Product performance review, handlebars, bar end mirrors, fly screen windshield
Ok yesterday, I gave all of this new equipment the torture test, a four hour , 200 mile high speed ride. Overall, I’m happy with all of these things. Here’s the breakdown,
Emgo super bike bars
This is my first experience with lower flatter bars and to me the results were surprising. I have a herniated disc in my lower back that gives me grief, it’s always a limiting factor for me when I try to ride longer distances. I have always resisted the leaned forward riding position, but I have to say that I found it pretty comfortable. If I scootch my butt back on the seat a little and drop my shoulders down and try and relax them, I can achieve a sort of comfortable slouch ( phrase stolen from Peter Egan ) where my lower back kinda curves forward. This does two things, it takes pressure off of the disc in my back and it takes all pressure off of my tail bone. The more aggressive posture also really makes me feel more in control of the bike. The wrist angles felt comfortable to me and the leaned forward position balances against the wind pushing on your upper torso and effectively takes pressure off of your wrists. I’m happy with this change. If you’re shopping for these, really look around, the prices are all over the place.
Ken Sean Bar End Mirrors
These mirrors look identical to the ones sold by Emgo, with one exception. The mounting system. These attach by expandable rubber plugs vs expandable metal anchors on the Emgos’. The price is nearly the same, my thinking is that the rubber might help to dampen vibrations and stabilize the image. The part of the mirror stem that goes inside the handlebar has a notch on it to keep the plug from rotating when it’s being tightened, so don’t tighten them up and then try to twist the mirror around or you will tear that key way up.
Performance:
The view rearward is greatly enhanced, the mirrors are convex and you get a great wide angle view from them. They are very clear up to around 50 miles per hour when engine vibration starts to ramp up and makes them start to blur. You can still make out what’s behind you, just not as clearly. When I first left the house and got up to highway speed the mirrors started being blown back, I had expected this since I didn’t want to over tighten them. I had tools so I pulled over and snugged them up. Twenty miles later I had to do it again, this time they stayed put.
Between the lower handlebars, small windscreen and bar end mirrors, the view forward feels really open and clear.
I really like them, the only real trade off is this set up is pretty wide and it’s easier to knock into them in the garage.
The fly screen
I wasn’t going to write about this but some of you have mentioned it so....
It’s a Chinese cheapie from EBay, I bought it on a whim. I really like the Dart brand fly screen, but they are pricey and don’t come in a universal fit. I found these on EBay, about $20.
They come in clear, smoke or black. I chose the smoke. Most of these are sold and shipped from China, I found a distributor in Los Angeles And recieved it in a matter of days. The optical clarity is poor, knowing this, I’d get the black one. It feels flexible as a frisbee , the bracketry is flimsy and had to be extended to fit. Having said that, I still like it, I think it looks pretty good, mounts up surprisingly solid, and doesn’t budge at speed. It might take a little wind pressure off of my body, it’s hard to tell. I get no unwanted buffeting around my head, and it feels like from the chest up I’m in a clean flow of air.
So, all in all, I’m happy with all of the changes. This might just be my summer set up. I really like my Givi windshield for winter riding and it fits better on the stock handlebars.
One other footnote on my tall gearing, my 31 tooth rear sprocket. I found its Achilles heel, yesterday I got into some seriously steep mountain grades, I could keep my speed up, but there were times I had to downshift to keep from dogging my engine. On the flatlands though, that sprocket rocks at highway speed.
That’s all for now.
Later!
Bob
Ok yesterday, I gave all of this new equipment the torture test, a four hour , 200 mile high speed ride. Overall, I’m happy with all of these things. Here’s the breakdown,
Emgo super bike bars
This is my first experience with lower flatter bars and to me the results were surprising. I have a herniated disc in my lower back that gives me grief, it’s always a limiting factor for me when I try to ride longer distances. I have always resisted the leaned forward riding position, but I have to say that I found it pretty comfortable. If I scootch my butt back on the seat a little and drop my shoulders down and try and relax them, I can achieve a sort of comfortable slouch ( phrase stolen from Peter Egan ) where my lower back kinda curves forward. This does two things, it takes pressure off of the disc in my back and it takes all pressure off of my tail bone. The more aggressive posture also really makes me feel more in control of the bike. The wrist angles felt comfortable to me and the leaned forward position balances against the wind pushing on your upper torso and effectively takes pressure off of your wrists. I’m happy with this change. If you’re shopping for these, really look around, the prices are all over the place.
Ken Sean Bar End Mirrors
These mirrors look identical to the ones sold by Emgo, with one exception. The mounting system. These attach by expandable rubber plugs vs expandable metal anchors on the Emgos’. The price is nearly the same, my thinking is that the rubber might help to dampen vibrations and stabilize the image. The part of the mirror stem that goes inside the handlebar has a notch on it to keep the plug from rotating when it’s being tightened, so don’t tighten them up and then try to twist the mirror around or you will tear that key way up.
Performance:
The view rearward is greatly enhanced, the mirrors are convex and you get a great wide angle view from them. They are very clear up to around 50 miles per hour when engine vibration starts to ramp up and makes them start to blur. You can still make out what’s behind you, just not as clearly. When I first left the house and got up to highway speed the mirrors started being blown back, I had expected this since I didn’t want to over tighten them. I had tools so I pulled over and snugged them up. Twenty miles later I had to do it again, this time they stayed put.
Between the lower handlebars, small windscreen and bar end mirrors, the view forward feels really open and clear.
I really like them, the only real trade off is this set up is pretty wide and it’s easier to knock into them in the garage.
The fly screen
I wasn’t going to write about this but some of you have mentioned it so....
It’s a Chinese cheapie from EBay, I bought it on a whim. I really like the Dart brand fly screen, but they are pricey and don’t come in a universal fit. I found these on EBay, about $20.
They come in clear, smoke or black. I chose the smoke. Most of these are sold and shipped from China, I found a distributor in Los Angeles And recieved it in a matter of days. The optical clarity is poor, knowing this, I’d get the black one. It feels flexible as a frisbee , the bracketry is flimsy and had to be extended to fit. Having said that, I still like it, I think it looks pretty good, mounts up surprisingly solid, and doesn’t budge at speed. It might take a little wind pressure off of my body, it’s hard to tell. I get no unwanted buffeting around my head, and it feels like from the chest up I’m in a clean flow of air.
So, all in all, I’m happy with all of the changes. This might just be my summer set up. I really like my Givi windshield for winter riding and it fits better on the stock handlebars.
One other footnote on my tall gearing, my 31 tooth rear sprocket. I found its Achilles heel, yesterday I got into some seriously steep mountain grades, I could keep my speed up, but there were times I had to downshift to keep from dogging my engine. On the flatlands though, that sprocket rocks at highway speed.
That’s all for now.
Later!
Bob
