Tubular Bars on a 2012 RT

[knwyman]

When a deer took me out & totalled my beloved 04RT last October, I had been thinking I needed lower bars & was considering swapping a GS top yoke to accommodate tubular handlebars with much less rise. I’m a short rider at around 5’4” these days & need a lower seat to even tip toe most bikes

Fast forward a few months & I find myself with a 2012 RT on which I promptly put a low Sargent seat. The handlebars felt much too high. I ended up finding a 2011 GS top yoke & risers on ebay. I then purchased Rizoma MA006 bars & made the swap. My bars are now roughly 3/4” lower & in a perfect position for me. The unfortunate part is more than half my mirrors are filled with my hands. On the other hand, my hands are much better protected from the elements. At any rate, I ended up getting a set of GS lever mount top caps from Max (couldn’t find any on ebay) & a set of very adjustable mirrors from Wunderlich. I’m absolutely loving this set up!

 

[bhodges]

Very well done! Your setup looks very stock and I'm sure dialing in ergonomics make the bike a pleasure to ride.

 

[knwyman]

Very well done! Your setup looks very stock and I'm sure dialing in ergonomics make the bike a pleasure to ride.

Thank you. The challenging part was drilling switchgear holes that need to be 180 degrees apart as there are bolts that go through the bars to secure them. I ended up using a copper tubing that was just a hair larger than 22mm internal diameter. The union had dimples 180 degrees from each other & I used it as a fixture on the bars drilling the holes from either side. I don’t have access to a drill press otherwise this would’ve been a much easier task.