[dr1445]

greetings forum,
well i have put a few hundred miles on the new to me 98 st2. i have been riding a suzuki dr650 dual sport, with 1982 suzuki gs 1100 bars, for the last 2yrs, so maybe i need more time to adjust to the st. i find i need to crane my neck up to see out of my helmet visor, otherwise the top of the visor cuts off my vision. is this something that a set of bar raisers might fix, i am not to keen on going to an open face helmet.

 

[StuST3]

Congratulations on your new ride. Risers will help you. See the link below for Dr Desmo. They should work for you. It also took me a few months to adjust to the bike as well.

Last year I swapped bikes with my friend for about a hour. He is 5'9" and started was having neck issues. I'm 6'2" and don't have the problem.

http://www.drdesmo.com/st24rise.htm

 

[dr1445]

5' 10" here. thanks for the link to dr desmo, i have read that bcm in nh may also have them. it looks like i may be able to make my own if i can find a hole saw with the right dia. and some 1/2" aluminum stock.

 

[JasperST4]

I wonder if it's your helmet. I'm 6' and don't have that issue. Do you have short arms? Or it might just take awhile to adjust.

 

[dr1445]

i take off the self shirts so i guess my arm length would be "normal". it might be my 64 years pressing on an inablitly to hold the head up. the law frowns on using high speed air to support the neck, so having a look at some helmets with a higher shield cutoff might be an option, if there is such a thing.

 

[JasperST4]

Or try a few on. I have one helmet that sits too low on my brow. I put some padding in to top to lift it a bit but got an Arai that fits very well. Different helmet brands tend to fit different shaped heads. I thought the bars were too low for several months but now I like it the way it is but some guys do like the bar risers.

 

[dr1445]

the bars are fine, its the neck positon thats the problem, and that seems to be a viewport size problem. since my helmet is getting tired, i will look around for one with the large viewport.

 

[TX_ST2]

I'm 5'9" and this used to be a little bit of a problem.
My fix was to really work on my posture and strengthen my back (both lower and upper).
Since I've worked on that, I've had no trouble whatsoever.

Same year bike, stock bar height.
Try working on your posture while off the bike. Do shoulder shrugs and work on not slouching. I do a lot of pressing my shoulder blades together. It has really helped -- believe it or not.

 

[dr1445]

hummm, at 64 i am guilty of slumping shoulders. your fix is free so i will give it try.

 

[Ducatichip]

I defintely recomend working on the posture. I've orde everything from Paso's to Monster's to ST's as well as several vintage bikes and other things and it always seems to come back to the riding position. I have several helmets of different make and design. While some seem better for different positions, I find that straightening up my back relieves the tention on my neck and on the wrists as well. On a long ride this can cause my back to get tired, so I tend to move around in order to keep all of my parts from getting fatigued.

Good luck. Hope you find what makes you most comfortable.

 

[Kramer]

This is a different style bike than yo are used too. You and your body will adjust over time.
A couple of things. Sit as far forward as possible.
And lose that MX helmet (or the helmet with the visor). The wind flow on the ST is not very friendly to any type of visor.
Standad FF is best. Or if you're a retro kind-of-guy, get a good half with full goggles...no visor.
Ride-on and enjoy that new bike.

 

[dr1445]

i am using the a full face helmet. not much choice in thumpers today so i went with a dr650 because it could be left alone, set up with a bias towards dirt or street, and is a super simple machine to maintain. i set mine up for street riding 19" front, gs 1100 bars, lowered front and rear, mikuni tm40 pumper and pirelli scropion st tires. i really hate to sell it but must as i am between jobs.

 

[Desmo_Demon]

You may get used to it. I'm 6'1" and don't have any issues as you describe with my ST2 with any of the helmets I've worn....and I've actually lowered my bars by installing Helibar adapters and superbike clip-ons.

 

[ststrada]

take a look at www.convertibars.com I have the on one of my bikes, not the st3 but I know they make them for the st's not sure about your year