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Handlebars 1982 gs850gl

  • Thread starter Thread starter airwolf222b
  • Start date Start date
A

airwolf222b

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I have a 1982 GS850GL. It's my first bike, so when I was learning to ride it everything seemed normal and comfortable. But the more I ride it, the less I like the handlebars turning in towards me. Their height and spacing feels fine. It's the way the actual handles start to turn in towards me that makes my wrists feel like they're twisted a little.

I'm approximatly 6'4" tall and was wondering if anyone out their of similar size could point me towards a style of bars you found you like more. I've looked on z1 and they have tons of bars to choose from and I don't really have any shops around here that I'm aware of where I can go try out different bars. I know it's gonna be a matter of preference, but I was curious to what you found you like.
 
Sorry to be so grumpy but this is about the 500th thread on what handlebars to use. Please give the Advanced Search feature a try. Click "Titles Only" and then search on "handlebars" and the like. You will turn up tons of info which will guide you.
 
Sorry. I'll try and find a way to delete the thread. I did a search, and did read what others were using. I was hoping to find someone my size to see what they thought would feel right. What feels right for someone 5'8" will feel much much different to someone 6'4". I apologise.
 
How about some regular 850G bars? They don't have that funky turn-in angle at the grips and are pretty high. The early 850 bars were taller than the '82+ variety, since the seat was lowered in '82 and the bar height decreased accordingly. I'll bet if you post in the Parts Wanted forum you will find a pair for next to nothing.
 
I can't imagine handle bars turned in. It sounds like something off a Harley. Anyways, I am 6 foot 2 and heavy. And use the standard handle bars which came with the bike. They aren't in any way toed in. I don't have a pic right now but if you decide not to delete the thread, I will take some shots tomorrow, and post them. I find them comfortable. Do you have pics of yours ? I'm having a hard time visualizing.
 
Thank you very much. I'll check on those.

Hey Bccap. I'll take a few shots and post in a bit. I'll try and take a shot of the way my hands sit and show you what I mean. I'm kind of a wide guy. So my shoulders are about as wide as the bars themselves. Which kind of forces my arms to go in towards the tank and then my wrists to turn out to hold the grips.
 
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Some pics...

Here's how it forces you to grip. My wrist is cocked to the right as far as it will go and if you notice where my palm and thumb wrap into it, it doesn't even touch that much.
picture.php



This picture kind of shows how the "L" bars come in toward you. I read on a post here once that it's kind of like a rototiller type handle bar. Which is a good explanation of it.
picture.php
 
That looks extremely uncomfortable. I can' t imagine steering in tight corners feels very sure either. The angle of your mirrors looks more appropriate. My bars are mounted on either side, so they are not compatible. But I will try to post similar pictures as yours, which may give you an idea if you like the angle. I'm wide too, but for a"keg" of different reasons.
 
It's not the best position in the world. And you're right, sitting on the bike, with my hands in a more relaxed and natural position, the mirrors are closer to where my hands want to be as far as angle.
 
I can personally recommend bars from an early 80's Honda 650 custom or goldwing.

I put 650 bars on the 81 850GL I had a couply years ago. They might have been a little shorter but had a much more comfortable shape. I have goldwing bars on the 80 1000G I have now. The are very close to the same hight as L bars (taller than G bars), but turn out more for more comfort. I got both sets off eBay for a good price.

Hope that helps.

Buddy
 
Took some pics of my riding position. As we have different bikes, I also include distance from the steering stem to the end of the tank ,20 inches. The distance form the steering stem to the tank and 90 degrees to the tip of the bar is 7 inches. I find this position comfortable, and easy to simply push down in the corners. But I think the most useful tip is from a link posted by Joe Nardy. Just plug in your height and inseam, pick your model bike, and out pops your riding position on your model of bike with stock bars. Here are the link and photos.
http://cycle-ergo.com/
IMG_0778.jpg

IMG_0779.jpg

IMG_0780.jpg

IMG_0781.jpg
 
Nessism said:
How about some regular 850G bars? They don't have that funky turn-in angle at the grips and are pretty high. The early 850 bars were taller than the '82+ variety, since the seat was lowered in '82 and the bar height decreased accordingly. I'll bet if you post in the Parts Wanted forum you will find a pair for next to nothing.
Click to expand...

Ditto.

Daniel
 
Thank you so much BCCAP. I appreciate it. I still can't decide exactly but I am leaning towards the 850G bars. I've read a lot of people on here like them.
 
Buddy said:
I can personally recommend bars from an early 80's Honda 650 custom or goldwing.

I put 650 bars on the 81 850GL I had a couply years ago. They might have been a little shorter but had a much more comfortable shape. I have goldwing bars on the 80 1000G I have now. The are very close to the same hight as L bars (taller than G bars), but turn out more for more comfort. I got both sets off eBay for a good price.

Hope that helps.

Buddy
Click to expand...
I was thinking the same thing in my mind as I have them both on the bench. Here is what I can do for you...
I have the stock bars off my '81 GoldWing AND the stock bars off My '80 GS750 L model. I can take a pic or them together and give you an idea, then if you are interested get them to you... we can talk price (cheap) later. Of course I can not gaurentee the stock 750L is the same as your uncomfortable units but if I remember right, they look aweful close.
 
OK, tried to get the best views to show the difference. You can see the grip angle is much better, the width is wider, and even though the overall rise is not as high, the actual grip height should be realy close to the same as they do not take the drastic turn down.



 
I like the look of the goldwing bars. Do you have a specific price in mind?
 
Hows $10 plus shipping, I see you are in KY so being a neighbor it shouldn't be much to ship them however you want...
 
Kudos, HD.

To the OP: Any bars are going to be a drastic improvement over the stock bars. I have a 650gl and the 100+ mile ride with the stock bars was ridiculous. I swapped over to a straight drag bar and it made all the difference in the world.
 
I got rid of the rediculous buckhorns on my L and swapped them for a set of Daytona bars. What a difference. If you go with Daytonas or a drag bar you will have a LOT of extra wire and cable hanging off so you might end up having to buy shorter cables. You might also have to readjust your clutch cable after the bar swap. It made mine really tight and the clutch wouldn't fully engage.
 
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