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Rox Speed FX 2" Handlebar Risers

Joined
Oct 23, 2008
Messages
220
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Location
Katy
First Name
Chris
I spent some time researching the perfect handlebar bends, pull back, width, rise, etc... and concluded that adjustable risers were my best option. The aftermarket bars did not give me enough rise or pull back for my hobbit length arms. On my CRF250L, I was attempting to stand for a lot of the rides on dirt, and I was hunched over and leaning forward.

I installed some small fixed risers some time ago (maybe 3/4") and they did not help much. It took me a few weeks to finally pull the trigger on these because they are not cheap. Installation was a snap, and I was able to use all of the stock cables and wires (with a little bit of time bending clamps and such). I rotated them back a little to give me about an inch more pull back, and went for a 40 mile ride.

What a great difference, even with the stock bars. I am not planning on replacing the stock bars until I bend them now. Also, an added benefit I did not expect was the vibration dampening. The little thumper has a high speed vibration at highway speeds in the grips that is noticeable, not terrible, but not ideal. These risers cut about 50% of the vibes out of the grips.

I would do this again on any bike, no question.

238836
 
stow the tools you installed them on the bike.... you will need them to straighten the bars back out when you fall over... :thumb:

(speaking from experience, if your the type that never does that... belay my last)
 
Packed and ready, haha.
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There is no better way to ruin the handling of your motorcycle then to add two inches of bar rise.. I guess it helps riders to strike the adventure pose for the camera--standing straight up and down while riding down a smooth graded road. Running an extreme set up like that eliminates your ability to apply proper leverage to the bars when turning, and when and if you get to the point where you are climbing even moderate hills, it will be even worse.

It is your bike and you can set it up any way you want, but you won't find anyone that knows how to set up a motorcycle for riding off road that would suggest two inch risers as a good idea--no matter your stature.
 
I had the 2" Rox riser back on my first street bike, they did fine and offered ergos that worked for me. Run them, if you don't find they work for you after some tril and error, remove them and go with bars. Not the end of the world.
 
I had the 2" Rox riser back on my first street bike, they did fine and offered ergos that worked for me. Run them, if you don't find they work for you after some tril and error, remove them and go with bars. Not the end of the world.


yep... my risers live in a drawer now, i grew tired of having to straighten out the front end every time the dirt bike decided it was time to take a little nap on a dirt road.
 
I am still liking them but have not gone down with them yet. I am no spring chicken anymore, and the hard stuff is mostly behind me. After breaking two arms, ribs, vertebra, and fingers on the motocross track and enduro in my youth, I go for the 'geezer glide' these days with a light weight bike that has acceptable suspension.

I am sure I will go down sooner or later and carry the wrench and Allen key to make adjustments if needed.

Perhaps I should revoke my statement about adding them to any bike after some thought. I probably would not on a dedicated dirt bike for the reasons you guys brought up.
 
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There is no better way to ruin the handling of your motorcycle then to add two inches of bar rise.. I guess it helps riders to strike the adventure pose for the camera--standing straight up and down while riding down a smooth graded road. Running an extreme set up like that eliminates your ability to apply proper leverage to the bars when turning, and when and if you get to the point where you are climbing even moderate hills, it will be even worse.

It is your bike and you can set it up any way you want, but you won't find anyone that knows how to set up a motorcycle for riding off road that would suggest two inch risers as a good idea--no matter your stature.

I wouldn't say it "ruins" the handling as a blanket statement for all bikes, riders, and circumstances... :ponder:

For me, it has ZERO to do with striking a pose :lol2: It has everything to do with shoulder/neck pain issues. I've had risers on three of my 1200 GSs (the 2" Rox risers shown above in fact). I also have them on my KTM 530 EXC. They make a HUGE difference in comfort for me when sitting and standing. They have zero negative impact on handling when sitting and if they do make a difference when standing, I have not been able to detect it compared to riding without them. But, I don't typically ride my GS on single tracks or extreme two tracks. I save the KTM for that. I have had no problems related to handling issues with any of the hill climbs or descents I have done with them in the mountains of Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, or Tennessee. At best, it might keep one from being able to lean over quite as far forward as you might on a hill climb, but for most people the windscreen will likely get in the way long before the risers cause any problems. On my KTM, I can get just as far forward with risers as I can without them.

As for the leverage issue, I can't see that being an issue unless perhaps you have the bars pulled back more than raised. Even there, your leverage is not going to change much because the moment arm distance from the grips to the steering head hasn't really changed much. I'd say any real difference is going to have to do more with the body geometry of the rider than the addition of risers in general, unless of course you want to install ape hangers :-P You can just as easily accomplish the same thing by installing new bars. They can be had in low, normal, and high bend arrangements without the need for risers. I did this on my KLR 650 and 1150 GS and went with a higher bar.

One thing I have found with them, especially on my KTM 530, is that they tend to help keep the bars from bending because they allow the bar to roll in the mount when subjected to sudden impacts. I've NEVER had them move on me while riding though. The ability of the bars to rotate in the risers and the risers to rotate at the top of the triple clamp mount allows energy from those impacts to be converted to rotation at each of those joints, which is easily fixed by loosening a few pinch bolts, getting things back where you want, tightening the bolts, and be on your way. Of course, if you bang them hard enough, the bars are going to bend regardless... which I have done :oops:

For as little as they cost, I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone. Worst case scenario, they don't like how the bike feels or handles with them, they take them off and sell them to someone on the net to recoup some of their costs. Best case scenario, it makes a big difference in their comfort on the bike and any changes in handling are negligible.
 
Amen to the previous post. I have had them on every non Harley I had in the last 10 years and totally reject the premise that it ruins the handling. I can go faster and further than with the stock setup and standing is so much easier. No difference in control as far as I can notice. On the Explorer I had 2 inch Rox and another 3/4 inch solid riser and that was just right.
 
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