The UPS guy finally made it to my house yesterday afternoon, but as luck would have it, I was at work and didn't get to play with the parts until well after midnight.

Get home and this is what I find. Yay!! :D
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6199

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6200

Unpack the parts-
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6201

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6204

instructions if you're interested.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6205

unwrap the goodies and you'll find a 2 piece clamp for the forks, a bracket to raise the bars, the bars themselves and mounting hardware.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6206

I immediately start to test fit the pieces to figure out how everything goes together so tomorrow will be easier for the install.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6207

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6208

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6209

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6210

One side assembled, I start on the other. I must comment on how high quality and precise these pieces are. Here you can see the riser connected to the clamp. The tolerance is so accurate, the pieces snap together like pieces of Leggo. The riser is simply stuck onto the clamp in this picture. If you look closely, you'll see there are no screws holding the parts together.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6211

Both sides completed.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6212

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6213

Bar end on the handlebar.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6214

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6215

So far, I'm impressed with the quality of the parts and the instructions. I just hope the install tomorrow goes as smoothly as the kit is designed. :)

Okay, install time. First thing I do is loosely fit the clip on to the fork to get some idea of the difference of the bar position from stock. This is what the difference will be. Keep in mind I already have 1" blocks under the stock handlebars so the difference seems much more dramatic than it would be on a stock bike.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6216

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6217

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6218

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6219

Okay... down to business. The instructions say to "remove the stock grips, controls and clipon assembly". Easier said than done. :p

I like it when I get to play with fire. :D
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6220

adjust the flame as small as you can, then apply to the bar end.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6221

after it heats, use an impact hammer and a #3 Phillips head bit and whack it a couple of times. If it doesn't move, heat it again and try again. Eventually it will start to give and the screw in the bar end will come out. They use red loctite in there and heat helps to break it down for easier removal. Without using heat, there is no way that screw is coming out, so be forewarned.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6222

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6223

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6224

loosen the 2 screws on the left hand switch assembly and the 10mm nut on the clutch perch. The idea is to slide these pieces off the bar once the bar is removed from the bike, then slide them back onto the new Woodcraft clipon bar.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6225

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6226

next is to remove the stock handgrip. I was planning to reuse it, so I was careful not to tear it. If you're changing yours out, you might consider cutting it off. :)

I stuck an awl under the grip to break the glue loose, then used a longer screwdriver to work my way all the way through to the other side of the grip.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6227

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6228

I injected some water under the grip to act as a lubricant and twisted the grip off the stock bar.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6229

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6230

Remove the stock bar and the 1" blocks I has installed about 8 months ago.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6231

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6232

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6233

Now that the bar is loose, I can slide the controls off the end of the stock bar.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6234

... and slide them onto the new bar.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6235

At this point I mount the fork clamp with the 4 screws below the triple clamp.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6236

I go back and loctite the 3 screws that hold the riser to the clamp (as per the instructions) using a tube of blue loctite that is most likely older than some forum members here. :p

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6237

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6238

Also, you need to drill a hole in the handle bar after you've figured out where the switch assembly will end up. There is a "nub" on the inside of the switch assembly that keeps it from rotating on the bar. I used the hole in the stock bar as a guide to figure out what size hole needed to be drilled. It was a 7/32" drill bit I used. Mark it, punch it and drill it.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6239

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6240

Slide the clutch and switch assembly onto the handlebar then the handlebar into the riser.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6241

I used an old dirt bike trick to mount grips and sprayed the handlebar and the inside of the grip with clear paint. The paint acts as a lubricant to slide the rubber grip on and when it dries, it glues the grip to the bar. Use a lot so it will slide on easily. Also, protect the bike as it will drip. You can see the rag covering the bodywork.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6242

Here are some shots comparing the stock vs clip on position.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6243

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6244

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6245

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6246

some shots of clearance with the bars at full lock. Yeah, it's tight, but it does clear and does not touch anything if you adjust everything just right.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6247

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6248

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6249

so that's the left side... right side essentially the same. Remove controls, stock handlebar, install new clip ons.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6250

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6251

My camera battery died at this point and had to work w/o pictures. :rant: Here is the finished product.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6252

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6253

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6254

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6255

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=772&pictureid=6256

Okay... so what is the result. Ummm... have not ridden the bike yet, so I can't give you riding feedback. It was raining when I was working on this today. :( However, I will say the reach to the bars is a lot farther than stock. To be truthful, I don't know if I like the change or not. I will reserve my final judgment until I get to ride it.

If you do this mod, take your time and get it right. These are controls we are talking about here and any shortcuts or lazy fixes will have a way to come back to haunt you later. There is much adjusting and tweaking I need to do before the final placement of all the controls are set. In all, the Woodcraft kit is a high quality, precision made setup that will do the job it was designed to do. I have no reservations recommending this to anyone wanting to install clipons on their 250R. :thumbup:

Thats looks great! Thanks for posting up the DIY.

as always, excellent documentation and narration throughout. and WOW!..that is a HUGE difference from what you had previously! after having the woodcraft clips on my bike...that day we swapped...felt like i was riding a bike with ape hanger :biggrin1:

good job bruddah :thumbup:

You are the DIY Master !!! :thumbup:

How much did they run you? shipped to hawaii if you don't mind me asking..... Looks great btw and thanks for the DIY

180 plus 25 for shipping.

http://www.woodcraft-cfm.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=18129

Here are some comparison pics between the standard height bars (without the 1" blocks) and the Woodcraft items.

Thank you, sir. :yo:

Great set of pictures Kelly! Very curious to hear what you think after you've had a chance to ride with them.

Thanks, Ken. Believe me, I'm curious as well.

Funny thing is, I rode Komohana's first gen bike with the clip ons and really liked the improved riding position. With my bike, I'm not too sure from just sitting on it in my garage. Maybe if I had made some "vroom, vroom" noises it might have helped. We'll see. :rolleyes:

I think you'll like 'em just fine. Clip-ons always feel a bit too aggressive when the bike is moving 0 mph. Once up to speed, everything feels much more natural, primarily due to all of that wind helping support your head and torso, no matter how much we try and tuck behind that small screen.

Yes. Post ride report is required.

I'm on the fence about the clipons. Not if I want them but if I want them enough to buy them instead of a trackday instead. lol.. I would rather be on the track with stock bars than on the street with clipons. But hopefully I can fit the clipons in somewhere without eating into tracktime.

My budget is very small at the moment. x_x

Yeah, that's what I am hoping. Dunno... but the reach for me is sorta long. I'm pretty short and liked the cbr600s cause the reach over the tank was short compared to the other 600s. The 250 with the clipons just feels "large" now, with a long reach over the tank to the bars. I guess for taller riders, this would be an excellent mod to make the bike feel "bigger".

Kuro,

I agree. If having to choose, I'd pick the track, too. :)

Have you considering getting longer-arm transplants?

:p But yeah as Alex pointed out the difference is when you're riding. I find that it sits a LITTLE more forward then the newer CBR600's (I felt it out on my friends :D ). Now if you threw on some rearsets then it would be awesome for the track, but probably too much for the streets.

dammit... you guys are forcing me to go riding tomorrow just to find out. it's all your fault. :D

thanks for the write-up Kelly! you always do such a nice job. I liked the pics a lot too! :D

very nice DIY, thank you Kelly. I too am looking forward to hearing your opinion on them once you've ridden around for a little. btw, you said you are "short"...how short is short? I'm merely 5'6" and was considering these in the future to put me in a slightly more aggressive stance (I'm young, I can handle the position change for long rides) but I wouldn't want to be stretched across the bike.

I'm 5'6"-5'7". Wear size medium clothes, so I think we're about the same size, but not age. :p

lol, yes, that makes us exactly the same size...and perhaps the same age at heart...

You go from raising your bars to dropping them down. What's up with that?

Tim

Raising the bars was done to lower the front forks with the stock handlebars for better cornering. Until now, there was no viable clipon kit for our bikes. :)

dammit... you guys are forcing me to go riding tomorrow just to find out. it's all your fault. :D

We do what we can. Right guys?! :D

kkim,

Referencing the attached picture. If you moved the triple tree top bracket (blue arrow) to the top (yellow arrow) and moved the clip-on up the same distance (white arrow) wouldn't you reduce the distance your arms have to reach, along with bringing the front height of the bike back to the original specs? Gain comfort, lever adjustability, retain the clip-ons and possibly lose quicker steering.;)

Or if you put the clip-on's up on the top of the fork tubes that are sticking up........ Oh wait that would be like stock again....


