Motorcycle handlebars, how to choose the right fold.
If you also have doubts about the handlebars and the right handlebars for your bike, as has happened to many of our customers, we have created this guide to help you understand which handlebar is best suited to your bike and your needs.
With hundreds of handlebars sold for all types of motorcycles and special, over time we have developed and improved our folds, allowing an improvement in driving and compatibility with many motorcycles on the market. Over the years we have accumulated an experience that can best advise our customers according to their requests.
Although apparently the motorcycle handlebar looks like a simple folded "tube", in reality, reading this guide, you will discover that it is a high-tech element, which requires particular attention in the choice.
In our definitive guide on the motorcycle handlebars we will deal with the following topics:
- WHY HAS SUSPENDED THE HANDLEBAR
- HOW IT INFLUATES THE HANDLEBAR ON THE MOTORCYCLE GUIDE
- DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 22 mm AND 28 mm
- DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE VARIOUS FOLD HANDLEBAR
- CHARACTERISTICS THAT MUST HAVE A QUALITY HANDLEBAR
Why replace the handlebars of the bike.
The bike handlebar is mainly replaced for 3 different reasons:
- The original handlebar has bent due to a fall
- For driving problems or inconvenience of the original handlebar
- To customize the bike with a colored handlebar or a different handlebar
Change the handlebar after a fall.
Let's start analyzing the first reason, or the replacement by fall.
This is a simple motivation, the original handlebar is often made of steel and when the bike falls it bends irretrievably and must be replaced with a new handlebar.
In this case there are two solutions: you buy an original handlebar, which usually has a high cost and a medium-low quality, or you can "take advantage of the opportunity to replace the handlebars of the bike with one in ergal quality and superior aesthetics .
Usually the first solution is the most comfortable but also the most expensive, while the second solution is a little more complicated because of the assembly but on the other hand is the best solution to improve the aesthetics and driving of your bike resolving and improving the handling of the bike - Now we'll see why.
The replacement of the handlebar most of the time is due to a limiting or uncomfortable driving position, or to obtain a clear improvement of the driving, which we will see in detail at the next point.
Replace the handlebar to improve driving
Generally the original handlebar, to save on production costs, is used on various models of motorcycles that have different characteristics.
But more importantly, those who design the motorcycle must take into account all the various "dimensions" of the human body of the various motorcyclists who will buy the designed bike.
Unlike when designing a car, with the ability to adjust the steering wheel and seat to fit each driver, the position of the saddle and the handlebar are generally fixed on the bike.
It is therefore natural that those who are 190 cm tall can not have the same measurements as a 165 cm driver.
On the other hand, when we drive the car first, as soon as we get on, we adjust the seat and the steering wheel according to our size. This procedure is now natural on cars, but on the bike you do not realize it, forgetting that it can not be done.
The replacement of the handlebar is a great way to adjust the driving position by improving it and adapting it to your body, which is unthinkable for mass production.
It is possible to elaborate on the correct position in the saddle (and possible postural pathologies) in this interesting article on the PAIN TO THE WRIST
Replace the handlebar for esthetics with one in anodized ergal
Finally, as the last case, but always important, you can replace the handlebar for an aesthetic improvement of the bike, the SRT Factory handlebars are made of aluminum (we will see later in detail how) anodized.
Anodizing is a treatment that protects aluminum and gives a very special color to the material, making it aesthetically pleasing and resistant to atmospheric agents. The SRT Factory handlebars resist years without fading thanks to the hard anodizing process to which they are subjected.
Our advice is as follows: in case of a fall or replacement, consider buying a SRT Factory handlebars (WE RECOMMEND YOU THE MOTO SRT HANDLEBARS) , you can improve both the aesthetics and the driving and the quality of the bike, but above all you will get advantages in the position in the saddle and the maneuverability of your bike.
How the handlebar affects the motorcycle's driving.
The replacement of the original handlebar with one that has different measures affects the motion of the bike, the SRT Factory handlebar is designed to improve the driving of your bike.
