come off at some point. While I don't believe handling is compromised to a large degree, but I do believe it is compromised. All I have to do is ride bikes back to back and
it's pretty clear that the turn in and overall steering is sharper and quicker when positioned on the bike the way the MFG designed the bike. It really does move the bike further away from the "sport" side of the sport touring as well IMHO. Again, nothing drastic but it's there.
As an update and after a 200 mile ride last Sunday, I am removing the risers tomorrow from my 2011 C14. I took another ride on the 08 Corbin equipped, stock bar bike the other day and really have to say the bike "feels" to me much more like I believe it was intended, i.e., leaning toward the sport side of the equation. It was a short test ride however, but was very comfortable. I do reserve the right to put them back on however, should this next phase not prove in
Gotta say the C-14 riding position felt perfect....until I rode 600+ miles to rapid city S.D. Putting Murph's risers on does take some acclimation but the change in comfort far outweighs the slight difference in handling...IMHO
Besides, when the riding gets serious I just "hump" the tank to get the weight biased more to the front wheel.)
Besides, when the riding gets serious I just "hump" the tank to get the weight biased more to the front wheel.
)peelandwin
Bicycle
I am most likely going to pull the risers off of my bike as well. I find myself leaning toward the tank anyway during normal riding. I am going to give the risers few hundred more miles before I make the switch though, this is my long distance bike.
I've gone back and forth now......any time you are gonna be on the bike more than 1 hr (for me) it is much more comfortable with them on there. I've just put them back on. It is more comfortable for my size. I use Murph's 1 5/8" risers.
I find that WITH the risers ,I never think about it
..but I find that WITHOUT them,after a while I get a bit uncomfortable.
Now that I've drove myself crazy switching all this stuff on and off the bike (windshield,risers,)...I'm WAY happy.I'm not one to struggle with trying to be a sport bike or looks, or anything else,...it is about me on the bike and how I enjoy it.
Murph's risers,..Cal Sci large W/S ....life is good,comfortable,and my helmet is quiet. I love my bike
I find that WITH the risers ,I never think about it
..but I find that WITHOUT them,after a while I get a bit uncomfortable.
Now that I've drove myself crazy switching all this stuff on and off the bike (windshield,risers,)...I'm WAY happy.I'm not one to struggle with trying to be a sport bike or looks, or anything else,...it is about me on the bike and how I enjoy it.
Murph's risers,..Cal Sci large W/S ....life is good,comfortable,and my helmet is quiet. I love my bike
catracho Roadster
Big Wheel
I'm removing the risers on my '10.... Bought it used and it came with 'em. Does anyone have the torque values of the bar bolts?
catracho Roadster
Big Wheel
Guanos, Cap'n Bob...
slidebite
Scooter
I wouldn't be be to concerned about that. The bolts that came with the risers were certainly nothing special. In fact, they just seemed to be some cheapo galvanized crap or something. There is no real load on the bars and a 8mm bolt of any caliber would be more than adequate as long as it isn't a purposely weakened one like a shear bolt or something. I personally bought some stainless 8x25 (I think?) from a local fastener specialty shop.Justamemba said:
As for the risers, I too bought a 2010 with 1-3/4" risers (not sure the brand) on them and rode about 1000 miles. It was torturous for me after about an hour in the saddle. While the arm position wasn't bad my butt was absolutely killing me, I think because I was sitting "up" more than OEM design. I took them off and while I certainly have more weight on my arms the bike was far more comfortable as I think I was sitting in more of the designed geometry. I still ordered a Corbin because I'm not happy with the stock seat, but it was at least bearable for me without them.
I myself have a 09 ABS, bought new on 9/9/11, and after about 1000 miles I put on a set of 2" Risers to try to keep myself from having to lean on the bars (I am 5'9", 30" Inseam) so much.
I have had them on for 1000 miles now (Bike has approx 2200 on it) and have 2 conclusions I have come up with
1 - It does change the handling. The best way for me to describe it, it feels like the bike has more "rake" in it. It feels like the steering is initially heaver to steer entering corners, but when the bike leans over, it it does so faster. It always feels like I have to give the bike more input to intially turn in, but I have to almost always make a correction in the corner because of the dramatic change in input on the bars. It feels like I have to give it, lets say 30lbs of pressure to turn in, and 5 lbs to keep it leaned over. Stock, it felt more like 20lbs in and 10 to keep it leaned over.
2 - Though the height and pull back of the bars put them at just about the right position for me to reduce the weight I am putting on the bars, I am actually more uncomfortable because it makes me have to keep my wrists at a severe angle constantly. My hands aren't falling asleep anymore, but I feel like I have been hanging on to a steel baseball bat with just one hand by the end.
As a last ditch I will try a set of wedges, but I'm not optimistic. I'm a machinist and I also have some ideas on how to straighten out the bar angle some.
I have had them on for 1000 miles now (Bike has approx 2200 on it) and have 2 conclusions I have come up with
1 - It does change the handling. The best way for me to describe it, it feels like the bike has more "rake" in it. It feels like the steering is initially heaver to steer entering corners, but when the bike leans over, it it does so faster. It always feels like I have to give the bike more input to intially turn in, but I have to almost always make a correction in the corner because of the dramatic change in input on the bars. It feels like I have to give it, lets say 30lbs of pressure to turn in, and 5 lbs to keep it leaned over. Stock, it felt more like 20lbs in and 10 to keep it leaned over.
2 - Though the height and pull back of the bars put them at just about the right position for me to reduce the weight I am putting on the bars, I am actually more uncomfortable because it makes me have to keep my wrists at a severe angle constantly. My hands aren't falling asleep anymore, but I feel like I have been hanging on to a steel baseball bat with just one hand by the end.
As a last ditch I will try a set of wedges, but I'm not optimistic. I'm a machinist and I also have some ideas on how to straighten out the bar angle some.
Cap'n Bob said:
FYI...Just looked this up in my 2010 Service Manual and felt it needed to be stated as a correction (Section 14-12 Steering):
Handlebar Holder Installation •Install the handlebar holder on the steering stem head. •Tighten the handlebar holder bolts [A] following the tightening
sequence [1-2-3-1].
Torque - Handlebar Holder Bolts: 25 N·m (2.5 kgf·m, 18
ft·lb)
•Install:
Caps
Left and Right Handlebar (see Handlebar Installation)
25 ft-lb would be too much torque and could induce unnecessary vibrations into the bars and stress on the bolts.
Incidentally, 25 ft-lb refers to the 2 bolts that hold the parts where the grips themselves are mounted to the bars.