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Folks with cafe experience

1434 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  jasonh
So, I'm toying with the idea of clubmans. I like the feel of the Daytona bars, esp. if I'm going to be on the bike for any length of time, but w/ the cafe faring and the fact that the bike will primarily be an around town bike now, I'm considering the clubmans again. I certainly like the look better, and I find myself tucking on the bike often and the daytonas feel funny when I tuck.



I'm curious about measurements. What fits well on the cx, what have people had experience with (good or bad), yada yada. I see these on motorcycle-superstore (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.co...=80003&zmam=88421133&zmas=1&zmac=45&zmap=4917) and they measure...



Width = 28"

Rise = -0.8"

Pullback = 6"

Center = 4.8



for $22. Not bad. One thing I wonder about, if I do decide to go for a longer ride, how is it being that low for a long period of time? Tough on the arms and shoulders? And one more question... how troublesome and time consuming is it to transfer everything from one set of bars to another? -nick
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I found this to be a huge pain. All the cables minus choke and brake line have to be routed in a clean and non restrictive way. I had a helluv a time getting the throttle cables to snap back quick, but I did it with oe length cables. I didn't want to cut my fairing so I left them way back...big mistake. The gas tank is now pretty banged up from playing around with s-turns in parking lots and such and the fork lock wouldn't work. Since then I chopped the fairing everything is where it should be the lock locks and the stops stop.
I wouldn't do it but i'm not you.



And it would be a pain in the ass like it always is. New bars always means new cable locations and finding that sweet spot.



Larry built my new bars in the image of Daytona bars but I think they are 3 inches taller and it must have took a couple hours just to find the right placement for them. In the end I gave up for the night and came back in the morning to get a better look at things. Carbs off, cables off and fishing around straightened things out.
huh. that all sounds annoying
. Not like changing bars on a bicycle, huh? I hadn't even thought about cable lengths. And the lock.



My faring at least looks like it's designed for clip-ons or clubmans (it has big cut-outs in the side for low bars), so I don't really think that'll be an issue... but who knows? And cables... hmm. The other thing I don't like is having to order online. If I had a perspective set of bars in hand, next to the bike, before I had to purchase anything, I would think I'd have a much better idea of what I was getting myself into.



That $22 sticker price just makes me think it'll be easy
. Sounds like... not so much. -nick



edit: just went out and took a look at the bike. Something else I hadn't thought about. I have the stock gauge cluster on there. I don't think clubmans would squeak past those things. Cables looked less worrying, but would def. still be some kind of trouble. But I think the stock gauges pooch the deal. Anybody know for sure?
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You will be amazed how much lower they actually are. I dont see how people use them without rearsets.
You will be amazed how much lower they actually are. I dont see how people use them without rearsets.


Now, this is something I remember hearing constantly looking at cafe build-up threads in the past and I'm still baffled. I actually have custom foot controls on my bike and I still feel crunched up. The idea of rearsets... yuck. My knees hurt just thinking about it. I mean, I do not know, I've never ridden a bike w/ clips or clubs, and I can imagine that yes, you are much lower. Some quick math, I'd say ~4" lower (Daytonas w/ 3" rise, clubmans w/ a -1" rise). But when I tuck w/ the existing bars, my feet don't feel awkward in any way. I have a hard time understanding the geometry issues that really necessitate rearsets. NOT LOOKING TO ARGUE, just want to make that clear, but I have a hard time visualizing it.



Anywho, not looking to build a cafe, I should mention that too. This bike is a mutt. A dirty, utilitarian mutt.



And so that you'll really think less of me and my nonsense, I'm also planning to put highway bars on the bike, a la Lucky's WONDERFUL rebar method. Clubmans and rebar highway pegs. Aww yea
. But in all earnestness, I do think that'd be comfortable. I'm not doing it solely to be a goof. But, considering the fact that it looks unlikely that any sort of off the shelf lower bar set would work, I don't foresee doing anything any time soon. Bike'll be going under the tarp w/ STABIL in the tank in the next week or two. I've got nowhere dry to work on the thing.
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I rode for a year with clubmans and I did not have any problems. My tank was never beat up or anything like that. As for the wires that really just depends on what you want to do with them. I did nothing but put them on and go and they never were a problem for me. I will agree that they put you in a lower riding position but I always felt I had better control of the bike. I really think the look is better then say a drag bar or m bar. For the price it is worth a try, I loved them but I ended up going a whole different way with my bike so I now have 14 inch aps.
With clubmans, do you put a terrible amount of pressure on your wrist? I have bad circulation in my arms, so extended pressure makes my hands go numb
(even tucked in at highway speeds with these old-man bars I have makes my arms go numb because of the bend in my elbow required)



I'm needing something shorter. Not sure to go with clubmans, clipons, or just "superbike" bars.



Anybody got pics of various bars with a rider in riding position?
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