grahamfitter said:
Off topic handlebar question
I'm going to replace the stock handlebars on my DR200 (they're not high enough and the PO screwed up drilling the ends out to install bark busters) but since this is my first bike I'm clueless as to what to get. I've heard of pro-taper, even people using ATV handlebars. Help?
Cheers,
Graham
p.s. TW looks like a great moto!
The type of bar to use depends on a lot of things. Aftermarket handlebars come in all different shapes and sizes and are made out of different materials. You can buy aftermarket bars made out of steel or aluminum. The primary advantages of an aftermarket bar are reduced weight and a stronger bar. Stock bars bend extremely easily. At some point in their life a dirt bike WILL get dropped on its side. A stronger handle bar can more easily survive such a fall and even protect the bike.
The bulk of aftermarket bars are made of aluminum. Aluminum is lighter and flexes less than steel.
The dimensions on a handlebar are its width, height, and pullback (how far the handlebar's ends bend back towards you). Stock handlebars attempt to be a one-size-fits-all-the-world-over sorta deal, so inevitably you'll probably find that the stock bars are too high or too low or too far away or too close. So again the aftermarket provides all sorts of variations to fit different body types and personal preference. For most casual exploring and cruising around you're probably going to want a taller bar with more pullback to put you in a more upright and comfortable position.
Most aftermarket bar manufacturers lists their dimensions in the catalogs, but usually refer to their various sizes of bars by some "name." Like Honda CR High, Honda CR Low, YZ Med, etc. Or even have bars patterned after the dimensions that famous racers have on their MX bikes like Ricky Carmichael or Chad Reed.
Most MX bends are going to be too aggressive for dual sport bikes. So what many dual-sporters have found out is that the aftermarket manufacturer's ATV bend handlebars actually work pretty well. These are bars that are intended for sports/racing ATV's such as the Honda TRX450, Yamaha YFZ450, et al. The headstock on an ATV is lower than a dirt bike and therefore typically you need higher rise bars and different pullback.
On both my Vstrom and KLR650 I have Pro-Taper "ATV High" bars. For my height and arm-stretch these work great. I know others who use the ATV Low and ATV Medium pro-tapers. Search the web and you'll probably find someone with recommendations for the "hot setup" for the DR200. I want to get aftermarket bars for our DR200, but want them sized for my wife rather than me, so I'm thinking ATV Low or ATV Medium will work. I like Pro-Taper bars even though they are more expensive.
There are many manufacturers of bars: Moose, MSR, Renthal, etc. Very popular (and more expensive) bars are Pro-Taper. Most bikes use 7/8's diameter bars unless they've been converted to using something else.
Joe
