I used the single end mount Bark Buster bar w/ Bark Buster Storm Guards when I changed to ProTaper bars on my KLR and found as a benefit I noted they also improved the bars vibration dampening....
When I installed protaper bars on my tenere I tapped the bar and installed the stock bar extenders to give it enough control area. Bit of a pain the way the tenere controls take up so much space
Interesting. I have a T7 and it is not uncomfortable for me. I have ridden it for about 5 hours (with 2 short breaks)and have no seat issues but did with my KLR until I bought a small cushion.. And the handlebars are in a perfect position for me. I am so glad I bought it....
The bars look so cool. I also really like how the hand guard mounting brackets leave a little gap there for all the cabling. Small stuff like that really makes a mod good. Glad the bike's feeling good.
For my Barkbuster addition to the Kawasaki Versys X300 I went with T-Rex Racing Barkbusters. Not all Barkbusters are the same and T-Rex engineers the aluminum frame to go over the handlebar clutter of cables and they bolted right up. However, where T-Rex messed up is there install video did not cover the reinsertion of the stock handlebar weights so the bolts supplied with the Barkbusters would have something to grip into and expand and hold on tight. So, I made my own video to documents exactly what to do to get excellent results on the X300. The handlebars will bend before the Barkbusters will fail. Fun project.
Man you just couldn’t catch a break with the bars! 😂 When all fails, make it work. Final assembly looks really nice! I too installed the Tusk guards on my bike. Absolutely love them! Quality guards on the cheap! Ride safe! 👍🏼✌🏼
Looking forward to the ride report on the bars. We talked a bit in the comments section when you were trying risers. Still riding mine stock but that bit of extra sweep might be all it takes without adding extra items and weight. Saw you mention lower seat. Did you order a Seat Concepts?
I'll hopefully get to ride it next week and will do a video asap. My guess from sitting on it is that this will be much much better. I didn't like how high the bars were before, felt nice riding but when I went to push it around it was really awkward.
I find the seating position fine personally, but that hard narrow seat begins to hurt after an hour or so. I have literally doubled the amount of time I can sit on that seat just by adding one of those £20 stretchy mesh seat cooler things from Ali express. I was amazed at the difference it made.
I've never tried one of those. I switched to a low comfort seat from Seat Concepts and while it didn't really get me much closer to the ground the wide back is much nicer to sit on!
Hello Swanky Cat, thank you for all those nice videos and nice work. i'm looking to change my stock handlebar for a protaper adventure evo, my only concern is about the holes on the handlebar and the controls. If i clip the nobs off like you did, how do the controls stay in place on the handle ? Also, 1 year later would you still change the handlebar or will you stay with the oem one ? Thank you :)
I've clipped nubs off of several bikes now and had zero issues. Honestly I think they use them more as a template for the assemblers. This way all the bikes end up with their controls in the exact same spot. If you do somehow end up with a control that won't clamp down, just a wrap or two of electrical tape will increase the bar diameter and provide a more sticky surface. I'd 100% change the bars again. Best mod I did on that bike.
YAMAHA - WTH is the deal in that throttle tube. I've never encountered a problem like that before. I always cut off the nubbins on the control pods. I've done that one both DR350SE Suzukis as well as my current DRZ400S.
hey ben , used same tusk bars , kept my risers on that sweep bars back more , also used odi locking grips , worked well, since the stock throttle tube was to tight on mine also, keep up the great videos, i use rm all the time
It's good to trim the end of the throttle tube anyway so that the throttle doesn't stick open when you drop the bike and the hand guards jam into the the trottle tube.
New grips would have been good since you were in there. Nice job man, check out Camel ADV and there one finger clutch arm. I just put one on my t7 and it is great. Keep up the good videos and rock on
I really should get the one finger clutch! I've actually switched to a much better grip and put some heaters under them. Definitely glad I did, the stock grips suck! Thanks!
