Handlebars!

The factory bars on my bike had been bent and bent back to more or less factory shape, plus the chrome was peeling and ratty and I didn't really like the way they felt on the road so I've been trying to find new handlebars that feel right. I look at pictures and the measurements online but until they're actually mounted on the bike I could only guess. So after some trial and error...

First tried Emgo Yamaha XS650 Special Replica Handlebars - liked the height but too much pullback, turning the throttle was like twisting a door knob.

Next up, Emgo Magna/Hawk handlebars - too short, too narrow, left me leaning forward, made routing the clutch cable a pain since they're so much smaller than the stock bars (i.e. a big arch of clutch cable over the speedo).

Emgo Classic handlebar - reasonably comfortable, closer to what I was looking for but still leaning forward a bit and still made routing the clutch cable a pain.

Flanders Tall Street Tour handlebar - A 33 per the specs they're basically 4" taller and 3" wider than the Emgo Classic bars and so far I really like them. No worries with cables or controls/wiring. They look totally bitchin', a little bit like mini ape hangers. I'll throw up some photos once I can figure out how. I think I have photos of all of them, except maybe the Magna/Hawk bars. I think I'm finally done shopping but it would be cool to have photos of different bars as a reference.

 

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/ibVqxEjWQg6Fzib9jYC5xQ.T5RhV-6S48YcMA5KT5HaHf

 

Instead of mini ape hangers you could stick with the Emgo Classic handlebar and just add an extension like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TWF8TYF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

XS650 Special bars

 

New Flanders bars

 

You bike looks great

 

Thanks mate, amazing what a bit of spit, polish and paint can do

 

Emgo XS650 Special, stock XJ650, Emgo Classic bars for reference

When I bought the machine the PO said the bars were bent and he bent them back to what he thought was pretty straight. It does look off a bit in the photo

 

@XJ650inTexas You should also visit the Viking bags, they also make handlebars.

 

Fingers crossed these bars are the one. I really like them so far, but still fiddling with getting the perfect angle.

 

As much as I like the look of those Flanders bars no amount of fiddling made them comfortable with the way the seat and footpegs are laid out. So back to the Emgo Classics for now. If only there were a motorcycle superstore near me where you could physically inspect handlebars before purchasing. Amazon takes returns though so gonna try some Emgo Flat Track High Handlebars 23-12582 next.

 

I’m no fan of the maxim style pulled back bars - who said opening the throttle was like twisting a doornob?
For me the 650 seca style is the one - but sometimes this needs the footrests and brake and gear change moving as well. Guaranteed the master cylinder? brake hose and clutch cable will need changing.

 

Funny you mention the clutch cable, the perch on the bike now orients the cable back toward the handlebar so the cable is in a weird place over the speedo. Looked at and bought an XS400 perch on ebay that aims the cable ~45° further towards the headlight vs. the stock perch. Should make a big difference.

 

I did this write up years ago, not too many pics but has good info on the cables etc:

https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/handlebar-swap-ditching-the-horns.94195/

 

Thanks, that's some great info. It's impossible to know how bars will look and feel from the specs, they've pretty much got to be on the machine. Amazon and their return policy make it relatively painless to test fit different bars. Ha, instead of ordering one bar at a time I should just suck it up and order a dozen different bars to compare them all at once and then return the ones I don't like.

 

It's always the little things. Got my hands on an XJ1100 perch/clutch lever and it works great...except the mirror mount is at a verkakte angle towards the headlight. The XS400 perch has a straight mirror mount but uses a slightly different clutch lever - with the XJ1100 lever on the XS400 perch there is only about an inch of travel to the grip. Will have an XS400 lever in hand tomorrow. The feel of the clutch is astonishingly better with the cable oriented more forward, like half the effort plus no more interference with the speedo or binding when the wheel turns stop to stop.

 

XJ650RJ clutch perch works perfect.

 

The Emgo flat track high bars feel pretty nice. They're 3 inches wider than the Classic bars and have a slight downward bend that I like better than the upward bend on the classic bars. The OEM cables fit perfectly too, so another plus.




The original clutch perch alongside the XS400 perch/lever that replaced it. No more hassle routing the clutch cable and the lever feel is better too.