[flynbulldog]

Ive been riding the last couple of weeks with a Renthal "fatbars" low motocross bend bar.
Sunday I did a 150 mile canyon ride and I think I got a pretty good feel for the new bar.

At first it was difficult to get used to it, the bar is 3.5 inches wider than stock and to me felt inappropriate for this style of bike.
I felt like I was on a Hyper or another type of supermoto.

The fatbars are angled slightly up at the ends and I don't like that on a road bike
so I had it rolled back so the hand grips were parallel to the ground.

The width gave a bit more leverage and made the bike quick handling but didn't cause concern about over-input.
The bike was still quite stable but in the canyons I had trouble getting over the front the way I like to in fast corners.
Even still, I could ride it with nearly the same level of confidence.

The one thing the fatbar has done is alleviated all the tension in my back, shoulders, and upper arms that I had with the stock bar,
that alone is worth keeping it on the bike.

But after over 600 miles I still felt the bar was too wide so yesterday I switched to a S4RS Magura bar.
It is wider than the stock SF bar and the bend is slighty different giving me the ability to roll the bar forward and get the grips into a position that I like.
This gave me about an inch of rise over stock.

So far the S4RS bar feels the best. I'm going to give it a few weeks before I decide for sure.
Better handling than the Fatbar is what I'm looking for with the S4RS bars but the bottom line will be comfort over the long run.

I'll let you know how they compare in a week or two.

 

[flynbulldog]

Just got back from a 50 mile ride with the S4RS Magura bar.
I wanted to write how they felt while it was fresh in my mind...

Compared to the Rethal bar you are further over the front but still not too much strain on the wrists.
I like this for weighting the front in turns and less wind blast at speed.

I noticed that there was no discernible loss in agility but the bike felt more comfortable - more correct for the bike,
I no-longer had that dirtbike feeling.

I took a back-country road with some nice corners that can be negotiated with some speed, but nothing too tight.
I was able to ride the bike reasonably hard but not at the limit. (I don't really ever ride at the limit on the street).

Wind blast was noticeably lower both because of my position and because my arms weren't out there acting like a big scoop.

For me there was a big difference, effort to ride the bike and to corner was very reduced. I suppose I attribute this to the fact
that I was fighting the wider bars not to over control - I didn't notice that while I was riding with the Renthals
but now with the Magura I'm so much more relaxed. The bike just goes where you think - effortlessly.
It may also have something to do with my body position, the Magura bend is more conducive to road riding and puts me in a position of greater control.

The bottom line is the ride was more comfortable and I got off the bike feeling more relaxed.
That was after a spirited ride on a curvy road, it may be different after a longer ride that more resembles touring.

For now the Magura is the bar that works best for me on the F1098. The Renthal Fatbar was good - I just like the S4RS bar better so far.

I have a 600+ mile weekend coming up. I'll know more after that.

 

[moto]

Do you have any pictures of the 3 bars?

-M

 

[springer1994]

After having fit the Magura bars on the SF for a few days , switched over to Renthal 614s and have it now for a couple of weeks. I think i ll switch them back to the Magura bars as i think it was the best combination of the three sets. Not so easy to steer but no overcontrol like the Renthals. Not so comfortable in general but comfortable enough and better at high speeds.
Some pictures at my previous post:

http://www.ducati.ms/forums/showthread.php?t=68745

Also got a set of Techspec snake skin gripsters and will try them on for better tank to knee stability.

 

[zvez]

Yep I'd like to change bars and have been reading all the different ones tried. I'm not really inclined to go to a wider bar, I'd like basically the same measurements as the standard bar but perhaps 1 to 1.5" higher to put less strain on the wrists and closer to the tuono, brutale.

Chris

 

[748vinny]

I have a 600+ mile weekend coming up. I'll know more after that.

Where ya riding?

 

[flynbulldog]

I too would really like to try the stock bars with a short riser. For me 1/2" to 3/4" would be enough, I don't want to sacrifice handling.

 

[748vinny]

I may hold out until a riser is available

 

[flynbulldog]

Do you have any pictures of the 3 bars?

-M

Sorry Moto I didn't take any pics, they look similar to springer1994's except the Renthals that I have are a lower bend.

 

[zvez]

I was thinking of perhaps getting spacer blocks machined, that would rais the bars an inch, I think a competent machine shop could turn them out, the trouble is to blend them, a bit of work involved in tapering things. The later tuonos came with this type of spacer block that could be removed if you wanted a more leaned over position. This would be ideal solution I think as then no fitting of hardware. I do wonder if the cables would be long enough with that much rise.