Fellow Wisconite here... Nice job. I like this video! I have the same bike and installed bar risers for comfort. But it makes me wonder if a slightly different bend would help too. I know I'm going to have to replace the janky handguards after one fall but I'm waiting until that happens. As for the seat, the first thing I did was buy a Seat Concepts seat to replace the stock one. The stock one isn't bad, but for day-long trips, it makes a big difference.
Solid break down of the ergonomic considerations. Definitely replacing the bar is the way to go to get a bit of rise and change the angles. Seat height and comfort, well I ride KTMs and find them pretty comfortable so WTF do I know lol. Good video I have plans to make one for the 890 I just bought, not quite enough saddle time to have an informed POV yet but I'll borrow some thoughts from you when I do.
Hey. Overall height is one factor. So many YT’ers forget to mention their INSEAM! You could have a 30 inch inseam, I’m 5’ 9” and I have an inseam of 32 inches, and could potentially have better reach then you… but I don’t know for sure, as you haven’t mentioned what your inseam is..
Hey appreciate the ideas on bikes n snowmachines.anyhow iam 5'7"so i struggle reaching the ground also on the bike i just got from my brotherinlaw yup its a 2002 klr 650 i think it does have a lowering dog leg thingy on it that looks like a few more threads could get me lower and i have shaved foam from seat.looks chopped up a bit now.can i lower front forks yet also to make this bike rideable for me.any hints would help.snooky pa.
I don't think I've ever had a bike where I was happy with the stock seat, but Yamaha always seems to be one of the bigger offenders in that territory. My current FJ-09 is getting the seat redone by Terry Adcox if I ever get time to send it to him. Had him do the last FJR I had, and my old 1200GSA.
@@SwankyCatProductions Once you go custom seat, you'll never go back! Especially if you do any longer distance stuff. I know from Point, most of the good riding is a bit of a ride to get to, so it made a huge difference.
True, a hard enough fall can certainly cause issues. I've had to bend a few back while out on the trails before too. A set of short levers will help avoid that though.
@@RedEmpire36 I didn't mean the actual brand, of course. But there is a reason there are so many adjustment points! I had the Tusk guards on my KLR and loved them.
Crazy, I find this to be the most comfortable stock seat I've ever had. But I have EVO Adventure bars which are higher and way more swept back. And I think your throttle tube issues were the bars. The EVOs fit perfect with no adjustments. I did keep the tab on the throttle housing though, don't want that thing spinning on you :O
Same, the seat is a little hard but the position is so comfortable it doesn't put any pressure on you, bikes like this NEED straight bars, there is a reason all bars are straight in MTB and motocross/enduro bikes, but i guess each to their own
This is great , as a Yamaha wrench you know your stuff & i’m going to copy everything you do because your expert tutorial obviously is the good-mail as it’s on UA-cam.
Wow I must have had some fucking uncomfortable bikes hahaha no complaints about my T7. It's not actively beating me up or making me do yoga so it's a win in my book :D Love that bar set though, I'll be looking out for the YZ bends. Maybe in gold
So ...what you just said was that your body is not perfect....yeee, never forget to glue everything, that's for shure, Yamaha may go apart with no glue.
It might be a struggle. You could drop the preload a bit. Mine was cranked up in order to get the correct sag. Still haven't gotten my seat yet but I'm sure that will help too. My KLR is definitely easier to ride though.
As nice as it is Your T7 is a danger to you and when you ride it your a danger to everyone else your near... WHY ? because you cannot touch the ground flat footed ! raise the front forks in the triple trees and take all the preload out of your shock in the rear and that will gain you around 2" of touching the ground.... ( at the expense of ground clearance!) I'ed rather ride a bike with 3" of ground clearance and be able to touch the ground with my knees slightly bent than any bike I have to tip toe to touch the ground ! your T7 was made for a guy with the height of 7'6" .... not for a guy with a 30" inseam.... fix it to fit you or don't ride the thing ! I bought a 2021 CSC RX4 that has a seat height of 31.9" it was tippie toe for me to set on it.... i changed that by raising the forks 2" in the front and taking out all the preload and I can now touch flat footed while on the bike... but I know that is not enough.... if you want to back up, you need a bit more .... think about it shortie ! make your bike fit YOU !!!!!