Hey, you do all that work and re-use the stock grips? Shame on you :D

Sam, I'll keep that in mind as I try different things to see what I like and to make this work. I presently have the bike apart working on an earlier issue.

Kerry, I have no problem with the stock position of the bars. I was after lowering the front end for better turning. If I can put them above w/o clearance issues, I'll try that, too. :)

I kinda like the stock grips. :D

Did you get any riding in today ? How does it feel compared to your risers ?

Steve,

sorry... didn't ride today. Had the bike apart to fix a previous issue... parts just came in.

Next chance to ride won't be until this weekend. I'll be sure to update. :o

I rode to work today with mine. I found it actually made the slower turns easier, thought that it would be the other way around.

The wind buffeting was much better. About 100kph I noticed the wind really helping me hold the body up which I didn't find so much before the change.

It was much quicker to flick from side to side though it was a ride to work so not a good ride for the bendy stuff..

Thanks for the write-up Kelly! Mine is arriving today and will certainly be using your write-up as a guide.

:thumbup: That's why I do these... to help people when they get theirs. Will be very curious to hear your feedback once you get them on, if you don't mind sharing. :)

:thumbup: That's why I do these... to help people when they get theirs. Will be very curious to hear your feedback once you get them on, if you don't mind sharing. :)

I'll let you know how it handles. It's raining this weekend though:mad:. Hopefully I can have it installed by Sunday.

I just finished installing the bars on the bike. Took the bike for a short run on the side streets. It totally feels like a new bike, more sporty. Almost like sitting on my friend’s gixxer 750. I don’t know about long rides though, it’s not as comfy as the original bars. If you’re more into comfort then just leave the bike alone. As far as handling goes it seems like it would be better, by bringing body position lower. I’ll know more by this week if it stops raining here in socal.

Very nice DIY KK (as usual). Wish I would have gotten ahold of you before you bought them... I have them for $159 on my site :)

http://store.racebikerentals.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PLST&Store_Code=0001

(Alex, please forgive me. The store is new and I thought your constituency would appreciate the killer deal)

(Alex, please forgive me. The store is new and I thought your constituency would appreciate the killer deal)

No issues here, thx for posting it up. :thumbup:

Very nice DIY KK (as usual). Wish I would have gotten ahold of you before you bought them... I have them for $159 on my site :)

http://store.racebikerentals.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PLST&Store_Code=0001

(Alex, please forgive me. The store is new and I thought your constituency would appreciate the killer deal)

Aloha, Richard! :)

I wish you had, too, as I always want to support the "good guys" in the industry and you are certainly one of them. I wish you well on your (another) new venture! :thumbup: You can be sure I'll be looking at what your store has to offer in the future.

Nice hearing from you, stranger. :D

Very nice DIY KK (as usual). Wish I would have gotten ahold of you before you bought them... I have them for $159 on my site :)

http://store.racebikerentals.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PLST&Store_Code=0001

(Alex, please forgive me. The store is new and I thought your constituency would appreciate the killer deal)

Do you charge for CA sales tax?

Might be placing an order from Richard myself...

I would encourage everyone to support fellow forum members in whatever endeavour they happen to supply. That Richard is a good guy and a friend to boot, I would be not think twice in supporting him!

Good move, Kuro! :thumbup:

I want some of them there rearsets. I'm trying to hustle some spare change together to get either those or the clip ons. :D

Rearsets would probably be my next purchase.

I want some of them there rearsets. I'm trying to hustle some spare change together to get either those or the clip ons. :D

I told you the last TWO times I was up you could take the ol' girl around and feel it with the clip-ons, but noooooooo. Now you're going to have to pony up $160+ on the notion that it SHOULD change the handling of your bike for the better :rolleyes:

so, are the clipons worth it to you? :)

Oh it's night and day! The bike turns in when I simply THINK about it :p So yes I'd say so!

I dunno if you'll (kkim) notice AS much of a difference because I'm sure raising the forks made a large difference in itself. I did both at the same time (raised the forks AND installed the clip-ons) so for me it was a drastic change ;) Has the rain settled down there yet or are you still just sitting on your bike and making "vroom vroom" noises and pretending like you're racing? :becky:

um, I rode the bike to work yesterday and I'm still fiddling with it before I do a short write up with my impressions.

*tag*

Very nice!

Thanks all for the support & thanks KK for the good words. :)

Very nice DIY KK (as usual). Wish I would have gotten ahold of you before you bought them... I have them for $159 on my site :)

http://store.racebikerentals.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PLST&Store_Code=0001

250r store........ 250r store :runaway2: . :thumbup:

The one stop shop for turning your 250R into a track bike!!

AWESOME!!! :jumping40:

I rode the bike to work on Friday. I hated the new riding position. :mad: On the road, it felt too far forward and constantly bending over even at higher road speeds. In the twisties, the bike felt less coherent and did not seem to be as connected as it was before the install. Hard turns felt a bit better, but the bike didn't seem to be as well put together as stock.

Friday and Saturday was spent scratching my head and trying different things to make it work for me.

First off, mounting it above the triple clamps will not work. The bars hit the front fairing.

I then lowered the forks in the clamps so they were even with the tops of the triple clamps. That minute change seemed to help. it did raise the forks ever so slightly and it did feel as if the reach had been reduced. I also made sure the bars were adjusted to point as far back as possible. The setup allows you a few degrees of rotation and bringing it back as far as it could helped again in a very minute amount, but noticeable.

The last thing I did was to adjust the bars in the clamps as far out as they can go. That brings the bar end farther back as they are mounted at an angle in the clamps. With all of these changes, I can sit on the bike and it feels a great deal more comfortable for me. The reach is still long, but it is tolerable. Better still, I now feel like a part of the bike instead of feeling like I was sitting on something totally foreign and uncomfortable.

I've not ridden the bike yet with the adjustments.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_geC920GCq38/SZi2GJCylcI/AAAAAAAACu4/xKPWuWQFNgI/s640/DSC05111-1.JPG

Some feedback on the bars themselves. In the twisties, I noticed when the cornering was extreme, the bike felt very good with the forward sitting position and the head over the tank positioning. If you intend to use the bike for high speed track work, this is a definite improvement over the stock setup. I will go as far to say that I imagaine combined with a set of rearsets at the track, the bike would feel superb.

For a more street oriented bike or for shorter riders (I'm 5'7"), the bars might prove to be too much. I'll have to ride it and make a decision. For taller riders looking to "stretch" the bike a bit and gain some room, I think this is an excellent way to "open up" the bike if you don't mind the forward stance this requires.

For me, I'm hoping the small adjustments have added up to more cohesive ride. I like the "attack" position the bars put you in for the twisties... I just didn't like the feel of them on the road.

Lesson learned... even though it may not seem like it, small adjustments make big differences with this kit. Spend some time to set it up properly for you. They are adjustable... use that feature to custom fit it to your desired stance.

hmm...that's some interesting feedback. I'm glad I let you test them before I did. :p

Since you don't like the clip ons, Kelly, I'll be glad to take them from you so you never have to see them again. I'll pay for shipping. :D

kkim

I think you just have to get use to it. I ride road bikes (bicycles) and the position is almost the same. I'm also 5'7".

yeah, perhaps. :o

I will ride it and try to get used to it, but I have no qualms of yanking it and going back to my previous setup if all else fails.

I will ride it and try to get used to it, but I have no qualms of yanking it and going back to my previous setup if all else fails.

:eyebrows:

:karate:
looking at the installation pix made it clear that this was going to be a substantial rider position change, and thought you might have issues with it. i was thinking that you'd be able to find a way to incorporate the clips and find a happy medium but it sounds like that won't be happening...

:rant:
the LAST thing i wanted was you to say chucking the clips and reverting to previous set up is no biggie...and was hoping you'd be stubborn and hard headed and keep those things on long enuff for me to keep up with ya for AT LEAST a mile while i chase your wind vortex up the dang hill... :biggrin1:

lol... I'm not giving up on them, I've just not eliminated chucking them as an option, yet.

getting ready to take the bike out for some street riding, so we'll see if the fiddling has helped. If the weather holds, I should be riding it up to work this evening.

Beautiful day, so far, but I see clouds forming up in the mountains above Kalaheo. No wind, too... that's a sure sign for heavy afternoon/evening showers up in Kokee.

