Handlebar Risers - Which ones are best

I have a stock 2011 WR250R and wanted to raise the handlebars. I have stock bars. What is the best risers for the money? Thanks.

"Best" for features like adjustability and build quality are probably the Rox pivoting risers.

"Best" for cheap and easy rise to stock handlebars are probably the $20 Tusk risers.

I've been running the Tusk 30 mm risers on my stock bars for the past 1000 miles or so and like them.  Not much more to say other than they're simple and they work.  I ride mostly dirt forest roads and single track in the mountains and love the extra height for standing while riding.  (I won't have them for long though... I'm moving to Scott's steering stabilizer SUB mount, fat bars, and HDB top clamp in the next month or so.)

Here's what the Tusks 30 mm risers look like on my 2011 WRR:

I like the ones that come with an under bar steering damper. Not cheap but nice benefits!

wwguy, were all your control cables long enough? Did you have to reroute any of them? I'm planning on getting the tusk 30mm. Thanks!

wwguy wrote:

(I won't have them for long though... I'm moving to Scott's steering stabilizer SUB mount, fat bars, and HDB top clamp in the next month or so.)

Wanna sell them when you are done with them?  I am not in a huge rush, but if you don't need 'em....

Let me know.

WRXZ wrote:

wwguy, were all your control cables long enough? Did you have to reroute any of them?  I'm planning on getting the tusk 30mm. Thanks!

My cables are snug at the extreme ends of turning the handlebars in either direction, but not binding.  I didn't feel the need to relocate controls or cables, but wouldn't want to raise the bars any higher without doing so.

Ben10281 wrote:

wwguy wrote:

(I won't have them for long though... I'm moving to Scott's steering stabilizer SUB mount, fat bars, and HDB top clamp in the next month or so.)

Wanna sell them when you are done with them?  I am not in a huge rush, but if you don't need 'em....

Let me know.

If you can do PayPal I'll be happy to part with them for $10 + shipping after I get the new bars installed.  New handlebars and handguards are already on order from Highway Dirt Bikes and I'm placing the order for Scott's stabilizer today or tomorrow.  I've got some work travel coming up so might not get everything installed until late August.

PM Sent!

Thx

Do you think 15 mm risers would be best so the cables are not stretched?

davehenricks wrote:

Do you think 15 mm risers would be best so the cables are not stretched?

If you're asking if there's less chance of cables binding with shorter risers, then "yes".

I don't think my cables are getting stretched. (Not sure that's even possible without breaking them.) They're just near-taut at the extreme end of handlebar turn radius in either direction.

I went with 30 mm because I needed 30 mm rise, not 15 mm. If necessary control cables and electrical wires can be rerouted or replaced with longer versions and controls can be relocated.

wwguy wrote:

davehenricks wrote:

Do you think 15 mm risers would be best so the cables are not stretched?

If you're asking if there's less chance of cables binding with shorter risers, then "yes".

I don't think my cables are getting stretched.  (Not sure that's even possible without breaking them.) They're just near-taut at the extreme end of handlebar turn radius in either direction.

I went with 30 mm because I needed 30 mm rise, not 15 mm.  If necessary control cables and electrical wires can be rerouted or replaced with longer versions and controls can be relocated.

Regarding 15mm vs 30mm it's more about how much rise you need than whether the cables stretch.   I have 30mm risers on my ('12) WRR and the cables are plenty long.

put your bike on the stand or get a helper to hold it, stand up on your pegs and reach for the bars.  That's where you want them.  In my case (5'10") 30mm was about right.

On my DR650 I went with the Rox risers as I wanted them up and back.

-morgan

I have protaper kx high bars ( I thought they'd be high enough on their own but they werent) and bike master adjustable risers for a total rise of 35-40 mm from stock, this maxed out the wiring for the switches and the cables, I'd have the bars a hair higher but theres not enough wire or cable length to do so. This was the whole point of buying the adjustable ones for me, I wanted my bars as high as I could get em without modding wires or buying new cables.

As others have posted 30 mm risers with stock bars are fine.

I first added Warp9 risers under my stock bars.

Here you can see how much they raise the bars.


I liked the height but the bars still seemed narrow and swept back towards me too much.


So, I replaced the stock bars with some Fly Aero Fat Bars.

You can see that they are straighter and wider than the stockers.


I'm not sure what is "best" but I really like this setup! All cables were long enough with the Warp9 Risers and Fly bars.


I also slipped in a quick throttle aluminum throttle tube while I had it apart.. (you can see the red anodized tube hiding in there...)

Anybody have a torque spec on the handlebar riser bolts?

Thanks!

It's relatively low usually like 18-22 ft/lbs.

Stock is listed as the "Handlebar upper holder bolt , M8 ( Qty 4) 28 Nm (2.8 m•kg, 20 ft•lb)"

J