Iv just bought the rc high bend twinwall + clamps for my 06 kx250 . I'm 44yr old 6ft tall myself . iv not rode the bike as yet its almost finished mind .. Did a full nut bolt build over this crap covid-19 time . can't wait to get out now . tracks in UK starting to open up now :-)
oh shit. hey bro. i had listened to your podcast on this topic and didn't realize that it was you. nice to put a face with the name. great cast btw. and the vid too. appreciate ya
can you explain why you're saying get a low rise bar and use spacers on the triple clamps/bar mount? that doesn't make sense to me. I actually prefer to adjust bar height via the bar rise as opposed to changing the bar mounting point. my reasoning for this is because when you add spacers above the triple clamps to change your bar height, you're now shortening the reach of the bike because your height is coming from the head tube or fork angle so as you add spacers, the bars get pulled closer towards you. now maybe this is a good thing for YOU but I wouldn't be touting that it's the one and only way as you come off in this video. conversely, raising bar height via the actual bar rise allows you to raise or lower your bars without impacting the reach which is a much more preferable and recommended way to set your bike up IMO, same goes for mountain biking where that's a common rule of thumb. now you're kind of right in that if you get bars that are too high of a rise for your body and you're a shorter rider you will end up now with a high bar that's in the same position as stock as far as reach goes so your body positioning may make you always feel like you're hanging off the back of the bike as apposed to being in a nice neutral attack position. so maybe your bar height is high enough to where shortening the reach and bringing them closer to you feels better for you. but again I'd rather achieve this by using the bar rise an roll as opposed to the bat mount spacer/height which will always push the bars further backward toward you and reduce the reach of the bike and you don't even have a choice about it, at least by using the bar rise you can keep the bar in it's neutral position, while changing the bar height and using roll to adjust the position forward or back to dial er in. just my 2c.
Also higher levers reduce the chance of whiskey throttle because of the way your wrist is bent, low levers can cause it, and you can lose access to the lever if you get too far back when they are too low.
I don't know who told you that , but having high levers will force you're elbows down in an attack position, I had a bad problem of always finding my throttle arm would end up low elbowed . Like really low , and I rode for years wondering why , cause I heard the same tip . I recently lowered my levers and elbow hasnt dropped at all in attack position. If you're sitting alot , sure have high levers but if you're a racer majority run levers lower so you're wrists aren't bent standing up cause a good b rider always has a finer or 2 on the levers . You wanna meet in the middle for sure
@@rogergauthier2769 the wrist is supposed to be bent, and yes elbows always out. Anyways Chris Birch and all the other enduro gods teach this in their courses. Levers too low is bad, levers too high becomes impossible....so 25-45 degrees from horizontal is common in the elite setups. But you have to adapt to it.
I'm 6'4 with a 2021 kx450 and my bars have 4 placement settings. Forward and rear mount holes and can flip the brackets forward or back. Do I want the bars farther or closer to me? I already put on a tall seat and lowered the pegs.
Correct me if i’m wrong, but a taller rider has most likely longer arms, why would a taller bar suit a taller rider? It should be the opposite! I’m 6’5 ft and run a KTM low bend or twinwall 999, this helps me loads in the corners and when in a standing position i tend to be more neutral over the bike than with a twinwall 994. The rider triangle gets very weird when you start extending stuff like taller bars, taller seatfoam and lower pegs. This is just my opinion and i could be completely wrong.
i fee the same way i’m 6 2 and i don’t want my bars any higher when sitting down and like you i would almost think the bars need to be further away because my arms are longer than most so bringing the the bars up would just make me be more stood up not a good feeling, it takes you out of the attack position. but i’m still running stock bars and the one thing i want to try on my ktm is just run a flatter narrower bar and see how that goes and might play with risers a bit because then you can keep the one bar you like and play with height instead of buying 20 different heights of bars
Lower bars with a taller guy and long arms makes you extend your hands away from you causing your elbows to straighten. Bad form. So taller guys should run the bars higher thus bringing your hands closer and keeping your elbows out.
@@Cl4rky exactly! I have an rm250 that had lower bars and it felt weird until I put the higher protaper contours on it and the bike became way more predictable. I recently bought a husky sms630 supermoto and especially with the smaller wheels and lower bars it felt like the bike was turning into corners by itself because of the way my arms were extended. Higher bars fixed that issue real quick
In the first example, the biggest difference between your ideal and what they ship with is 1/4 inch per side. Does 1/8 to 1/4 inch per side really make that much difference? If you just rolled off the floor with that new KTM, is buying a new handlebar or cutting the one you just got really worth it for that much change?
Adam, I can definitely see your point, however, even though 1/8-1/4 inch doesn't sound like much, it's a difference that I can feel. T Doesn't mean you have to if you're comfortable with your current width. Handlebar bend is also at the rider's discretion. Some riders aren't too picky about it and some are. Personally, I can ride just about any bar bend, but I won't ever feel as comfortable as I do with a bend that prefer.-Chase
What podcast episode are you talking about? Also I'm 6 1" and been looking at the renthal ktm low bars they have the lowest sweep I can find and are 83 mm height but I'm thinking about adding a 5mm riser to that. I think this is a good choice is there anything you would recommend I'm open to suggestions.
It's not very common to have handlebar mounts that are lower than stock. It may be easier to get a lower rise handlebar. To see all the handlebars and handlebar mounts we carry for your bike, just enter your bike's year, make and model on our website. www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/dirt-bike-handlebars-controls
Rotate your bars backwards, (and readjust your levers), until the grips are pointing down a bit at the ends. High bars are a freestyle setup for knee and foot clearance for tricks. Your cornering and control will improve. and the height will be lower for you. You will not be pushed too far back, but will be able to get your shoulders closer to be over the bars for corners, and able to push down on one grip and pull up on the other. Can't do that if you are reaching for the bars, and I see a lot of real slow corner speed for amateurs on YT go-pro vids. They can't feel what their front tire is doing, and only a berm feels good. Look at the pro bar/lever set ups from the late 80's and early 90's. That worked best.