We proved with the drag race that our bikes both have about the same amount of power. I don't need something like clipons handicapping me so there's a blue bike up my butt! :D

hmmm... maybe I shouldn't help you with the shims and tires. :p

hmmm... maybe I shouldn't help you with the shims and tires. :p

:confused30:

lol hope the weather holds up for ya...riding to work past couple of mornings keeping mr. jones away!

duty calls...aloha
:)

Sorry, Kuro... went for a short ride on the streets and the bike feels much better with the small changes, so I'm gonna keep them. Can't wait to see how they do in the twisties now. :dancecool:

Again, seemingly small changes in the handlebar positioning makes a big difference. Take the extra time to set them up so it feels the best for you.

While test riding today, an unrelated (related?) problem cropped up. Maybe those of you who have clipons can comment in this thread?
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13288

Finally got to try the clip-ons at GMR(twisties). I definitely like em. Handles way better then the stock setup. You do lose comfort on hwys and city streets. Puts more weight on the wrist. Like I said before, it handles like a supersport. Now I just need rearsets. BTW, if anyone is curious about weight. Weight of each bar including bolts and barend is: Stock-750grams, Woodcraft-419grams.

Yay! Had it installed last night! I was having a little trouble with the right clip on. I couldn't get the break line to clear the gauge and the inner fender but I got it going. I accidentally twisted the whole thing with the switches and it snapped the nubs that fit the whole that I drilled on the bars. Although it is still snug and doesn't move, should I get a new one just incase?

The ride felt good for me. I am 5'7. I am stretched out more and it feels a little more responsive to me. I don't know if its just the angle but I think its making me ride a little faster on the corners.

I'll post pics tomorrow, my bro took the camera.

Make sure the housing won't rotate after the screws are tightened as it does contain the throttle. If you broke the locating pin and it still moves, you can wrap something like teflon tape around the handlebars where the housing clamps down to make it a bit thicker so it wont move.

Welcome to the forum! :thumbup:

Ordered mine from Richard about 15 minutes ago :) Darn you Kelly haha.

Anyway, you have to call him because his online ordering system is not functioning as it should right now. If anyone wants to inquire, here is his direct line: 406-425-3604

Fyi, they ship straight from Woodcraft. Racebikerentals.com doesn't have them on-hand.

yeah, but his pricing is great and he's a good guy to support. :thumbup:

Thanks for the order, Christopher :thumbup:

Credit card processing has been fixed, so all systems GO!

yeah, but his pricing is great and he's a good guy to support. :thumbup:

KK, what do you need to buy? Just lemme know so I can get you a killer price and get it up on the site :)

... the CC is kinda' smokin right now, but thanks for the offer.

If you can figure out a way to get fresh poke' from Kauai to you in a day, lemme know. I can be your Kauai poke' connection.

have fun, brah!!

Don't I wish I could figure that out... just this morning I was thinking of looking into fares for Kauai to fix my cravings. Its getting bad :)

Alex - Do you mind if I link to the DIY articles on my product pages in the store? Would be a good resource for peeps, I'm thinking.

If you can figure out a trip, let me know. You're always welcome here. :)

hey kkim,

i didn't pay it much attention, but when my tuner installed my clipons (woulda done it myself, but the bike was already in his shop) i think he actually machined off a bit of the backside of the mounts that hit against the triple tree so that they could come back more. they felt too far back to me like this, but i'm 6' tall and didn't give it much thought since i won't be able to get a good feel for it until i do some laps at the track.

i'd get a pict for you, but i'm not going to see the bike again until next friday :(

Thank you, Broom!! I know what you're talking about and I'll give that some thought if I need to modify them further. At present they feel a lot more comfortable than originally set up, so I'll see if I can live with them this way. If not, it's a visit to Mr. Grinder. :thumbup:

mahalo for the idea.
:)

Alex - Do you mind if I link to the DIY articles on my product pages in the store? Would be a good resource for peeps, I'm thinking.

Not at all, link away! :thumbup:

Dom - welcome to the forums!

Thanks Noche Caliente! Here are the pics of the install.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/Dom627/IMG_0008.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/Dom627/IMG_0009.jpg
New Grips!!
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/Dom627/IMG_0010.jpg

Excuse the Phone Camera quality.

hey guys... one more tip on installing clipons and controls. this is especially true on the track.

don't over tighten your clipons or controls on your bars. if and when you crash, you want your bars and controls to move when they hit something hard so that they don't break. obvioulsy you want them tight enough to not move easily, but if you hit it fairly hard with the palm of your hand you should be able to move it.

Thanks for that tip Jon. I will be installing mine next week.

hey kkim,

i didn't pay it much attention, but when my tuner installed my clipons (woulda done it myself, but the bike was already in his shop) i think he actually machined off a bit of the backside of the mounts that hit against the triple tree so that they could come back more. they felt too far back to me like this, but i'm 6' tall and didn't give it much thought since i won't be able to get a good feel for it until i do some laps at the track.

i'd get a pict for you, but i'm not going to see the bike again until next friday :(

i just got an email from my dad, he says that he machined off some of the triple tree... not the clipon mount. i'm going to get him to double check that though. maybe my brother can get some picts to me.

mmm... I would be hesitant about grinding the triple, though from a strength perspective, I don't think it will affect it. But from an aesthetic and possible resale perspective, no.

yeah, i was thinking the same thing. although a little black paint might make it look like new again....

true, but if I can grind the clipon instead, that may be the better/cleaner option. I'll need to take a closer look if I decide I need to bring the bars back a bit. Again, thanks for sharing the idea. :)

Adjusted the clipons a bit tonight. Moved the bars in about 1/4-3/8" on each side and dropped the forks in the triple clamps. How much did I drop? I put the stock handlebars back on the top and dropped the forks till it bottomed against the underside of the stock handlebar brackets. The amount of the forks you see sticking out past top of the triple clamp is the max on can get with stock bars.

I had been noticing since I raised the forks as much as I could, the bike seemed to turn too slow for me and at night the headlight was pointed way too high into the cars in front of me. To cure both problems, I dropped the front back down a bit.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_geC920GCq38/SZkfZMiHuwI/AAAAAAAACv0/EBCpO80-_o0/s640/DSC05117-1.JPG

Hey Kelly, I know you kept your stock grips because you like them (as do I) but I was wondering what other options we have to use and if an "upgrade" actually makes a difference. Jon, what are you using on your current setup?

I find grips are a very personal preference type of deal. For me, I like thin, small grips due to the size of my hands and the stock grips feel okay to me, plus they are relatively grippy. I'm sure there are better grips out there... I'm just not eager enough to go out trying to fix what ain't broke. If you run across something better than what you feel the stock grips are, please share. I'm all ears. :bunny1:

Excellent work, Kelly. You are getting even better (if that's possible) at putting together these DIYs. The pictures are fantastic. It must add hours to the task to stop what you're doing to take all these pictures and your efforts are much appreciated.
I'm glad to see that Eric Woodcraft finally figured it all out. The clip-ons look great. I know he had a devil of a time with the weird angle Kawasaki used for the bar mounts. I hope enough riders buy these to make it worth his time and trouble. He was certainly conflicted about making these things for the 250R because he thought the difference would be negligable, so it really surprises me he got so much of a change in ergonomics considering what he had to work with. The man is truly an artist and we're lucky he directs his talents to things that make our riding experiences better.
I didn't really have an interest in adding clip-ons to my Ninja, but after reading your ride reviews I may have to reconsider. If it lengthens the reach and makes the cockpit bigger as a result it would be just the thing for 6' riders with long arms like me (I'll bet the Duck will be all over these).
Thanks for another great effort! :thumbup:

http://www.kawiforums.com/showthread.php?t=121551]The Real Reason we have Clip-Ons for the 250r
Mad Props to cajuntlr over at KF :thumbup:

Very nice DIY KK (as usual). Wish I would have gotten ahold of you before you bought them... I have them for $159 on my site :)

http://store.racebikerentals.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PLST&Store_Code=0001

(Alex, please forgive me. The store is new and I thought your constituency would appreciate the killer deal)

Richard,

Do you have any plans to get lever kits?

:)

http://www.kawiforums.com/showthread.php?t=121551]The Real Reason we have Clip-Ons for the 250r
Mad Props to cajuntlr over at KF :thumbup:

Actually, Steve, that's not entirely true, either. While cajuntlr had a hand in finally delivering them, the whole process to get Woodcraft interested in even making these has to be credited to Purspeed and Truefaith. http://www.kawiforums.com/showthread.php?t=106663

So, as long as madprops were being handed out, I wanted to be sure all people deserving of receiving credit for this effort were recognized and to set the story straight.

Richard,

Do you have any plans to get lever kits?

