Looking round at club
members we come in all shapes and sizes, yet bikes are
one size fits all, with no
stretchy bits to expand or contract to fit our
various contours.
Getting a bike to feel
comfortable is important because it will make you
feel better but helps
improve your control and those of you who race will go
faster for longer.
Taking a bit of time to set
up your bike will make a difference and does not
have to cost a fortune as
something as simple as bar rotation and lever
position can have positive
results. Here is a quick summary of what this
means.
Perhaps the most changed
item on many dirt bikes, mainly because machines
used to come with low
quality steel bars but now that no longer is the case
for most of the major
manufactures. However the shape of the bar may not be
ideal but before buying
something else try adjusting what you have.
Millimetres in any direction
can change the feeling and handling of a bike.
I used to have a specific
bend of Renthal bars that I used on several bikes.
Most manufacturers have
specific bends and heights and some people prefer a
more swept back bar and
others a more straight style.
Enduro riders who ride in
tight woodland conditions sometimes cut bars down
in width to 27 or 28 inches
but check mounting of all hardware first as the
bends can sometime interfere
if you have handguards, GPS etc but also where
you position tie-downs.
Narrow bars can make the bike more nervous but also
more agile for negotiating
trees.
The more a handle bar is
rolled forward the better it will feel in turns but
it may also feel nervous.
The more rolled back the opposite applies i.e.
more stable but slower
turning.
There is no right position
as it's an individual thing but start by aligning
the "riser"
section of the handlebar to be parallel with the fork leg when
viewed from the side and
adjust to taste.
If you race and spend time
standing you may choose to rotate levers further
down than normal. Couple of
key tips 1) make sure the end of the lever is
inside the end of the handle
bars 2) never tighten the clamps hard they
should be tight enough to
hold position but loose enough to be moved by
hand. Both of these tips
will help save your levers in the event of the bike
falling over.
Lever length affects the
clutch pull so check if there are longer options if
it's heavy or look at some
of the quality bearing types such as those
offered by Enduro
Enginerering. I also found some levers can be a little
"square" which on
a long ride can cause soreness.
Many factors such as
diameter, compound, pattern or and of course colour
need to be considered. The
most common design is the half waffle soft
compound grip - smooth in
the palm but grips where your fingers connect. If
you suffer arm pump try a
larger outside diameter design. People with big
hands can suffer with small
diameter grips.
KTM's are legendary for
having hard seats and sometimes changing the seat
foam and cover can help.
This approach is often a simple step for those who
may be short or long in the
leg. If you change you seat height this may
effect your position on the
bike so some time twiddling the suspension
clickers may be required.
Gripper covers may seem like
a good idea in the mud and motocross riders use
them but they can cause
"monkey butt" in long races or trail rides so best
avoided if long distance is
the order of the day.
Some bikes now come with
offset set clamps with forward and rear positions
for the mounting on the bar
can be fine tuned. If not after market clamps
can not only move the bar
position but raise it also.
New KTMs can feel front
wheel heavy if set in the most forward position so
moving them back and
reversing can make the ride seem more neutral. The rear
position is also favoured
for rough or sandy conditions when you want to put
your weight to the rear of
the bike.
Some clamps have rubber
inserts to reduce the vibration effect. The clamps
position changes the way the
weight is applied to the forks so it changes
the way the bike feels.
Forward may make the fork seem softer. Again
motocross and Enduro / trail
set up are often the opposite so be aware of
following Stephen Everts
tips unless you nail the whoops at Hawkstone Park
on a 450.
Footpegs
In the past welding
extensions on narrow pegs and sharpening then up was
about as advanced as it got.
The wider pegs are now common place but "Pivot
Pegs" seem to get good
reviews allowing more contact with the bike during
braking and gear changes