To understand which handlebar to choose, first you should identify the problem to be solved or the objective to be achieved, taking into account that the SRT Factory handlebars are designed to solve most of these driving problems.
Generally by changing the handlebars, these advantages can be achieved on the bike:
- improve maneuverability
- improve the feeling with the bike
- improve driving position and comfort
- reduce vibrations
To improve the handling and agility of the bike, working only and exclusively on the handlebar must increase the so-called "lever arm", basically increasing the width of the handlebar you get a better lever, this means that with less effort on the handlebar you can steer the bike better, speeding up direction changes and improving the overall agility of the bike.
All SRT Factory handlebars are slightly wider than the standard handlebars to improve this feature (but not excessively, to avoid creating problems of compatibility with the cables) and the folds (unique of our handlebars) are designed to improve comfort and driving of your bike.
It took us over 10 years but in the end we got some patented and perfect folds for most of the most popular bikes, which you can only find in the SRT Factory handlebars.
Only after mounting an SRT handlebar will you notice the benefits you see in this guide.
Increasing the feeling means having better control of the bike and a greater perception of the guide and the front end. This result can be achieved by increasing the rigidity of the handlebars.
In fact, the SRT handlebars are made of ERGAL, a special very rigid aluminum alloy that transfers every command quickly and precisely to the bike.
Unlike standard steel handlebars, which are much more "flexible" because of the type of material with which they are made, the ergal remains much stiffer by better transferring the movements from the hands to the wheel, becoming one with the motion, but at the same time reduces the vibrations caused by the bike up to 25% thanks to our bending patents.
If comfort is not your priority, but you want to have a sporty and very direct driving, we advise you to eliminate (if you have) i silent block which are present between the steering plate and RISER
that serve to dampen the vibrations but at the same time "slow down" the reactions of the bike to the commands given on the handlebars.
Changing driving position or improving comfort is one of our customers' requests. For this reason we have studied 3 different folds, specific to SRT factory handlebars, which adapt well to the needs and which we will see later in detail.
Generally there are two main road needs.
The first is to have a sportier drive, in this case a low and "straight" dumbbell is the solution that works best.
The low handlebar allows you to increase the load on the fork and to maintain a driving position more similar to a faired bike than to a naked one. Obviously this is slightly to the detriment of comfort, charging more the wrists of the pilot who are tired more than normal. To overcome this type of problem, the SRT FACTORY PIEGA BASSA HANDLEBAR, in the final part, is designed to ensure that the POSITION OF THE WRIST is always aligned with the position of the arms to better absorb the torso and slow down the fatigue, remaining a sporty handlebar.
The second request is to have a more comfortable handlebar that does not tire the driver during travel.
To solve this problem we have developed for most of the recent touring motorcycles, a high straight and comfortable handlebars.
The fold does not affect too much the sporty driving, maintaining a more straight position on the saddle, making less strain on the back and the wrists.
As an alternative for the naked and the riders who do not require only a sporty driving but who also want to grind a few kilometers, we have studied the medium fold, a handlebar that is halfway between the low and high fold, which gives excellent sensations of control and stability , allowing you to maintain a more straight posture on the saddle compared to the low fold.
The SRT Factory medium fold handlebar is a handlebars quite similar to the original Japanese naked handlebars and allows you to improve driving without upsetting your home setting.
If you want to learn more about how SRT Factory handlebars improve the driving of your bike you can read
Handlebar vibration reduction
In conclusion, we analyze the reduction of the vibrations transmitted to the wrists on the handlebars, which, especially on long journeys, become really annoying.
All SRT Factory handlebars, any fold you decide to buy, reduce vibration by up to 25%.
This characteristic is due to the use of aluminum, with a thickness of 6 mm, for the realization of the 22 mm SRT Factory handlebar. Aluminum, in fact, compared to steel, transfers much less vibration being less "elastic" and more "pasty".
To further reduce the vibrations, if these are really unbearable as on some large two-cylinder, we recommend to buy an SRT handlebar with a variable diameter of 28mm, which, thanks to the particular technology with which it is made, absorbs up to 25% of vibrations more than the standard handlebars.
