This is a mod I've been thinking about for a little while. I came to my Multistrada from a succession of sports Tourers (for daily commuting) and Superbikes (currently an RC8R stable mate for the Multi). I've always enjoyed the ride but felt the bars were a little too wide leading to a less planted feel when cranked over in my case. Almost fidgety. I get the super tight turning for off-road antics.......but mine is 99% road bike with maybe some green laning later on i.e. it needs to perform bet where I use it most. I spotted @mike willis talking about narrower bars and the improvement they gave him. He also referrenced the bars he used: LSL Superbike Bars (I tracked that down to LSL part no. 128AX01Sl - that's for the silver bars I used BTW, there are other colours if you prefer). Thanks Mike What Mike didn't cover in detail was the DIY steps required to actually fit them up . He was absolutely right to tap up his engineering mate to give him a hand......in a word......it's challenging . Not insurmountable. I managed it myself with some careful thought. Here's my approach: - use some 28mm plastic water pipe (22mm internal diameter = same as our bars ) - knock pipe into place using a rubber mallet (the mirror locating pin gives a nice "key" to work from) - mark the pipe(s) for the various holes required (left and right) - use that pipe(s) to mark up the new (blank) LSL bars - centre punch every hole to be drilled - drill each hole in 1mm increments starting from 2mm (3 > 4 > 5 being the largest holes to be drilled) - use a slotted roll pin (I bought a selection box at Halfords) to create the mirror locating pin (cut to correct height using a dremel - 2mm) The slotted pin is optional. You don't specifically need it but if it isn't there and the mirror bolts back off at all.......the whole arrangement (mirror, brake / clutch / handgaurd) will drop forward under it's own weight. I didn't like the idea of that personally but it's your bike so it's your call . I think the effort required to recreate the locating pin is worth it personally Couple of notes - the left hand grip screws are self cutting i.e. drill a small hold (I went with 3.2mm) and then drive them in slowly by hand with a decent screwdriver (FYI they are M4 x 1mm pitch) - disconnecting the wiring is fiddly (both at the bars and down by the radiator / headstock) - the clearance on the mirrors will be SUPER tight but the steering lock is still usable - the mirrors are pulled in slightly so the rear view has less adjustment (still loads for me, but if you're built like the side of a house......it might mean you'll have to adjust the mirror arms out a touch) - it's a cheap mod (I paid £120 to import the silver bars from Germany as I wanted OEM look. I could have bought Gold bars for £85 in the UK) FYI - I ordered mine from Louis Motorrad, their part number: 10021612 I'll put some pics below to cover the steps I took as best I can. There should be enough detail for you to make your own mind up whether to take it on Outcome Yep, that's the front end sorted then . Nice and stable. I can now pick a line and it stays there. It means I have more confidence when cranking it over and as an added bonus, I seem betteer able to place the bike in the lane. Previously I always felt like my bar / mirror was hanging over the centre line. That could well have been physchological but with these narrower bars its no longer an issue. I'm very pleased and that's without having a go at filtering, which I have no doubt will be a lot less challenging. The stock Multi will do it of course, it just felt REALLY close to the mirrors I was passing (I've filtered into / out of central London for 20 or so years so filtering is a MUST for me even when I'm not commuting - I hate being sat still ) Pics Before - OEM bars After - LSL bars Comparison - OEM vs LSL Miror locating pin Before - slotted pin After - slotted pin Pipe holes template 1 Pipe holes template 2 Pipe holes template 3 Pipe holes template 4
I just dont get how you mark the template pipe where the original holes are as I the plastic pipe goes over the bar .. so surely it then covers the holes ..... if that makes sense
Yep, you’re right it does cover the holes initially. I tried using a super bright LED down the bar tube to illuminate the hole. It didn’t work (thanks to the double walled PVC pipe I used). You could of course use a completely clear pipe if you can find one. All the ones I spotted were flexible = difficult to be sure they line up time after time in the same place. I wanted something that once marked / drilled I could reliably use on the new bars. I used a set square and a pin to first measure and then punch through the pipe into the hole. I then enlarged that hole with a drill (off the bike). It’s definitely a case of measure 3 times, eyeball at least twice, pierce the pipe once in the right place hopefully! It’s the best system I could devise as it’s a 3 dimensional object with holes on multiple planes and at different distances from one and other. It’s not straight forward to measure but it’s do-able with enough patience. I took 2 days over it to give you an idea of the time I invested. I wasn’t rushing, I’d do something tricky and then treat myself to a brew and a biscuit . I didn’t try to hammer the job out quickly. It’s worth noting, even when you have your templates finished you still have to eyeball the initial position for the mirror locating pin on the new bars. You work from that for all the other holes. So, to a degree there’s a “looks about right” aspect to the job. Once you’ve committed to that first point everything else is easy thankfully It’d be a fab winter project
Nice work and looks a good mod. I fitted the PP bars to my V4 for the same reasons. The only thing i would check is if your tankbag still works as the bars may have a reduced the lock once the tank bag is fitted.
@Relentless Could you confirm that this is the correct bar ? Thanks https://www.louis-moto.co.uk/artike...500524e93e29f1&filter_article_number=10021612
orders in and made a start my granddaughters bubble toy will come in handy to mark the holes. it was slightly too big so just cut it down the middle and tapped it tight when in place and used a punch to make a hole
Nice . Glad the thread has been useful. Looking forward to hearing what you think of it once done . Happy to answer any questions where I can That made me chuckle Not that I’d ever do anything like that personally (knowing full well I’ve “repurposed” lots of stuff like that in the past ).
That's a great write up and a very clever execution. We did mine by measuring from the end of the original bars and transferred those dimensions to the new bars. It's a bit of a faff but not so difficult. The clearance below the controls to the top of the tank is tight but easilly solved with a little patience. The difference is fantastic, especially in London traffic. Mine are gold which I love. I'm pleased it worked out for you.
Are the new bars lower as well? Have you had any problem with the bars touching the tank or the fairing/screen?
My bars are slightly lower than original and set a little further forwards to miss the trim on the top of the tank. The set further forward give a slightly more aggressive feel, seems to reduce any buffering too. The bars line up with most vans but are above most cars so filtering is pretty straightforward.
What's the difference between these and the PP bars? I'm wondering if I can get the garage to do it. I'm lazy.
I don't know about the PP bars, mine are 90mm shorter overall which makes a real difference. They have just enough straight bar at the end to fit all the bits on. I did wonder after all the measuring and drilling whether I could have used a double sided tape to locate the mirrors etc.
Mighty glad of the narrow bars yesterday, into London on the A40 which was packed because of the train strike. Made the mistake of coming out on the A4, the lanes are much narrower and the roadworks didn't help. Possibly the worst traffic I've ever seen in London. The weekend drivers are much worse than the Monday to Friday crew, totally unaware of bikes. I had to question the parentage of several drivers.
