Raising the bars on an R1100S

[Ben Barkow <dr.ben@xxxxxxxxx>]

Unlucky me, I don't have the back for touring with the stock cafe racer  
low clip-ons, nice as they are. Lucky me, a distinguished local person  
well-known to this list wanted to trade high for low. The clip-on  
assemblies are different but, in fact, the low style would have worked  
fine for me (with extra height raised grips) but still the high  
clip-ons look better. The main challenge (only on non-ABS R1100S  
machines) is installing longer brake lines.

I am able to sit pretty much straight up (6 feet, 210 pounds) with the  
arrangement to be described below. But to get the airflow over my  
eyebrow height, I need a 24 inch windscreen and an 8 inch piece of  
Saeng edging on top. Works good.

I have the stanchions raised about 1 3/4 inches above the upper triple  
clamp. I have the clip-ons rotated from their tabbed position about 10  
degrees tankward. This was done (contrary to my intuition about how  
wrists are designed) to bring the grips closer to me and has a valuable  
consequence of making it possible to hit the turn cancel switch without  
dislocating my thumb.

Given the mechanical design and close machining, I don't think you need  
the locating tab or the screw to keep the clip-ons from rotating.

Part of what makes this work is that I have use elliptical  
cross-section bicycle handlebar tape (rubberized true cork - cork one  
of the great materials of the world, along with sheepskin for your  
backside). I wrap the cork tape fat around the distal end of the rubber  
grip and thin around the inner end.

With this arrangement, brake lines 29 and 31 inches  are about right. I  
ordered 30 and 32 and that is OK but a bit more slack than needed.  
Don't take my word for length; make your own personal mistakes.

Of course, I have the throttle counter-force spring in place (see URL  
for pix below). Also, it seems you can squish the grip towards the  
bar-end weights and have any degree of friction you want. I set mine  
for enough friction to (with the help of the counter-force spring) hold  
the throttle steady. This morning I went riding and was able to take  
both hands off the bars. Bike went straight... surprise! Some folks  
consider this unsafe, certainly for an off-road bike. In olden tymes,  
BMWs were set up for no spring-back of the throttle and I think  
adjusting your gloves while riding and two handed waves are a hoot. For  
sure, stock spring force is far too much and ThrottleMeister is a  
wholly wonky idea (wanna fight the friction for 8 hrs?).

All in all, I am exceedingly happy I could move the bars into a  
position that lets me be fairly upright, in a postural sense.

Tom Cutter, as always, gave me good advice about moving the clip-ons  
but I won't say what advice he gave me so as to avoid the chance he  
will be faulted for anything dumb I've done. Thanks Tom.

"Toronto Spring" counter-forces spring

http://home.ica.net/~barkow/bikestuff/ 
Toronto%20Spring%20for%20wrist%20ease/

Ben

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