22 mm (7/8) or 28 mm (1 1/8) handlebar? Let's see the differences.
It happens very often, that our customers are wrong to buy handlebars; being convinced to have a 22 mm handlebar, when in reality they have a 28 mm.
But what does this mean? And how can you recognize them on the fly, without making mistakes (besides the fact that you simply need to measure them)?
The handlebars for European motorcycles in 99% of cases have only two universal sizes, 22 mm or 28 mm, this measure refers to the diameter of the handlebar in the area where it will be fixed on the risers.
In fact, the 28 mm handlebars are actually 28 mm in the central part and 22 mm in the final part, where they will go to mount the knobs, pumps, mirrors and everything that is mounted on the handlebars.
This conical process gives the HANDLEBAR a VARIABLE SECTION (in fact from 28 mm in the middle to 22 at the ends) an obvious difference, and is recognizable on the fly because the central area is more thick with respect to the area where the knobs will be applied.
Most low or medium displacement bikes, especially Japanese, have a 22 mm handlebar. While Italian motorcycles, of large displacement, generally mount a handlebar with a more expensive and performing variable section.
If your standard handlebar is a 28 mm you will have to replace it with an equal one, if instead your original handlebar is 22 mm you can decide to upgrade with a SRT variable section handlebars, adding the risers in place, the greater expense , supported for the purchase of risers, will be rewarded by better driving sensations and an aesthetic appearance of the much more refined and racing bike.
In fact, the variable section handlebar literally changes the appearance of the bike, making it more aggressive and impactful.
See for example the effect on this Ducati Monster, with 22 mm handlebars and then with variable section handlebars.
The difference between the various folds
If you are undecided about which handlebar is the right one for your needs this part will be very useful.
The SRT handlebars are available in 7 different pleats, these folds cover 360 ° the various possible applications.
Essentially we can divide the SRT Factory handlebars as follows:
- 22 MM and 28 MM off-road / motard handlebars
- Handlebars naked 22 mm LOW FOLD and FOLD MEDIUM
- Handlebars naked variable section 28 mm BASS FOLD and FOLD MEDIUM
- "Enduron" / 22 MM touring handlebars and 28 MM
Off-road handlebar (cross-motard-enduro)
Let's analyze the differences between the various options starting from the handlebars for off-road and motard bikes; keeping in mind that every SRT handlebar, in the "technical data" section of the description, presents the various measures, which you can compare with our comparator.
The series of handlebars dedicated to off-road and motard motorcycles is designed to guarantee solidity first of all, since the stresses are greater on the road, and that in the case of the cross the handlebars must also hold up any jumps (in case it is possible also combine the TRAVERSINO).
The folds are designed for off-road driving, high enough to drive standing and straight for maximum agility.
The essential difference between the model 22 and the model 28, apart from the diameter, is the width, slightly larger for the 22 mm, for the rest are almost identical, as this fold that has been tested over the years is perfect for both the motard driving, which for driving in enduro.
Naked handlebar 22
The series of 22 mm SRT dumbbells dedicated to the naked is composed of 2 folds, the low and the average.
These handlebars are really ideal for these bikes, they are the "non plus ultra" of the naked handlebars. But how to decide between one fold or another?
Very simple, both are compatible with most of the naked, and the fold media in practice is an improved version of the original handlebars mounted as standard on many naked (like Hornet, Z 800, Mt09 etc.) with the difference that the width is higher to allow better driving of the bike.
So if you do not want to "risk" to change too much the driving of your bike, but you just want to improve the performance of the standard handlebars without upsetting the bike, but improving the aesthetics, then choose the fold media SRT. Otherwise if you want a slightly more sporty driving, more loaded on the front end but still acceptable in terms of comfort, then choose the low fold that comes a little closer to riding the superbike.
