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Hey guys, I definitely want to change my handlebars. Matter of fact I had a set all ready to go but clearly they are not going to work for me. So time to do some research and hopefully help others by putting it all in one place.
First - a couple of things I have learned about the factory Grom bars.
While the bike itself is small, the controls are designed for a full size adult and a lot of "mini" bars will not work. The grip portion of the bars needs to be right at 8" long for the grips and levers to fit properly. That equals 203 mm. So the closer to 200 mm for the grip portion you can get the better everything will fit. I notice a lot of mini bars have a grip with in the 175-185 mm range and that is just not enough real estate to properly mount the grips and levers.
I have a buddy that bought mini bars and later had to add bar extensions because the levers (brake and clutch) were forced onto the curved portion of the bar.
This is why I am not using the bars that I have. They are too wide. I was going to shorten them but all the extra width is in the center, if I cut the ends, the controls will not fit.
Also the factory bar end weights were installed by a gorilla on meth. Apparently they are super tight. The screw holding them on is a #3 Phillips. Use a #3 Phillips bit in an impact driver. Have a buddy hold the opposite handlebar or put it against a wall or something so that you can pound on the impact driver. The main reason for this would be to remove the screw, not necessarily to save it or keep from messing it up or striping it because it is specific to the factory bars. If you are changing bars, you will not be able to use the factory bar end weight. I suppose in that case you could darn near use a Sawzall to cut them off.
Also, while the cross bar and pad look cool (IMO) I have read a number of posts about that pad making it a PITA to get the key in and out which makes sense.
So here is the deal, if you replace your bars, please post up. Let us know what bars you went with, not just the brand but the actual model number. Also, if you can, please post a photo and give us a little review and let us know if you had any problems during the install.
Thanks
First - a couple of things I have learned about the factory Grom bars.
While the bike itself is small, the controls are designed for a full size adult and a lot of "mini" bars will not work. The grip portion of the bars needs to be right at 8" long for the grips and levers to fit properly. That equals 203 mm. So the closer to 200 mm for the grip portion you can get the better everything will fit. I notice a lot of mini bars have a grip with in the 175-185 mm range and that is just not enough real estate to properly mount the grips and levers.
I have a buddy that bought mini bars and later had to add bar extensions because the levers (brake and clutch) were forced onto the curved portion of the bar.
This is why I am not using the bars that I have. They are too wide. I was going to shorten them but all the extra width is in the center, if I cut the ends, the controls will not fit.
Also the factory bar end weights were installed by a gorilla on meth. Apparently they are super tight. The screw holding them on is a #3 Phillips. Use a #3 Phillips bit in an impact driver. Have a buddy hold the opposite handlebar or put it against a wall or something so that you can pound on the impact driver. The main reason for this would be to remove the screw, not necessarily to save it or keep from messing it up or striping it because it is specific to the factory bars. If you are changing bars, you will not be able to use the factory bar end weight. I suppose in that case you could darn near use a Sawzall to cut them off.
Also, while the cross bar and pad look cool (IMO) I have read a number of posts about that pad making it a PITA to get the key in and out which makes sense.
So here is the deal, if you replace your bars, please post up. Let us know what bars you went with, not just the brand but the actual model number. Also, if you can, please post a photo and give us a little review and let us know if you had any problems during the install.
Thanks
