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Woodcraft 1.5" Clip-Ons Installed


jeffkisthename

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jeffkisthename
jeffkisthename I understand that, I was just pointing that out but a person has to be comfortable ( I changed my seat) and that's not the same as how some people buy a perfectly good standard and spend a lot of extra money to try and turn the bike into what looks like a super sport that only gets passed on the road by every real super sport. That, I just don't get.
 
 
I normally don't question why people do anything to their personal vehicles (well, sometimes), but I'll bite. I honestly could care less what other people do to their FZ-07/MT-07. It's their bike, and they'll do to it what seems fit for their riding style or personality. What I love about our bikes is its versatility. If you want it to be plain jane, it will do that. If you want it to be a long distance tourer, there's mods for that. If you want it to be a stunt bike, it can be done. Yamaha promotes this bike as a sports naked bike, and I love that. I just want it to be a bit sportier. Will I be trying to keep up with super sports above 100+ MPH? No, but I can keep up from a dig, and the canyons, I don't see there being much distance between the two (have not taken the FZ there yet, so I can't speak from experience). What I'm getting at, is you replaced your seat for your comfort, and to your taste. I don't know what seat you got, it could be a banana seat Corbin, but that does not matter Beemer, because you're happy with it. If you're happy, then well, I'm happy, because in the end we're both riding.
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They look good but any time you lower and shorten the width of your bars you have less control of them so feeling more "in control" with clip-on's is an illusion. Being tucked in is good for a racing posture and slipping the wind but that's about it. Anyways, I can't use them even if I wanted to, the standard factory bar put's enough crick in my neck/shoulder cramps after a couple hours of riding. They look great, buy some if you want!

Nice passive aggressive post, clip on's are an illusion, purely for looks, buy some if you're a dodo.  (filters changed r e t a r d to dodo, he he) 
I have yet to mount mine, but I suspect I'll be much more comfortable in a racing posture, without much sacrifice to the cruising posture.
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They look good but any time you lower and shorten the width of your bars you have less control of them so feeling more "in control" with clip-on's is an illusion. Being tucked in is good for a racing posture and slipping the wind but that's about it. Anyways, I can't use them even if I wanted to, the standard factory bar put's enough crick in my neck/shoulder cramps after a couple hours of riding. They look great, buy some if you want!

Nice passive aggressive post, clip on's are an illusion, purely for looks, buy some if you're a dodo.  (filters changed r e t a r d to dodo, he he) 
I have yet to mount mine, but I suspect I'll be much more comfortable in a racing posture, without much sacrifice to the cruising posture.
 
 
Yeah, they aren't "that" aggressive, so you should be fine.
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That is so weird, I also sometimes feel my right hand go to numb while riding on the freeway for a long period of time, I feel it less now a days since I added more air pressure in both of my tires, buy maybe I do need to order one of these for my bike, I like the look of the bike with the low handle bars. Does the kit give you the option to set it up for a different lower heights , I read on their web site a different lower handle bar heights , and I didn't understand it. Rise Guide
1 inch rise, up position - 2.75 inch drop over OEM
1 inch rise, down position - 3.75 inch drop over OEM
1.5 inch rise, up position - 2.25 inch drop over OEM
1.5 inch rise, down position - 4.25 inch drop over OEM
 
for the 1.5 inch rise, their is big defference in drop over OEM (2.25 - 4.25) inches
 
can you please explain the different set up if their was any.
thanks,
 
 

There's two kits available for the FZ07/MT07, the 1" & 1.5" riser/lower kits. The 1" is what I would call the "slightly different" kit, because in the up position it's slightly close to stock height, and in the down position it's slightly more agressive. In that same thought process, the 1.5" kit is closest to stock height in the up position, and is the most aggressive of the two kits in the down position.
 
The Clip-ons themselves are nothing close to stock feeling as they change the sweep angle, but if you wanted the sweep angle but the minimal amount of forward reaching, they have 2" riser adapters, but those I believe can only be used in the up position, because in the down position, the bars will for sure hit your plastics. Hope that helps.
thanks "jeffkisthename" , I think I might be interested in the 1.5" kit
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bmwpowere36m3

They look good… my only concern is the sharp bends in all the cables/lines (throttle, clutch and brake). I would have tried either: rerouting or going with custom cables/lines.

