Topic: Drag Bars vs. Clubmans

[robdrobd]

I am looking for low profile bars, but without having to hunch over too much. Clubmans seem to be a stretch. I was looking at European style and drag style, but have only found pictures of the bars themselves. Does anyone have an opinion to which is better, or have a pic of them mounted?

[033A2]

I bought a set of drags and had them drilled to hide the wires inside. I'm 5'6" and find myself hunched forward, but not too bad.  I think clubs would be a stretch for me, no pun intended.  This is about as much comfort, for looks, I'm willing to give up.

[robdrobd]

I guess I am really wondering is what are the lowest profile bars that aren't clubman's? Are drags the next progression, then sportbike, then European? And what type originally come on most 70's cb's? Thanks

[Gorms]

If its the angle of the bars that is a problem, you could get clip ons and mount them at any angle.  They usually have a slight drop built into them so you could flip them up too I guess.

[robdrobd]

I am looking a little rise and moderate pull back. Ideally I would like a drag bar that pulls back 3 or 4 inches. Any suggestions?

[Hinomaru]

I guess I am really wondering is what are the lowest profile bars that aren't clubman's? Are drags the next progression, then sportbike, then European? And what type originally come on most 70's cb's? Thanks

Honda Euro bars - Click on pic to enlarge

[robdrobd]

I am looking a little rise and moderate pull back. Ideally I would like a drag bar that pulls back 3 or 4 inches. Any suggestions?

Maybe superbike bars?

[jesus freek]

I have superbike bars on my cb550. I have yet to do the clubmans,so I cant say for sure. I had drag bars on my last cb550,again I feel the pain of being short 5' 7'. I prefer the super bike bars,as their lean angle is more comfotable on my aging back.

[blackhog02]

+1 on the superbike bars.  Two years ago I rode to NC with drag bars and this year I rode with Superbike bars.  You wouldn't think the slight bend would make that much of a diffrence but it does.

http://www.mptrackclub.com/photos/whcm_09/DSC07660.JPG

Here is a better pic of the bars pre gas tank paint.
http://www.mptrackclub.com/photos/cb750_k1/DSC07412.JPG

[robdrobd]

+1 on the superbike bars.  Two years ago I rode to NC with drag bars and this year I rode with Superbike bars.  You wouldn't think the slight bend would make that much of a diffrence but it does.

http://www.mptrackclub.com/photos/whcm_09/DSC07660.JPG

Here is a better pic of the bars pre gas tank paint.
http://www.mptrackclub.com/photos/cb750_k1/DSC07412.JPG

When you say "slight bend" are you referring to the pullback or the rise? I think I am leaning toward drag bars with a big pullback so I don't have to lean up as far.

[1974CB750rider]

I'm running drag bars on my 74 750K4. I like the look and am still pretty much up right. The clubmans look very uncomfortable to me, but I've never tried them. A friend of mine has some bars that are almost like my drag bars except for a slight rise in them. The only thing I don't like about my drag bars is I had to use some risers from a cb350 and some spacers in order to make my master cylinder clear. I also had to knotch out the gauge bracket to but you can't see that at all once everything is back together. One other thing, even if you don't bother running the wires through the bars make sure you drill the hole in the bars for the metal mounting dowell inside each switch control.

[CBGhia]

I have a 550 with clubmans and my best friend has a 500 with drag bars.  I have to say that I like he clubmans better.  I am 6' and so is my friend.  He thought the drag bars would work better and now he wants clubmans instead. 
If you are tall, the clubmans would be fine, if you are shorter than 5'10" then go with the drag bars.

[Pinhead]

Going from stock bars straight to clubmans could be quite a stretch. If you do buy Clubmans, try them "upside down" first until you get used to them and then flip 'em over when you're used to that riding style. Beware, however, that you will be chastised on the forum for your lack of acceptable aesthetics 'til you flip them back over.

[Gordon]

Beware, however, that you will be chastised on the forum for your lack of acceptable aesthetics 'til you flip them back over.

Not if you keep it to yourself.  Everybody has their dirty little secrets, don't they?

