MikeOK Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Do any of you have the convertibars on your birds? I looked around at all the options (VFR bars, heli-bars, another version like the converti's, etc) and finally decided to spring for these. I finally got them on and working today, and like any project like this, now that they are on I could do it again in 2-3 hours. I won't admit publicly how long it took me the first time though (it was WAY more than 2 hours heheh). I have the stainless clutch line still on the way, but after using all the stock lines I have (so far) been able to get 1 1/4" up and about 1 1/2" aft. I can get more, but I'm doing it a little at a time as I work out fitment issues, plus I enjoy tinkering. I did run into way more issues than I expected, but have been able to resolve all of them so far. I called the tech support # saturday morning about an issue, and was called back a couple hours later. It turned out to be something that could not be resolved until monday, but he called me back early monday morning with everything worked out. Excellent customer service. I'll reserve my judgement until I get my longer clutch line and work out a couple more things, but thought I might get some dialogue going for future searches. I'll have some pics up soon that might help on new installations, as the included directions are good but not bike specific, and I suspect the XX is one of the harder bikes to modify this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykl Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 :cool: Please let us know how these work out for you. I raised my stockers up about 3/4 of an inch and that seems to be an ok band-aid for now. But given the pain in my back after about 400 miles I'm going to be looking for another solution... and so far the only other real option available seems to be the VFR route. Ideally, I'd love to be able to bring the clipons an inch or more closer to me because I don't have a terribly long reach. If I can raise them and lower them at will from that point that would be perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOK Posted May 25, 2004 Author Share Posted May 25, 2004 I took a 30 mile twisty ride this afternnon, and there is already a definate improvement. I wanted my bars aft more than higher, but with this setup you just about have to do both. Raising the stockers as high as I could did not help my fit at all, I needed them back. My problem stock was my reach, I am 5' 8" with short arms and I almost had to sit against the tank to get comfortable. Already with these I can sit back against the back of the saddle rise in comfort, and an inch more will be perfect but I have a couple more things to iron out (and may not get that much even then). I should have it all done by the end of the week if my parts get here, I'll post more after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbaZ Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Thanks for posting your experience with the convertibars. I've been waiting for someone to report their experience before buying them (or not buying them). I'm very interested in hearing more about your experience including what to watch for in the installation procedure. Pictures would be great as well. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykl Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Can you get them down to the stockish position if you wanted to? I see you can get them really far back and up, which is a great thing... but I really do like the stock positioning for when I'm having my fun on my favorite backroads. I already have a Corbin seat... if these work out for you chances are it'll be the next thing I buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOK Posted May 26, 2004 Author Share Posted May 26, 2004 I pretty much finished up this evening, except for putting on the new clutch hose which came in today. I was able to get my bars as high as you can see in the pic in the link below but I had to raise the stock clutch line from the frame clip on the left side of the frame, just behind the head tube. I will definately not leave it this way, just wanted to see how far I could go with everything else stock. I have plently of slack in my brake hose so will leave it stock for now. I can get just a little more than is in the pic, but not unless I do some more mod's. To go more aft I will have to grind off the barrell bolt stop on the master cylinder, and to go higher I will need a longer brake line. I am satisfied, but did run into a few small problems. I could not use the bar weights that came with the kit because the bolt was to big to fit through the stock end caps. I used the stock weights instead. Also, I could find no possible way to run them at stock height without trimming the inner fairing trim (no thanks, not worth it). There may be another way to do it but I couldn't figure it out. Another thing I ran into when trying to run them lower was the way you have to re-route the throttle cables. You have to run them outside the right fork stanchion, and with the bars near the stock position the throttle cables tend to get stuck between the bars and the stanchion on full lock left. Not good. These things are definately overpriced, but what aftermarket doo-dad isn't? I bet some insurance company gets a big hit for every one of these sold anyway. When you compare it to the other alternatives I think these are worth the price, but only then. They seem to be very strong, and definately top quality, and give you more adjustability than some other options. http://www.geocities.com/mdwsr/cbars.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG BOY Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 You better go back and post more pics. From all angles!