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jeffkisthename
They look good… my only concern is the sharp bends in all the cables/lines (throttle, clutch and brake). I would have tried either: rerouting or going with custom cables/lines.
 
 
I hear ya, definitely going to be going stainless brake lines soon. The throttle lines aren't at too sharp of a bend. I do wish there was a better looking way to reroute those.

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Nice pictures Jeff, I'm glad things worked out--you run into any issues w/ the drilling? I think rear sets will definitely help settle things in. Just for the record, I want to echo Jeff in that it is NOT an aggressive riding position, it is MORE aggressive than OEM but not supersport feel; although a good stepping stone to a SS. With my setup (1.5 down & driven rear sets) I wouldn't hesitate to take a long road trip.

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Nov 24, 2015 4:00:57 GMT -5 Beemer said:
 
Hey, potatochips, are you like Lancelot Link, Secret Moderator or what?!

 
 
 
Regarding the name calling, I was paraphrasing, I didn't direct it at anyone in particular. I said my piece, you said yours, we'll end it at that, I don't want to derail the thread. Shoot me a PM if you REALLY want to discuss, though I'll probably never read it.
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Nice pictures Jeff, I'm glad things worked out--you run into any issues w/ the drilling? I think rear sets will definitely help settle things in. Just for the record, I want to echo Jeff in that it is NOT an aggressive riding position, it is MORE aggressive than OEM but not supersport feel; although a good stepping stone to a SS. With my setup (1.5 down & driven rear sets) I wouldn't hesitate to take a long road trip.
Unless you're short like me (5'3"), and are totally use to the OEM upright setup. After riding your setup @ch3rryghost , it definitely is aggressive enough for me. Haha. But I'll THIRD the "stepping stone to a SS".  
Oh and +1 on the images Jeff. If you ever get the time to take a pic of what you look like on the bike, I think that'd be helpful as well. Here's what I look like on @ch3rryghosts set up. You can pretty much compare this photo to my avatar photo to see the difference between stock. 
 
[attachment id=1120" thumbnail="1]
 
 
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Instagram: @meekmade | You don't need to flat foot a bike to ride it.

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THAT'S MY BIKE YOU THIEF! At first I thought you were just posting your avatar picture. Looks good on you, I catch myself in the reflections some times and I look awkward as hell

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jeffkisthename
Nice pictures Jeff, I'm glad things worked out--you run into any issues w/ the drilling? I think rear sets will definitely help settle things in. Just for the record, I want to echo Jeff in that it is NOT an aggressive riding position, it is MORE aggressive than OEM but not supersport feel; although a good stepping stone to a SS. With my setup (1.5 down & driven rear sets) I wouldn't hesitate to take a long road trip.
Unless you're short like me (5'3"), and are totally use to the OEM upright setup. After riding your setup @ch3rryghost , it definitely is aggressive enough for me. Haha. But I'll THIRD the "stepping stone to a SS".  
Oh and +1 on the images Jeff. If you ever get the time to take a pic of what you look like on the bike, I think that'd be helpful as well. Here's what I look like on @ch3rryghosts set up. You can pretty much compare this photo to my avatar photo to see the difference between stock. 
 
[attachment thumbnail=1" id="1120]
 

 
 
I'll be ordering rear sets this week. As soon as I install them, I'll take the photos of myself on the bike for everyone to reference.

