Aftermarket handlebars and back pain

[outlawtorn]

Hi everyone, got a detailed question here and I would appreciate any help I can get for this. My back is in a shit state of affairs and I need to adjust my riding style accordingly, my physio has told me to get a back rest for the seat of my bike but I was also wondering about aftermarket handlebars. Has anyone ever had aftermarket handlebars put onto their bike and if so, have you seen any benefits in comfort, back pain (if applicable). Also what are the costs associated with getting an aftermarket set of bars installed on a bike? Do all the cables and electronics need to be re-wired and lengthened?

Cheers
John

[Hitcher]

Riding a cruiser-style motorbike will not help your back pain, and orthopedic bars, seats, etc won't help much. You'd be better advised to try bikes with a sit-up riding position, which better balances your weight on your hips and legs.

[Headbanger]

Foot pegs made the most change to my back discomfort. Had em mounted in a more traditional stance, so I can take weight off my tail bone.

Secondly, High bars, my 22" apes were magic, and while I wouldn't recommend anything quite that high a set of mini-apes might be the ticket.

[vifferman]

Presumably, it's your lower back you're having trouble with? If so, then what you need to do is look at the shape of your spine when riding, which unfortunately is all wrong on a cruiser.
Ideally, your lumbar region should be curved inward (similar to when you are standing). If your knees are too high and/or your feet are too far forward of your hips, this is hard to achieve, except by deliberately sticking your gut and butt out. This is effectively tilting your pelvis into the right position, whereas having your feet in front of you tilts it back, straightening out (or even curving out) your spine. To effect the same thing by getting your bike 'right', you have to have a low back rest to stop you slouching, and handlebars that push your shoulders back, but your feet are still not right with forward-set controls, unless they're really low. Furthermore, when your lumbar area isn't sitting right, when you go over bumps you can't absorb the shock with your legs unless your feet are underneath you, so it causes the lower vertebrae in your spine to bend further out of alignment.

A physio friend I went to for several months after wrecking my shoulder rode a cruiser. He actually recommended that bikers rode rather than sit in a car, as the posture and constant movement is better for you, as long as you were sitting right. His cruiser was more of a 'cruiserised standard', and though it had apehangers, they weren't very high, and the footpegs were directly in line with where your spine would be.

[chubby]

I have had change outs in Handle bars. There are a number of overseas companys but I'm using Beach bars from 'thehandlebarcompany' based in Nelson. Top grade bars and they just do as you'd expect, great quality.

Cost? the bars were about $250. Its does take a few hours to fit if your running internal wiring. There is a chance of pinching a wire but overall the job isn't considered one that you need a lot of expertise to be able to do, just time in feeding them through.

Do you have to buy new wiring? That depends on what your going from and to. I went from stock to Tbars and no, then to beach bars and yes. I don't know what your local bike shop stocks but if in doubt go to a local Harley shop and they'll normally have a stock that you can dry try.

[The Lone Rider]

Look, if you need improvement on stance you need to change several things on your bike to make it more similar to the correct way you are suppose to sit at a work station computer - proper position in the chair with arms and wrists in the right spot.

That means possibly adding floor boards, a back rest, and bars with less of a twist to the wrist and less stretch to get to the bars but not hard tucked in.

Bars are easy, it's a matter of changing risers to a correct stretch and cables to a certain degree can be adjusted without putting longer or shorter ones on. Obviously for things like extreme apes you'd need a completely new cable set.

You also should look into upgrading suspension on the bike as this can make a difference to the ride, and of course are you running your tires with the correct inflation?

Other things to also look at is getting a front fairing around the headlight and a wind screen, as many people do to get strain of the back.

[xknuts]

Presumably, it's your lower back you're having trouble with?
Furthermore, when your lumbar area isn't sitting right, when you go over bumps you can't absorb the shock with your legs unless your feet are underneath you, so it causes the lower vertebrae in your spine to bend further out of alignment.

I couldn't agree more, And having suffered the same fate as "Outlawtorn" I was suffering :killingme but its not all in the bars!


