Convirtibars

Discussion in '5th Generation 1998-2001' started by Angus2001, Jul 10, 2019.

  1. Angus2001

    Angus2001 New Member

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    Does anybody have any experience with "convertibars"??? Also, my seat is original and in perfect shape, what does anyone recommend for protecting it from the elements and keeping it soft?? Many thanks in advance for your input.
     
  2. OZ VFR

    OZ VFR Member

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    The great thing about Converibars is that they have so much adjustment.
    A lot of people use the Helibars, which are stupid expensive, don't offer any adjustability, and are outright ugly in my opinion.
    A bloke I know did a lot of USD fork conversions on VFR's when it was the thing, and he only used Converibars because of quality and adjustability.
    As for the seat, not much you can do, but getting it recovered doesn't cost much.
     
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  3. stubbs

    stubbs New Member

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    Yes, I'm running Convertibars on my '99. Pretty happy with them. I didn't buy the kit specifically made for the VFR, but I found the generic 41mm kit on eBay a couple of years ago for $150 and jumped on it. Unfortunately my clamps are the long-web ones vs the standard short, which I think makes fitting on our VFRs a bit more challenging. However, I'm using them successfully to bring the bars back a bit, up a couple of inches, and out a bit wider. The range of adjustment is pretty fantastic, though it's not so easy that you'll be tinkering with it every week.

    As a short rider (5'6"), I love the ability to sit up a bit more and not be stretched out so much.

    I'll go out and get a picture for you to see my setup. Because I've got the bars as high as they can go (and as far back as the clamps can go before hitting the tank), I did have to trim my windshield a bit at the top corners to make sure the control pods on the bars wouldn't hit it.
     
  4. stubbs

    stubbs New Member

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    After I set them as high as I could reasonably go without interference or longer hydraulic lines, I trimmed the bottom of the riser posts.

    [​IMG]



    [​IMG]


    Full lock on the right side, it’s the closest since I keep my brake lever higher than my clutch:

    [​IMG]

    Left just a bit of clearance to the tank at full lock to get the clamps as far back as I could.

    [​IMG]

    Side view to see height and pullback:
    [​IMG]


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  5. Angus2001

    Angus2001 New Member

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    Thank you for confirming what I thought was the best choice regarding the convertibars...Great pics BTW thank you for posting those...
     
  6. stubbs

    stubbs New Member

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    Oh, forgot to mention— I’m also running ST1100 throttle cables to get enough length for as high as I have the bars. Found a used set of cables on eBay and they’ve been fine, but swapping them is a pain.


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  7. szut

    szut New Member

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    Great information in this thread. But am I missing something on the price difference between helibars and convertibars?
     
  8. stubbs

    stubbs New Member

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    What are you missing? HeliBars list for $320 and Convertibars list for $340, making the super adjustability of convertibars a no-brainer in my book.


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  9. John Stokes

    John Stokes New Member

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    Have you purchased the Convertibars? I have been trying to contact them for two weeks with no success! I have left messages on three phone numbers and emailed them on their web page twice with no response.
     
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