Motorcycle Handlebars

Get your Hands On XLMOTO Motorcycle Handlebars

Often overlooked or taken for granted, handlebars play an essential role. They provide a means of steering the motorcycle and a platform for mounting essential controls and rearview mirrors. XLMOTO’s vast collection of motorcycle handlebars and accessories will ensure your hands are always in the right place. Motorcycle handlebars form part of the triangle of riding ergonomics. Formed by the three points where the rider contacts with the bike, namely, feet, seat and hands, riding ergonomics can dramatically affect control and comfort levels.

Imagine a sports bike with apehangers or a motocross bike with clip-on bars. Of course, both of these are extreme examples. Yet the result of getting the bar dimensions wrong and putting the incorrect type of bars on your bike is equally as dramatic. For instance, forcing you to sit more upright may increase fatigue due to added wind pressure. Alternatively, handlebars that are too low and narrow may make the bike difficult to manoeuvre at low speeds due to a lack of leverage.

Motorcycle handlebar types

XLMOTO has a vast range of motorcycle handlebars with varying dimensions. These will ensure you get the right fit for your riding style. Adding new handlebars is also a great way to brighten up the front of your motorcycle. While fatbars are not new to the custom motorcycle world, they’re now a mainstream street bike component. Yet, are they all show and no-go? Good quality fatbars can offer many advantages. The larger diameter in the centre provides added strength. Meanwhile, their tapered ends retain enough flexibility to help dissipate vibration. From an aesthetic viewpoint, fatbars give a motorcycle a purposeful look. However, don’t forget that although your existing handlebar switches will still fit, you will need larger-diameter motorcycle handlebar clamps. So factor this in when making your decision.

How do you measure handlebars?

Handlebar dimensions usually give six points of reference.; By studying them closely, you can compare them to your existing bars. The measurements are in millimetres

The six dimensions are:

• Width: Overall width of the bars from end to end

• Height: From the centre of the lowest part of the bar to the centre of the highest

• Rise: From the centre of the lowest part to the midpoint of the first bend.

• Clamp area: The flat area in the middle of the handlebars

• Sweep or pull-back: Take this measurement when looking down at the bars. It tells you how many millimetres from the horizontal the bars ‘pull back.’

• Control area: From the outside of the bar to the centre of the first bend

Handlebar diameter

Most stock handlebars have an external diameter of 22mm or ⅞in. Custom and cruiser-style motorcycles often have 25mm o/d bars. Some dirt bikes come with fatbars as standard, and this gives a diameter of 22mm at the end of the taper while the ‘clamp area’ is 28.6mm. The XLMOTO motorcycle handlebar section also includes an impressive range of accessories. You will find everything from handlebar clamps for fatbar conversions to mounting kits for handguards and bar-end mirrors.

Other factors to consider

Whether you’re changing your handlebars for aesthetic reasons or a performance upgrade, there are other considerations. First, rubber grips are difficult to remove, so they may need replacing. Also, fatbars will require larger diameter motorcycle handlebar clamps. Finally, fitting higher/wider bars may also mean you need longer cables, wires and brake hoses. These will ensure the bars will safely turn from lock to lock.

XLMOTO has a hands-on approach. So the good news is, you’ll find the exact style of motorcycle handlebars to meet your riding style.