Risers or Rockster Bars?

[Soliton]

I'm a short arse!

There I've said it, at 170cm (5'7") I am not going to start a basketball career. To make up for this and to give the bike sportier look and feel I have rolled the standard bars on my bike back a long way. This drops them and sets them back. I really like the look more café racer, less sit up and beg) The unfortunate side effect is that the controls now bang on the tank. This means I either have to suss out some means of radically lengthening my steering stops or find a better way of doing things.

I have thought of two options.

1 - Add a riser. The one I saw lifts the bars by 20mm and projects them back by about 10mm. This may be sufficient to clear the tank using the standard bars in the roll back position.

2 - Replace the bars with Rockster bars. Being longer and flatter I thought they might also do the job by having a lower position without the need for such a savage roll back to achieve the dropped style.

Does anyone have any experience with this. I did read of one chap who both used Rockster bars and shortened (by 1.5" each end) and re-welded them. This sounds like a major pain in the butt, so I would go for standard bars and perhaps roll them back a wee bit. I'm building a café racer/ street-fighter crossover so I'm not troubled by a more forward riding posture.

What do you reckon?

As an aside, the tank has a dent in it which suggest that the bars have hit it at some time in the past. I notice too that they seem a tiny bit uneven. Is it common to bend your bars in a gentle drop? (I say gentle because the dent is tiny and shallow.)

Sol

[riceburner]

I wouldn't go for Rockster bars if you're short..... they're VERY wide, you'll have your chin on the tank!

[DAQ421]

I think that the Riser is the way to go.. The stock bars have some lift and the riser will bring them up and back. The wider rockster bars would just make you reach more..

-Peter

[Grey Thumper]

I'm exactly your height, but have a Rockster instead. I found the reach a bit much for commuting in traffic (at speed, they're ok), and bought risers to bring the bars up and back. I'm tempted though to get regular Roadster bars to bring the grips even closer.

[shake1150]

I've put the Rockster bars on my Roadtser and it made an improvement for me. I'm 5'10", and the bars are lower and wider...

makes handling a bit quicker... and on the highway at speeds of 80km/h or more, the bars are perfect. the original bars made me "sit up" more, and the added height made turbulence around my helmet... the lower bars make the turbulence go "over" my helmet. works for me and looks really cool too.

[sweatmark]

I've put the Rockster bars on my Roadtser and it made an improvement for me. I'm 5'10", and the bars are lower and wider...

makes handling a bit quicker... and on the highway at speeds of 80km/h or more, the bars are perfect. the original bars made me "sit up" more, and the added height made turbulence around my helmet... the lower bars make the turbulence go "over" my helmet. works for me and looks really cool too.

Such was my experience also, though the handlebar configurations were compared with two bikes when we had Roadster and Rockster.



As you say, the Rockster handlebar is great for unfaired riding, which is my preference for turbulence management... with a good quiet helmet, and always earplugs.

[Billy900t]

for a bigger variety of choices check out

http://www.sideroadcycles.com/ImportedM ... rsBMW.html

might find the exact bar you want

[sweatmark]

for a bigger variety of choices check out

http://www.sideroadcycles.com/ImportedM ... rsBMW.html

might find the exact bar you want

Except that none of the Flanders handlebars - nor other 22mm bars from Rizoma, Magura, etc. - have the required OE attachment end required for heated grips and bar end weights.

[shards]

I have a set of Wunderlich bars gathering dust in my garage. I will be in San Fran from May20-May31, you can have them for $40 plus postage. Contact me at [email protected] or PM. I'll send them on May21 (Mon) the first day the USPS is open. Regards, Steve.

PS. I bought them in 2005 for a US bike trip on a Rockster but never used them.