New Handlebars, and kinda proud of myself...

[Dumbmonkey]

Hey there!
I'm pretty new to all of this but I just wanted to share my recent fun and games.
I recently purchased an '81 XS650 Special as my first bike and have been having a blast riding and updating some of the things necessary.
Over the weekend, it was time to get rid of the really uncomfortable stock bars and put on some superbike bars from Mike's. The bike had no start button and the previous owner had rigged a freaking doorbell as the start button onto the handlebars.
I bought a replacement button and was going to install it but the bracket that held the button, spring, and contact was gone. I ended up using the base plate from an old guitar wah wah pedal to cut and bend a new bracket, and I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of the results. The start button works again, and the new bars look great!
Whoohoo!!!

 

[angus67]

were's the new bars?

 

[Dumbmonkey]

Haha!
I thought I posted that!
Here's the new bars...

 

[5twins]

The starter and horn buttons are pretty much the same on most of the Jap bikes from the '70s and early '80s. I've swapped/repaired/renovated quite a few with parts from other housings.

 

[jd750ace]

Got the same bar from JC Whitney for $19.76 shipped. Thinking of getting a different one though. Still not quite where I want it.

 

[5twins]

Get the Euro bend. I feel it's the most comfortable bar out there. Your pic nicely illustrates the problem with the Superbike bars - they stick straight out on the ends. The Euro bars droop down slightly and that makes all the difference in the world. It rotates your wrists slightly and puts them at a more natural angle.

 

[jd750ace]

I had read your praise of them before, and after a 325 mile Sunday ride up to Moosehead Lake and back, I was thinking about the positioning, and I thought, dangit! 5Twins is right! Thanks. BTW, 6000 posts. You going to celebrate?

 

[5twins]

I think I will. Today, I'll use the flavored coffee creamer, lol.

 

[Dumbmonkey]

Thanks for the advice 5twins, I was actually considering the Euro bend when I was trying to decide which bars to get. I may have to change again, but I'll ride with these for a bit a I've got a bunch of other things to do with the bike to get it really up to snuff...

 

[Dumbmonkey]

jd750ace:
Are you having issues with the stock cruiser mirror with the superbike bars? I was, and ended up ordering some Napoleon bar ends. I'm hoping that solves my mirror issue.

 

[jd750ace]

I installed a set of mirrors off a Road Star. They threaded right on the perches, even with the Moto Guzzi sourced 11 MM Brembo master cylinder. Another bar issue though, I have "elbow vision, and am looking to perhaps get a wider and taller bar for that reason. Like the mirrors, hate the positioning right now.

 

[5twins]

For lower bars, you need a long stem mirror. I originally went with these 9.5" stem EMGOs, about the longest I could find and pretty much exact copies of the original Yamaha mirrors that came on my bike (they were beat) .....

https://www.denniskirk.com/emgo/black-oem-round-mirror.p391537.prd/391537.sku

Eventually, I found a set of O.E.M. Yamaha ones on eBay. The Napoleon bar-ends are also a good choice. They're just about the finest bar-end out there and I've used them on several bikes.

 

[blknoel]

Or switch to bar-end mirrors, your bar has tracker stance so they will look OK. But then you will need to make holes in your grips' ends.

 

[80xs650]

Get the Euro bend. I feel it's the most comfortable bar out there...

Did you get your bars from MikesXS? Thanks.

 

[jd750ace]

You can get Bikemaster brand bars for less money and free shipping from JC Whitney. Check on their web site, and look on their ebay store too. JC Whitney and Dennis Kirk in particular sometimes have better prices one place or the other, and they swap them every once in a while. If you just have fat pockets and don't want to shop, then I guess one stop shopping is OK. Many people order things from Mikes they can get much better deals on just to get the total up for a reasonable shipping cost, but paying more for shipping for what you can only source there is not the equal of the pricing breaks you can get on other parts elsewhere. I'm a tightwad, so I'll do a quick cost analysis on relatively small purchases. Customer service, ship times, and return policies all affect my buying decisions. Some folks just don't take the time.

 

[5twins]

I did, in fact, get my Euro bars from Mike's, but that was several years ago and their prices were more reasonable back then. I also wanted to try Mike's brand to see what supplier they were from and if they were anything special. They're not, just the same cheap bars you can find elsewhere for less. The last couple pairs of Euro bars I got came from Amazon.com. At about $22, that was the best price I could find.

 

[aldo5468]

I think I will. Today, I'll use the flavored coffee creamer, lol.

yeah, some Bailey's Irish Cream, or better yet, some Jameson's

 

[estcstm3]

what is the width pull and rise of your 7/8 euro bars? Do they have the knurled section for the clamps? Any issues with vibration (any more than stock)? Interested in picking up a pair from amazon. Will I have any issues with the oem cables? I will be replacing the brake line to SS (probably a 1 piece), but until then. What about the cluctch cable did you have to replace did it affect your clutch pull?

Thanks!

 

[xjwmx]

CB750 bars from ebay are cheap, varied, and plentiful. I rode my early 80's ones a million miles hours a day with no discomfort. Much like buckhorns but at the grips go out rather than back, so your palm faces down. Better lever pulling power and good surgery free rotator cuff problem cure...