suburban handlebars and favorite routes

[dublinjail]

Just would like to mention that my bike is up and running again the suburban handlebars rock I highly recommend them to any one finding themselves leaning over the tank at highway speeds or who has to make tight turns in traffic and such. They quicken your turning radius and flickability of the bike. Also if anyone still has stock grips, mine were from a 96, maybe the newer bikes grips are better can't speak for them but I just put on a new gel grip set by Pro Grip and they have dramatically improved hand fatigue and vibration feels less after an hour ride. Really pleased wth the changes.
Also anyone find themselves with a favorite run or two? Mine involves going down to the local piers up to a state park and over two bridges back home in big circle. Guess they all involve water in some fashion. Safe riding everyone...

[pantablo]

Glad you're enjoying the handlebars. Don't they change the bike from night to day? It totally transforms the bike and I think they're worth the $120 cost new.

Favorite route?
Angeles Crest Hwy
http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/AngelsCrest.htm

the police enforcement listed is not as severe anymore. These days its quite a good road to ride, particularly in the early morning. Weekdays are still best. My loop is 65 miles [nonstop] EACH WAY.

[dorian chapman]

Do you have a link to a site with these bars ? or a picture of the bars on the bike ? They sound intersting to me, as I was going up the highway the other day, and found leaning over tha tank was ridiculously uncomfortable.

[dublinjail]

If you go to Pantablo's site and click on his link about the bars he has pictures of them installed and a how to. I think he even has the link to their site too. I bought Pantablo's bars from him while he parted out a few items prior to his cbr600rr. What's nice about the bars is that your leaning over but it still has a standard type feel. For me it's a nice middle ground.

[pantablo]

check my site for info.

the bars can be had at
www.suburban-machinery.com and are the sv650 type II bars (type I also work but are more $$).

[The Buddha]

Do you have a link to a site with these bars ? or a picture of the bars on the bike ? They sound intersting to me, as I was going up the highway the other day, and found leaning over tha tank was ridiculously uncomfortable.

OK Shameless Plug alert....
Srinath bars are the same as SM's, made for the GS, so much so that the 90-00 ones wont fit the 01+ and though they are plain steel so is the rest of the GS, and though they have cheesy paint on them, so does the rest of the GS and they are cheap, like the rest of the GS... $45 + ship (Sorry guys... those $40 bar days may be in the past, and thank the damn FED for devaluing the dollar making universal commodities like food, steel, wood, sulphuric acid etc ... essestials for life in any country much more $$$ ) Oh you are in Canada... OK next week I make some more bars and see if a shipment should be sent to canada.
Cool.
Srinath.

[aplitz]

I would definately recommend the Suburban-Machinery bars for your GS.  The fit and finish is first rate, and my first set survived a serious tip over with barely a bend (a fact I only confirmed when I compared them to a new set).  This is not the type of bar that will break while manuvering in a parking lot or in a minor accident.  They also don't have band-aid strengthing methods like rods inserted into the bars at the critical welds.  Also, I know from experience that the SM bars will accept standard bar ends and mirrors.  Just my .02.

Aaron

[pantablo]

and my first set survived a serious tip over with barely a bend (a fact I only confirmed when I compared them to a new set).
Aaron

Aaron, same happened to mine. I sent them back and they fixed them for $15.

[The Buddha]

I would definately recommend the Suburban-Machinery bars for your GS.  The fit and finish is first rate, and my first set survived a serious tip over with barely a bend (a fact I only confirmed when I compared them to a new set).  This is not the type of bar that will break while manuvering in a parking lot or in a minor accident.  They also don't have band-aid strengthing methods like rods inserted into the bars at the critical welds.  Also, I know from experience that the SM bars will accept standard bar ends and mirrors.  Just my .02.

Aaron

Ha ha ... no band aid.
Press in fit Bar ends will fit Srinath bars as well. The rod inserted in is not a band aid at all... its to make them indestructible. The 3/16 wall doesn't have a rod in the weld. The 1/8th does. the reason was the 3/16 wihtout the rod was immensely strong.... I wanted the 1/8th to be just as strong... so I can give people the choice of 2 equals. Hence the rod. The breaking at the weld was just a defect where they welded and ground off too much, I fixed it by beveling and jiggin it better and welding with higher .... much higher heat. Then came the higher prices for steel and 3/16 got harder to find... hence I had to get 1/8th wall... and hence the pressure to design the higher strength so as to be equal to the 3/16... hence the rod. The 1/8 wihtout the rod is still stronger than the stock or any aftermarket bar, the rod just makes it indestrictible under regular use/accidents/tip overs etc. I broke them with a 8ft pole over them, and a 230lb guy hanging on an 8ft pole is just enougfh to bend it ... so I know exactly how strong they are. I would have twisted the stockers into a pretzel long before that, and if the SM's were bent in a tip over... they are not much stronger than the stock ones. <end shameless plug> Yes I made and sold some that were welded badly, but not any more.
Cool.
Srinath.

[dublinjail]

Damn were touchy lately... Srinath's bars look good too and i'm not saying buy one over the other. Srinath you should post a larger photo kinda like Pantablo has so one can get a better idea of looks and angles and such. That's what kinda sold me on grabbing them from Pantablo. I just can't tell from the small shot on your avitar. If you have them in a photo elsewhere then just disregard all I just said, but I can recall looking for a shot of yours before getting them from Pantablo and not finding one.

