Handlebars and lever protection
 

This summer I bought an '89 (3AJ) Tenere. I am a short rider and this has lead to a number of tumbles when riding offroad.
-Are the normal nylon lever protectors like the ones from Acerbis etc. (the ones without the Aluminium bars)strong enough to keep the levers from bending or breaking in the case of a fall? If so, why would anyone want to spend more money on the aluminium things?
-Once the bike was blown over by a storm and the steering crashed into the tarmac, it looks like the handlebars are OK, but I think the mounts are bent! Is this normal, I would have thought that they should be stronger than that. I want to raise the handlebars- which is the best way:

1) to get taller handlebars (if so aloy or steel?) Any recommendations.

2)to get taller mounts.
Would this modification make the handlebar assembly significantly more prone to damage?

Hi John,
I use the Acerbis hand guards that have the aluminum bars in them on an XR650L. I figured for a really heavy bike, it would be good to eliminate any chance of the guards flexing enough to break a lever. I have had some very bad crashes with them and made an interesting dicovery - the aluminum bars will bend and push up against the tips of the levers - even after I sawed an inch off of the levers. So eventually I'll have to bend them back which will weaken them.

I'm not sure if the plastic ones without the bars are sufficient - I know they're very strong though.

As for the bars - you can either get taller bars or get clamps- I'm not sure which is better, but here's my recommendation: get a pair of Answer Pro-Taper handlebars. They're virtually unbendable and supposedly reduce vibration since they're a little less rigid, not having a crossbar. When you mount them, you'll have to probably get the universal mounting kit which will raise them up a bit - you can get all sorts of bends to get the height you want. I've crashed mine pretty hard and my brother used them for years racing motocross and we've both never bent them. They're one of the best things I've ever invested in for my bike.

If you put wider or taller bars, beware that some of your electrics might need to be stretched a bit - I found that getting my controls out to the edge of my Pro-Tapers required loosening some of the ties that hold them in place since they're much wider than the stockers.

Best of luck,
Wright

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Wright Bagwell
http://www.geocities.com/wwbagwell/