I'm quite fond of the stock handle bars on my Forty Eight. I can go on long rides and they don't put any strain on me at all in terms of riding position.

I like the look of drag bars, but one thing that concerns me is the change in ergonomics.

I'm curious to hear from anyone who switched from stock bars to drag bars. Did it make the bike more unpleasant to ride on long trips? In addition, does it have any negative impact on your wrists or your overall comfort when riding the bike?

Thanks in advance guys!

 

In another recent post someone said to sit on your bike and close your eyes and reach out to find what natural height suits you. I still have stock bars for now on 1200C

 

iv never had an issue , and the ride feels perfect to me at least . my wrists dont hurt or back or anything , im short so maybe it works for me . but it feels and looks better to me

 

Drag bars can affect some w/neck issues because of the change in back neck to neck angle. But it is an individual issue... gonna have to the try to know it works for you.

In the past I had an upper back muscle pull that made my stock bars painful to ride with, but a friend's mini apes were comfy.
Not being an ape guy, just had to ride through the pain.

 

I love mine, around the city it's a little heavy on the wrists but not enough to be uncomfortable, on the highway at 70 miles per hour the wind on my chest takes all the weight off the wrists and I just kind of float there, if you have passenger pegs it's even better if you put you feet on those, very comfortable for long rides.

 

i use to have the chizeld apes - which had me sit more upright - i thought they would be better because of my last scoot accident - i broke alot of crap on the left side
from ribs -scapula - clavical an so on - the apes hurt more to ride longer trips with .. the drag bars dont bother my past injuries at all .. again like said up there above me lol sit on the scoot and place your arms where they feel normal to you .. hell if your reallllllly bored pull your bars .....get a broomstick and cut it down and shove it in the clamps and dream of ridin lol - save the money b4 you buy lol

 

Drag bars look great, I've been running them for about 6 months now. There are a lot of variables that play into the comfort over stock.

1. Your height and how much you actually have to lean over

2. Your foot controls if they are forward or mids. Fwd controls will put you in a "C" shape riding stance and will put more strain on your entire back and leaves your spine and butt more vulnerable to getting a good smack on unexpecting bumps/dips in the road because you have more weight on your *** vice your pegs. A good progressive spring or seat can help mitigate that.

3. How much rotation you put on the bar in the clamp will effect your actual grip and wrist strain. If you rotate them "down" it will be easier on the wrist but will require you to be really slumped forward. If you rotate "up" you will have a higher stance but awkward grip. Truth is somewhere in the middle and what is most comfortable. I already decided that I would sacrifice comfort regardless because I wanted drag bars to complete the look of my bike.

4. Where you install your mirrors will also be factored in as some people just can't adjust to the under mount on the 48, which will be even more undermount with drags.

5. Neck strain can be a factor over long periods of time, weight of helmet or weak neck. But nothing more than any sport bike rider would have to endure.

I will say that the riding posture is unique, but you will get used to it. I actually like being more forward and connected to the bike in slow tight turns vice upright or leaning back.

Of everything I've listed, I would say the wrist/grip has come into play during a lot of traffic where I have to use the levers.... but not during normal riding.

Post pics if you decide to go that route.