Meh, it doesn't really bother me. My new lower seat will be more convenient but even as is I can get one foot flat if I slide to the side of my seat. A big bike can be intimidating at first but once I forced myself to just ride it and not worry about putting my feet down my skills improved drastically. Rather than looking for places to stop if I need to save myself I stay up on the pegs and just focus on making it through the obstacles.
Haha. No, I'm 5'10". I've got my preload set properly so the bike doesn't sag as much under my weight. I could back it off to get closer to the ground but then it bottoms on the big jumps.
I used the single end mount Bark Buster bar w/ Bark Buster Storm Guards when I changed to ProTaper bars on my KLR and found as a benefit I noted they also improved the bars vibration dampening....
When I installed protaper bars on my tenere I tapped the bar and installed the stock bar extenders to give it enough control area. Bit of a pain the way the tenere controls take up so much space
Good idea! Yeah definitely annoying, but there are a few options to work around it.
I installed a 40mm lowering link and installed a throttle lock cruise control and it made controlling and riding the bike much better ever since
Barkbusters fit perfect on my t7 with stock bars. Survived a crash too
That's what I had before I switched bars, they worked well for me to.
Try sw-motech bar back. Had some pain in My wrists , and now its completly gone. Can ride all day! Have Touratech low Comfort set ( onepiece) to.
The risers I tried were something similar, definitely helped but not completely.
Gotta put a lowering links on that bike. I had too the bike was too tall for me.
What about the wooden seat?any real solution?
Interesting. I have a T7 and it is not uncomfortable for me. I have ridden it for about 5 hours (with 2 short breaks)and have no seat issues but did with my KLR until I bought a small cushion.. And the handlebars are in a perfect position for me. I am so glad I bought it....
Looks great Ben! Be safe out there and I agree always gotta play with them a bit and that high fender it's the right choice
Thank you and thank you!
The bars look so cool. I also really like how the hand guard mounting brackets leave a little gap there for all the cabling. Small stuff like that really makes a mod good. Glad the bike's feeling good.
Thanks Island ADV! I like that too, makes things a little easier for sure! I'm really looking forward to seeing how much better it is on the road!
For my Barkbuster addition to the Kawasaki Versys X300 I went with T-Rex Racing Barkbusters. Not all Barkbusters are the same and T-Rex engineers the aluminum frame to go over the handlebar clutter of cables and they bolted right up. However, where T-Rex messed up is there install video did not cover the reinsertion of the stock handlebar weights so the bolts supplied with the Barkbusters would have something to grip into and expand and hold on tight. So, I made my own video to documents exactly what to do to get excellent results on the X300. The handlebars will bend before the Barkbusters will fail. Fun project.
Man you just couldn’t catch a break with the bars! 😂 When all fails, make it work. Final assembly looks really nice! I too installed the Tusk guards on my bike. Absolutely love them! Quality guards on the cheap! Ride safe! 👍🏼✌🏼
Ha ha yeah I didn't think I'd ever get it together but I'm glad it finally worked out!
@@SwankyCatProductions I also threw on oxford grips on the KLR. Super happy with them! 👌🏼
You are the first person I've heard say that the seat is uncomfortable. I was considering this bike because of the comfort. The klr isnt for me
I don't recall exactly what I said but I don't think the seat is uncomfortable, just not the most comfortable after a few hours in a row.
Looking forward to the ride report on the bars. We talked a bit in the comments section when you were trying risers. Still riding mine stock but that bit of extra sweep might be all it takes without adding extra items and weight.
Saw you mention lower seat. Did you order a Seat Concepts?
I'll hopefully get to ride it next week and will do a video asap. My guess from sitting on it is that this will be much much better. I didn't like how high the bars were before, felt nice riding but when I went to push it around it was really awkward.
@@SwankyCatProductions Very akward to move around being on the shorter side. :)
A link or a name for the bright yellow phone support, please?
Unfortunately I don't believe the guy who was 3D printing them is still in the business. Sorry!