:)

Thanks for asking, but I don't think so. :)

Hey, Richard... why don't you start a thread announcing the opening of your store in the classifieds so everyone can ask questions there. Your answers to questions like these are gonna get lost, scattered in other threads such as these. :)

You're welcome to stay in here, but I'm trying to get the word out on your store.

BTW, any plans to hook up with a shock company or a fork kit? I hear Lindemann revalves the stock shock for a low cost approach. :D

Actually, Steve, that's not entirely true, either. While cajuntlr had a hand in finally delivering them, the whole process to get Woodcraft interested in even making these has to be credited to Purspeed and Truefaith. http://www.kawiforums.com/showthread.php?t=106663

So, as long as madprops were being handed out, I wanted to be sure all people deserving of receiving credit for this effort were recognized and to set the story straight.

:o:o:o I'm getting Old !!! I didn't remember them and i even posted there.:o
I do know for the pre 08 250's and all the 500's woodcraft puts the bars on top of the tree and cajuntlr showed you could go lower under the tree.
BUT anyway...THANKS TO ALL THAT HELP IMPROVE OUR NINJA :thumbup:

I agree... the aftermarket support network for this bike grows daily. I'm glad we are in a position to reap the benefits of companies like woodcraft and area P who go the extra mile to insure quality products are delivered. In woodcraft's case, it took awhile and some prodding by a number of good people, but they finally came through with a kit.

good times!
:cheers:

Nice write up Kelly. Do you notice more weight on your wrists?
I don't think could handle it if so. My wrists are toast. :(
Good picts also. Nice and clear. Thanks for taking the time.:thumbup:

Starla,

I think for shorter riders than me (5'7"), the clip ons would make the reach across the tank a deal breaker. With all the jiggling and repositioning I've done, I've just got it to a place where it is tolerable on street rides. The trade off, of course, is that the bike steers and handles better in the twisting with this positioning.

It definitely places more weight on the wrists as you are pulled forward with the new position and the weight bias shifts forward as well, placing more of your body weight on your arms than the stock positioning.

The bike is also harder to handle at very slow speeds compared to stock.

Bless you , I just saved some money :)

Starla,

I think for shorter riders than me (5'7"), the clip ons would make the reach across the tank a deal breaker. With all the jiggling and repositioning I've done, I've just got it to a place where it is tolerable on street rides. The trade off, of course, is that the bike steers and handles better in the twisting with this positioning.

It definitely places more weight on the wrists as you are pulled forward with the new position and the weight bias shifts forward as well, placing more of your body weight on your arms than the stock positioning.

The bike is also harder to handle at very slow speeds compared to stock.

Isn't it more comfortable when you're at speed and the wind is taking some of that weight off your arms though? A bike that pitches you forward onto the bars usually feels great once you're up to cruisin' speed. :outlaw1:

Hey, Richard... why don't you start a thread announcing the opening of your store in the classifieds so everyone can ask questions there. Your answers to questions like these are gonna get lost, scattered in other threads such as these. :)

You're welcome to stay in here, but I'm trying to get the word out on your store.

BTW, any plans to hook up with a shock company or a fork kit? I hear Lindemann revalves the stock shock for a low cost approach. :D

Good idea... I hate to muck up these great DIY threads. Not sure about suspension.... we still have no idea what the best setup is with these things.

Starla,

I think for shorter riders than me (5'7"), the clip ons would make the reach across the tank a deal breaker. With all the jiggling and repositioning I've done, I've just got it to a place where it is tolerable on street rides. The trade off, of course, is that the bike steers and handles better in the twisting with this positioning.

It definitely places more weight on the wrists as you are pulled forward with the new position and the weight bias shifts forward as well, placing more of your body weight on your arms than the stock positioning.

The bike is also harder to handle at very slow speeds compared to stock.

Finally the skies cleared and I took the Ninja to school today. I rode about 30 min and my wrists were killing me. This was the longest I have ridden with the new clip ons. Just gotta use my abs to keep the weight off the wrists. Def. getting a six pack after ridding some more.

Finally the skies cleared and I took the Ninja to school today. I rode about 30 min and my wrists were killing me. This was the longest I have ridden with the new clip ons. Just gotta use my abs to keep the weight off the wrists. Def. getting a six pack after ridding some more.

just curious... how tall are you?

I am 5'7

have you tried small adjustments to the bars? I've got it so that it's tolerable on the street at this time.

its just the ergos - your back and stomach will get there. my 6R used to kill me and now its getting more and more tolerable

... I hate to muck up these great DIY threads.
I have no problem with you "mucking up" any of my DIYs. :D

I was thinking more along the lines that if there were a central thread that people could see what you have to offer, both you and the members would benefit. Not all forum members read these DIYs and they might miss out on some of the great things in your new store! :thumbup:

I went ahead and put the sv clipons that cajuntlr came up with but I think im going to switch to woodcrafts for safety reasons. I only want to know if the bars can be pulled back as far as the originals with out touching the tank. Mine hit.

Just got my WC Clip-Ons installed. It's a pretty tight fit, but it will clear.
Now i gotta wait till summer to test ride it!:(

I went ahead and put the sv clipons that cajuntlr came up with but I think im going to switch to woodcrafts for safety reasons. I only want to know if the bars can be pulled back as far as the originals with out touching the tank. Mine hit.

What do you mean "pulled back as far as the originals"? The WC will never pull back that far. If installed as they are designed, they clear both the tank and the front fairing at full lock to lock.

I mean after they are on if you put the originals back on and you view them from directly above are they the same angle. Sorry i guess its hard to explain.

you mean like this??

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_geC920GCq38/SYoVapcdsSI/AAAAAAAACY0/sXuD1fvj2B8/s640/DSC04981-1.JPG

ya sorry over looked that one. thats what I meant. I thought they looked more foward (the angle) in the final pics. thanks kelly

NP... as I stated in the subsequent posts, they do have a bit of adjustability to them and I was able to find a setting that I can live with on the street.

How tall are you? I can't see anyone shorter than me (5'7") having a comfortable time with these, but if they are shorter and have long arms, it could work.

im 5'10" with long arms lol so im trying to look smaller...im real comfortable with the suzuki clips as far as height and stretch but I dont like the contact with body. And im also afraid of them failing on me as their "custom fit".

WC did an excellent job of placing the clipons. Properly adjusted, they do not hit anything, but it can be tight for the hands at full lock, but then it's not very often you're at full lock, anyway. :)

Hey Kelly, I know you kept your stock grips because you like them (as do I) but I was wondering what other options we have to use and if an "upgrade" actually makes a difference. Jon, what are you using on your current setup?

i'm not sure what we have on ours. grips isn't something i've payed a lot of attention to on the race bikes.

did you guys have to adjust the throttle cables after the install? mine are all loose and one can turn it forward past where it would stop on idle.

take the switch housing back apart and double check where the cables go back into the throttle housing. make sure everything is back together correctly, especially the "pull" throttle cable.

I re-clocked mine so the engine kill switch is on top of the housing. I originally also re-routed my throttle cables so they didn't go in front of the frame as well. Otherwise with the housing I was having probs with the throttle cables hitting the fairing on right hand slow-speed turns. The nice thing about clip-ons is it's wicked easy to adjust this as the bar rotates.

It takes a while to get the bars set just right so everything clears and all.

I'll be installing my clipons in the morning finally. Any tips/suggestions on what adjustments you made to make it more comfortable for street riding? Were you just rotating the bars around the forks closer to you to make it more comfortable, or what?

Thanks for the great write up! :thumbup:

Jeff,

I did 3 things to make the bars more comfortable for me.

1- I slid the clipon brackets around the fork tubes as high as they can go so they sit flush with the bottom of the top portion of the triple clamp.

2- I slid the clipon tubes out as far as they can go so the are they widest possible. In doing that, the controls angle back towards you more.

3- When I slid the brackets up on the forks, I also rotated the clipon bracket back so they hit the triple clamp on the outside portion. You have a few degrees of adjustment... I adjusted them max toward the rear as I could.

After doing these 3 things, the clipons were acceptable for street riding to me.

I have since readjusted the tubes in a bit so they are not as wide. Right now, I have them adjusted so it is the best fit for me.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_geC920GCq38/SZkfZMiHuwI/AAAAAAAACv0/EBCpO80-_o0/s640/DSC05117-1.JPG

My advice is to play with the clipon positions once you have them installed and ride the bike, then go back and make the corrections you need to make them workable. Small adjustments make a big difference in how the clipons make the bike feel... you'll be surprised.

