Helibars on the vfr 1200

Has anyone mounted the new Helibars? if so any comments?

 

i am awaiting delivery of a set of heli bars for DCT model. i will post my opinions once they are fitted

 

I currently have the Heli Bars installed on my DCT. They are a great improvement over the OEM, but I seemed to have noticed a slight increase in the handlebar grips vibrations. Also, I encountered a problem with re=routing the cables, but received no customer support. I called twice but the lady on the phone promised an engineer would call me back, but never did. I even emailed them but never got a response back. I don't think I'll (me personally) ever buy from them again due to poor customer service. But the product works great. I think you will be well pleased with the Heli bars.

 

Thanks for your comments. I'm glad that I have arranged to have them fitted by the dealer . Could you possibly PM me with details of the problems that you had with the cables so that I can pass them on to my mechanic? I would be most obliged as time is money when getting stuff fitted.

 

I'd love to see pictures on you on the bike holding onto the bars......I know it's asking a lot!!

 

Phobe has a good writeup on the heli-bar install on his blog; you might want to give it a read!

Honda VFR1200F Weblog: Helibars

 

Thanks that was most helpfull

 

I now have my bars which should be fitted in a few days. Has anyone any idea how long it should take a good professional mechanic (certainly not me) to fit them

 

I'm not a professional mechanic, but I would imagine no more than an hour (two tops) to do it. Basically, you're just removing the bar ends, peeling off the clutch side grip, unbolting the control pods, then removing the factory clips. ...stick on the heli bars, make sure they're aligned (no keying feature like the OEM bars) then reinstall the control pods, remount the clutch side grip, reinstall the bar ends, ...done!

Really quite an easy operation. ...loosening the banjo bolt and rotating if slightly down, as Phobe mentions in his blog, is probably the most "complicated" part, and it's not complicated at all.

 

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you with my solution. I've been working a lot and also been out of town. Here is a link to my post about the Heli Bars:

Heli Bars Installation (DCT) - Need Help - VFR Discussion


I hope it's not too late and it saves your installer (dealer) a little time and headaches.

Thank you,
anbark22

 

Great info. Don't forget to mention the damper units (one inside each handlebar) which must be transferred from the OEM to the Heli Bar. Thanks, anbark22

 

Thank you for the tips. I saw the post a couple of hours before setting off for the dealers to get them fitted.
i still don't have them fitted though as I am returning them to the shop who supplied them as the holes for the switch gear locating pins had not been drilled. the shop is replacing them and refunding my postage so I can't complain about their service. Helibar is a different matter because at just under £300 for a set of bars you would expect better quality control

 

I believe in Heli and support New England companies so I sent them a copy of this tread. the following is the response:

"Thank you for taking the time to notify us about these comments on the web. This is also very disturbing to us, HeliBars has been producing/shipping motorcycle handlebars for over 20 years and has made a good name based on both quality and customer service. While we strive to accommodate every riders needs, we realize we cannot please everyone.

The gentleman that posted that he asked for help, did indeed call us, and we contacted him and left him a message. He also called us back and we gave him the answer over the phone. With regard to the other issues mentioned I have printed them for the engineer to review. We appreciate the feedback from our customers and we do try to get daily notification from the internet about postings regarding our product. Without feedback from our customers we cannot improve our quality.

Regarding the drill hole not being available. I have not yet received a call from our UK distributor for a replacement. We will of course replace them without a problem. We make every effort for our product to be perfect when it leaves here.

I hope that in the future you will consider HeliBars. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Kind Regards,

Jennifer Pettengill
Inside Sales/Marketing"

So cut them some slack.....and no I have no affiliation with them. they have always been responsive to my bike contacts

 

So we have a he said/she said argument. I tend to believe anbark22; if he says they never called him back, but got the answers he needed here, then I'm inclined to believe that's what happened. At least he's posting and sharing the solution(s) he found so others don't have to rely on Heli to get back to them!

 

I can't believe Heli Bar posted that untruth about contacting me. They are entirely mistaken. Maybe they are referring to another customer with a similar issue, but certainly not me. They never contacted me nor answered my email. The only help I received was from a fellow member....Fotodadi. I will call Heli Bar tomorrow to see if I can speak with Jennifer Pettengill. I hope she is at the U.S. toll free number.

I will request the date and time in which they contacted me. I have my cell phone records to disprove their contention.

I am infuriated and saddened. I had perceived Heli Bars as a reputable company, but I can't believe they would tell an untruth like that. I have nothing to gain by bashing them. As I stated in my posts, they made an excellent product and works great on my DCT, but I probably would not buy from them again because of the total lack of customer support I received. That's my personal experience with them but I would not dare discourage anyone else from purchasing from them. Their experience would probably be different and positive. After all, again, they made an excellent product for my DCT.

I'll keep you posted on how my telephone conversation goes with Heli Bars.

Thank you,
anbark22

 

4/15/11 Called Heli Bars and spoke with Tanya, who answered the telephone. I requested to speak with Jennifer Pettenjill, but was informed that she's out on a road show. I requested she call me upon her return. I did not discuss the nature of my call with Tanya.

I don't plan to waste a lot of time and effort with Heli Bars but I just want to get to the truth of this matter.

Thanks,
anbark22

 

I just installed mine (well, the dealer did) and it makes a MASSIVE difference in the load carried on your wrists. I consider this money very well spent.

 

Talking to those chicas at Helibar is like wading through five feet of BS. IMO thier mama genes have kicked in and nature is telling them that their sole mission in life is to protect the dudes at Helibar who can get the job done.

My 91 tipped over and one bar got bent. Hoping that I could get a single replacement, I called Heli.. The mamachicas told me no and that not only no but they didn't make or stock bars for the 91's at all.

I am a persistant SOB and finally after my BS sniffer went into sixth, I got to speak to one of the engineers. He basically confirmed what I had been told but would fabricate a set of bars for me that would fit and cut me a deal as well.

The moral here? Caveat Emptor and Churchez la femme.


With this I am reminded that some aftermarket stuff is not only different for bikes but in many cases better than OEM.. Even for Harleys..

 

I purchased a set for my bike. They came in perfect working order, so I didn't have to talk to their customer reps.
I can say that they made a big, positive difference in my hand position, but my hands still go numb.
I'll purchase a set of vibranators and report back whether the combination cures my problems.