[The Buddha]

Have many pics, including making, breaking and on bike. I'll post soon.
Cool.
Srinath.

[aplitz]

Srinath-

The fact that ANY bar broke at all is inexcusable.  There is no explanation that justifies that reality in my mind.  Having done gobs of welding over the years, I would hang up my auto-darkening hood for good if a handlebar I built broke on someone riding in a parking lot.  

You can justify that in your mind and to others as much as you want, but adding a rod inside is just a way of admitting that the other bars weren't strong enough.  The SM bars (and pretty much every other bar for that matter) do not have such reinforcement, nor do they need it.  Just turning up the heat does not a better weld make.  Beveling is an improvement, but it does not compensate for poor welds.

You said that you tested by bending some of the bars in the first batch, and none of those failed in testing.  However, in the real world, some did.  I don't care if you tested some from the new batch, video taped it, and sent it to Ralph Nader himself.  The shop cannot fully replicate the realities of the real world.  Testing did not work before, I fail to see how now is better.

My bike fell down hill, assisted by a car, directly onto the left bar end mirror.  I don't believe in riding on compromised equipment, so I bought a new bar from SM.  When I compared the two, the bent one was out less than 1/4" over a foot.  The welds are still perfect, and the bar looks brand new.  Pretty damned impressive considering the forces involved.  

I just can't believe that you keep selling these bars as if some never broke.  That is fully and totally unacceptable, and I think that potential buyers need to know about past events.  If one had failed at speed, this forum, and your life would be drastically different.  Is an $80 difference in price worth the potential disaaster?  This is up to you and those who deal with you to decide.  Unfortunately, not everyone (namely newbies to the forum looking for a deal) is aware of what has gone on in the past.

Aaron

[The Buddha]

Yea I agree with the in excuseable part on them breaking. The rod inside was only in the 1/8th wall bar. The weld was not just run hotter and the bars beveled. We also are running CO2 + argon shielding and using a different welder, and not grinding down as much. The bars broke because the guy that was making them smooth over did it. I also tested them but before they ground them off. I know error on my part. The rod was in the 1/8 wall only because the 1/8th wall has to be as strong as the 3/16th, and there was no other way to get it that strong. And we aren't grinding them. I am not debating how strong the SM's are or if the crash will be enough to bend it or not... but I am only saying the bars I made to replace the older ones will not break or bend before most of the bike is wrecked and un useable. Testing did work, I just should not have had it ground to be smooth after that. I also cannot test them all to destruction, I'd have nothing to sell If I did, but the new process, has them all tested to a good percentage of their capacity, and not destroyed. The stock bars are weak, but they will bend, and bend a lot before they break, thinner wall materials will bend and buckle and then eventually tear. Thicker material and welds will make them break before they bend too much, and the fact that SM's bent means they are using thinner wall material. The additional $80 + really pretty much is for advertising and profit. If I was making the quanitities they are making and being able to buy stainless by the truck load... I am certain I can make them for under $40. Buying small numbers makes it hard for me to do steel for under $40. Effectively you are buying into the idea that it came from a factory, so it must be good. Well it is good no doubt ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[pantablo]

[sitting down with a bucket of popcorn]

p-

[The Buddha]

I also didn't continue making them like nothing happened... After the first one broke in an accident, and the guy put up pics of it, I printed them out and took them to my welder, he looked at it and said poor weld penetration and excessive grinding of the welds... I promptly issued a recall... all the bars ... buyers choice... refund or replace or repair... at their choice... The bars I made after that were to fill the replace, I dont think I sold them... till all the ones were replaced. Some people opted to repair, some refund... at the end of it all... I am yet to make more for the intent of selling... I am working on a weld analysis and trying to check on some people that have those machines which x ray these things for weld depth etc...
Cool.
Srinath.

[pdg108]

um.. ok.. now that everybody has the above info.. here is my page with pics of seshadri_srinath's bars.

http://userweb.suscom.net/~pdg108/bars/index.htm

to each his own as far as which bars to get...

All I know is that these work for me, any more comentary would just be drawing fire the way the forum has been going lately. :mrgreen:

[Kerry]

Srinath you should post a larger photo kinda like Pantablo has so one can get a better idea of looks and angles and such.

To go along with pdg108's nice pages, see davipu's pictures in the Srinath bars on a 2002. thread.

[aslam]

After seeing them both I like the look of the SV handlebars better.  I'd probably go with even though they're more pricey.

ASLAM.

[The Buddha]

Yea yea... Those SV's with their pretty bars and pretty bodies and pretty frames... they are so ghey...
BTW that I accept. these were pretty industrial looking, and the cheesy black paint made it worse, and the fact the grinding isn't smooth etc etc just makes it rough looking... Goes quite well with bikes that are a bit Ghetto, or you need to put in the effort to pretty it up.
Cool.
Srinath.

[pantablo]

Yea yea...  they are so ghey...
BTW I accept I'm ghey too. these were pretty.

Srinath.

so the truth comes out!