Help with ergonomics? Change bars or...

[Terry_b]

So happy to be getting the bike out this summer finally! I've got a couple thousand miles down and now I'm sure that I need some ergo advice. 

I bought a Corbin seat and it's been amazing for my bum, and my fiancee too! But my back and shoulders have been consistently sore on longer rides and I was hoping for some advice before I start spending $$ on new handlebars. 

I feel like the wrist angle is a little off with the sweep of the OEM bars and between my shoulder blades always gets sore. Now I don't know if that means I should be leaving forward more to keep out of the wind more or if I need bars that are higher and further back for my 6'0" 180lb body to be more comfortable. 

Will I get relief with a more "aggressive" bar like the renthal low? Or even the woodcraft kit? Or would that make it worse?

Before this I had an FZ 6 and then an FZ 1. On the FZ 6, I had to change the bars to FZ 6R bars because the bar positioning was better. The FZ 1 had the flat drag bars, which I liked - I tried the FZ 6R bars, but ultimately went back to the drag bars. 

[cornerslider]

I always felt "awkward" with the OEM bars..... I went with the Renthal ultra-lows, and LOVE them!!! I was considering the "lows", but heard some people had issues with the cables being too tight.... You could always cut them off a little (the bars). I personally didn't want to lose any width. Hope that helps you out-

[CarGuy7a]

I went with Renthal road mediums. I'm 6' tall as well. I liked the stock bar width but didn't like the height or sweep. Stock was too low (for me) and I had low back pain while riding (having a herniated disc magnified it). The mediums sat me up a little straighter and the sweep is a little straighter almost like a dirt bike bar. For the width I just cut them down close to stock width I think it was like 3/8ths inch off each end or something like that. Cables were just a touch tighter but still had enough slack not to bind.

Edited May 24, 2020 by CarGuy7a

[robbo10]

Would you gain any benefit by rotating the bars, either way?

[klx678]

1 hour ago, robbo10 said:

Would you gain any benefit by rotating the bars, either way?

This is the first thing to do and it is amazing how many people don't try rotating bars first.   I have the opposite situation having a short arm reach and short upper body.  I am also older and joints don't quite work as in younger years.    I am an XSR owner and rotating the bars back a good bit did the job for me at this point, but could use a few mm less sweep.  

[xfonts]

Would the sweep change by much? Cause that's the only thing I want to change.

[xfonts]

Idk, I tried and it really didn't charge the sweep angle at all

[Terry_b]

I did try rotating the bars as much as possible. At full lock, the controls clear the tank but will pinch my thumbs. This was actually a minor improvement. The spot that was getting sore between my shoulder blades was a little less sore... but still not great. 

This does lead me to believe that some of the discomfort may be more due to the sweep and where it puts the angle of my arms. I do feel like I'm reaching a bit though. 

I wanted to try out some dirtbike bars at a local motorcycle shop. same place I bought my MT and my fiancee's CB300f. I called, asked specifically if their parts area was open and asked if I could check out some bars in person. I ended up getting a sales guy who has been ridiculously unhelpful every time I've been in the store. We drove down to find that the store was roped off and basically it was call ahead and pick up only - despite him telling me that I would be able to hold the bars in my hands to check the fit... I can't wait for all this social distancing to be over! 

[Mr.Puss]

Didnt like stock, tried a drag bar which made my elbow ache, tried the Renthal Ultra-lows and theyre perfect (Im 5'8). Also I installed some Driven Racing TT rearsets which further allowed me to fine tune my position.

Still working on relaxing, bending and supporting all parts of my body properly.

 

 

[sorkyah]

ive tried all sorts of bars from renthals low, ultralow, street, and drag, several used stock bars including the fz6rs you mentioned. none really felt that great, though the latter was an improvement. i ended up swapping to the Gilles GTOL bars i bought through @bellissimoto
something like 7 positions forward and back on the risers themselves,  pushed em as far back as they would go, plus a little rotation of the bar down, and i was set... until i decided i wanted to adjust my rearsets too....  
but yeah, i'd recommend them. only downside to them ive found is they are hella wide compared to stock, and if you put the risers in the most forward position, there is interference with the key.