[celebutante]

Not to further complicate things, but my impression was that clubmans get painful if you don't have rearsets, so in my mind, the question becomes "how low can you go with bars without rearsets"?

My recently acquired 750K4 has stock bars, but I have a set of superbike bars (they look just like the Honda "euro" bars shown earlier in this thread) ready to go.

[ev0lve]

Initially I thought I would need rearsets with clubmans. I'm 6'3" and it turned out I had some muscles that had atrophied a bit in the two years I didn't have a bike - so the initial soreness in my wrists and at the hips has receded with some hours in the saddle. Now if my butt would callous over I think I could spend 3 - 4 hours at a crack without issue on the road.  

Mine are mounted a little further back than normal and I end up with the balls of my feet on the pegs a lot with the stock pegs but I think that's just a habit to keep from scraping the toes of my shoes. The reach is easy enough to ride one handed without issue. Had to drill the stops to keep them from hitting the tank.

If you're less than 6' and don't have monkey arms I'd think the clubs might double you over pretty good.

I tried superbike bars turned upside down but they collided with the triple tree and didn't have enough room to mount the master cylinder.

If you're not looking to retain the headlight ears I think clip-ons would be just about perfect all the way around.

[andy750]

Superbike bars on my K4:





Not so comfy for me at 6.4 with long arms...wind resistance at +75 mph was great than with Euro bars....

Euro bars compared to Superbike bars:



Euro bars - comfy at +80mph...



And Tomesselli bars - comfortable for 8+hrs....not as sever as clubmans




cheers
Andy

[j squared]

I did a test fit with drag bars on my 550 and the BMC will indeed be a very close fit.  I think I will be able to just get it in there without too much trouble, but it will definitely be tight.

[fasturd]

OK I know this sounds a little weird but on one project I used clubmans with a set of Gold Wing barback ...But I reversed the bar backs so it pushed the bars up and forward. I am 6'2" and it gave me room and a nice stretch.

[jesus freek]

I had drag bars on my last cb 550 and yes everything was tight,but it all fit. If I can find some old pics I will post them.

[IHWillys]

I like the superbike bars on my RD.  I ran drag bars but it was a bit too foward for my comfort(5'8", primarily local canyon rides) and I didn't like the bars hitting the tank.  The superbike bars accomplished both increasing my comfort and eliminating the bar/tank clearance issue.     

I also changed from rear sets back to stock footpegs too, so that does make a difference.  I think clubmans and clip-ons usually go hand-in-hand with rearsets.  Drag bars are just on the cusp of in between(for a standard, cruiser/chopper are a whole different enchilada).  I ran the drag bars for a bit with the rearsets and the stockers and, with the drag bars I might use the rearsets but the superbike bars definitely made the stockers feel right and the rearsets not.  I wanted to rid it of the rearsets anyway as they were the crappy Raask ones.  Again, all on an RD400, not a CB but a similar riding position in the stock configuration.

Ken

[Lights Out]

I find drag bars very comfortable for long days/touring, which I do a lot of, and I get a sore back for a week when I sleep on the couch. I'm 5"11

[j squared]

I had drag bars on my last cb 550 and yes everything was tight,but it all fit. If I can find some old pics I will post them.

Please do, especially the BMC and brake line routing.

[Gordon]

I had drag bars on my last cb 550 and yes everything was tight,but it all fit. If I can find some old pics I will post them.

Please do, especially the BMC and brake line routing.

Here's a picture I took a while back of the MC on the drag bars on my 550.  I had to loosen and angle the banjo bolt so it would snug up next to the tachometer, but it does fit.  I'll admit it wasn't easy.  It took a lot of tweaking of the angle of the MC and the angle of the bars, and the angle of the banjo bolt, but it works, and I really like these bars on the 550.  Ideally I would replace the stock brake line with a shorter one, but for now it's just looped to take up the slack. 

[j squared]

Nice, thanks for the pic.  To make matters worse for me I ran my wiring externally so I need a 1/2" gap between the control case and BMC/lever, just that much less room to work with!  Looks like you switched the banjo around to pull it away from the instruments though, didnt even think of that.