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One important point. Clipons have a structural geometry that make them better than few standard shape bars have. The natural orientation of the palm of your hand in the position where you body and hands are is WITH THE OUTSIDE OF THE THROUGH LINE LOWER THAN THE INSIDE. Standard bars are nearly flat or the opposite. It is part of the reason you hands tire reasonably quickly on most motorcycles. Don't believe me? Try this .
Sit so you can drop your hands by your sides. Grasp a tube about the size of a handlebar in each hand. Now raise your hands with you eyes closed to where the bars on your motorcycle would be. This is the natural neutral position for YOUR hands. In the vast majority of cases the rods in your hands will point forwards in the centre and slope outwards downwards. Most clipons are like this and can be adjusted ( stuff gets in the way a lot) until they are at or near that configuration. BMW/Magura make some sets standard type bars that do that.
Wait! I here you cry. Off road bars aren't like that. You can't ride clipons off road ( OK I have, but it's just aweful). Yep right on. On a dirt bike you move around considerably more and stand as part of your body english to maintain control. In both the forward moved position and standing the orientation of the ends of the bars relative to the body will BE THAT FORWARD POINTING and DOWNWARD OUTWARD SLOPE. The bar position hasn't changed...you have.
I have heard the wider bars have more control argument many times before ( for a road bike). Several things spring to mind. Have a look at MotoGP bars. Not wide, not pointed up/ out. If there was ANY possibility that that would give you more control, that is exactly what they would do.
You do NOT steer ( on the road/track) by the simple leverage of the bars. Sufficient leverage is necessary for counter steering, but the effort, once a motorcycle is moving from a slowish speed ( 10MPH depending on the bike), you can control the bike with 3 fingers on each hand. At slow speeds you DO need wider bars for a number of reasons ( caster angle lift, tyre resistance to direction change etc).
"
Having said all that. if you make your bars too low you shift more weight onto you hands and arms. Wind "pressure" will help support you at speed but it is still tiring, but then so is sitting too upright because of wind pressure.
Me I have checked where the Woody's would be on my bike and with the seat where it is and the small upper fairing I am using I reckon a 1" lift would be a good long range comfortable position.
For those of you that want to play parachutes with MX size bars, just remember you will end up just as tired as too low because of the increased wind resistance the open armed upright position creates. Street fighters are fine...you don't have to ride them far...
 

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Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify...

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jeffkisthename
Nice pictures Jeff, I'm glad things worked out--you run into any issues w/ the drilling? I think rear sets will definitely help settle things in. Just for the record, I want to echo Jeff in that it is NOT an aggressive riding position, it is MORE aggressive than OEM but not supersport feel; although a good stepping stone to a SS. With my setup (1.5 down & driven rear sets) I wouldn't hesitate to take a long road trip.
 
 
Everything went really well, except the throttle tube and new ProGrips, because I had to remove the brand new R6 grip (I muscled it, no Windex LOL) and the new grip install just sucked LOL.
 
My drilling was pretty spot on. The end of my grips are exactly at the end of the clip on where the metal ends and is capped off. I will be adding Woodcraft Bar Ends soon with the lever guards, so stay tuned for that.
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Looks sweet. What is the advantage of going with the woodcraft over a cheaper ($30-$40) non-adjustable bar? Is the woodcraft really worth it? 
Also, how far forward & down would you say these bars are compared to stock as you have them installed? e.g. "they are about 2 inches farther forward and 1 inch down"
 
I'm definitely looking into making a sportier riding position as well, this bike is a little too upright for me. I have heard from a couple people that the stock rear-sets are a bit awkward with a more forward bar so I'm glad you confirmed that.

I didn't like the original handlebars from day one. Before these were available I purchased the Renthal Ultralows. Great improvement for me, but not low/forward enough for me to achieve proper posture when riding fast in a partial tuck. I have had these on for 2,000 miles now and love them. Significantly lower and much more forward than the Renthal I had. There just isn't a bar that comes close to the Woodcraft position. Oh wait, except the Suburban, but I prefer the look for the Woodcraft over the Suburban.
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jeffkisthename
Looks sweet. What is the advantage of going with the woodcraft over a cheaper ($30-$40) non-adjustable bar? Is the woodcraft really worth it? 
Also, how far forward & down would you say these bars are compared to stock as you have them installed? e.g. "they are about 2 inches farther forward and 1 inch down"
 
I'm definitely looking into making a sportier riding position as well, this bike is a little too upright for me. I have heard from a couple people that the stock rear-sets are a bit awkward with a more forward bar so I'm glad you confirmed that.

