Superbike Handlebar

I really enjoy long days in the saddle of my Bandit, but sometimes my mid-30s body starts to complain more than it used to. A few years ago, I installed a first-generation Bandit handlebar, which gives about an inch more rise than the second-generation bar. (This modification has become known as the "DJGoody Mod," named after the first Maximum-Suzuki member to try it and post their experience with it.)

Recently, I noticed that when my wrists start to bother me, I tend to turn the heels of my palms outward on the grips. I finally realized that the bars forced me to turn my wrists outward to utilize the controls properly, causing some discomfort on longer rides. What I needed was a bar that let my arms reach out naturally, and place my hands on the grips without having to bend my wrists laterally.

On the advice of some other Bandit owners over at Maximum-Suzuki, I ordered a "Superbike" handlebar from RideNow Powersports. Total cost was $19.78 USD shipped to my door in about 12 days. The bars required drilling two holes, as the switchgear on each side has a plastic peg that keeps it from rotating on the bar once it is mounted. I have stock-length stainless-steel brake and clutch lines, and there are no apparent clearance issues.

The weather here is horrible and unpredicitble right now, so I could only take it for a 2-minute test-ride around the 'hood before work today. While the superbike bar is lower than the second-gen Bandit bar it replaced, it doesn't feel like I'm leaning any farther forward at all. It's a very comfortable reach straight to the bars. At first, it felt like riding a cruiser with a drag bar, but that sensation went away quickly. Turning corners, the extra leverage of the wider bar is quite apparent, and welcomed.

I'll be sure to review the superbike bar on future long-distance ride reports.