Look, if you need improvement on stance you need to change several things on your bike to make it more similar to the correct way you are suppose to sit at a work station computer - proper position in the chair with arms and wrists in the right spot.
Bars are easy,

Bars are easy, so choose bars that give you easy comfortable reach (Pullbacks) BUT look closely at your seat, I chose a "Touring" solo seat over the stock seat supplied. More padding around the rear that immediately pushes your rump forward & up. :love: Suzuki will have one available as an accessory.
Absolute Bliss & no need to play with feet forward control position either.

[outlawtorn]

Thanks for all of the advice guys, really do appreciate it!

After spending hours surfing the web I am going to look at adding the following to my bike:
10" Mini Apes
Drivers Backrest
and possibly forward controls, although I may just put highway bars on with pegs, cause that is way cheaper!

Installing the mini apes should be pretty straightforward and I don't think I'll need any extra cable, that's from what I have read on other forums. Only thing I will possibly need is extra cables for my heated grips.

The backrest is cheap as chips and will takes two seconds to install.

Has anyone here got mini apes? Or ridden anything with mini apes?

Also forward controls, how comfortable are they?

Cheers
John

[Headbanger]

Doesn't the m50 come standard with forward mounted controls?

If it were me, I'd be moving them to the mid-mounted position.

[Hitcher]

Has anyone here got mini apes? Or ridden anything with mini apes?

Also forward controls, how comfortable are they?

That sounds like a solution unless you're planning to cover distances in excess of an hour's riding time, or need to have control of your bike. Borrow somebody else's bike that's fitted with mini apes and go and have a play on a stretch of roadworks before committing yourself to your planned purchase.

[The Pastor]

Ok what are foward controls?

[Hitcher]

Ok what are foward controls?

All cruisers have "forward controls". I suspect what is meant here are highway pegs, which are things that enable cruiser riders to get their legs as far forward as possible. These things are de rigueur in the US. Indeed I have even seen an FJR1300 fitted with a set (this addition required the owner to make substantial alterations to the seat, begging the question "Why bother?").

Whatever, they will not assist with taking a rider's weight off their lower back and arse.

[Headbanger]

All cruisers have "forward controls" .

No they don't.

The forward controls as standard is a recent development, brought on by the saturation of Japanese bikes into the cruiser market.

Before that if you wanted forward controls you had to buy them as an after-market item.And there are still plenty of options with mid-mounted controls.

[Headbanger]

That sounds like a solution unless you're planning to cover distances in excess of an hour's riding time, or need to have control of your bike. Borrow somebody else's bike that's fitted with mini apes and go and have a play on a stretch of roadworks before committing yourself to your planned purchase.

You ridden with apes?

[The Lone Rider]

Ape hangers = Ass to ride with and you will get sore wrists with the extra effort. You need to keep you hands and wrists from having to reach up - keep your arms etc just inwards of a full stretch. You shouldnt be reaching on a bike.

I have once changed the position of my bars to rotate upwards (ie.. like apes) and it sucked - less control, and more strain to control the bike. I have now settled for slightly higher then how it was when I got the bike but not high like apes (pic in profile).

Forward controls, to answer the question previously asked, are pegs with the brake and gear shifter, pushed forward - usually mounted right to the front side of the frame and stretching out from there on the brackets. It allows you to have a stretched recliner seating position while always easy access to brakes and gears. It is the best and most comfortable on your legs and thighs and ass. However some people complain it can lower ground clearance and also harder to lift yourself out of your seat (ie.. when going over rail tracks). Installation is usually unbolting stock pegs and controls, bolting on new ones, and then installing the new longer shift rods.

[Hitcher]

And there are still plenty of options with mid-mounted controls.

Other than the Street Rod (arguably not a cruiser) and the Moto Guzzi California, name a new cruiser that hasn't got forward controls.

[SilverGrin]

Other than the Street Rod (arguably not a cruiser) and the Moto Guzzi California, name a new cruiser that hasn't got forward controls.

Mine.

Highway pegs, but not forward controls.

[Headbanger]

Other than the Street Rod (arguably not a cruiser) and the Moto Guzzi California, name a new cruiser that hasn't got forward controls.

