Got the Helibars on tonight. I have mixed feelings about them. Allow me to explain...
Stock stuff came off easily. Slid the Helibar in and found the relief cut in the bar meant to center itself with the mounting bolt to properly orient it does nothing. The relief seems to be too deep/big, so the bolt never comes in contact with it. Same goes for the throttle side. As a result, you have to line the bars up as even as possible on your own by eye/feel. Once I got them where I wanted them, I found out the switch mounts on both sides hit the upper dash cowling.
So, I basically had to rotate them to the point where they just cleared the upper cowl on both sides and tightened it all down. The levers and brake/clutch master cylinders clear with no problem, it's the switch mounts on both sides that end up touching.
Ok, so it's all together, now it's time to take it out of the shed and go for a ride. Jump on, back it out, cut the wheel to one side, and my hand hits the mirror. Interesting, I didn't notice that while I was putting it all back together. Wonder if my other hand will hit if I turn opposite lock...yup. :confused2: Oh well...
Head out on the road and immediately notice the riding position is MUCH more comfy. Feels very much like my old '02 Bandit 1200N. Very little weight on my wrists and I don't have to use my abs, lower back and thighs to hold myself up. What I did notice is the bike feels weird in the turns. The seating position is much less sporty, so it feels a bit less sporty leaning the bike over. It seems to take a bit more effort, which I kinda expected. Another thing thats evident is my center of gravity is higher with the more upright seating position. This means the bike has a tendcy to get light in the front end much quicker/sooner during acceleration. Heavier guys may not notice this as much as the lighter guys. I'm only 180lbs, so I notice it right away.
If you do more cruising and touring type riding, I think the Helibars are perfect. If you have a more sporty or aggressive type riding style, they may not be so perfect. This is all personal preference and very subjective, of course, so "your mileage may vary". As for me, the jury is still out. The more upright riding position is definitely much easier on the wrists and lower back, but IMHO, I'm not quite sure it's worth taking away some of the sporty nature of the bike, which for me, it does.
I'm going to put a few more miles on the bike in order to give them a fair shot before I make a decision on sticking the stock bars back on the bike or not.
