Handlebar Risers DIY

[Gotham]

Hello!

I bent the standard handlebar from my AT. Bought Renthal Enduro High (old Dakar High I think) which is lower than the original. So I thought that I’d make the risers by changing the studs in the handlebar holders. I thought that they are screwed in but when I showed it to one metal parts engineer at my work place he said that the holders are moulded to the studs. He suggested doing risers as shown on the following pictures. The handlebar holder stud goes into new stud by screwing it in without changing the original part. The risers are made from strong steel (unhardened) and surface treatment is NiCr matt, anyway they are doing it in our company. The difference is remarkable when standing up while riding and sure looks better than the aftermarket ones you can buy. I forgot the drawing to the turner, I guess he hided it because he missed couple of millimetres on both side. He said chuck was oily and the part slipped a little and he can do the new ones. I said they are good enough.
I can do the new drawing in MS Paint if anybody wishes but I think it’s not necessary.

[davsato]

they look so much better than those blocks you put in under the bars, you know the ones i mean. if someone (you?) were to market them they should come out loads cheaper too, turning takes a lot less time and material than milling

[fabienlegall]

really nice work, I'm impressed

I think they look better than the ones from Motobau...

Well done !

[micksylver]

Great job!

As with so many of the best solutions - simple and elegant.

[Snaphappy]

Great job how high have you made them? and are your brake lines free? have you changed anything else and are you going to market them

[Gotham]

The risers are 45 mm, wanted 2mm higher, but the turner did it wrong. Also if you look closely at the bottom of left riser you can see he did one collar to the bottom of it. He said the bar was oily and slipped. Unbelievable guy.

Anyway I think 45mm is the minimum riser you can do in such way without modifying original holder. As the standard holder stud is 42mm (if I remember correctly) to the threaded part and the diameter is equal to the hole and thinner part of riser.
So if you want to put them with original handlebar you have to modify brake hose. But the Renthal Enduro High is approximately 20mm lower (http://www.xrv.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=8043) so it raised 25mm and you can but the bar quite upright (standard bar you can't I think). No need to modify brake hose and risers can be 2-3mm higher. Also it’s good idea to modify the bottom of the fat part so it replaces convex washer. You can do the fat part thinner in order to reduce weight but they look better in the way they’re now and it seems to me they absorb more vibration in that way. I’m 185mm tall and it seems to be the perfect height for me with fat sole mx boots on.

The block risers you put under bars are better for marketing because they are quite universal to 22mm bars. My way is quite bike specific I think. If the interest is big I could try to do one batch. Don’t think its big business to do only this, more trouble than it’s worth. I have to check the price from the local company who is doing CNC turning because the manual turning is quite expensive. The minimum quantity is 50pcs/25 pairs (the more the cheaper the price will be). Also I think I have to try another surface treatment, because NiCr is done in the racks in our company and the hole will be rusty cause the NiCr wont go in because of air inside the hole but acid did. Or maybe I can do a little hole for the air to the bottom of riser. Anyway thy are doing also some electroplating in the barrels – black and white Zn. The last ones color is quite same with the ones you see on pics.

So if there is need for 25 pairs I’ll check the price and let you know, think it should be cheaper than the block ones on the market.

[The Pheasant]

Why not cut down the rod beneath the bar clamp casting to, say, 10mm, then run a die down it of suitable thread size? Not sure what size, but the rod looks about 8mm diameter so M8x 1.25mm? Then machine spacer with same female thread on top plus thread from below as shown ie. M6x1 from the look of it. That way you could install threaded stock from below to save machining and make spacer at any desired depth provided it is deep enough for both female threads, which will meet in the middle.

[fatowl]

Why not cut down the rod beneath the bar clamp casting to, say, 10mm, then run a die down it of suitable thread size? Not sure what size, but the rod looks about 8mm diameter so M8x 1.25mm? Then machine spacer with same female thread on top plus thread from below as shown ie. M6x1 from the look of it. That way you could install threaded stock from below to save machining and make spacer at any desired depth provided it is deep enough for both female threads, which will meet in the middle.

or drill out the stud in the h/bar clamp completely and use an ordinary bolt - of any length you choose.

[Gotham]

Thanks to Pheasant and Fatowl for good suggestions!

I have used those risers for a while and now I can give some critical feedback.
The problems I didn’t notice at first place.
1) Constant bent bars feeling.
The problem is caused by rubber bushes in a yoke and amplified by longer force length between those and handlebars. Because of that handlebar clamps can’t hold little twist between the holders and bars, so the holders can move to different directions – one up and one down or vice versa and stays like that – the friction force between bars and holders is strong enough to hold the bars still but too weak to hold it on rough roads or when you turn the bars to the end of one side you could easily move those out of alignment. The clamp bolts were tightened so that one more step could break those. Seem like OE bars stayed more firm than Renthals. Think this problem must be quite frequent with other aftermarket risers as well.
Thoughts that could make it better. To put some thread glue between holders and bars – should avoid twisting and so avoid the misalignment of bars. Then the bar holders should move parallel up and down within bushes. Anyway not sure about that, didn’t try. But the movement of bars still stays bigger than without risers.
The other solution which is better is to eliminate the movement of the bar holders within bushes (with washers, by redoing risers or something else) as recommended in one topic in this forum as well.
2) Handlebars get closer to rider than without risers.
Anyway I rode just one day with new handlebars and without risers before installing those, so my words that with risers are better were inconsiderate. In sitting position there is really no big difference, but by standing I find lower and farther bar position better than higher and closer.
So right now I ride without risers again. No bent bars feeling, better handling, more accurate steering, better surface feeling. I can easily ride kilometers by standing with 90km/h, I couldn’t to it with risers because body weight center were in uncomfortable place. Think offset riser are better.
Maybe this info is useful to somebody.

But anyway I’ll try 2’’ pivoting risers from ROX seems that these are good. With these I plan to eliminate rubber bushes and use some thread glue by fixing the risers and bars if necessary. Should get them within two weeks so for a while I can give some feedback.

[Paul-S]

Great feedback Gotham

Don't worry about grammar, your English is very good in the text