handlebar for $12??

[Soaring]

today I decided to look into a new handlebar as mine looks slightly bent and I just wanted to see what the price range for these is. And the guy at the store offered me a handlebar for $11.xx   now here comes a question, just how important handlebars are, what to look for, and can you actually get a good handlebar this cheap? handlebars next to it were around $90 so I am kind of lost. when I asked the guy how are they different, he told me that it's just a brand thing and moreover the more expensive ones are 1" and won't fit my bike and only those who have a sportbike need it. the other thing is, there was no place for a bar end. my question is why do you need a barend and can you live without it? Because I checked bar end prices and they are like $20 which is twice as much as that handlebar was... I am not sure what the brand was.. something -master, like tourmaster or bikemaster..

any ideas?

[ampalm]

I purchase a set of bars for my other bike a few months ago and also was surprised at how cheap they were. $20 It pi--ed me off alittle, because I would have purchased them years ago if I know they were that cheap. Only thing was I had to drill two holes for my controls, alittle hard getting the exact location. It all looked good in the end.

[pantablo]

you can expect the chrome to pitt and corrode quickly. They also vibrate more than expensive handlebars due to thinner material.

[Then Came Bronson]

One-inch diameter bars are mostly for Harley-Davidson products, though a few oddball motorcycles (the Suzuki GSX1100G comes to mind) did use the 1" bars. Bikemaster bars are both cheap and cheaply made, and you need to check them carefully to be sure that they will bolt on without a problem; the dimensions can vary greatly (rise and pullback are most important), so match the replacements to the originals, if you want to keep the same basic ergonomic layout as the stock bars.

Most metric motorcycles (like the GS) use 7/8" handlebars, and several members of this forum have switched to the bars made and sold by Srinath (one of the moderators). Though I haven't tried them (yet), they're specifically made for the GS, so you might prefer to contact him. If I ever need to replace the bars on my GS, I'll buy Srinath's bars; they can't be worse than the Bikemaster bars, and the members who have them seem to prefer them over the stock Suzuki bars.

[The Buddha]

today I decided to look into a new handlebar as mine looks slightly bent and I just wanted to see what the price range for these is. And the guy at the store offered me a handlebar for $11.xx   now here comes a question, just how important handlebars are, what to look for, and can you actually get a good handlebar this cheap? handlebars next to it were around $90 so I am kind of lost. when I asked the guy how are they different, he told me that it's just a brand thing and moreover the more expensive ones are 1" and won't fit my bike and only those who have a sportbike need it. the other thing is, there was no place for a bar end. my question is why do you need a barend and can you live without it? Because I checked bar end prices and they are like $20 which is twice as much as that handlebar was... I am not sure what the brand was.. something -master, like tourmaster or bikemaster..

any ideas?

$11 ... yea ... OK so what make are they ... I seen $20 ones by bike master ... and honestly the stock suzuki sheite is the worst ... Bike master while its bad compared to other ones like K&N or flanders, work plenty fine, I got hit by a cab on my nitehawk and they just got bent, I rode home, put a pipe on it and straightened it a bit and the guy that bought it still is on the thing with the same bars ... BTW even the chome on it didnt crack off that was how slight the bend was. Honestly steel quality has greatly improved in the last few years ... so even cheap bars may surprise you. 88 to 93-94 steel was terrible, sorta explaining why the older GS'es seemed to rust and fall apart (ok not quite that bad but you know ... tanks, exhausts, some frame crevices etc rust like there's no tommorow) ...  yes so may not be the gloom and doom they are predicting ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[RVertigo]

you can expect the chrome to pitt and corrode quickly.

Clear-coat spray paint will slow it down...  On the outside.

[Soaring]

thanks for the info guys, those cheap bars definitely looked different from what I had before, they were less curved? (I don't know what's a better way to put it). I just had no idea what to look for in handlebars so I was always comparing it to what I had (which I believe was stock). the main differences I saw was shape and no place for barends. nobody still commented on barends, do I need them?

the thing is I am just learning to ride (and handle the bike in general) and I am a student so paying like a 100 bucks every time I am stupid enough not to notice that there's some slope and find my bike on the ground with a bent bar or something similar is a little steep for me. 12 is more or less ok and I guess when I get good enough to appreciate a good handlebar I'll just get one from Sri, how much are they by the way?

[The Buddha]

$45 ( for rod insert ones) - or $40 ... yea steel is like $4 a foot, takes about 3 feet, and I have to pay welder etc ... first few lots cost me the wrong side of 35 before I even recalled them, and I later got wastes and loss down a bit, and ended with close to $32 - 36 (for rod insert ones) or so ... much better ... if I was making a 1000 I'd have them down into the 15-20 range ... making 10 I am like the lowest life form ... Anyway they will take bar ends and are pretty sporty ... so they drop you off the wind in your chest thing.
Cool.
Srinath.

[RVertigo]

and no place for barends. nobody still commented on barends, do I need them?

You don't NEED them, but you want them.  Helps cut vibrations...  The new bar is hollow right?

If you have an older GS with the sealed end bars:  See 2nd pic here You should be able to pic up the little rubber expander-thingy (Technical name) seen as #12 here...  You may need a different bolt too (longer one), which would be #11...

I'm not sure what the older bar ends look like in person, so...   You might just need a whole new bar end.   :dunno:   Which are overpriced at best.  $19.74 for the "Balancer Set" at Bike Bandit...  Someone here probably has some newer ('01+ ?) bar ends they no longer need.