Rizoma handlebars on R12R

[Bob Hancock]

Well I got the Throttlemeisters and the Rizzoma handlebars and have begun the installation.

Here's stage one, where I made bar end anchors from billet aluminum and taped them into the bars.




Any helpful hints, watch-out-fors, etc are welcome. But be patient....the machining was fun but tearing into the OEM installation will come slower.

[AndrewA]

Wow! Very fancy!



Before you drill and tap for the two screw holes that hold the left grip, spend some time riding on the bike with the new bars installed, and experimenting with the best angle. A 1/2" move one way or another in bar angle can make a huge difference in comfort and performance: what may seem right in the garage may not feel correct on the road. Aluminum bars don't like lots of holes drilled into them.

You can wrap some electrical tape around the left bar which will allow enough friction on the grip so it wont spin while you're experimenting.

The Rizoma bars are something like 28.5" wide, and is a good width to start with.
Keep in mind that there is such a thing as too much bar leverage, particularly if you are used to steering with your body vs. just counter steering. If you have room, and find that your getting too much leverage (the bike is too bar-twitchy), don't hesitate to cut these down to 26" or so.


Your heated grips will feel less effective because aluminum conducts heat along the bars, steel tends to concentrate it at it's source. Not a huge deal, perhaps.

Don't be married to the particular bar that you've bought. Ive gone through three sets of bars on my R1200S before I finally settled one particular set. Again, a half inch in rise, a few degrees of grip sweep, a tick one way or the other in height can have huge implications.

A motocross style cross bar add significantly to bar rigidity, and looks cool (in some circles). I've ridden with and without, and cant really tell the difference. Also, cross bars get in the way of Ram Mounts.

Good luck.

[Bob Hancock]

Since part of the OEM bar I don't like is the width, maybe I should just go on and cut them back an inch each side? They are nice and thick but can't be put in a lathe. How did you cut them back....plumbers pipe cutter or????? I have a milling machine. Maybe cut them with an endmill? Hmmmm.

Since this is my first bar swap, I appreciate these tips, Andrew. Thanks.

[AndrewA]

Originally Posted by Bob Hancock

...
How did you cut them back....plumbers pipe cutter or????? I have a milling machine. Maybe cut them with an endmill?

or a Sawzall!

Simply clamp the bars on the bike and cut. Takes about 20 seconds per side to cut through that soft aluminum. Result. Not much drama, but with the added benefit that the vibration from the saw helps release any tiny bubbles that may have accumulated in the hydraulic lines.

Before you cut though, you should do some test runs to see if it's really necessary. You should know immediately if the bars are providing too much input, then just adjust as necessary until it's perfect for your style of riding.

You also want to make certain that you have enough real estate on the bar to mount the grips and controls should you decide to make them smaller. Your existing 28'5" width should be a very reasonable width to start with, a will provide very good baseline. I'd run like that for a while before I started cutting.

[Droptarotter]

Bob;
Instead of cutting right away........just move all the controls in until you find the width you like........then cut the excess bar off.
Cheers

[Bob Hancock]

Excellent idea. Thanks.

[Bob Hancock]

I just measured the grip width of my bikes, center to center.
R12R - 25.5"
R12S - 22.5"
K12S - 22"

The width of the R12R bars make it a bit twitchy especially at low speeds....as in coming to a stop and pulling away. The K is kinda trucky....the R12S is perfect. I know there are other factors at work here, so I can't draw too much from these measurements, but thought I'd pass them along.

The other factor will be how to place the Rizoma bar. I think it shouldn't be too difficult to do as the bar is marked for rotation but I intend on mirroring the OEM positioning.

But.....the bike has a small leak in the front brake reservoir so I better get that taken care of under warranty first before moving things.

This blog fwiw.

[blkduc1]

I agree with AndrewA ... cut those suckers off.....
too wide

Here is may take on the bar thing:

"My main problem with this bike is the high, wide bars, ........ The wide, bars (leverage) makes the R12R very “flickable” if using counter-steering, but for me also adds too much sensitivity in turns, etc., for my taste and riding style. I don’t need dirt bike bars for the street;( I prefer a relaxed, “Pridmore” style touch on the bars.) And I don’t need to sit up like a little dog begging for a scoobie snack when I ride. Granted, there may be a time when that position feels more comfortable to me, or back trouble may cause me to alter my ride position, but for now, leaning forward a little into the wind works well. I also did not feel quite right about the wrist angle for the R12R bars. I am tall with long arms, so that probably makes the stock R12R geometry worse for me. One plus about the R12R bars is that you can stand up and ride with ease, “a la GS”. I think a compromising handle bar, somewhere between the S and R would still allow standing while riding and would be more comfortable and sporty, and I would even like to try one with a lower , more tucked in bar somewhat like an old K100RS, just to see how that would feel.