GL...
:)

Well I got them installed this morning and was going to South Mountain
http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=33.3635452994%2C-112.073061326%20(%22Circle%20K%22)&daddr=33.3446796819%2C-112.058591162%20(%22Summit%22)&ie=utf-8&v=2.1&cv=4.0.2722&hl=en

It was about a 15 mile ride from my house, overall I liked the feel of the clipons. I felt more relaxed and spaced out. As soon as I got to the twisties, however, I was going through a turn and my bike suddenly died... And I had no idea why, and then I realized that my kick stand came down! :eek: The springs on the kick stand ending up coming off. Could have been a very bad experience, and I am lucky I didn't wreck. Needless to say I spent a while trying to find the spring, but couldn't. Luckily, I had my backpack and I was able to take a nylon cord off of it and tie the kickstand up to come back home. So unfortunately I did not get the full experience of the twisties today, but I will definitely tomorrow.

It's really weird too. I installed woodcraft rear sets on monday, and have been riding it every day since then and have never had any problems with my foot getting caught on the spring on the kickstand, or any part down there by the shifter. But today for whatever reason, every time I upshifted I kept catching it. So I am assuming that is how the spring came off. I don't see how the clipons would affect this considering they have nothing to do with your feet, but that is the only thing I changed today... :confused:

Finally got some picture of my clip ons installed on the bike
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/7108/imgp0410.jpg

and one more just kinda showing how far up they are
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/7130/imgp0411.jpg


I'm 6'1" and I didn't find the change in position to be too radical, I still feel as if I sit fairly up right but now I just have some room to stretch my arms out. Compared to bigger bikes the positioning is definitely still rather tame. For track days I can see myself dropping the clip ons an inch or two just to get myself lower over the bike however for street riding I think the positioning is just about spot on.

On a side note I didn't notice any wobbles with my hands off the handle bars. I tried it in several different gears dropping from between 50-60 down to 35-40ish.

Yuri,

thanks for your feedback. Good job on the install. :thumbup:

Thanks for the DIY instructions and feedback kkim. I'm contemplating about this one, as it might work for me when going high speeds and tucking, as I'm about 5'9".

if you decide to purchase, please consider buying them through Richard (racebikerentals) as he has the lowest prices on the kit and is a great guy, too. :thumbup:

glad i could help.
:)

Thanks for the DIY instructions and feedback kkim. I'm contemplating about this one, as it might work for me when going high speeds and tucking, as I'm about 5'9".

I'd say go for it. I am around 5'9-5'10, and am pretty comfortable with the clipons. They actually feel better for me, cause I dont feel as crunched up. I feel a lot more spaced out while riding and relaxed.

I'd say go for it. I am around 5'9-5'10, and am pretty comfortable with the clipons. They actually feel better for me, cause I dont feel as crunched up. I feel a lot more spaced out while riding and relaxed.

Thanks for the advice. All I need is some extra cash $$$ :rolleyes:

I'm assuming the answer is "no" on this.. but those of you that have made this mod, do you guys ever end up pinching your hands against the windscreen area when your turn the wheel all the way to the right or left?

side note: DRIVEN seems to be another company that makes clip-ons and in black too. too bad they don't have one for this bike :(

One of you guys that's done the clipons, please sell me your stock right handlebar.


:]

I'm assuming the answer is "no" on this.. but those of you that have made this mod, do you guys ever end up pinching your hands against the windscreen area when your turn the wheel all the way to the right or left?

side note: DRIVEN seems to be another company that makes clip-ons and in black too. too bad they don't have one for this bike :(

they might touch, but hopefully you're wearing gloves and its not a big deal. if they do touch and you don't want them too, then adjust them back some.

One of you guys that's done the clipons, please sell me your stock right handlebar.


:]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2008-2009-08-09-Kawasaki-Ninja-250-right-handlebar-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1171Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a13 18Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem2903036399 35QQitemZ290303639935QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

:thumbup:

^Yep. I'm watching that one. Hopefully can find one on the forum if that ebay auction doesn't go up too high. :/

wow i did this the other day, i was kinda nervous about the drilling but everything came out pretty good, i drilled the hole to close to the edge tho and the grip is covering a lil of the bar end...which s good cuz i didnt like the way it looked anyways lol

it was real easy and a great mod, cant wait to get it riding

^Yep. I'm watching that one. Hopefully can find one on the forum if that ebay auction doesn't go up too high. :/

so...mission accomplished? or still look'in?

Still watching the auction! Has about 3 days left. Grrr I wish it was just a Buy it Now

yeah, like three days ago right now!.....good luck

Installed my clip-ons today. Thanks for this write-up Kelly!:thumbup:

http://i541.photobucket.com/albums/gg393/kawiken/Ninja%20250R/DSCF0917.jpg

cool, Ken... how do you like them? :)

I actually just installed the new bars two weeks ago in a parking lot it took me about an hr but i actually broke off a #3 phillips bit on the right side trying to take out the screw that holds the instruments on the handle bar, so i then tried to drill the cap off then my crappy 7 volt drill ran out of power. so i just used a hacksaw to cut off the bar end. but other than that i had no problem doing it myself. i did go to a bike shop but they gave me crap saying that it would take 3 hrs of labor to install them so they were gonna charge like 180 something which is booty, anyways it actually feels way more comfortable than the stock bars, b/c for some reason i just naturally lean foreward. i know that sounds strange especially since im only like 5'3 with short little arms anyways i gonna post pics up soon

...especially since im only like 5'3 with short little arms anyways i gonna post pics up soonlol... you must like laying down on the tank. :D

good job, man. pictures are welcomed. :thumbup:

oh... welcome to the forum.
:)

Question regarding the clip-on clamp halves.

One of my sides is uneven.

On my right it's perfect (shows 2 threads between the halves per side), however, on my left side one side is showing 1 thread [pic below] whereas the other side is showing 3.

http://i541.photobucket.com/albums/gg393/kawiken/Ninja%20250R/DSCF0933.jpg

Should I be concerned with this and reinstall it to make the halves even, or would it be okay to leave it alone?

In a perfect world, you would want to have it all the same, but in the real world, I doubt that small of a difference will make a diff as far as it being able to slip, if that's your concern.

I went ahead and redid it so the threads are even.

I rode my bike to work and I LOVE this setup. It splits the difference between standard and super sport. The only thing I need to do is add on the stock bar ends per your other thread. Thanks again Kelly.

310ken - That is a great license plate! Too bad I'm also in CA ..... I guess it is taken.

Anytime, Ken. Glad you found the DIY helpful and that you like the new riding position. :ride:

310ken - That is a great license plate! Too bad I'm also in CA ..... I guess it is taken.

I ordered the plate before I even got the bike just to make sure I get it LOL. :D

I ordered the plate before I even got the bike just to make sure I get it LOL. :D

Nice! I didn't know you could do that without a VIN#

Nice! I didn't know you could do that without a VIN#

You bring your registration for the intended vehicle when you pick it up.


Anyone with the clip-ons notice it's easier to flick the bike around? At least it feels that way with mine.

noob question here: i know what clip ons are, but what are rearsets???

noob question here: i know what clip ons are, but what are rearsets???

to put it simply, they're foot peg brackets. they're usually designed to relocate your foot pegs up and back for a more aggressive body position and more ground clearance.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/246/3263368311_7b147977ee.jpg

ahh. i see. they're super-expensive though :( but i guess its worth it for some people

it really just depends on your goals. some people get them to have cool looking trick parts on their bike. others, like me, get them for the track to gain more ground clearance for the turns.

in my opinion, they shouldn't be on a street bike. for one, if you're dragging pegs on the street you're asking for trouble. two: if you're dragging pegs and switch to rearsets, your next peice to drag is the kickstand mount, which is very dangerous (we cut them off for track bikes). three: thats a lot of money to spend for looks. ;)

Heres my install with some suzuki weighted bar ends (thanks for the fuel hose idea Kelly)...
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/7726/gedc0727.jpg (http://img5.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gedc0727.jpg)

if you're dragging pegs and switch to rearsets, your next peice to drag is the kickstand mount, which is very dangerous

True dat! Unfortunately I found that out first hand. :(

I did this upgrade last nite and I love the setup. It's so much more comfortable. You wouldn't think that a small change like that would make a difference. This plus the 15/41 sprocket swap make this bike a completely different one.
Posted via Mobile Device

with the front lowered 1" is it possible to just flip the clip-ons over and swap left to right and vise virsa to get them to sit on top and have them about the same drop as putting them on the normal way?

just a thought

I doubt it would work, but why would you want to?

thought i read about clearance issues when trees dropped and clipp ons hitting.... thought you could flip and see if it could work... thats all kkim... but i just realizied they have a slight angle to them and it would make it worse...

