Steve Davis
05-31-2003, 07:51 PM
Lower Handlebar Report
I put a lower handlebar on my Strom a week ago and have used it for
450 miles of mostly mountain riding. I thought it would improve the
handling a bit and it has. It pulls me slightly forward but is still
comfortable.
The bar is from Chaparral and cost $11.99. It's the same width and
angle as the stock Strom bar but has about 1 inch (25.4mm) less rise.
Chaparral's part number is 311-0530 and they call it a "european bend".
I rotated the bar in the bar clamps so that the left switch pod almost
touches the fuel tank at full lock. This made the bar ends point down
a bit, as I prefer. I like to have the brake and clutch levers
rotated down about 20 degrees from horizontal, but they need to be
higher so that the hand guards clear the fairing at full lock. This
is acceptable, though I might remove the hand guards so that I can
rotate the levers lower.
The Strom's switch pods are plastic and have a small nub which
protrudes into a hole in the stock handlebar as a clocking device.
The molded plastic shells are too soft to adequately clamp the
handlebar and these nubs prevent the switch pods from turning. I
filed the nubs off of the switch pods, as I didn't know where the hole
would go in the new bar. The switch pods can now be rotated around
the handlebar using a bit of force. In practice, this is acceptable,
as the turn signal switch is centered on the bar and the starter
switch is close to the center. Pressing these switches doesn't cause
the switch pods to rotate on the bar. The dimmer switch and horn
might be an issue, but I rarely ride at night or use the horn.
Steve
I put a lower handlebar on my Strom a week ago and have used it for
450 miles of mostly mountain riding. I thought it would improve the
handling a bit and it has. It pulls me slightly forward but is still
comfortable.
The bar is from Chaparral and cost $11.99. It's the same width and
angle as the stock Strom bar but has about 1 inch (25.4mm) less rise.
Chaparral's part number is 311-0530 and they call it a "european bend".
I rotated the bar in the bar clamps so that the left switch pod almost
touches the fuel tank at full lock. This made the bar ends point down
a bit, as I prefer. I like to have the brake and clutch levers
rotated down about 20 degrees from horizontal, but they need to be
higher so that the hand guards clear the fairing at full lock. This
is acceptable, though I might remove the hand guards so that I can
rotate the levers lower.
The Strom's switch pods are plastic and have a small nub which
protrudes into a hole in the stock handlebar as a clocking device.
The molded plastic shells are too soft to adequately clamp the
handlebar and these nubs prevent the switch pods from turning. I
filed the nubs off of the switch pods, as I didn't know where the hole
would go in the new bar. The switch pods can now be rotated around
the handlebar using a bit of force. In practice, this is acceptable,
as the turn signal switch is centered on the bar and the starter
switch is close to the center. Pressing these switches doesn't cause
the switch pods to rotate on the bar. The dimmer switch and horn
might be an issue, but I rarely ride at night or use the horn.
Steve