[Guest24]

I'm really wondering how shortening the bars ala sport bike while sitting upright will effect the the riders ability to seriously control the R. CG, rake etc. are going to remain the same. Since I've never done this to a bike my questions stem from curiosity.

[Bob Hancock]

I have the bike scheduled for fixing the leaking reservoir next week so we can do the bar install after that. Come on by...you know the way.

[EenyBear]

The subtleties of these discussions fascinate me.

Although my experience with motorcycle bars is limited, when I installed my HeliBars on my R12S I found they were just a bit wider than stock (around 3/8" to 1/2" each side if memory serves).

One interesting effect was the noticeable reduction in vibration. Another was the better fit for my wider-than-average shoulders. My counter-steering actually improved and my body-steering was unhampered. The bike just felt better overall.

Maybe the fact that the HeliBars are solid aluminum stock is a significant contributing factor in vibration damping. Maybe the slight up and back positioning with HeliBars reduced my perception of vibration due to un-weighting my hands. I really don't know.

On the other hand, in bicycles, aluminum's rigidity increases the noticability of road vibration when compared to steel or CF of Ti. Further, on my time trial bike, I prefer narrower bars with more bodyweight over the steertube and wider bars on a standard road bike in a more upright position. This would be consistent with narrower bars on a sport bike (R12S) and wider bars on the R12R.

I'll not pretend to be an engineer and just offer these tidbits to fuel discussion as you make the best choices for your application.

Thanks for sharing and including pictures. Makes the site worthwhile.

$0.02
Ian

[MaineRoads]

I noticed the "twitchyness" when I went from the R12S to the Megamoto. I no longer feel it. I relaxed my grip (too tight to begin with but wasn't obvious maybe?) and all is well. Bob will probably have more of an issue with feel as he will be swapping between bikes regardless of which bar he goes with. Nice problem to have though!

[shreddr]

do you think you can loosen the clamps on the R12S handlebar stubs, and pull them out about an inch? This might give a little more leverage, with $0.00 cost!

[Droptarotter]

Shreddr;
If I remember correctly......the stock bars have an alignment notch in them that mates to one of the clamp bolts...........so it would be tough to slide them outward.
Cheers

[EenyBear]

Originally Posted by Droptarotter

Shreddr;
If I remember correctly......the stock bars have an alignment notch in them that mates to one of the clamp bolts...........so it would be tough to slide them outward.
Cheers

You do remember correctly.
I also recall that my HeliBars had the same notch - allowing only slight, but sufficient, rotation for fine-tuning the position of the bars.

I further recall seeing a post somewhere wherein a fellow described fabricating extensions for the stock bars that screwed in to the bar end threads... with a shoulder so the extensions were the same diameter as the bar. In turn, the extensions had a threaded hole for the bar ends. Suited his purpose and seemed pretty clever at the time.

Ian

[Clif Port]

I shortened a Rockster bar by 3 inches overall for use on an R1150R. The lower, flatter bars and narrower width combined with just the little fly screen made for a much more comfortable riding position. Someday I'd like to try the modified bar on an R1200R.

[Bob Hancock]

Just brought the bike in from the dealer where they installed the trimmed Rizoma bars while doing warranty work on the front brake reservoir. Just to review, here's before and after.




They sit low enough to cause light contact between top of triple clamp and lever cylinders.


They do this on both sides. Short neighborhood ride says this is a great improvement for grip position. Feels very natural to me and not so twitchy. I also feel like I'm sitting in the bike a bit more. Only problem is that the levers are rotated a tad bit too high. Not much and not a problem riding but I need to evaluate this. Dealer mechanic said that I can get a little more lever lowering by rotating the bars rearward (not too much as grips are close the tank now at full lock) and rotating the levers down.

I plan to ride it and decide....so we shall see.
FY'allsI

[shreddr]

nice!

[NakedRider]

Looks nice Bob. Did it change how useful the mirrors are?

[Bob Hancock]

Originally Posted by NakedRider

Looks nice Bob. Did it change how useful the mirrors are?

Nope....not a bit. I'll have a better idea after I get to put some miles on the bike, but initial perception is all is well. I've also been thinking about the levers and plan on lowering them as much as I can to get them in line with my arm....straight forearm/wrist thing. Looking at the bike from the front the bars look low and kinda cool....the 2" width change making a visual as well as ergonomic positive change.