[Tankota]

My bike only came with one /wwwthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif. Do these help or do anything?

PS I'm talking about the small metal "weights" that bolt onto the end of the handle bars.

 

[flankr7]

They assist in taming the vibration transmitted to your hands during riding which can cause "vibration numbness" and increase rider fatigue.

 

[F4iHigh]

i rode around with only one bar end for a while, and the vibration did bother me alot. Bar ends are also good because if you drop your bike they're like a frame slider for your clip ons.

 

[GSRider]

Luckily enough for most inline 4 bikes, bar ends are pretty much an asthetic add on. For bikes that have a twin (Horizontally opposed, vertical or V) you NEED those bar ends. I learned that the hard way. :crazy:

 

[Tankota]

Interesting...thanks for the info.
Guess I'll be machining a new one (or at least checking on the price of new/used ones). :smile:

 

[specialsymbol]

yeah, flanker is right, they're mainly for suppressing vibrations.

and grinding on the street when you crash.

 

[Tankota]

OT: Frankfurt am Meer? Is that similar to Frankfurt am Main? Not sure if my spelling is correct here it's been 13 years since I was there.

 

[Dunno]

Same Frankfurt, different river, I think...

 

[ZOEY]

Don't be fooled here though. The bar ends won't really provide much protection if at all to your bars. They might prevent them from getting scratched in a crash but, it doesn't really matter when your bars going to get bent all to heck anyway.

As 'twas said before, good anti-vibrations devices. Keeps your hands from falling asleep.

 

[specialsymbol]

It's just playing with words. The location is Frankfurt am Main, which is abbreviated by Ffm.. Meer is the german word for sea, so I changed the Main (the river that goes through town) to sea, for in german both has the first letter M. Just for the idea of lying on the beach.

 

[Tankota]

So, would heavier be better for taming vibrations?

I can get a friend to machine some out of something really heavy or a bit larger than normal.

Thanks for the input guys. :smile:

 

[SpikedLemon]

[ QUOTE ]
Tankota said:
So, would heavier be better for taming vibrations?


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes and no. It could make it worse. The optimal mass is dependant on the vibration frequencies that you will see in the handlebars. Though... Heavier should help.

Another one I've heard is injecting the bars with silicone. GSRider filled his bars with lead fishing weights and it helped a lot - but the bar ends he has on his new handlebars don't weigh anything.

 

[Guest]

But for the most part the bar ends end your bars. :cwm27: :kaboom:

 

[SpikedLemon]

[ QUOTE ]
mikev7 said:
But for the most part the bar ends end your bars. :cwm27: :kaboom:

[/ QUOTE ]

You should be bitchslapped for that one!

 

[Guest]

Well they do.. :809028-ridin:

 

[ZOEY]

Anyone ever try the "gel" type? I heard about them several years ago but don't know if they ever caught on or worked.

In theory, I would think that some sort of gel would have pretty good vibration absorbtion.

 

[evander]

[ QUOTE ]
ZOEY said:
Anyone ever try the "gel" type? I heard about them several years ago but don't know if they ever caught on or worked.

In theory, I would think that some sort of gel would have pretty good vibration absorbtion.

[/ QUOTE ]


By “gel type” do you mean grips? If so I put them on my ZX-10R. Before the grips my hands would go numb after about two hours of riding or much quicker cruising at a constant 70 mph. After the grips my hand no longer went numb. My butt usually gave out first.

I did recommend gel grips to a buddy on a ZX-6R and he said he couldn’t tell the difference. I swear by them he doesn’t, but $20 what the heck?

 

[GSRider]

I really like Pro Grip grips; more comfy and does help to soothe vibrations :smile:

 

[ZOEY]

[ QUOTE ]
By “gel type” do you mean grips?

[/ QUOTE ] No. They made bar ends that had gel in the center (like a Twinkie :grin. They were a little longer than the conventional style by about 3" or so but, attached the same way as most stockers.
I understood that they greatly reduced vibration due to the gel and the weight combo.
I don't even know where to begin searching for them.

 

[NyTona]

You mentioned hand/wrist numbness.
Yo! On long rides (and some short ones) I get that. Any ideas on how to combat it.
On one long ride, it got so bad that the blood really didn't circulate and I had to keep taking my hand off the throttle.