[alanz]

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Can anyone give advice on the best height for your handlebars. I know some will say, "whatever is comfortable", but I was wondering if there are rules or guidelines to follow to get the best position for shoulders and elbows to maintain maximum comfort for the longest distance.

Al

1988 GL1500

 

[Skooter]

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You have answered your own question Al! There are no hard and fast rules and this is why; I work in a bike shop and when motorcycles or scooters arrive in new (in crates or boxes) the handlebars are often not fitted or are fitted loose in the clamps and swiveled down and out of the way. Whatever mechanic is assembling the bike and doing the PDA will adjust the bars to suit himself. So what this means is that several identical bikes coming out of a shop will all have the bars adjusted differently.
The rules when assembling the bike or fitting new bars are;

a. The bars should not hit off the screen (if fitted) on full lock and also should not have the rider getting pulled forward off the saddle on full lock either. If they do then they are too far forward.

b. They shouldn't be so far back that the riders elbows hit offa his own sides on full lock.

c. In both cases the brake and clutch fluid bottles shouldn't have the fluid level up past the cap & body join (although if you get the bars right for you then you may remove some of the fluid.

That's about it, from a shop point of view, I hope this helps a little bit.

 

[Jason]

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Skooter wrote:

The bars should not hit off the screen (if fitted) on full lock

When you could get 1500s new I seen a couple in Ballymount that the bars would tip the screen on full lock. Maybe a long-armed monkey assembled them!

 

[Eamonn1200]

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My baby sister (well she is 19 actually but still my baby sis) got one of those Habana scooters with the wide bars and they were way too far forward for her. She could barely sit on the edge of the saddle, so I adjusted them for her while she sat on the bike and now she feels much safer and more comfortable.

 

[DJ]

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Paul's guidance is about right, it seems thats the way bike shop mechanics do it.