NP... all I can say is that installed the way WC has designed these and the close clearances they have as is, I would imagine installing them any other way would lead to interference problems. WC really did a good job fitting these properly to the bike and I can see why they took such a long time before releasing them to the public. The kit is well thought out, designed and very high quality. :thumbup:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m266/ezmoneytrg/IMG_0157.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m266/ezmoneytrg/IMG_0157.jpg

hey stroked, how do you like the Pazzo levers compared to stock?

^ I'm interested in hearing an opinion too, especially since those look like they are the shortys...

they are great....... you can adjust them the way you want and being the shorty's makes it nice for me.... quality is also good:thumbup:

hey guys.

What do you think of add these to the fork top to finish off the final touch?
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/hatoya/1039078/

Do you guys think that will work with the clipons?

i dont see how woodcraft clipons would work on that.
that top gadget looks like a damper and the handle bar itself

looks cool tho

The wood craft clipons tightens around the fork leaving the fork top exposed.
That hi-rise mod seems to do the same thing, which is getting rid of the stock bars and expose the fork top.

So in that case i m thinking if that would work .
Its a nice finishing touch i think

Does Anyone Know where i could find a stock clip on for cheaper...my boyfriend laid my ninja down and bent the right side ever so slightly a new rider cant notice it but me and him can cause we ride it everywhere...any ideas?

I didn't see it mentioned anywhere but it looks like the leftover mounting holes that the stock grips use would be perfect for devices such as a cellphone holder, GPS unit, Clock, or Radar Busters.

Just a thought :)

I was planning on making a GPS mount and using those holes after I install mine sometime this summer

so, after months of wanting these clip-ons after I first heard of their existence for our bikes, I finally decided to purchase them (5 min ago lol). Nope I didn't get them from RaceBikeRentals, but I don't feel so bad since I just bought a set of BT016s race-offs from Richard :p.

$159.45 including tax & shipping :thumbup: from this website: http://www.oncycles.com/catalog.asp?department=cliponshandlebars&product=12985

Never heard of them, but they seem pretty reputable and offer a 30-day $ back guarantee and Low Price Guarantee.

Will update once received and installed.

I just installed them yesterday. The longest part of the process was getting the bar ends off..This is what I finally resorted to after a wasted hour of trying thousands of different ways. Even including heating it..Anyways, Great improvement. I'm also 5'3" and yes I like it.

http://i39.tinypic.com/22j3it.jpg

And the Blue Pro-Grip grips.
http://i41.tinypic.com/2wg7nz4.jpg

Now I just have to wait for the rearsets to come in next month..

Nice Malek! I think you just convinced me to get a set of these!

Here's my installation.

took me a while.. unfortunately this being my first time ever working with handlebars since this is my first bike, I didn't realize that the grips on the left and right size are not the same size.. so I ended up snapping the "nub" on the inside of the right switch assembly when trying to twist on the left side grip onto it :banghead:

I had to superglue the nub back to the assembly multiple times before I realized the size difference. Can't believe I was too dumb to realize that the grips were not the same sizes :bash:

so after 4-5 hours of work.. I give you the pics below.

In terms of how they feel on the bike, definitely more comfortable when tucking down on a straight away and I feel less cramped. But I seem less confident riding lower to the tank on turns.. I feel like I'm scared to go as fast in corners as usual. Guess I'm just going to have to keep riding and get used to it before I start scraping knee slider again.

I'm ordering my clip ons tomorrow but want to know if its possible to add these Bar End Mirrors to the woodcraft clip ons?

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=MRX_M1B2

anyone try this yet?

I finally got around to installing the Woodcraft clipons on my racebike, since our race org just legalized them. WOW! I can't believe what a difference going an inch lower makes. I'm in more of an attack mode around the track now, and dragging my knee in places I never did before. Overall, a very dramatic difference!

Hey Richard, can I order those thru you over the phone with a credit card? Im not really into putting my credit card number on the net. I would like a set of rearsets and clip-ons. Thanks for your time on the phone the other day, It was very informative and I appreciate it. ALOT.

No problem at all, Kevin. Yes, just give me a ring and we can handle it. Thanks.

I finally got around to installing the Woodcraft clipons on my racebike, since our race org just legalized them. WOW! I can't believe what a difference going an inch lower makes. I'm in more of an attack mode around the track now, and dragging my knee in places I never did before. Overall, a very dramatic difference!

noobs! :rolleyes:

:D

LOLOL - you get that tire yet?

not yet, but there is something in the mail... waiting for the post office to open up.

with the change to the rules for clipons, does that mean there will be a host of handlebars for sale from the fleet? I would think OEM handlebars would sell like hotcakes with the drops that occur or have all yours been "tested" and are already bent? :p

Thanks again Richard. To all the would be racers out there. Check out racebikerentals store. If you need parts to race you little ninja hes got them all. Check it out.

yep... and on top of it, Rich is one of the "good" guys. :thumbup:

I would much rather support some small business enthusiast, who supports the industry directly and gives positive exposure to our bikes, than some big box company selling their wares online.

starting to get used to these clip-ons and being lower towards the tank when taking corners--starting to like em more and more :D

that, and the BT016s raceoffs I got from Richard made a big difference :thumbup:

Mine came in the mail this week. :D Hopefully i can get them on soon.

not yet, but there is something in the mail... waiting for the post office to open up.

with the change to the rules for clipons, does that mean there will be a host of handlebars for sale from the fleet? I would think OEM handlebars would sell like hotcakes with the drops that occur or have all yours been "tested" and are already bent? :p

Gonna keep the stock bars on the rentals. Wish I could bling them out, too, but just cannot justify with the budget! Dang, I coulda been the biggest handlebar slut out there :D

Thank you Kelly and others for your support. Some of you have ordered lots of stuff.... I really appreciate it!

I was bored today so I did all the leg work to install my soon to arrive clip-ons. (hopefully tomorrow) I had no trouble getting the bar ends off and the grips were not a problem either. I used a little heat and a #3 bit with a combo of sockets and socket wrench and it twisted right off. I also used a combo of water and dish soap in a spray bottle to get the grips off. I slid the smallest in diameter flathead screwdriver I have about 3/4 of the way under the grip and then i switched to a little bigger and longer flathead and when i got it all the way to the end of the grip I pulled up on it slightly and sprayed my mixture in there. I pulled out my screwdrive and the grips slid off like candy. I thought these 2 steps were gona take at least a half hour. I was done with them both in 9 min. Thanks goes to Kelly for the DIY and the heads up on the loctight.

Good luck with the install.:thumbup:

You would be surprised how many on other forums just refuse to use heat to break down the loctite for easy removal. You can lead a horse to water, butt.... :rolleyes:

You can lead a horse to water, butt....if the water is deep enough and you weight the horse down with about 400 lbs he will drink some of it before he makes it to shore.

You can lead a horse to water, butt....if the water is deep enough and you weight the horse down with about 400 lbs he will drink some of it before he makes it to shore.

A horse that needs that much attention......needs replaced!

I don't know if this was mentioned before..I guess I should've wrote it in my last post but here's just a quick little tip to taking the grips off. took me about 30 seconds to get both off..and it doesnt scratch the original bars like the screwdriver method.

If you have an air compressor, use this kind of head (picture) and slide the tip under the grips, shoot some air and they slide off. The tip is the needle that blow up basketballs, footballs..etc.

http://i44.tinypic.com/2cgj5nt.jpg

Good Idea there, wish I would thought if it. I didnt have any trouble the other way.

Question to those who have installed these, which I am in the process of doing now. Where exactly is the "nub" that prevents the switch assemblies from rotating on the bars? I don't want to mark my bars and drill them where the middle of the assembly is, and then find out it's on one of the sides and have my setup thrown off.

I used my stock bars to get a good idea of where to put my holes. I just measured from the end of the stock bar to the hole and transfered that to the clip-on bar, marked it then dry fitted everything together to double check. Then i drilled.
I used a red marker and drew my line all the way around the bar. When your test fitting everything on, you can use a flashlight to look to see if its going to line up.

the nub is inside the turn signal assembly and kill switch assembly

Sweet, finished the install today and I like it. At 6'1", I felt kind of cramped with my elbows sticking out and this definitely fixed that. Thanks to KKim for the tips, especially on the loctite, dunno how long I would've spent trying to get those off if I didn't use the propane torch first. :thumbup:

Okay update. I can say that I've become accustomed to these bad boys now.. staying lower on the bike has improved my form and scraping and dragging some knee during twisty riding has become a norm.

