[scubadivingbiker]

Hi,
I am new to the forum and this is my first post, so bear with me if this one has been answered before, I can't find anything. Anyway here goes.......
I recently changed from my beloved Honda Pan European to a K1300GT. I am pretty short in stature and find that even with the bars in the highest stock position the ride position is causing back discomfort. I purchased a set of Verholen barbacks which claim 42mm up and 25mm back which would have been perfect. I measured the position of the bars before and after fitting the adaptor. What I find is that although it does bring the bars back by 25mm it does not alter the height at all. I am in discussion with the dealer over the problem, but I wondered if anyone else has had the same experience.
scubadivingbiker

 

[XMagnaRider]

I looked at the Verholen bar back photo on this web site.

http://piratesk12site.net/VerholenGTrisers.htm

They definitely raise the handlebars, but perhaps not enough for you. I have a set of Suburban Machinery bar backs, which are similar.

One limitation for raising the handlebars is the length of the cables. This is true for any of the handlebar extenders that are available. My SM bar backs have five positions, but you can only use the first three without buying extended cables.

Apparently there are two different types of bar backs - one for K1200GTs and a separate one for K1300GTs. They have interesting comments about which cables to extend - your K1300GT needs a brake cable.

See: http://www.suburban-machinery.com/K1200GT6.html for photos and discussions of both extenders.

Personally, I like the bar backs only for very long rides (say, > 500 miles in a day). Otherwise, I prefer the regular handlebars - lower settings for local rides and twisties, higher settings for medium rides.

In my opinion, it takes a few weeks (months?) to adapt to the KGT riding position, but once you get used to it, you will enjoy it very much. Of course, I don't know whether your back soreness is adaptation or a real back problem. YMMV.

 

[2wheelunit]

I have the Suburban-machinery barbacks and have them set at the highest position. I was able to reroute the stock brake & clutch line to work but had to have custom throttle cables made. It was spendy but for me it was worth it.

 

[Meese]

I was able to reroute the stock brake & clutch line to work but had to have custom throttle cables made. It was spendy but for me it was worth it.

Details, please. Who made them? Did they make them up from specs, or copy an old set of cables? How much longer? How much cost? How long to produce?

I was looking at getting longer cables made, since mine are pulled pretty tight on a full right lock. And I want to move my bars from the middle to the top of the SM risers.

And today I was messing around with the handlebars and noticed that they were already at full height? :dunno: I guess the last time I had a dealer work on the bike, they put them back that way (unless Grif did it when I wasn't looking ).

So now I really need to get the longer cables . . .

 

[Dadicool59]

Hi,
I am new to the forum and this is my first post, so bear with me if this one has been answered before, I can't find anything. Anyway here goes.......
I recently changed from my beloved Honda Pan European to a K1300GT. I am pretty short in stature and find that even with the bars in the highest stock position the ride position is causing back discomfort. I purchased a set of Verholen barbacks which claim 42mm up and 25mm back which would have been perfect. I measured the position of the bars before and after fitting the adaptor. What I find is that although it does bring the bars back by 25mm it does not alter the height at all. I am in discussion with the dealer over the problem, but I wondered if anyone else has had the same experience.
scubadivingbiker

I have a set of Verholens that I only had on the bike for a short period.
I had them at full height and had no problems with the cable but they were at their limit.
They put my elbows in at my hips which is where i ride best but for some reason it did make the front end feel heavier. That obviously has nothing to do with the brand.
To digress, i had been pretty happy with the Bags Connection "Engage" tank bag that i have as it didnt cause the horn button to sound at full lock like many others do.
Unfortunately with the verholen risers on it did cause the horn to connect so I had to remove them and havent put them back on.

 

[2wheelunit]

Details, please. Who made them? Did they make them up from specs, or copy an old set of cables? How much longer? How much cost? How long to produce?.

South Sound BMW, Fife, WA did the job for me and were very helpful.
Motion Pro makes the cables. http://www.motionpro.com/
This is for an 07 K1200GT.
You have to provide them with a stock set of cables, throttle & cruise control, because there are some BMW proprietary fittings they need. I think the 1300 might have 3rd cable to close the throttles.
The new cables are 3" longer than stock and I had an additional set made as a spare.
The turn around on the cables from Motion Pro was about 6 weeks.

