When I bought the ZRX, it came with the stock handlebars, the stock slanted risers, with aftermarket one inch spacers and top clamps. The risers angled back and the spacers put me into the standard "sit-up-and-beg" riding position. It's a very comfortable position, but cafe racers aren't supposed to be comfortable. If I wanted to be comfortable, I would drive my car. I did the cheap mod to begin with. I removed the 1" spacer and spun the slanted risers around 180 degrees and angled them away from me. This put me into a slightly more angled forward position, that felt much better. But it was going to take a change of handlebars to put me into a more "aggressive" position.
It's amazing how many different motorcycle handlebars are out there to choose from. While old school ace/clubman bars would be period correct for a proper cafe` racer. I had a pair on my Honda Ascot. They look really cool, however they were originally designed for bikes that had cable operated clutches and front drum brakes. So you don't have worry about keeping master cylinders covered in fluid when mounting them. They can also be tough on the wrists having no adjustable. Drag bars were a viable option, as were clip-ons. While clip-ons would also be very period correct for a cafe racer, today they are more associated with modern sportbikes. Drag bars are always cool, but I just didn't jive with the look I was going for.
I don't remember
exactly where I heard about them, perhaps in a classic motorcycle magazine or on some other website, but I believe Italian motorcycle manufacturer Laverda made a factory cafe racer in the 1970's that had adjustable clubmans that worked great and looked pretty cool, although they're heavier than other handlebars. On an old bike shedding dead weight was the best way to gain speed, but weight isn't an issue with the ZRX. It makes more than enough horsepower and torque, and more weight on the front end wouldn't exactly be a bad thing. Finding these bars wasn't exactly an easy thing, after a good week of searching for them, I found them on two websites. One was in Europe, while one was in the USA. So for simplicity's sake I ordered a set of black ones from the US distributor. It took a little time to get them but they were worth it.
Next time I'll drone about mounting them.
It's amazing how many different motorcycle handlebars are out there to choose from. While old school ace/clubman bars would be period correct for a proper cafe` racer. I had a pair on my Honda Ascot. They look really cool, however they were originally designed for bikes that had cable operated clutches and front drum brakes. So you don't have worry about keeping master cylinders covered in fluid when mounting them. They can also be tough on the wrists having no adjustable. Drag bars were a viable option, as were clip-ons. While clip-ons would also be very period correct for a cafe racer, today they are more associated with modern sportbikes. Drag bars are always cool, but I just didn't jive with the look I was going for.
I don't remember
exactly where I heard about them, perhaps in a classic motorcycle magazine or on some other website, but I believe Italian motorcycle manufacturer Laverda made a factory cafe racer in the 1970's that had adjustable clubmans that worked great and looked pretty cool, although they're heavier than other handlebars. On an old bike shedding dead weight was the best way to gain speed, but weight isn't an issue with the ZRX. It makes more than enough horsepower and torque, and more weight on the front end wouldn't exactly be a bad thing. Finding these bars wasn't exactly an easy thing, after a good week of searching for them, I found them on two websites. One was in Europe, while one was in the USA. So for simplicity's sake I ordered a set of black ones from the US distributor. It took a little time to get them but they were worth it.
Next time I'll drone about mounting them.
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