Naked handlebar 28
As for the naked handlebars in the 28 mm version, the situation does not change compared to 22, so the rules of 22 mm are valid, but with the difference that the 28 in the low fold version differs from the average fold for the inclination of the area knobs more accentuated, making the driving position very similar to that of a sport with half handlebars.
The handlebar with variable section also improves the aesthetics and is recommended for making the modification on the naked that come out with 22 mm series.
The 28 mm medium fold model is ideal not only for the naked, also for the "motardone" type Hypermotard and Dorsoduro, fitting perfectly even on these bikes.
Endurone / Tourist handlebar
Finally we have the handlebars for touring motorcycles, the so-called "endurone" everything to do, which are perfect for long journeys.
These bikes (R 1200 Gs, Africa Twin, Transalp, Mt09 Tracer) are designed to be used at 360 °, from the sporty driving through the hills, to the 600 km journey, to the dirt path.
The handlebar adapted to this bike must be high enough to remain comfortable while traveling, but if necessary, you can also drive standing on the dirt.
In this case we have studied a high-bending 28-bar handlebar, which is designed to be efficient first of all in driving, enhancing it, and second-hand convenience.
While the 22 mm SRT high fold is meant to be comfortable for travel but also high enough for sporty driving on the road or on land.
These types of folds are valid only for the SRT Factory handlebars, in fact, low handlebars, medium fold, high fold do not indicate anything precise.
Any handlebar sold as a low fold is not identical to the SRT Factory low fold handlebars, this will seem obvious, but for many it is not.
Because many people think that the handlebars are all the same, but our folds are patented and designed after years of testing and no other handlebar can have the shape of the SRT Factory handlebars
In conclusion, our advice is to choose the handlebar according to the primary needs, if you are undecided, take the handlebars more similar to your original handlebar. In any case you can always contact us by email at info@srtfactory.com and we will advise you, with over 10 years of experience dedicated to the creation of motorcycle handlebars!
HOW TO RECOGNIZE A QUALITY HANDLEBAR
The handlebars are not all the same, although many think that the handlebars are just metal tubes, the reality is very different.
In the market there are bad dumbbells, unsafe and of poor quality.
To make a high quality handlebar, you need to pay attention to 3 factors:
- the material
- the workings
- the finishes
Here's how SRT Factory manufactures and designs its motorcycle handlebars
SRT Factory handlebars are designed to improve the ride, performance and aesthetics of your bike.
We could do as they do everything, make (or buy in china without even thinking about making) a low quality handlebars, to sell at 20/30 euros to thousands of poor riders who would buy it and would have found a bad product in hand dissatisfied and disappointed.
Or we could choose a different path, creating a very high quality handlebar, designed to improve your bike, which lasts over time and which will change the driving and the sensations you feel when you use the bike.
We put all our passion into the handlebar, to create the best handlebar in the world to give you quality, safety and aesthetics.
This is why each of our handlebars starts with the choice of the material, which is of fundamental importance.
We must not forget that the handlebars are a structural element of the bike. Therefore it must absolutely not be compromised by stress. Remember that you could also save money by buying Chinese counterweights and knobs (even if they are clearly recognizable), but you can not pay any expense on the handlebars!
To make a handlebar it starts from a bar of ergal 7075, very important that it is ergal and not "aluminum" generic, the material must be relatively young (physical state T0), otherwise in the bending phase could create micro cracks that would compromise the resistance, which few people know and even less apply.
Once you have chosen the right material, proceed with the first process, ie cutting into sections and turning the edges by hand, handlebar handlebar, in this way you remove the smears of the cut leaving the handlebar as well as aesthetically, well finished and smooth.
An extra processing that makes the handlebars better.
Subsequently we proceed to the bending with a numeric control tube bending machine, this guarantees that all the handlebars always come out of the machine with the same measurements, replicated as per the patented design.
Once the bending phase is over, the handlebars are hardened to bring them to a more resistant and definitive physical state T6, a sort of hardening to "spread" the "fibers" of the material after the stress of the bending and make the handlebar resistant.
When the handlebar is finally ready, it goes to finishing, last but very important.