I'm thinking of dropping the WC clip-ons 1/2 or 1 inch lower. Compared to other sport bikes i.e. the zx-6r, these handlebars are still pretty high and I'm pretty sure I'll like them just a little lower. I know our bikes aren't super sports, but having the lower handlebars has its advantages IMO.

Anyone see any issues with lowering them a little bit by about 1/2 or 1 inch? Or are they truly and only supposed to be clipped right under the top triple tree w/o any room between the two?

I don't think you'll be able to lower them any further. They'll hit the fairing when turned lock to lock. Only solution is to put steering locks on your frame neck to limit turning. Not a good idea for street use, as it may limit you in an emergency situation.

I slid mine down a little over 3/4 of and inch. I only get a slight rub from the clamps on the inside faring. You are limitied by the wires and control cables. Play with it. I did, for about an hour, until you find what you like. Just make sure you check and double check to make sure there is no rubbing ANYWHERE with the control wires and cables.

ok thanks for the replies, guys.

Kevin I'll make sure to check for any rubbing when I try playing with the clip on height this week. The way I see it, maybe 1/2 inch will be fine for my riding, so based on your experience, that sounds like it may be ok

If I could get my daughter to return my digital camera, Id snap a pic.(wish me luck) I think she thinks its hers. Shes had it since 4 days after I bought it.
I dont think Ill ever get it back. lol What are ya gona do?? Shes my only baby girl, and shes spoiled by her daddy.

You should be able to slide them down 1/2 inch no problem. You might have to fiddle with your clutch and front brake position. ( I know I did)

great write up Kim!!!!

those look sweet! :D

I just installed these clip-ons this weekend and I thought I would add my 2 cents here to help anyone out thinking about getting these.

First off, just a little about me: I'm 6'2" and this is my first bike.

The first thing I was worried about was removing the bar ends, because I didn't have a torch and I saw everyone complaining about how hard they are to remove. I thought about it for a minute and then came up with an idea that worked PERFECTLY with NO heat! I used a pair of channel-lock pliers on the handle of my large phillips screwdriver. I've included a pic to see what I mean. I kept pressure on the back of the handle with my right hand and turn the pliers with my left.

My first impression while riding is that I feel MUCH more comfortable on the bike in ALL types of turns. Low speed turns, faster turns...they all feel much more comfortable to me now. Maybe because the clip ons allow me to stretch out more, or maybe just the feeling of being lower on the bike...whatever it is, I like it.

They do reduce comfort some while riding the straights, but not bad and I think I'll get use to it. I rode to work today (almost 40 miles one way) and even had my backpack on with my laptop and accessories in it and when I got to work I noticed no dis-comfort. I'm even thinking the increase in lean has made the seat more comfortable (maybe because the seat is sloped forward so much?). I didn't notice as much dis-comfort as I usually do with the seat on a long ride (already ordered a corbin, but maybe its not needed now? Time will tell.)

The first thing I was worried about was removing the bar ends, because I didn't have a torch and I saw everyone complaining about how hard they are to remove. I thought about it for a minute and then came up with an idea that worked PERFECTLY with NO heat! I used a pair of channel-lock pliers on the handle of my large phillips screwdriver. I've included a pic to see what I mean. I kept pressure on the back of the handle with my right hand and turn the pliers with my left.


I also used this method.

I am 5'4" and I feel no discomfort, I have also been riding for about 8 years but my 08 250R is the only bike that had ape hangers.

I love the Woodcrafts :thumbup:

and thank you to KKIM for this write-up!

Ordered my Woodcraft clip-ons yesterday (Sat 15th August), they should arrive by Tues/Weds of next week and I hope to have them installed on next Sunday (30th). Will try to remember to take pics of install process and post the relevant ones as soon as practicable.

Wish me luck, I ain't the most mechanical of people, I hope the instructions are pretty much idiot proof!

Worked for this idiot! :D

Thanks to you kkim I've received my set of woodies for my ninja 09. Really appreciated your detailed write up which answered pretty much all of my questions regarding this mod. need to get around to installing however - having a bit of trouble with the bar ends! anyway i'm hoping they provide me with much more attack on the seat and will also look at lower the front forks to pronounce this change more so! If these bikes came like this stock they would be perfect, well for me at least! thanks again - you've been a huge help!

are you heating the bar end screws with a torch?

sorta... dont have a torch so thought a soldering iron would get some heat - but as i thought; not enough! my mate came around today and removed them with an impact wrench!

anyway so ive just finished putting them on - pretty fiddly! one problem occured; the tightening mechanism for the clutch (as in the bolt that tightens the clamp to the bar) has stripped and will only tighten so much, but not enough. how would i fix this?

Take out your stripped bolt and buy a new one. Most hardware stores have something that will measure the pitch and diameter of a bolt.

I have a hard time finding a hardware store here that has a good selection of metric bolts, but I'm sure you wont have that problem.

I'm in the middle of this install the moment... thanx again kkim

Installed my Woodcraft clip-ons today :D

Not being the most mechanical of people I enlisted the help of a friend who has mechanical experience with both cars and bikes. It helps a lot to have to the rights tools (well most of them anyway) to get the job done, and saves a lot of time.

The hardest part of course was getting the screws out of the end of the old bars. Not having a torch or any sort of heating implement, we drilled them out. Using 4mm, then 6mm then 10mm bits to get them out, as no amount of using pliers of any description would move them.

The rest of the install was pretty straight forward, the grips proving difficult until we blew them off with the air compressor. We had the lap-top open at this thread to help with the bits that the written instructions didn't go into too much detail with, and it was a huge help. Especially the bit about the air-compressor, after trying for quite a while to pry off the grips with a small screwdriver.

All-in-all it took about 2 and three quarter hours to get everything installed, taking care not to crimp any fittings, doing the lock-to-lock check and making sure everything was tightened down correctly.

So a couple of pics showing the difference in the riding position, using my wrists and the ninja decal as a reference point you can see how much difference there is. The bike was in the same position and you can see from the background how much further down my shoulders and head are. Nothing in either picture had been moved so you've got some pretty good reference points.

I'm 177cm (5 feet 9 and a half inches) and 75kg (165 pounds) for those of you wondering about the size of organic material sitting on the bike....

After the install I rode the bike home, a trip of about 40km (25 miles). On a variety of city roads and speeds, varying from 60kh surbuban streets to 100kph freeways. None of it too taxing, but a good spread of the sort of stuff I ride on most days.

Although I am very much a novice, the difference was like night and day for me. The bike seemed to be much easier to corner, and "flickability" was much improved. I felt the bike was much more responsive. Now it could just be my lack of experience and also the euphoria of having installed a new gizmo making me predisposed to being impressed, but that's how it seemed. I felt a lot more connected to the front end if that makes any sense. Kinda makes me wonder why Kawasaki didn't install something similar from the outset.

I also found the riding position comfortable, although it was only about a 25-30 minute ride home. I'm planning on a longer ride tomorrow, and I guess a decent length trip will soon tell the comfort story better.

So I've got my first mod up and running (the Yoshi pipe and single-seat cowl were done by the previous owner), and I'd just like to thank all of the other posters for their pictures and text, it makes the whole thing a much easier process.

Tomorrow the beach on the Gold Coast beckons... :biggrin1:

just ordered mine off Richards site. cant wait for them to come in the mail cause all i do out here is ride downhill twisties . ahh im so anxious

The bike was in the same position and you can see from the background how much further down my shoulders and head are. Nothing in either picture had been moved so you've got some pretty good reference points.

I'm 177cm (5 feet 9 and a half inches) and 75kg (165 pounds) for those of you wondering about the size of organic material sitting on the bike....I noticed in the after picture that there is silver tubing showing, as if you have lowered the front.......have you lowered the front of the bike as well ???

I noticed in the after picture that there is silver tubing showing, as if you have lowered the front.......have you lowered the front of the bike as well ???

That's the top of the forks, they stick out above the top triple, but the stock bars cover them up. When you remove the stock bars, you see these.

That's the top of the forks, they stick out above the top triple, but the stock bars cover them up. When you remove the stock bars, you see these.

This is the end result. Those unsightly screw holes have been filled and I'm looking for some rubber/plastic caps to fit over the tops of the forks to just tidy things up.