I find the seating position fine personally, but that hard narrow seat begins to hurt after an hour or so. I have literally doubled the amount of time I can sit on that seat just by adding one of those £20 stretchy mesh seat cooler things from Ali express. I was amazed at the difference it made.
I've never tried one of those. I switched to a low comfort seat from Seat Concepts and while it didn't really get me much closer to the ground the wide back is much nicer to sit on!
Hello Swanky Cat, thank you for all those nice videos and nice work. i'm looking to change my stock handlebar for a protaper adventure evo, my only concern is about the holes on the handlebar and the controls. If i clip the nobs off like you did, how do the controls stay in place on the handle ?
Also, 1 year later would you still change the handlebar or will you stay with the oem one ? Thank you :)
I've clipped nubs off of several bikes now and had zero issues. Honestly I think they use them more as a template for the assemblers. This way all the bikes end up with their controls in the exact same spot. If you do somehow end up with a control that won't clamp down, just a wrap or two of electrical tape will increase the bar diameter and provide a more sticky surface.
I'd 100% change the bars again. Best mod I did on that bike.
Looks great. Boy was the throttle a PITA. I am sure this video will help folks. - Frank
Right?! Thanks! I hope it does!
YAMAHA - WTH is the deal in that throttle tube. I've never encountered a problem like that before.
I always cut off the nubbins on the control pods. I've done that one both DR350SE Suzukis as well as my current DRZ400S.
Yeah me either, pretty strange. I can't imagine trying to drill holes for them. I moved mine a few times already since this ha ha.
All you gotta do to drill is out tape down, tighten grip assembly and you'll see the mark left by the nub. Drill and done.
Put a longer bottom bracket on rear suspension to lower it a bit short arse .
Naaa, don't want to lose the ground clearance.
Your right Ben,I had trouble with my tusk guards to,had to bend them just like you 😁
Happens to the best of us! Haha.
Um you removed the bar end weights?
Yep, don't miss um one bit.
@@SwankyCatProductions And are the new bars better? I think I personally will just try to move the bars back.
Hey. I’m seeing t7s back in stock. Would I be crazy to buy a Klr instead? It seems more my speed.
No I don't think so, the KLR is definitely a better option in some cases. Check out my two most recent Knobby Ridge Single track videos.
What seat model did you order?
I spent days trying to find bars with the right amount of control area. Got pro taper CR mid not much better then stock
hey ben , used same tusk bars , kept my risers on that sweep bars back more , also used odi locking grips , worked well, since the stock throttle tube was to tight on mine also, keep up the great videos, i use rm all the time
hey man did youn do the same thing to your grip when installling the handlebar cuz i have heated grip and i dont whant to do that thx
It's good to trim the end of the throttle tube anyway so that the throttle doesn't stick open when you drop the bike and the hand guards jam into the the trottle tube.
Mmm good point!
hey ben , how much more sweep do you fiqure you get , i put the rocks rizers on like you but still need more sweep , good job
I think it was a little less than a half inch. The Renthal website has the stock bar measurements if you want to compare.
I dreamed to buy a Tenere since the first 750..
I bought this 700 finally..
And after those problems I sold it after 2 months...
Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that. What did you get instead?
Still nothing..
I am waiting to check the new Honda Transalp...
I’ve got the same problem with the oem seat as you with my T7. Which seat did you choose in the end?
Seat concepts low comfort seat. Not all that impressed with it.
Getting a T7 in November first adventure bike🙏Thanks for info brother hope you’re still around in November lol i just subscribed to ya!!!!
New grips would have been good since you were in there. Nice job man, check out Camel ADV and there one finger clutch arm. I just put one on my t7 and it is great. Keep up the good videos and rock on
I really should get the one finger clutch! I've actually switched to a much better grip and put some heaters under them. Definitely glad I did, the stock grips suck! Thanks!
Really looks great on the bike Ben!
Thanks Bill!
Do you think that handle bar will fit on the KLR650?
With a set of 7/8 to 1 1/8 risers they should. I'm going to be putting the ATV High bend on mine soon.