I'd assume the entire Lowrider range,They were the last time I looked, Though I don't look often,That aside, You never said new in your original post, You said "all"

Big difference.

[Headbanger]

Ape hangers = Ass to ride with and you will get sore wrists with the extra effort. You need to keep you hands and wrists from having to reach up - keep your arms etc just inwards of a full stretch. You shouldnt be reaching on a bike.



With apes your arms still rest on the bars, Once you adjust to the extra flex they aren't any drama to ride with. Input through the bars is very minimal no matter what bars you have.

In all the time I had apes on my bike I never got sore wrists, But my wrists packed up big time on my GPX.

[McJim]

This may sound very strange but reading through all this I am thinking Sports Bike or Sports-Tourer.

Have you considered this or do you absolutely have to have a cruiser style bike?

[piston broke]

an age ago,i had an xv1100 virago.
the best thing i ever did was put a set of straight bars on it.

[xknuts]

You ridden with apes?

Don't do apes, try something like these, they give a little height but more importantly closer to the body and just lower than the shoulder. :rockon:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HARLEY-FLY-HIGH-HANDLEBARS-1-1-4-FAT-T-DRAGS-blems_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742Q2em153Q2el12 62QQcategoryZ35564QQihZ002QQitemZ120369773547

Add to that a better seat or backrest and you won't know yourself. :2thumbsup

[The Lone Rider]

With apes your arms still rest on the bars, Once you adjust to the extra flex they aren't any drama to ride with. Input through the bars is very minimal no matter what bars you have.

In all the time I had apes on my bike I never got sore wrists, But my wrists packed up big time on my GPX.

It's not a question of what's not a problem. I could ride a hard tail no problem, with extreme apes and a lot of people do that. Doesn't make for a comfortable or healthy ride over time. I have done hard tail with mid apes. It's not something you want if you are riding for 3 hours and want to actually maintain 100K through the straights and the turns.

More to the point, it is simple ergonomics. Stretching limbs and then requiring them to flex back and forth and often over stretching is not the way to cure sore arms back legs or any of the usual sore spots.



I'd go with Chris's suggestion. Nicely swept T bars are some of the most comfortable and responsive bar sets around. Others I like are buffalo bars but not everyone likes them as they are quite wide.

Only thing I don't like about those T bars is that the risers aren't independent - so if you decide you need more pull or stretch you can't pull them off and try longer or shorter or different pulls.

[Headbanger]

Without clouding the issue with the stupidity of a hard tail (something I doubt I could even sit on without getting a sore back) Riding at normal road speeds (and quite a lot faster) is perfectly fine with ape hangers.

No idea what this rubbish about "Stretching limbs and then requiring them to flex back and forth and often over stretching" is in relation to, sounds like yoga not like riding a bike. Certainly has no bearing on any road bike I have ever ridden. I doubt you've ridden anything with any sized apes as that's not how they roll.

For me the higher bars caused me to sit a little straighter, probably rolled my shoulders back a little, streched my back musclesa little,wind buffeting was the same as always. I got a sore neck if I tried to keep her at 200km/h for too long.

That aside, I'm not telling him how to cure his back, I'll leave that up to all the back/handlebar/hardtail/foward control experts, I was merely passing on what eased my sore back.

(psssst...There is probaly no cure, find a position that gives some relief, then try and live with the discomfort)

[The Lone Rider]

No idea what this rubbish about "Stretching limbs and then requiring them to flex back and forth and often over stretching" is in relation to, sounds like yoga not like riding a bike. Certainly has no bearing on any road bike I have ever ridden. I doubt you've ridden anything with any sized apes as that's not how they roll.


Do some research big shot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics

Particularly the SAE, and automotive ergonomics.

Ape hangers were the invention of the "outlaw" biker, in which back in the 50s and 60s Garbage Heaps (stock harleys) were stripped down to make them leaner and faster. Then they were purposefully modified to be a bastard to control and ride and thus lending to the image of "You must be one hard ass to be riding a bike with bars up there and hardtail and..". Apes were made by welding bar stool legs together and cutting and bending stock harley crash bars. Apes were designed to be awkward on purpose, and the image of the outlaw passed over to harley davidson marketing.