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travlnman Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 You better go back and post more pics. From all angles!! Or else...... :bigchicken: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbaZ Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 I'd be interested to know if replacement brake and throttle lines are required, in your opinion, to get the full use of the bars. By the way, what is the full use on the Blackbird - how many inches up and how many back can you get? I'm asking because I'm still not clear if the improvement the VFR bars I have is worth the cost and hassle? Your help is certainly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOK Posted May 29, 2004 Author Share Posted May 29, 2004 Bubba - to get most of the benefit you can use all the stock lines, but to get it all you will have to buy at least the clutch line. I re-routed some things to get mine most of the advertised distance but I'm still not sure I like all the changes. I still have not put my new clutch line on but with the longer one I can get all available aft and higher movement possible on the clutch side. My brake line seems to be long enough to get nearly the same distance, maybe slightly less in height than maximum. I think that's not typical from what I've heard though, maybe I just got lucky and got a longer than normal brake line stock. I have a few rides on them now and I really do like the change for comfort. There is a noticable shift rearward in the weight balance though, so you need to be careful the first few times in the twisties, but for overall comfort I really like them. My reasoning for buying these instead of the VFR bars is that I can spend a few more bucks and have the ability to adjust them. I priced the VFR bars and by the time I paid shipping and/or tax the difference was going to be about $60 for the base kit. I do have a few gripes though. There are a couple reasons I couldn't get them to adjust to the stock position. One was that the lowered bars bumped against the inner fairing trim, and another was the connectors on the brake switch would not let you go all the way down. I nearly broke one of them trying to force them down until I realized the problem. Another thing I don't care for too much is the way you have to re-route your throttle cable outside the right fork stanchion. It works but puts them in a little more of a bind than I like. I might see if I can find a longer set eventually and put them back to the stock location. So anyway, I really hate to be unpaid advertising for them, but they have excellent customer service, you have the ability to adjust within certain limits, and the quality is tops. You will have to decide for yourself if it is worth the extra cash, and also if it's worth all the tinkering you have to do to get full benefit. I tried the "fixed" bars of a different brand and could not see that much benefit. With these I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbaZ Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Hi Mike, Thanks for the added info. Since I'm experiencing discomfort in my wrists and forearms after say 3 hours, I think I'll go ahead and take the plunge. If you don't mind posting again, I'm wondering if you feel comfortable riding briskly in the twisties now with the bars in the highest and backest position. In other words, can we just leave the bars up and back and forget about them, or is it necessary in your opinion to change them back and forth? Again, if I'm bugging you with too many questions, no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOK Posted May 30, 2004 Author Share Posted May 30, 2004 Bubba - I plan to leave mine up and back most of the time. I would move them back to near stock if I were doing a track day or a a pure twisty ride, but the difference is not so great as to make you put them back just for any ride. There is a definate change in the ride though, and it's real easy to move them once you get them on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG BOY Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 What no pics yet. SEND THE CHICKENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOK Posted June 2, 2004 Author Share Posted June 2, 2004 :grin: I've been on a run of the graveyard shift the last few days. My priorities have been: sleep, eat, work, eat, sleep... If anybody wants a a pic of a particular angle let me know but give me a few days, I feel like I'm living on Planet P when I'm working midnights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demon Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Don't tell Dave you're feeling like living on another planet. Pluto is close to URANUS :shock: :-o :sex: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOK Posted June 5, 2004 Author Share Posted June 5, 2004 Okay I snapped a few more pics. I got the stainless clutch line on today as well. I've gone gradually with this project so it's really hard to say how much better it is than stock, but it is obviously different. The 2nd pic shows the highest/most aft I could go with the stock brake line and wiring harnesses. This pic also shows why you can't go with the stock height, the bottom of the bars rubs the inner fairing trim as you can see in the red circle (this was even a little higher than stock height). The wire connectors on the brake switch also will not let you go quite down to stock, they bind on the clamp before you can get that low. I was also limited in how high I could go becuase of the left switch assembly rubbing the windshield as you can see in the the 4th pic. Everything works, and it is an improvement, but I was not able to get them to exactly stock height, and was not able to get them quite as far back as I wanted because of the length of the wiring harnesses. When I clean the air filter I'll see if I can make an improvement on the throttle cable routing (3rd pic), or even get a new set of longer cables and put them back to their stock location. Anyway, a definate improvement over stock for comfort and it's nice to be able to move them around (nearly) wherever you want them. Maybe someone with stock bars can snap a pic of the windshield to clutch master cylinder clearance at full right lock for comparison? http://www.geocities.com/mdwsr/cbars.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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