In the case of the SRT Factory handlebars we perform the following operations to create an impeccable handlebar that will take your breath away.
It starts by performing a surface finish to eliminate the signs of the machines, then according to the type of finish we proceed to brush the handlebars that will have brushed finish, or micro-balling with glass balls for the handlebars that will have satin finish (velvet-like effect) ).
These processes are the only ones to realize them. In fact, usually (especially the handlebars made in China) are rarely finished, with the result of disappointing finish that if compared with a handlebar SRT factory has no hope.
This type of processing is certainly not cheap, but we make it to give you a product of superior quality that is aesthetically impeccable.
Then we proceed to oxidize the handlebars through anodization, available in 7 colors.
the oxide layer arrives inside the material up to 5 tenths of mm in order to keep the color unaltered for years.
Anodizing is a very difficult and expensive treatment and at this stage we do not pay any expense, while those who make cheap dumbbells sold at 20/30 euros cut heavily on costs.
Anodization well done, with beautiful bright colors, made in depth, which lasts many years has an average cost in Europe wholesale between 7 and 12 euros (only for this treatment), a handlebar that on ebay or amazon is sold for 20 euros, how can it be well anodized?
Obviously, if we want, even with 3 euro we can anodize our handlebars and accessories in ergal, but we do not want our handlebars to fade quickly after a short time, changing color due to a low quality surface anodization that does not resist the test of the time.
We demand a top quality product, to sell the best handlebar that a motorcyclist can buy for his bike (see our REVIEWS HERE, after years our products are still perfect).
In conclusion, to finish this jewel of premium craftsmanship we perform the permanent laser engraving of the SRT Factory brand and the numerical "notches" to center the handlebars in the risers, a phase that seems trivial, but that must be performed with particular care, otherwise the laser it would be decentralized and the handlebar would be badly mounted.
Packed and ready to be sent directly to the next lucky motorcyclist's home who will have the pleasure and luck of owning it.
These attentions, combined with the warranty seal ensure that the handlebar is an original SRT factory model.
Unfortunately there are people who pay to ruin their bikes, without realizing it.
Do not you believe it? Yet it happens all the time ...
How to happen? Buying low quality dumbbells, which in addition to being ugly, are also unsafe and most of the time they get worse riding the bike.
Such as this motorcyclist who wrote us this mail:
"That an ergal handlebars is better to see.The chrome handlebar is much stiffer and if, for example, you take the straps on a trolley as an attachment point, the ergal bends like a pudding"
Our answer was this:
The handlebars of low quality certainly, but the SRT factory handlebars are made of quality materials.
If you buy handlebars from 20/30 euros it is normal that you find yourself in hand a handlebar ciopeca.
The problem that people do not understand is that a 30 euro handlebar can not be of quality.
That price only covers the cost of the material and workmanship if obviously it does not save on materials, finishes, workmanship.
The result is this, there are motorcyclists who believe that the ergal handlebars (true ergal and not ergal to say, that dumbbells sold for ergal when they are in simple aluminum is full ebay and internet) are delicate and that they fold like the pudding .
So I understand his point of view because unfortunately due to poorly prepared sellers and handlebars on the market of very low quality the confusion spreads. In any case, our handlebars are exceptionally sturdy, so much so that they are the first choice not only of the cross team, but also of some stunt man who use our handlebars for their resistance.
Besides obviously being the first choice of the most prepared motorcyclists who love their bike and would never mount a Chinese 4-bar dumbbell.
How could you see ...
To close, you could evaluate yourself, that the motorcycle handlebar is not a trivial "folded pipe", the handlebars are a fundamental element of the bike, that many underestimate or do not know deeply how in reality it should be known.
We trust that this guide can be useful for choosing the right handlebar for your bike and helps you to improve the driving and the aesthetics of the bike as only a handlebar SRT Factory can do.
I want to thank you for reading our definitive guide to the bike handlebars and I remind you that we are always available for a technical advice on this and other accessories for your bike made in SRT Factory.
A greeting