Don't need to be an expert at a lot of things if you actually bother to look things up.

If monkeys can go into space... :whistle:

[xwhatsit]

This may sound very strange but reading through all this I am thinking Sports Bike or Sports-Tourer.

Have you considered this or do you absolutely have to have a cruiser style bike?
Exactly. Went from high standard bars on my 250 to low clip-ons below the top yoke and now my spine when riding has a proper low-back curvature. If you're lazy and put weight on the bars, then you'll get sore wrists and shoulders but if you properly maintain posture by holding yourself up with stomach muscles then it's a far comfier bike to ride than, say, my father's V-Star 1100 or (new purchase, now has three bikes, Jesus) Yamaha Warrior, which allow you to slouch and jolt your lower back when going over bumps. Crusier position contributes to sore backs I reckon, it's not a good posture to be in.

[Headbanger]

Do some research big shot


Don't need to be an expert at a lot of things if you actually bother to look things up.

If monkeys can go into space... :whistle:

Yeah, I'll stick to personal experience, You can continue to pass along other peoples "knowledge".

[Headbanger]

This may sound very strange but reading through all this I am thinking Sports Bike or Sports-Tourer.

Have you considered this or do you absolutely have to have a cruiser style bike?

Ultimately he may have to change his style of bike, Though if he's a cruiser man then it makes sense to see if he can find a comfortable riding position on his preferred bike. sometimes a few inches makes all the difference in the world. Granted it sure as hell won't fix his back but it may make a few hours in the saddle a tolerable experience. even if the text books say otherwise.

[AD345]

Other than the Street Rod (arguably not a cruiser) and the Moto Guzzi California, name a new cruiser that hasn't got forward controls.

Mine

I don't have a name for it though

[McJim]

Mine

I don't have a name for it though

Call it "The Babe" when it goes and "The Bitch" when it breaks down. Simple I would have thought.:rofl:

[AllanB]

One option if you desire higher bars is keep the stock ones and get risers. You'll probably get a additional 50 or so mm with stock cables but it may be all you need.
I'm not 100% sure of the stock C50 risers but this link (USA) lists your bike.

http://www.meancycles.com/Home.asp?PartID=185271&AccCategoryID=2401&AccCategoryTypeID=0&BikeModelID=5621&ManufacturerID=0&BikeType=Cruiser&CompanyID=0

[AD345]

Call it "The Babe" when it goes and "The Bitch" when it breaks down. Simple I would have thought.:rofl:

Thatway is fraught with potential confusion and could well provoke inadvertant incidents of domestic disharmony

[SilverGrin]

Thatway is fraught with potential confusion and could well provoke inadvertant incidents of domestic disharmony

Translation: In the shit with the missus.

[Headbanger]

Translation: In the shit with the missus.

That's a lifestyle.

[peasea]

Hi everyone, got a detailed question here and I would appreciate any help I can get for this. My back is in a shit state of affairs and I need to adjust my riding style accordingly, my physio has told me to get a back rest for the seat of my bike but I was also wondering about aftermarket handlebars. Has anyone ever had aftermarket handlebars put onto their bike and if so, have you seen any benefits in comfort, back pain (if applicable). Also what are the costs associated with getting an aftermarket set of bars installed on a bike? Do all the cables and electronics need to be re-wired and lengthened?

Cheers
John

I wrecked my back pretty good back in the 80's and I know that getting the riding pozzie is critical. I ride a 2000 Wideglide and the day I bought it (in Auckland) I set off for the South Island with the stock handlebars. What a nightmare! Sore wrists, sore back and I reckon the latter gave me a headache. When I got to the Mainland I ripped off the bars, put on the bars I'd been accustomed to on my old FXR, replaced the pegs with some 'ISO' items and haven't looked back. All the stock controls went on the bars no prob, they aren't ape-hangers or anything stupid. From Dec 20-25 I did 2,500k's and when I got home I wanted to do it again. What does that say? Get the right bars and some good pegs and IMHO a cruiser is the best thing for a bad back. Apart from some shagging. Both is best.

Cheers
pc