Costs:
Part #
32737684299 Accel Cable 61.79
32737684302 Throttle cable 55.79
R&R cables Labor 5 hrs 475.00
Motion Pro Lengthen cables 132.00

 

[Meese]

Thanks for the info. I just dropped my spare throttle cables at Barnett today. Turns out they're less than 10 miles from me. They quoted ~$30 each and 5 days to lengthen them 3".

Now maybe I can go even higher with the bars. :ricky

 

[olsaltybastard]

When I first got my bike, it was very soon thereafter that I learned I had developed some POOR riding habits over the years. Someone on this site directed me to what is known as the "Master Yoda Riding Position"


http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2739



It's not as difficult as the reading suggests. It really comes down to sitting properly on the bike. Butt back, shoulders back, no weight on your hands, use your thigh muscles to control the position of your upper body. Now, the only thing that tires when I ride are my thigh muscles. They recoup quickly, so it's not a big deal.

I have also found that the bike handles (or seems to handle) much much much much better with the bars in the lowest position. I'm only 5'6" with a 30" inseam; my feet hardly touch the ground. It's a bit more of a strain on the thighs (see above paragraph) but really worth it in terms of pegging the fun meter.

 

[Meese]

It really comes down to sitting properly on the bike.

Agreed, although I think perhaps we may disagree on what is "proper" here.

I have also found that the bike handles (or seems to handle) much much much much better with the bars in the lowest position.

I've heard that one before but honestly, how much difference does it make on the street? I can say that I've never been passed by a guy with his bars all the way down because I was at my limit and he had more to go. I'll take riding skill and hundreds of thousands of miles of experience over minor changes to bike geometry any day.

Note that I'm not telling any particular person how they "should" ride, or "should" set up their bike. I just know what works for me and my needs. And those needs include a bike that is 1,000+ miles per day comfortable, but can also strafe corners with most anything else on the road.

Because sometimes the best twisties just happen to be a state or two away.

 

[2wheelunit]

When I first got my bike, it was very soon thereafter that I learned I had developed some POOR riding habits over the years. Someone on this site directed me to what is known as the "Master Yoda Riding Position"


http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2739



It's not as difficult as the reading suggests. It really comes down to sitting properly on the bike. Butt back, shoulders back, no weight on your hands, use your thigh muscles to control the position of your upper body. Now, the only thing that tires when I ride are my thigh muscles. They recoup quickly, so it's not a big deal.

I have also found that the bike handles (or seems to handle) much much much much better with the bars in the lowest position. I'm only 5'6" with a 30" inseam; my feet hardly touch the ground. It's a bit more of a strain on the thighs (see above paragraph) but really worth it in terms of pegging the fun meter.

It makes perfect sense that someone 5'6" would be most comfortable with the bars in the lowest position therefore someone 6' and over would have a perfect body position with the bars in a higher position.

When I go to the track I want the bars low for better control and a lower center of gravity for short periods of time but on the street that riding position becomes uncomfortable very quickly, mainly in the neck, and would not work for me.

Just think if car seats were not adjustable and were set for the shortest people so that everyone could reach the controls. I'm thinkin that wouldn't be so practical for the rest of us.

 

[olsaltybastard]

It makes perfect sense that someone 5'6" would be most comfortable with the bars in the lowest position therefore someone 6' and over would have a perfect body position with the bars in a higher position.

When I go to the track I want the bars low for better control and a lower center of gravity for short periods of time but on the street that riding position becomes uncomfortable very quickly, mainly in the neck, and would not work for me.

Just think if car seats were not adjustable and were set for the shortest people so that everyone could reach the controls. I'm thinkin that wouldn't be so practical for the rest of us.

Ever sit in the cockpit of an F/A-18? To this day, I still don't know how those 6' X" guys aren't dying in there. It seemed like my knees were almost in my ears.

When I refer to handling, I am not referring to how fast I can take it through the slaloms, just how the bike responds to steering inputs. With the bars in the raised position, the bike (to me) feels more sluggish than it does with the bars in the lower position. This still confuses me because it's not like we're talking about three or four inches of travel; 1.5 inches is more accurate (convert to metric if you wish!!)

I definitely put the bars into the upper position when riding with buddies (they all ride cruisers.) I don't dispute the increased level of comfort in this position, even for a short guy like me. It's actually quite nice to be able to change positions at a gas station.