Sooo I hit some sand......

[Aenglish88]

Hello, first time posting here...was gonna put a pic of my new (to me) bike BUT as the title says I hit some sand, was thankful I always wear riding gear, and rode home a dinged up 2006 GS500F with 8,000 miles on it to date. Progressive offered me $1500 for scrap  I wanted to keep her stock but I guess now is the time to make her beautiful and naked 

I need handlebars and mirrors to get riding again. I went to look at bars and didn't realize how many positions and sizes I could choose from. Any input on something for someone whose primary ride is his bike? I am 5' 8" and 148 lbs but broad shoulders. Stock setup felt a little cramped. I think I will just get mirrors on the ends of handlebars, so I figured the bars dimensions should be proper.

[lefty1615]

I put superbike bars on my '96 and love them. That being said I am 6' but if you find the bike a bit cramped they will bring your hands forward and down a bit making for a more 3/4 tuck position, although still not quite all the way there imo.  Brand new they run like 25$ or something. I also can't reccomend bar ends enough. I love the look and the field of view is a revelation compared to the stock stuff. You have to be careful to remember your shoulder checks though as the leave a pretty gnarly blind spot directly to the right but just behind your peripheral vision (not that the stock mirrors do better on that but I found at first I got a little complacent because the mirrors gave me so much sight already).

If you feel cramped waist down you may want to look at a rear set swap as well as that can stretch your legs out a hit but again it will make for a more agressive riding position from what I've seeb on here.

[Tekime]

Welcome to GSTwins! Sorry to hear about your fall. Glad you're okay, but that poor GS  At least it's still running.

I've been waffling over bars too, but from what I've found it's really a matter of preference. I'm looking for something more sporty/aggressive as I like to ride tucked, and I ride every day, but a lot of people would be uncomfortable.

The Suburban Machinery Type 2 sound excellent... but definitely not cheap. 

[jdoorn14]

As old as some of the information on the wiki is, it is still a wealth of knowledge from those who have come before us. 

Totally excellent info about handlebars on the Wiki

[lefty1615]

Welcome to GSTwins! Sorry to hear about your fall. Glad you're okay, but that poor GS  At least it's still running.

I've been waffling over bars too, but from what I've found it's really a matter of preference. I'm looking for something more sporty/aggressive as I like to ride tucked, and I ride every day, but a lot of people would be uncomfortable.

The Suburban Machinery Type 2 sound excellent... but definitely not cheap. 

Those bars are definitely sexy, that price tag though  I've actually been eyeballing them for a future mod when I've got some cash handy.

[ShowBizWolf]

Welcome to the forum Aenglish88 and I too am sorry to hear about your fall! Freakin' sand...  glad you are okay!

I'm 5'7" and I also (like lefty) have the superbike bars. Really really comfy for me and he's right, they are only about $25 new.

I too have been thinking about a different bar setup for a long time and finally bought some parts... but the superbike bars are just so wonderful that it's hard for me to finally go ahead with the swap (not to mention life getting in the way of course!)

Good luck and keep us posted on what ya do! 

[Joolstacho]

And don't throw that fairing away, that sort of damage is easily fixed by someone who knows the techniques, and someone on a tight budget might want it.
The scraping on the Alternator cover could be sanded and polished out, just a bit of elbow-grease.

[Torstein]

Dang dude, that sucks. Glad you are ok. I have some moto style bars on my bike, love the look of them.