DR handle bars and other stuff

[Laoch]

Hey y'all, it's your resident bike mechanical dumb ass again.

Got a question about handle bars, I want a replacement set for my DR250 and of course there are a gazillion choices.

What friggin size do I get? Stock 7/8th diameter I understand.

I see measurements for width, height and pull back, WTF?
Width I can handle, I'll probably cut them a little anyway.
Height, mmm, okay. Stock seems to be about 3" or so.
Pull back seems to be around 3" also.

So, in essence any bar with those general measurements will work , right?

I'm thinking of pulling the stock bars and taking it to the dealer and laying it side by side with stuff they have. But then I can't get the $20 special from Rocky Mountain


I also want to change my fork oil so....I'm listening

I'm actually going to do a whole bunch-o-shit to the little scoot in the coming months. Trying to get a couple more years out of the old girl.

Thanks.

[Bucho]

You might want to check out Keintech Engineering, google them and check out their website.

Jesse, the guy who runs things, is a DR guru. He generally makes stuff for the DR350 and 650, but I'm sure he could give you some great advice for the 250. Give the guy a call. Even if you don't buy anything from him, he is super nice and will give you some great advice. At the very least, he could tell you the best fork oil to use for your weight/riding style.

[Laoch]

You might want to check out Keintech Engineering, google them and check out their website.

Jesse, the guy who runs things, is a DR guru. He generally makes stuff for the DR350 and 650, but I'm sure he could give you some great advice for the 250. Give the guy a call. Even if you don't buy anything from him, he is super nice and will give you some great advice. At the very least, he could tell you the best fork oil to use for your weight/riding style.

Good idea Phil. I've seen his name around the DR forums.
The 250 is a clone of the 350, just a smaller engine.

[mdubya]

I find handlebar bend to be a very personal thing and one of the things you can easily change to make riding your bike more enjoyable. If you love the stock height and bend, then replacement is a no-brainer. If when riding you often think it would be better if your bars were taller, wider, flatter, more forward, etc...this is your opportunity.

That said, on 3 different bikes, I have 3 different sets of bars. But all are mounted pretty tall and upright, with a moderate sweep; not too flat, not too much pull back. I like my bars almost chest high when seated. That makes them well positioned for standing, which I do more and more when riding these days. Not so much for supermoto, but the tall bars make me sit forward and keep my elbows up and bent.

The best mod I ever did on my DRZ, which has lots of mods, was to add tall/wide/flat bars, and a new triple clamp which allowed me to mount the bars significantly forward of the stock mounting position. I could live with every other mod being undone, but not that one.

[Rut Row]

I like my bars almost chest high when seated.

dang - I'd need to get ape-hangers to do that!

[hondahawkrider]

http://www.wheelingcyclesupply.com/index.shtml is a great sight for bars adapter and such if you want to switch to a 1 /1/8 bar - I used a fair number of their stuff on my drz..

+1 on Keintech - he has allot of good info and stuff for the dr....

I would also check out the forums at maximum-suzuki for the DR section.. They were best that I found when I had the Dr350

aslo if you spend anytime on Advrider - BikePilot is a good source of info .. He has a pristine 250 and put together a dr350 from parts.. He used to live in VA - but is at Harvard or something becoming a barister I think.....

[klrider]

Like Bucho said, Jesse is a real nice guy and the guru of all things DR. Give him a call.

I replaced the oem bars on my DR350SE with KLR650 bars and that works really nice for me. A little wider and hand guard mounts slide right into the hollow ends of the KLR bars.

[Laoch]

So...I got started last night.



I always thought the front felt funny



A little tweaked, huh?

[klrider]

Forgot to mention, the KLR bars sit atop 1" risers from Bierdo (dirtly.com?). Makes a nice position for me.

Yeah, they look tweaked.....ready for the scrap pile?

[B DIRT]

Dirty you want CR high bend bars as for fork oil weight, how well did your forks work for you? Did you find them to plush to hard?