Took the bike for a much longer ride yesterday. Initial part was on a freeway, and I have to say that the new riding position is a big improvement in terms of buffeting at speed. Previously I found that at about 120kph my head was being pulled about a fair bit, now with it a bit lower my guess is that the fairing is pushing much of the airflow over the top of my helmet. 130kph felt quite comfortable.

The next part of the ride was up and down hill twisties, and I loved it :D , I just felt more confident cornering the bike without getting carried away with over enthusiasm. All in all I covered about 150km on all types of roads and the only minor problem was my shoulders tended to tense up a bit (which I think is more an experience issue than riding posture) but I learned to relax and that seemed to help.

Oh and the Ninja got paid a compliment. I was stopped at some roadworks, and so I asked the young guy with the Stopsign how long I'd be there. "Umm about five minutes" he said. Then he says:"Is that a 600?"
I told him the truth but it was great all the same :)

What did you fill the holes with? I put the bolts back in and ran em down so now there's four Allens there now. I also had to wipe that white paint outta there w/ some brake kleen. I was planning on getting four set screws later, to fill those holes.

I put the Allens back in while I search for something more appealing. I wasn't really sure about removing the white paint, I thought it could be of some importance to the bike mechanics when I get it serviced. If it's not required then it goes too.

Use the allen bolts for a GPS mount. :D

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=27497

Use the allen bolts for a GPS mount. :D

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=27497

That was my thought exactily!
I was thinking about making a mount for there before but was lazy since the handle would then need longer bolts and it might be weird, but since a mount would cover all that stuff it would be perfict now.

After 2 (looonnnggg) weeks of waiting, my clip-ons should be here today! Whooo!!!! I'm still debating if I want to install them myself, or have a local shop do it for me. I'm afraid I might mess something up due to over-excitement. :D

After 2 (looonnnggg) weeks of waiting, my clip-ons should be here today! Whooo!!!! I'm still debating if I want to install them myself, or have a local shop do it for me. I'm afraid I might mess something up due to over-excitement. :D


Michelle it's definitely an easy DIY job. Just make sure you have a drill to make an alignment hole and a handheld torch to heat up the bar-end screws and follow Kelly's instructions and it'll be a piece of cake.

Well, it's definitely a reach! Being 5'1", the reach is more than I had anticipated. It seems to be better at turns, but I'll have to take the bike out for another test run. I only took it out on the street for a little bit, and since all the local canyons are on fire (ACH, GMR, Azusa...) I couldn't fully test it out.

Well hopefully the fires will die down soon, and I can really test out how these clip-ons are with tight turns and some knee dragging!

Next step: Get a pair of Pazzo levers. My stock levers are very uncomfortable, and really need to be adjustable for my tiny hands.

Well, it's definitely a reach! Being 5'1", the reach is more than I had anticipated. It seems to be better at turns, but I'll have to take the bike out for another test run. I only took it out on the street for a little bit, and since all the local canyons are on fire (ACH, GMR, Azusa...) I couldn't fully test it out.

Well hopefully the fires will die down soon, and I can really test out how these clip-ons are with tight turns and some knee dragging!

Next step: Get a pair of Pazzo levers. My stock levers are very uncomfortable, and really need to be adjustable for my tiny hands.


Do you have rear sets?

Well, it's definitely a reach! Being 5'1", the reach is more than I had anticipated. It seems to be better at turns, but I'll have to take the bike out for another test run. I only took it out on the street for a little bit, and since all the local canyons are on fire (ACH, GMR, Azusa...) I couldn't fully test it out.

Hi Michelle, can I make a suggestion re the test ride? When I installed mine the first serious test ride I took involved a lengthy ride on a local freeway. I did this to just accustomise myself to the new riding postion, get myself sorted before I went on any twisty stuff. After having worked out how it affected me in those conditions i.e rider comfort, head position (including over the shoulder checks etc) I then peeled off the freeway and went onto my favourite bit of twisty road. You will instantly notice the difference, you're more over the front wheel and I found the bike was much more receptive to my shifting weight (not that it wasn't good before, it just seems even better now), it just seems so much more "flickable".

All of that said, as the friend who helped with the install (who is also a rider, Ducati 999s) gave me some sound advice: Don't push it initially, work your way into things. I think what he meant was that it's very easy to become enthralled with your lastest mod, and push things when perhaps easing into it might be a slightly better option.

That said, I love this modification and it just makes a good bike even better.

Do you have rear sets?

Yep.

Yep.


Okay then.... your next step can be the adjustable levers :p

You're right, I probably should get more used to the new position. I also should get the Pazzo adjustable levers so it's easier to pull the clutch in :-D Somehow, after the installation of the clip-ons, my clutch lever is 1 inch further away than it was. No clue how or why, but it sure makes it difficult.

did you or a shop install them?

Does this mod screw with factory cable lengths in the clutch and accellorator (<---- I know thats spelt wrong)

Does this mod screw with factory cable lengths in the clutch and accellorator (<---- I know thats spelt wrong)

no

Does this mod screw with factory cable lengths in the clutch and accellorator (<---- I know thats spelt wrong)

No adjusting needed Woodcraft made a great product. Only hard part of the install is drilling the loacating holes for the switches.

No adjusting needed Woodcraft made a great product. Only hard part of the install is drilling the loacating holes for the switches.

:whathesaid:

I would add to that: getting the screws out of the bar-ends can be difficult if you don't have the right tools. Heating them up seems to be the most civilised way of removing them, we drilled mine and I'm not a big fan of drilling things (or any use of brute force) when there's another option. Take your time, read and then re-read this thread and just make sure when you're finished to do your clearance checks and make sure nothing is fouling and finally tighten everything up.

It's all good :thumbup:

I accidentally stripped the bolt while adjusting my clip-ons, so now my clip-ons are (at the moment) permanently stuck in a position I don't like.... any advice?

I accidentally stripped the bolt while adjusting my clip-ons, so now my clip-ons are (at the moment) permanently stuck in a position I don't like.... any advice?

one of the allen bolts?

Yep, one of the allen bolts.

try loosening up all the other bolts that hold that clamp on and see if that will allow you enough room to grab the stripped Allen with a vise grips to loosen it. If not, you'll need to drill off the head of the stripped bolt with a drill bit. Be careful if you do that to not hit the clamp. :(

I'll try that when I get home, thanks! :D

You could loosen the two bolts on the other side and rotate, leave the stripped bolt be. (Yeah the inside two are a hassle, but you can do it).

1.) Ok, tried loosening the other bolts, but those got stripped too. Seems like the bolts are very very soft, because I applied almost no pressure and the bolts just gave in.

2.) I bought a Black & Decker bolt extractor from Walmart, $10, and followed directions. After hammering the bolt extractor inside the drilled hole, I began to turn the extractor, and SNAP! The bolt extractor tip snapped and is lodged inside the bolt!

Since the bolts have loctite applied to them, is this what is making it so difficult in getting the bolts out?

Also, I've noticed that red fluid began dripping from the screws... is that the loctite? I have no clue what the red fluid is. I didn't cut any lines, I'm simply trying to get the bolt out and now I've got red fluid on my fingers, and no, it's not blood.

Help please? :-)

Red loctite, once hardened, will not flow. You must USE HEAT to break the seal! Without heat, it is even more difficult (which you are finding out) to remove the screws. Others have resorted to cutting the bar ends off with a hacksaw, i.e. cut almost to the center all around the bar ends. Then slip them off and use a vise grip to unscrew the screw, after heating.

Did you use red loctite or blue loctite?

Blue loctite, as recommended by the instructions that came with the clip-on's.

Applying heat to break the seal... will it be ok to use a lighter or blow torch, or is that a horrible idea? I don't know if loctite is flammable.

Propane torch is OK. Normally, blue loctite doesn't require heat. It is designed to be disassembled via normal tools. Give the heat a try.

Will do! I'll try it out when I get home from work. :-D

Yes, try heating it and be careful to keep the heat away from the plastics for the allens that does not have the extractor lodged in it. For that one, you should get it on the work bench to attempt removal.

Also, make sure the hex head of the Allen wrench you are using is fully inserted to the bottom of the screwhead and be sure you are applying pressure at 90* to the bolt and not from an angle.

What size allen wrench are you using, and is the tool is good shape? The bolts that came with mine don't seem soft and I did tighten/loosen them a bunch of times.

Yea I'm using the proper sized allen wrench. The tool is brand new :-)

The bolts on the right clip-on came off easily. I don't understand why I'm having trouble with the bolts on the left.

yea those bolts are really soft, when i took the stock bars off i found the red loctite was actually really easy to break loose

u can use like a lighter or a heat gun to soften it up and if that doesnt work...idk lol