@@SwankyCatProductions mine is a 2015 with stock bars no riser. Thanks for the reply
Fellow Wisconite here... Nice job. I like this video! I have the same bike and installed bar risers for comfort. But it makes me wonder if a slightly different bend would help too. I know I'm going to have to replace the janky handguards after one fall but I'm waiting until that happens. As for the seat, the first thing I did was buy a Seat Concepts seat to replace the stock one. The stock one isn't bad, but for day-long trips, it makes a big difference.
Hey thanks! What seat model did you get?
That project took some gumption. I admire you. Hope the wrist pain will be gone for good!
Thanks man!
Solid break down of the ergonomic considerations. Definitely replacing the bar is the way to go to get a bit of rise and change the angles. Seat height and comfort, well I ride KTMs and find them pretty comfortable so WTF do I know lol. Good video I have plans to make one for the 890 I just bought, not quite enough saddle time to have an informed POV yet but I'll borrow some thoughts from you when I do.
Thanks! Nice, they seem like they're definitely superior when it comes to suspension and shocks.
Hey. Overall height is one factor. So many YT’ers forget to mention their INSEAM! You could have a 30 inch inseam, I’m 5’ 9” and I have an inseam of 32 inches, and could potentially have better reach then you… but I don’t know for sure, as you haven’t mentioned what your inseam is..
Appreciate you making the mistakes so we don’t have to 😎🍻
Those bars are nice!!! Maybe too low?
I've never cared about having to put both feet down. All stock seats suck. I rode this bike and found it as comfortable as any other bike.
thanks , lots of valuable info 🍺.
Hey appreciate the ideas on bikes n snowmachines.anyhow iam 5'7"so i struggle reaching the ground also on the bike i just got from my brotherinlaw yup its a 2002 klr 650 i think it does have a lowering dog leg thingy on it that looks like a few more threads could get me lower and i have shaved foam from seat.looks chopped up a bit now.can i lower front forks yet also to make this bike rideable for me.any hints would help.snooky pa.
I've never tried it but I know some people do it. I'd check a KLR forum or Facebook page first though.
I don't think I've ever had a bike where I was happy with the stock seat, but Yamaha always seems to be one of the bigger offenders in that territory. My current FJ-09 is getting the seat redone by Terry Adcox if I ever get time to send it to him. Had him do the last FJR I had, and my old 1200GSA.
I've always just lived with what I got but I'm looking forward to see how much better my new one is!
@@SwankyCatProductions Once you go custom seat, you'll never go back! Especially if you do any longer distance stuff. I know from Point, most of the good riding is a bit of a ride to get to, so it made a huge difference.
What is the name of that song?
Mmm idk, it's just one from the UA-cam music library they have for creators.
Your hand guards are designed for your stock bars so no surprise you needed to modify them. Yz guards would’ve probably been the go 👍
These were actually universal if I recall correctly. But even still, same deal.
Great video! thank you 👍
Thanks Glen!
Unfortunately the levers almost touching the barkbusters. One hard fall can bend or break levers and perches, talking from experience
True, a hard enough fall can certainly cause issues. I've had to bend a few back while out on the trails before too. A set of short levers will help avoid that though.
Nicely done Ben! I agree, any brand of bark buster is going to need to be...."finagled". Be safe, Eat Potatoes and Love Longer!
The actual barkbusters on the stock bars fit super easy. But yeah on aftermarket bars, all bets are off.
@@RedEmpire36 I didn't mean the actual brand, of course. But there is a reason there are so many adjustment points! I had the Tusk guards on my KLR and loved them.
Ha ha everyone loves that sticker! I think I actually had to tweak even then purpose bent Barkbusters back when I put them on.
great vid thanks mate :)
Thanks!