I didn't like the original handlebars from day one. Before these were available I purchased the Renthal Ultralows. Great improvement for me, but not low enough for my taste. I have had these on for 2,000 miles now and love them. Significantly lower and much more forward than the Renthal I had. There just isn't a bar that comes close to the Woodcraft position. Oh wait, except the Suburban, but I prefer the look for the Woodcraft over the Suburban.
 
 
Are you running aftermarket rear sets or OEM?

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They look good but any time you lower and shorten the width of your bars you have less control of them so feeling more "in control" with clip-on's is an illusion. Being tucked in is good for a racing posture and slipping the wind but that's about it. Anyways, I can't use them even if I wanted to, the standard factory bar put's enough crick in my neck/shoulder cramps after a couple hours of riding. They look great, buy some if you want!

Well, to be fair, a little more detail is needed, newer riders who don't understand the science of control of a bike may make an uninformed decision on the above opinion. You are totally correct.....in a way....you don't lose any control, but you do increase steering effort any time you make the bar end-to-end more narrow. But steering input effort has significantly less to do with control over the bike compared to what your legs are doing and your center of gravity.
 
Steering effort has much to do with geometry of the bike AND body. Cracking open the MSF course manual says to try and keep your arms parallel to the ground. This reduces steering effort. When your arms are parallel to the ground, you are pushing at an angle closer to 90 degrees against the triple tree. With the stock bars, parallel to the ground requires you to sit up and back. This feels great on the back, but forces your weight over the seat and not the pegs. A rider losers sooooo much control if your weight is not held up by the ball of your foot on the peg, and is instead on your tush. Being 5'8" with arms proportional to my body, trying to maintain my "parallel to the ground" with original bars put all my weight over the seat. The taller you are (longer arms) the more it will accentuate this moving you back over the seat.
 
Yeah, comfort is good, but for me it was a generally good transition from my SV650S to this bike, except the one blinding difference. You sit in the SVS and on top of the FZ. I feel like the FZ moves under me (one of the few complaints you saw in many professional reviews of the bike when it was new) and I felt like I was moving with the SV. Also, the SV, pegs, seat, and clip-ons put your weight on your feet (not the naked version, but the S version). The FZ promotes the weight on your butt (like the naked SV). The aggressive handle bars are a good step to moving your weight forward over the pegs. Rear sets should finish it off nicely.
 
You make a good point and just putting on lower handle bars is a TERRIBLE idea IF you don't change your posture. Putting on these bars and trying to sit more casual will KILL your steering input effort because you'll be so far away from 90 degrees. At that point you start turning with your shoulders and core instead of the easy movements of your arms.
 
I think it may be a little more complicated than just saying clipons are an illusion. You have to take into account much more. And when you look at the science (center of gravity of your body on the bike, arm position/angle reference to the triple tree, muscles used in a riders proper or improper posture) it makes perfect sense for someone to put these on.
 
I'm 5'8" 150lbs in relative good back, shoulder and neck health. With these bars, for someone like me, I experience almost no discomfort, have a center of gravity more centered on the pegs and my arms are almost parallel with the ground with my hands barely above my elbows (with the stock bars hands waaaaay below my elbows when trying to lean my upper body weight over the pegs). So looking at the science side of things, my handling of the bike has greatly improved. Technically, my steering input effort has increased very slightly(can't say I really noticed it) as the only change in my shoulder/arm/hand orientation is a slightly smaller bar width. BUT my overall handling has improved greatly because I can achieve a proper riding position that promotes overall handling: weight over feet, thighs tight on tank, hands and wrist relaxed.
 
Rear sets will put a nice polish on centering of weight over the pegs.
 
