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Need Help Picking Cafe Bars for R75/5 SWB

Stoney

New member
I'm on overload trying to determine what cafe bars to buy for my '71 R75/5 SWB bike with a police tank. The BMW dealer recommends their 600mm (23.6 x 3.5) bars. I've also been looking at a magura bar that's 25.75 x 2.25; and then there's the fehling eurobend (not S) that's 26 x 2.5. All have slightly different rises and lengths. I currently have the orig. US bars (27.5 x 5.5) on the bike and want something lower and more aggressive that won't kill my 53 year old back. Any quidance would be appreciated.
 
Should you add diameter to this decision? There have been discussions in the past about bars not fitting...BMW is 22mm while a lot of common bars are 7/8-inches. Perches, etc., won't fit if you have the wrong diameter.
 
Not sure if you're building a cafe bike, but I switched from US bars to some standard euro bars for my '71 SWB. You can get the standard cables and it gives a "sporting but reasonable" feel to me at 53! I have a cafe 250 sprint that I could not ride all day like I could wiht the euro bars.
 
Not sure if you're building a cafe bike, but I switched from US bars to some standard euro bars for my '71 SWB. You can get the standard cables and it gives a "sporting but reasonable" feel to me at 53! I have a cafe 250 sprint that I could not ride all day like I could wiht the euro bars.

thinking I might go with the BMW bars for that reason. Can I leave the cables as they are for the time being or will they be way too long?
 
Here's how the Fehlings fit:

BMW221.jpg


I'm 5' 8". At freeway speeds, I move back on the seat a bit so my lean offsets the rush of air, but not so much that I need to use the passenger pegs.

I had to switch to the Flanders version of the Magura so my /6 controls would fit, and the fit is indistinguishable. Your /5 should have no problem with the Fehling.
 
thinking I might go with the BMW bars for that reason. Can I leave the cables as they are for the time being or will they be way too long?

You could probably use the bars that fit an R90's and the longer cables won't be a real issue other than in the looks department. At leas that way you could try them before you invested in the shorter cables. Better to have the cables too long than too short. You may be able to route them in such a fashion as to help cover up the length.

I have the euro or R90 bars on my /5 project and the cables are really short. I actually wished they where just a bit longer, but no doubt they will stretch over time. The bars look very much like the ones in Melville's post.
 
Flander's Euro Bars

I switched from the US to the Flander's version of the Euro bars shortly after acquiring my R75/6. I did not change the cables right away and using the originals is do-able, just not as neat as the correct length.

I read and followed Duane Ausherman's advice and I find my position with the Euro bars much more comfortable.
 
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