Making bike narrower

[TheInternet]

Apologies for the basic question but is there a conventional or recommended way to reduce the width of the handlebars and mirrors?

I'd rather not cut the existing bars, are there standard replacements or is it better to modify another readily available set? Does lopping some off mean you cannot attach the bar ends?

Similarly, are there new/used mirrors that are preferred for this?

Current bike is CG but I'll likely want to do the same with it's replacement in due course.

Thanks

[Ste]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Should be able to find some narrower bars. With the end weight it depends on how they attach (some just use an expanding bung, others bolt into a thread in the bar). Tbh with a CG I suspect would be fine to just leave them off.

The bars often have a locating hole for the switchgear. If you trim the bars the hole will be in the wrong place. Similarly a lot of aftermarket bars do not have these locating holes. Most people just trim the pins off the switchgear.

All the best

Katy
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[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

Live with it for a while, see if you end up forgetting about the cowhorns they fitted to the standard CG.
Or if you do trim the bars don't take off too much.

Resale value may be affected.
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The Harry Turner Project

[TheInternet]

[TheInternet]

[c_dug]

I entirely understand what you're trying to do. Narrowness is king in London, closely followed by turning circle, and height.

In the past I've gone mirrorless or ridden with a single bar end mirror, but I've never bothered tweeking the bars, too much hassle, and what you make up in narrowness you could lose in practicality (I bought my fazer with renthals fitted which reduce the width by a good couple of inches, but in return it is near impossible to go full lock on the bars due to trapping my fingers on the fairing).

In the end it's experience that counts for the most, my dad will get his K1300GT through central London traffic pretty much as quickly as I will, quicker on the roads he knows better. Practice makes perfect.

Edit: just to expand on that last point, I make up more time on a daily basis by knowing where gaps tend to open up in traffic, where you can sneakily avoid traffic lights, where you can cross a solid white with little chance of being caught etc...

I do 2 hours a day through London and I reckon I probably save somewhere in the region of an hour a week through smart filtering. I doubt being narrower saves me an hour a month.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[iooi]

[Ste]

How to get across London quickly...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5TkSE_5GsE

Less than 25 minutes from Heathrow to New Scotland Yard.

[c_dug]

[TheInternet]

[kramdra]

Nothing wrong with the width of a standard cg. You just need more experience/confidence/ability.

[TheInternet]

[Nobby the Bastard]

If you use the horn, main beam and rag the fuck out of the stationary bike, you find the gap gets wider, negating the need to make the bike narrower.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[smegballs]

The old MX bars on my bike were on ebay for a fiver delivered.

Get some old cheap bars, cut them up. If you no likey then you haven't lost anything of value.

[Commuter_Tim]

[Pete.]

[mentalboy]

[TheInternet]

[TheInternet]

[Ste]

[TheInternet]

[Rogerborg]

Thread is tl;dr, but ignore any naysayers and riding gods who can break the laws of physics. You win Man Points for doing it on an unnecessarily wide bike, but they cannot actually be exchanged for prizes.

Just eBay any universal 21/22mm 7/8" bars in any width that you like. I've fitted narrower bars to every bike that I've owned, no problems[*], no regrets. I'm currently eyeing up the Enfield with a view to narrowing it even further pour le filtrage extrême.

[*] You may have to drill a hole for any locating screws, or re-route the cables slightly.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Nobby the Bastard]

Just how wide are the bars on a CG125? Admittedly it was a long time ago, but I passed my test on a CG125 and it seemed like a poxy little thing.

Anyway, for comparison purposes, my mountain bike has 25" bars and the exup, which I use for commuting daily, have, as best as I can tell, 28" bars.

If your bars are a foot wider than a typical pedal bike, they would be 3 feet wide....

I think I found the pedal bike you are comparing it to though

https://cyclecentre.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/cuda-1422-girls.jpg
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[TheInternet]