Handlebar risers vs. heli-bars

Discussion in '6th Generation 2002-2013' started by Dani, Feb 24, 2011.

  1. ilovheros

    ilovheros New Member

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    Dani, be sure to give us your evaluation/ opinion on the MRA screen. I would love to hear your take.
     
  2. John451

    John451 Member

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    A friend has just ordered "Multiclips" from Germany for his Gixxer, they look nicely made has anyone heard of these before ?

    MultiClip adjustable clip-on system - be flexible!
    A brand new clip-on system that adjusts to the rider!

    * Stepless adjustable clip-on
    * Made from high-strength aluminium alloy
    * 'Sport' version: Height adjustment 0 40mm
    * 'Touring' version: Height adjustment 40 70mm
    * Fork clamp available in 43 / 45 / 50 / 53 mm diameter
    * Laser etched marks for balanced and secure adjustments
    * No risk of rotation through double screw clamping
    * Replaceable steering tube
    * Steering tube offset with 5 of adjustment for optimal fine tuning
    * Grip tube length = 230mm
    * Grip tube outside diameter 22mm / inside diameter 12mm
    * Vibration reduced fabrication
    * Black hard anodized
    * TV part certificate - Made in Germany

    [​IMG]

    http://www.ausfr.com.au/cart/shopexd.asp?id=286
     
  3. jaystar

    jaystar New Member

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    oldrider, this is jaystar, CA resident northern and VFR rider...found that the heli-bars don't give me enough rise and wanted to use converti-BARS or equivalent...any feedback ? know someone that wants the heli-bars ?
     
  4. WingZer0

    WingZer0 New Member

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    You selling ur helibars?
     
  5. Oldrider

    Oldrider New Member

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    jaystar,
    Keep in mind if you go any higher than the Helis, you will probably be looking at longer cables and hoses. Those bars from Germany (Multiclip)do look great, I would check them out if I were you.
     
  6. VFRGeek

    VFRGeek New Member

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    YOW, that's exactly what I am looking for - I like my bars nearly flat, and those look very much like the SpeedyMoto Tall Boys I had on my Ducati - infinitely adjustable with lovely index marks so you can get both sides the same. Does anyone know if there is a US distributor ? Google isn't turning much up for me. Many thanks for the pix !

    -VFRGeek
     
  7. Parker VFR

    Parker VFR New Member

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  8. Boneman

    Boneman New Member

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    Well I know what I'm doing this long weekend (just came in the mail yesterday)

    [​IMG]
     
  9. jaystar

    jaystar New Member

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    yes...good look but the 40-70mm rise on these bars is no higher reach than the heli-bars me thinks....any experience with the others mentioned ?
     
  10. Boneman

    Boneman New Member

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    Got the installed and all I can say is this was $300 well spent! Thank you all who have previously posted about Helibars. The information was invalubale! Here is my little write up.

    Full details are also here on my site: Boneman's VFR Site - Helibars

    Date: April 22, 2011

    Cost: $270.00 CDN (+ $30 USPS shipping + $37 Duty/taxes)

    Purchased: eBay - NEAFCycle
    Manufacturer: Helibar
    Mod Time: 1.5 hours
    Part No.: HB01003

    After doing much research on Helibars on both VFRD and VFRWorld, I decided to invest the $300+ and hoped to increase my comfort level on the VFR.

    Not that the VFR is uncomfortable, but for my particular case I found I would get excessive neck/upper shoulder pain after about 45 minutes. This is primarily due to a previous mountain biking accident back in 2000 where I took a 5' drop onto my head and compressed my neck & spine. So I wanted to make the VFR more suitable for my personal comfort requirements. I've heard nothing but positive reviews regarding the Helibars so I decided to make the investment.

    Here are some helpful threads about Helibars:

    http://vfrworld.com/forums/6th-generation-2002-2009/33922-handlebar-risers-vs-heli-bars-2.html

    Installation Guide:

    This is a great installation guide done by one of the VFRWorld members (ottrod) and since he has already done a fantastic "How To" write up, I'm not going to go into any great detail on my installation.

    http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/15496-6th-gen-heli-bar-install-see-before-you-try.html

    Installation was pretty straight forward. I found the Helibar instructions to be pretty straight forward and easy to follow.

    1. Cutting off the Locator Tabs

    As per the instructions, I sued a Dremel rotary tool with a cutting disc and removed the tabs off the Brake and Clutch reservoirs. The clutch side only needed the forward tab removed.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    2. Removing The Grips:

    There has been LOTS of discussion on how to go about removing the grips. All I did was use my air compressor with my air gun attachment and fired some air under the grip and presto, they swelled up like a balloon and off they came in about 4 seconds.

    To re-install the grips, a few squirts of hairspary did the trick.

    3. Removing the Dampers:

    The most difficult part was getting the bar dampers out of the OEM handlebars, but they weren't that bad to get out. I spoke with my local Honda dealership before I started and he reassured me getting them out was pretty simple. I left the OEM bars on the bike to remove the damper units. I have a vice, but it's not attached to my bench, as well as the Honda tech also recommended leaving the bars on the bike. The trick to removing these is to make sure that you push in and twist the two little locking tabs. Once done, some pulling an wiggling will get the damper unit out. In the picture below you can see the locking collar

    [​IMG]

    4. Installing the Helibars

    Installing the Helibars is straight forward. I found they are a very tight tolerance when trying to slide them over the fork tubes. I cleaned the tubes with mineral spirits and used mineral spirits like a lubricant to help the Helibars slide on. I measured the vertical position and decided on 0.275" from the top of the tubes to the top of the Helibar clamp.

    [​IMG]

    I adjusted both bars to what I felt was a comfortable position for me and aligned both. I checked that they did not interfere with hitting the tank on full lock and made sure none of the brake or throttle lines caught or got hung up on anything. I torqued the bolts to their specified 12ftlbs and went for a test ride.

    [​IMG]


    Initial Impressions:

    MONEY WELL SPENT!!

    Went for a little ride and no neck/back pain! Will have to try a long haul to feel the full benefits of these bars, but I already know this was a good decision for me and my VFR.

    - Boneman
     
  11. pastorgumby

    pastorgumby New Member

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    +1 on HElLi's

    A +1 on the Helis - also added kuryakyn ISO grips, throttle boss and Snake Skin Tank Pad grips - makes for a much more comfortable ride! Oh and givi tank bag- from twistedthrottle.com - the one w/ ring around gas tank.

    givi off top view snake skins.jpg vfr left side.jpg top view givi.jpg kuryakyn iso and heli bars.jpg slim profile shot w snake skins givi.jpg
     

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  12. Dani

    Dani New Member

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    Heli bars installed. MRA vario touring shield and Sargent seat as well. Ready for some touring! The heli bars do make the riding position more comfortable for me - similar to the BMW F800ST I rented in Europe. Was worth the investment for me.
     
  13. John451

    John451 Member

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    Got to ride my mates GSXR1000 90 odd miles this with weekend with the muliclip raising his bars by 50mms, I'd rate them an excellent high quality item and with the OEM adjustable footpegs set to lowest postition turning his Gixxer with its now VFR like riding position into a hyper Sportstourer. Only negative for him was he had to have new longer braided brake lines installed and a slight nearly unnoticable modification made to his upper fairing.
     
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