This isn't meant as an argument :) Just important to really look at whole body position when judging ability to handle a bike. If you aren't supporting your body weight by the ball of your feet on the peg, you are't going to die :) but you aren't positioned properly to have the best handling of your bike, this is why so many sport bikes come with clip-ons. It provides excellent handling of the bike by aiding in placing your body weight supported by the ball of your feet on the foot peg.
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Nice pictures Jeff, I'm glad things worked out--you run into any issues w/ the drilling? I think rear sets will definitely help settle things in. Just for the record, I want to echo Jeff in that it is NOT an aggressive riding position, it is MORE aggressive than OEM but not supersport feel; although a good stepping stone to a SS. With my setup (1.5 down & driven rear sets) I wouldn't hesitate to take a long road trip.
You both hit the nail on the head. "More aggressive" but not aggressive. NOWHERE near the mroe aggressive position of my old SV650S.
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Are you running aftermarket rear sets or OEM?
OE right now. I'm chomping at the bit to put rear sets on. My biggest delay? I can't decide on one! I want function and style, and can't seem to settle on a choice. I'll ride year round in Portland, OR so I'll be riding slower all winter (cold pavement and rain and all), so no real rush, but I would like to have it sorted by spring. Very interested in your input if/when you get rear sets.
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jeffkisthename
Are you running aftermarket rear sets or OEM?
OE right now. I'm chomping at the bit to put rear sets on. My biggest delay? I can't decide on one! I want function and style, and can't seem to settle on a choice. I'll ride year round in Portland, OR so I'll be riding slower all winter (cold pavement and rain and all), so no real rush, but I would like to have it sorted by spring. Very interested in your input if/when you get rear sets.
 
 
I just ordered Woodcraft rear sets a couple of hours ago. They should be here in 3-4 business days. Can't wait.
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Wow, the drama! When I made the comment about lowering handlebars I just assumed that a person (viewers) of average intelligence wouldn't need a detailed explanation on the mechanics of steering, that they could figure out with basic reasoning that wider bars provide more leverage (whether you need the extra leverage or not) but more importantly (and what I was trying to convey) 'when you really do need it' - E.G. to stop handle bar death wobble. That's undeniable. Also, you can't put as much muscle into steering a handle bar when you are positioned more over top of it. You use different muscles steering that way and they are by nature, weaker muscles so to me it's simple. Less leverage + less input = less control. It wasn't meant to mean you can't control a bike at all with them. That's it in a nut shell. Sorry for any drama I may have caused and a special thanks to my newest pal potatochips. Mocking and putting words in a persons mouth has a way of stirring up the sh*t and for the record, that statement "isn't directed at anyone in particular". 

Beemer

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jeffkisthename
Wow, the drama! When I made the comment about lowering handlebars I just assumed that a person (viewers) of average intelligence wouldn't need a detailed explanation on the mechanics of steering, that they could figure out with basic reasoning that wider bars provide more leverage (whether you need the extra leverage or not) but more importantly (and what I was trying to convey) 'when you really do need it' - E.G. to stop handle bar death wobble. That's undeniable. Also, you can't put as much muscle into steering a handle bar when you are positioned more over top of it. You use different muscles steering that way and they are by nature, weaker muscles so to me it's simple. Less leverage + less input = less control. It wasn't meant to mean you can't control a bike at all with them. That's it in a nut shell. Sorry for any drama I may have caused and a special thanks to my newest pal potatochips. Mocking and putting words in a persons mouth has a way of stirring up the sh*t and for the record, that statement "isn't directed at anyone in particular". 
 
 
Haha, well, I learned from all the post, so that's a positive. I take it, many noob riders like myself will learn from this thread as well. Thanks for your contribution, and the others as well. It's true, the noob riders like myself need all you veterans guidance, because knowing is half the battle!!!
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Great pictures, @jeffkisthename. I installed these on my bike about two weeks ago and I've really been having fun with them. A bit harder on the lower back, but I love how connected to the bike I feel.
 
Just wanted to add my own first-person comparison shot, showing stock handlebar vs. the woodcraft set using the 1" risers in the down position:
 
mjKe2BG.jpg?1
 
 
 

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jeffkisthename
Great pictures, @jeffkisthename. I installed these on my bike about two weeks ago and I've really been having fun with them. A bit harder on the lower back, but I love how connected to the bike I feel. 
Just wanted to add my own first-person comparison shot, showing stock handlebar vs. the woodcraft set using the 1" risers in the down position:
 
mjKe2BG.jpg?1
 
 

 
 
Nice shot Tyler! Are you upgrading your rear sets anytime soon?

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