Handlebars

[peter nap]

Now that I've had my 07 for a few months, I've decided to change the bars. I rode a mountain bike for years and just can't get used to sitting up straight. Like a lot of old codgers, I have a bad back and the forward lean is more comfortable.

One of the things I like most about the Whizzer is it's antique look. I'd like to retain that. Anyone have any ideas on strightish bars that still look like they belong on an antique?

Thanks!

 

[HoughMade]

Attached are pictures of the ones I made. They are straight across, then bend down at the end. I made them to look like an old board tracker. Other people have turned the original bars upside down to mimic a board tracker, but then they bend down and back.

I find the bars I made very comfortable.

 

[HoughMade]

Attached are pictures of old motorcycles. The first three show bars that go straight across and down- one bend down, rather than down and back. The last one, the green Excelsior shows bars that sort of resemble regular bars turned upside down.

 

[peter nap]

Those look good Hough. The who;e bike looks GOOD!
Did you make the bars out of steel or aluminum?
Thanks!

 

[HoughMade]

I made mine out of 1/2" nominal black pipe (steel)- got it at Menards. I brazed a ring of conduit on the center for the increased diameter needed for the clamp.

One thing about that- standard bars are 7/8" which is .875". The 1/2" nominal plumbing pipe is .840" meaning it is a little over 1/32 nd smaller, which doesn't sound like much, but the grips fit a little looser and things that clamp on the bars may need a shim of some sort like inner tube rubber under the clamp- but it is not enough that anyone would ever notice.

 

[KilroyCD]

One thing you might want to try would be to to loosen the bolt on the gooseneck and take the existing bars and just pivot them downwards. You would have somewhat of the board racer effect, you wouldn't be sitting as upright and you'd only have to readjust a few things (speedometer mount, mirrors, etc.). Just my two cents.
Myself, I like the retro look so I'm replacing the standard bars on my NE-5 with the half-moon style.

 

[butch27]

I LIKE it. Love the old boardtrack style.

 

[bill green]

Hi try looking at bars from electra bicycyles and firebike keep in mind you need to drill for stops on factory controls . there differnt on left and right. hope this helps Bill Green

 

[MoonKS]

I put Electra moon bars on mine - drilling the holes for the stops on the controls was not an issue at all - just use a good bit and get those bars clamped down so the bit doesn't dance all over and marr the bars up.

The only issue I had initially was the fact that I dropped the bars low - so low that they hit my thighs when I tried to turn. I had to raise them up just a bit more toward horizontal and I was good to go.

Matthew