Is the vortex bars junk or are they decent because they are pretty cheap compared to other bars but I'm not sure ifninwant a cheap bar I always run renthal for lifel
I haven't heard of Cortex bars. If you want a good bar that is inexpensive, check out the Tusk Chub bar. www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/tusk-chub-1-1-8%22-big-bar-p#ReviewsPanel
@@rmatvmc last question which bar bend in the vortex is most like the stock fatbars on my 2019 crf 250r normally i can try them in the store and feel them in the store but i wanna try to order some this time
I feel the exact same on this, what's the difference between a flat bar and a bar with more rise if it still has the same sweep and angle height? Using risers is no different to buying the same bar geometry just with more rise.
I do not get the difference between using a bar-mount or a high-bend bar for a tall rider. If either achieves the same final hand-height what is the difference? You do not explain the advantage of a flater-bar+risers over a high-bend-bar.
The Desertsweeper, that is a great question. I could give you my version but i'd also like to get Kris's answer for you. When I hear back from him i'll get you a response. Thanks for watching!-Chase
As promised: The difference is in the rise. If you have a tall bar (height) "usually" the rise is also tall so this forces your arms to be too far up when sitting down in corners. If you get a flatter/straighter bar you will have a more relaxed arm position through corners(due to the rise near your grips). Getting the "height" through the bar mount allows you to choose a more relaxed handlebar "rise" which will not feel like ape hangers when sitting down or setting up for corners. The height measurement is strictly measured in the If you're mostly an off-road guy and stand up a lot getting a bar that is taller with slightly more rise is acceptable. Again, these are just inside "tips" and is not the gospel by any means. If you like your current bar, go be happy and enjoy your dirt bike, but if you feel like your technique is suffering through corners it could be your bar bend. You can check out my website Keeferinctesting.com or my podcast to read or listen to more handlebar dimension talk. -KK
I know this is old, but I was thinking the same thing. Ultimately the Grip height is the grip height. The only difference I can see is where you set your bar tilt/angle (not sure the official word for this). If you have a riser/spacer that is say 1" and lower bars. The title angle will have to be more in your lap to put the grips in the same place since the vertical angle of the mount changed and that is not adjustable forward and backward. With a higher bar, you can keep that angle adjusted from your oem mounting position and land closer to the distance you want from the body to grip without having to lay it back as hard. This might be what they mean we they say "Ape Hanger" feel. Overall, it seems like they produce the same result. However, I would be concerned about the mounting hardware during a crash since the bolts are technically now longer and there is a third factor of movement in the spacers. Older bikes used to use spacer or grommets in their mounting solutions and they bend every time if you drop the bike on the bars. On the flip side, the taller bars seem like they may have more flex if you are running a high bend fat bar. Personally, I run Renthal CR Highs and I am always happy that do. I am just a normal rider out there having fun, nothing special and I ride 80% desert and 20% Track so it makes way more sense for me to go with a high bar and not add more factors in between myself and the machine. I am also 6'2" so it helps tremendously when standing. Just my thoughts though. These guys are the pros.
@@ilikechipsonmysandwich agree with all you say. We are the same height almost, I am an inch taller. To get close to a comfortable riding position I use a combo of foot-lowering-pegs and CR Highs and bar-risers...I always envy those shorter riders who are standing completely comfortably on a stock bike
I just changed my stock bars to the protaper evo woods high . I have alot of trouble with vibrations making my hands go numb. I'm 43 been riding since 1980. Hand and arm vibration syndrome is catching up with me. 23 years of driving transport has lots to do with this too. I really found the bars that came on my 2018 yz250 gave me tons of vibration feed back. If you know any lil tricks to smooth out the vibs please share....
Its expensive but id look into Flexx bars, ive never owned them but every person that has them seems to love them. I believe you can adjust how much flex feedback it gives which maybe will take vibrations away too update: In the product description it says "Significantly reduces vibration"
@@codeybean Flexx bars are the answer, they are expensive but worth every penny. 55 years old, been riding moto all my life had carpal tunnel surgery and thought i had to quit riding( i actually did for about 2 years) untill i tried these bars ....love them !!!
I sure don't agree with level, (or near level) levers. You want your wrists straight, (agreed I think), and a level lever with a straight wrist means your elbows are too low for unexpected hits.
This is not freestyle where you want more knee and foot clearance for tricks, so they rotate the bars forward. Rotate them back where they belong so the ends are pointing down a bit, for much better cornering set up,--and point your levers down so you can keep your elbows up easily with a straight wrist. This is not freestyle, like every bike in your garage is set up for. Bring those bars back,--and you will ride better.
2:52. See how your hands naturally are rotated a bit, pinky on the low side? Rotate your bars back to about match that angle for your grips. It also makes it easier to get your shoulders closer to the bars for corners, where you can (for example), push down on the inside grip, and pull up on the outside grip to help lean the bike into a corner, and gives you a better feel of what the front wheel is doing on the ground. It is harder to get over the bars more like that when they are rotated forward, and the grips higher, at an unnatural wrist angle.
But also at 2:52. If you point your levers down a bit, your elbows would be up right there. :) Your elbows are up pretty good when you ride though, (better than Sexton even,---last national crash with his elbow at his side, that James covered), but it will be easier if you bring the bars back.