Repositioned Handlebars on GenII

[JohnTC40]

Piece of cake, thanks to the writeup in the Bin 'o Facts. Loosen both bars, raise enough not to drag the pins, reseat pins in rearmost holes, and bolt back down. Took about 15 minutes, because I was being careful. Only moves them back about 1/4 inch from the middle, but makes a difference, at least to me. It was in the 70s here today, so I went for a ride when I was finished. Let me sit up a tad straighter, with less weight on the wrists. Sweet.

 

[phil]

Sounds like you didn't drop one of the bolts into Nowhere Land, like I did. Still haven't found it!

 

[Riderjohn]

JohnTC40 - Could you elaborate a bit more about the difference the bar change made? I would like the bars up or back or both. I ordered a set of risers from the Dealer but they they turned out to be for 03-05 and I have an 08. I called Gen Mar and you have to remove the triple deal and main steering nut and I don't want to do that. That leaves me with little except moving them back as you did. I thought maybe that would put the bars too close together and uncomfortable. Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[DaveFJR]

They are made to be adjustable so I say just try it and see if you like it. You have nothing to loose but a few minutes of your time. By the way, mine are set back and the position for me is perfect.

 

[JohnTC40]

JohnTC40 - Could you elaborate a bit more about the difference the bar change made? I would like the bars up or back or both. I ordered a set of risers from the Dealer but they they turned out to be for 03-05 and I have an 08. I called Gen Mar and you have to remove the triple deal and main steering nut and I don't want to do that. That leaves me with little except moving them back as you did. I thought maybe that would put the bars too close together and uncomfortable. Any insight would be appreciated.

The change is actually very minor. The bars move back about 1/4 inch, and remain the same distance apart. That, coupled with the angle of the forks, actually makes them a fraction lower. It could be my imagination, but it seemed to improve my riding position somewhat, allowing me to sit up a little bit straighter, with less weight on my wrists. For reference, I'm 5'11" with a 33" inseam, and I have the seat at its lowest position. Like you, I don't want to take off the triple clamp and cut the wire looms as, seemingly, every riser manufacturer for the Gen IIs wants you to do. I also don't want to spring for the Heli or Gen Mar special triple clamp, although they seem to make a big difference in bar placement.

This latter point, of course, is pure personal preference. I'll probably only keep this bike for a couple of years and then move on to something else, so I don't want to add/change too many things. Been there/done that. I have an easily removable backrest for the wife and a Laminar Lip for the stock shield to give me a quiet spot, and that's all there will be. The bike's about 90% of what I want it to be, and I know from experience that that's about as good as it's going to get.

But back to the bar placement. It's a cheap adjustment, given you have metric hex wrenches and a 17mm socket, and worth a try.

 

[Riderjohn]

JohnTC40 - I tried to call up Bin O Facts but nothing came up. Would you tell me how to adjust the bars - manual does not. I take the 17mm is for the nut underneath to hold it while a hex wench loosens a bolt. But what's the deal about pins?

 

[JohnTC40]

JohnTC40 - I tried to call up Bin O Facts but nothing came up. Would you tell me how to adjust the bars - manual does not. I take the 17mm is for the nut underneath to hold it while a hex wench loosens a bolt. But what's the deal about pins?

Here is a link to the writeup with pics. Clicky There is a back-and-forth about doing the bars one at a time or loosening them both up and moving both at once. I did the latter and didn't have to remove the bars at all. Just lifted and repositioned (carefully).

 

[Riderjohn]

Thanks JohnTC40 for the link. I"m just beginning to find my way around the website. WHen I was searching for example, I stopped after the first hit because I didn't know enough to keep going. Anyway the link was very well done and explains a lot. Moving that shaft down is really an important part of all of this. Good that someone pointed that out. Thanks to all those who spent time and energy to keep us neebies from re-inventing the wheel.