Crazy, I find this to be the most comfortable stock seat I've ever had. But I have EVO Adventure bars which are higher and way more swept back. And I think your throttle tube issues were the bars. The EVOs fit perfect with no adjustments. I did keep the tab on the throttle housing though, don't want that thing spinning on you :O
Same, the seat is a little hard but the position is so comfortable it doesn't put any pressure on you, bikes like this NEED straight bars, there is a reason all bars are straight in MTB and motocross/enduro bikes, but i guess each to their own
8:49 Wood Screw 10/10
Time for a shorty levers,btw great video as always
Might have some waiting in a box here... Ha ha. Thanks!!!
@@SwankyCatProductions looking forward to it,ever considered bout DT mirrors?
Spacer the handguards forward a bit mate
Got the break line you mean? Thinking about it.
This is great , as a Yamaha wrench you know your stuff & i’m going to copy everything you do because your expert tutorial obviously is the good-mail as it’s on UA-cam.
Nice upgrade
Thanks!
Seems like alot of work for one extra degree of sweep.
True. I wasn't sure I'd want to much more than this. Probably would've been fine though.
@@SwankyCatProductions Love the bike, love the mods, love the videos. Thanks for sharing!
Wow I must have had some fucking uncomfortable bikes hahaha no complaints about my T7. It's not actively beating me up or making me do yoga so it's a win in my book :D Love that bar set though, I'll be looking out for the YZ bends. Maybe in gold
Mmm gold would have been cool! The seat is not the worst, my KLR is just a little more comfy so I'm just spoiled from that haha.
@@SwankyCatProductions Oh yeah I've seen that KLR seat it does look comfy
Love the high fender..yamaha should have just made them that way
Then they can't reuse the MT07 fender lol
AGREED!
Maybe try gluing wood blocks onto your feet ?
Cute
Meassure twice, cut once. I do respect the yolo tho
Leave it to big corp. To make there bars only fit there components! Kinda pain
Couldn't you have just bent the bars a little ?
You could, stock bars are usually pretty soft though. One side of mine was already bent.
You could always purchase the leg stretcher 1000….
I think the lower seat should do it lol
The clutch lever no space 👎🏼
So ...what you just said was that your body is not perfect....yeee,
never forget to glue everything, that's for shure, Yamaha may go apart with no glue.
I'm 5'5", and now i don't think i can ride this bike
It might be a struggle. You could drop the preload a bit. Mine was cranked up in order to get the correct sag. Still haven't gotten my seat yet but I'm sure that will help too. My KLR is definitely easier to ride though.
looks good kiddo
Thanks! How have you been? It's been a while.
@@SwankyCatProductions hey kiddo I watch your videos but don't know much about ski/s
@@longrider9551 glad to hear that! Is it still winter by you?
@@SwankyCatProductions The red-breasted Robin is just showed up so spring is around the corner
And my CRF 300 rally is coming in any day now
As nice as it is Your T7 is a danger to you and when you ride it your a danger to everyone else your near... WHY ? because you cannot touch the ground flat footed ! raise the front forks in the triple trees and take all the preload out of your shock in the rear and that will gain you around 2" of touching the ground.... ( at the expense of ground clearance!) I'ed rather ride a bike with 3" of ground clearance and be able to touch the ground with my knees slightly bent than any bike I have to tip toe to touch the ground ! your T7 was made for a guy with the height of 7'6" .... not for a guy with a 30" inseam.... fix it to fit you or don't ride the thing ! I bought a 2021 CSC RX4 that has a seat height of 31.9" it was tippie toe for me to set on it.... i changed that by raising the forks 2" in the front and taking out all the preload and I can now touch flat footed while on the bike...
but I know that is not enough.... if you want to back up, you need a bit more .... think about it shortie ! make your bike fit YOU !!!!!
Meh, it doesn't really bother me. My new lower seat will be more convenient but even as is I can get one foot flat if I slide to the side of my seat. A big bike can be intimidating at first but once I forced myself to just ride it and not worry about putting my feet down my skills improved drastically. Rather than looking for places to stop if I need to save myself I stay up on the pegs and just focus on making it through the obstacles.
Disaster😁
You not 5,10
Haha. No, I'm 5'10". I've got my preload set properly so the bike doesn't sag as much under my weight. I could back it off to get closer to the ground but then it bottoms on the big jumps.