SnackAZ
Husqvarna
AA Class
I decided to upgrade my Terra's OEM handlebars to stronger 1 1/8" Protaper aluminum bars. At just 5'8" tall, stock bar placement is just about right for me so my goal was to stay close to the stock height, rise, and pullback. After comparing Renthal's Fatbar, Easton, and Protaper Contour at my local MX shop, I chose the Protaper Contour KX High bend since it was nearly identical to OEM.
The challenge with retrofitting bigger bars on the TR650 is finding suitable mounts. Since the OEM bottom clamps are the offset type, using cheap universal 7/8 - 1/1/8 adapters will not work without modification to the interface at the bottom clamp. These add-on adapters also add 1" or more to the clamp height which was not my goal. Another option was replacing the stock clamps completely with something that bolts to the stock triple clamp. Motorsportz makes some awesome adapters in either stock height or 1/2" rise but availability seems to be an issue at this time and I didn't want to wait.
My solution was to go with universal bar mounts that mount using a large 12mm bolt that passes through the top clamp. Husky was kind enough to provide us with an 18mm hole in the center of the clamp base and I found some nifty 18mm bushings that worked perfectly to reduce the hole size down to 12.8mm. The bolt length was perfect too (not too long or short) so no clearance issues. I chose Protaper #22822 oversize bar mount kit at $40. These clamps are 3mm taller than stock and have a 4mm bolt center offset so the bars mount slightly further back than stock.
In addition to the bars, I had to upgrade my Barkbuster mounts to fit the larger diameter bars. Twisted Throttle offers a mount kit just for big bars...#BB.BTC.06. Cost was $58 and the kit includes both inner bar mounts as well as expanding bar-end inserts. For a more secure mounting, I decided to thread the bar ends and use G2 threaded bar inserts ($22).
Post-install impressions? I'm very pleased. The bars are stiffer than stock and I like the feel. They also transmit less vibration! Objects in the rear-view mirrors are nearly blur free now.
The challenge with retrofitting bigger bars on the TR650 is finding suitable mounts. Since the OEM bottom clamps are the offset type, using cheap universal 7/8 - 1/1/8 adapters will not work without modification to the interface at the bottom clamp. These add-on adapters also add 1" or more to the clamp height which was not my goal. Another option was replacing the stock clamps completely with something that bolts to the stock triple clamp. Motorsportz makes some awesome adapters in either stock height or 1/2" rise but availability seems to be an issue at this time and I didn't want to wait.
My solution was to go with universal bar mounts that mount using a large 12mm bolt that passes through the top clamp. Husky was kind enough to provide us with an 18mm hole in the center of the clamp base and I found some nifty 18mm bushings that worked perfectly to reduce the hole size down to 12.8mm. The bolt length was perfect too (not too long or short) so no clearance issues. I chose Protaper #22822 oversize bar mount kit at $40. These clamps are 3mm taller than stock and have a 4mm bolt center offset so the bars mount slightly further back than stock.
In addition to the bars, I had to upgrade my Barkbuster mounts to fit the larger diameter bars. Twisted Throttle offers a mount kit just for big bars...#BB.BTC.06. Cost was $58 and the kit includes both inner bar mounts as well as expanding bar-end inserts. For a more secure mounting, I decided to thread the bar ends and use G2 threaded bar inserts ($22).
Post-install impressions? I'm very pleased. The bars are stiffer than stock and I like the feel. They also transmit less vibration! Objects in the rear-view mirrors are nearly blur free now.