Chris

I too would really like to try the stock bars with a short riser. For me 1/2" to 3/4" would be enough, I don't want to sacrifice handling.

 

[knucklexyz]

I too would really like to try the stock bars with a short riser. For me 1/2" to 3/4" would be enough, I don't want to sacrifice handling.

So, I'm the opposite. I want lower bars. Anyone know if the stock bars can just be rotated forward and back to adjust reach/height? On some bikes the bars are dimpled for the control wiring so that can't be done. Thanks for any info.

Larry

'10 Streetfighter S

 

[flynbulldog]

Larry the stock bars have holes for pins in the levers and switches . you'd have to remove the pins to rotate the bars.

I understand wanting lower bars, but not on this bike... why didn't you buy an 1198?

 

[blackie]

Flyn

Thanks for the reviews , most informative.

Just ordered the bars from an S4rs Tricolore , cos they are GOLD....

£129 inc vat from my dealer in the UK . Should be here next week ..wayhay..

 

[knucklexyz]

Larry the stock bars have holes for pins in the levers and switches . you'd have to remove the pins to rotate the bars.

I understand wanting lower bars, but not on this bike... why didn't you buy an 1198?

Many, many reasons for buying the Streetfighter - it differs from the 1198 in many different ways. But no bike is ideal for pretty much anyone, and the bars are one of the aspects of the SF that are not optimal for me.

In any event, thanks for the info on the pins/holes.

Larry

 

[flynbulldog]

Larry, I have a 1098 and a streetfighter. I guess for me they serve different purposes -
the 1098 is a street legal race bike and has racing ergos.
The SF is a high performance street bike and has more comfortable ergos.
for me the SF does what the 1098 does in a more relaxed and practical way,
Lower the bars and you loose that comfort, so in my mind you might as well have the 1098/1198...

That's all I meant - it wasn't meant to be critical

 

[knucklexyz]

Larry, I have a 1098 and a streetfighter. I guess for me they serve different purposes -
the 1098 is a street legal race bike and has racing ergos.
The SF is a high performance street bike and has more comfortable ergos.
for me the SF does what the 1098 does in a more relaxed and practical way,
Lower the bars and you loose that comfort, so in my mind you might as well have the 1098/1198...

That's all I meant - it wasn't meant to be critical

flynbulldog,

Believe me, I didn't take your comments as critical at all. I'm small (5' 7", 147lbs) and very "foldy", so I'm not at all uncomfortable with the ergos on a sportbike (I've owned 3 CBR RR's (2 600s and a 1000), a number of other CBRs, and a K6 Gixxer). I love almost every aspect of the SF, but the ideal for me would be to make the riding position a bit more more "cafe racer".

A 1098 and a SF? How do you ever make up your mind what to ride? Or even ride at all? I'd spend all of my time just staring at them!

Larry

 

[RUPP]

Could you tell me exactly which Magura bar to order, and who in th US carries it? Thanks.

 

[flynbulldog]

Rupp, I bought mine used from a friend who took them off his 07 S4Rs.
Personally I'd just go to the monster section or the DMF forum and post a "wanted" ad.

Or you can do what blackie did and buy them for the 08 Tricolore
and get a set of gold ones! (nice one Blackie!)

The monster bars have roll pins that have to be removed and you will have to grind the pins from your controls and switches on the SF.
That may be something some people are not prepared to do so keep that in mind.

Also, it might be worth saying that you shouldn't expect a HUGE difference from the stock SF bars.
For me the nuances of the Monster bar make them much more ideal on the SF.

The monster bars are slightly wider and have a different bend that allows the grips to be positioned better for me.
I rolled them forward bringing the ends up to gain more stretch and more height. You will not gain a ton of rise (about 1 inch at the grips)
which is what I wanted because I want to retain the sporting position and performance of the bike.

I rode about 80 miles last night and the S4Rs bars are perfect for me: The character of the bike, the performance, the comfort - all exactly where I like it!
But everybody is different, I don't think I'd spend a whole lot of money to get these bars just to check them out.

 

[flynbulldog]

Since people seem interested and I don't want anyone to go out and spend
money on these things without knowing as much about it as possible I took some pics so you can compare.

The pics are probably allot like springer1994s but here you go:

The first pic is the stock SF bar and the Renthal. You can see how much the ends on the Renthals angle up and the stock angle down.
I had to roll the Renthal back quite a bit to get them level with the ground.

The Monster bar is much closer to stock but with a moderate bend putting your hands in a much more
comfortable position but remaining aggressive.