[cityhippie]

short version: don't think i'll keep using them! they are fun, but unfortunately quite uncomfortable for me

long version: hey guys, thought i might as well put up a little review since a few others have gotten these. originally i kind of wanted just a cosmetic change, like putting some cool tracker bars on or something, but decided to go for something lower to make highway runs more comfortable, since i have to use the highway to get just about anywhere from my house. went for the fat swallows since i know someone who put swallows on another bike, and i saw a few people on here liked them. was really unsure about whether to go for them or the hurricane fat condors (less extreme change), but pulled the trigger because i hadn't seen anyone talk about the condors, and just went for it

pros
+ they look fantastic! even made me like the look of the stock mirrors a lot! i really wasn't a fan of how they looked on the stock bars
+ feels much more connected to the road, planted, more feedback
+ less wind buffeting at high speed
+ can use the kedo speedo bracket! original speedo location is horrible and i have no idea why it's like that. got the kedo one knowing i would need lower bars to fit it, but i just like the offset look so much i thought i'd take the gamble

cons
- low speed handling and stability is way down. maybe i could get used to it but the narrowness makes the steering much, much heavier and slower, i feel the need to take low speed corners much slower than usual. could have something to do with the weight distribution too? it just feels much clunkier. i knew this would happen, but didn't think much of it
- legs feel cramped! this one was a little unexpected, but something in the ergonomics does this i guess
- the biggest drawback for me is that the position being approx 120mm forward and 50mm down (according to hurricane) does not vibe with my back at all! the forward lean was very uncomfortable on my lower back even at high speeds with the wind pushing me up. and i'm only 23! this may be less of a problem for shorter people, who i imagine won't have to lean as much. i'm fairly tall, and fat too which might not help

overall, wish i had gone with my first instinct and gotten the hurricane condor bars, or some of the other ones i see like renthal street lows or whatever they're called
oh well!
i don't regret buying these, because i've learned a lot through the process, and it will be nice to have them if i ever want to try a change again later
i'll include some pictures i took when i first put them on, because what would this be without them? please note that this is before i adjusted the controls and everything properly, and before i secured the wiring. since taking the pictures i've also adjusted the angle to be much higher/closer to me at several increments, and even though it lessened the issues i had, i think the cons still outweigh the pros

hope this helps anyone looking for new bars. i know some people love them, and i thought i would too! i don't recommend against them at all, but at least for now, they aren't right for me

edit: i plan on trying them again at a point when i'm not having back pain, and will be thinking more consciously about my positioning then too. i suspect i may have been sitting incorrectly due to pre-existing back pain. i'd like to be able to use them! but for now, it's the stock bars for me

 

[prime07]

Nice review, thank you! I was interested in these bars until I found out that I can't use them legally in germany.

 

[cityhippie]

Nice review, thank you! I was interested in these bars until I found out that I can't use them legally in germany.

thank you! i always appreciate finding people's takes on stuff like this before buying, so thought i might as well be that person for someone else.
getting your response was very nice, i don't feel like i'm just putting it out into the void, lol

 

[KLX678]

Those bars, I believe, can also be flipped over to have a low dropped clubman style bar too. That's what was often done since back in the 80s. Not that it would make any difference with the OP since they felt too narrow and low.

I have a short reach. I rotated the stock bars back to get a shade more pull back. I would love to go with a flat track bend like the Pro Taper Murphrey bend, but I'm afraid they may not have enough pull back for my reach. I need to measure up the stock ones and do some comparison.

I recommend riders go to shops or shows to check out handlebars. Just picking them up and holding them in hand gives a bit of a feel for how they will have your wrists, some thought for the rise and pull back.

 

[Arvind Singh]

I have the same bars, could you post a link to the barends you have on yours? I believe our bars don't take just any same size barends

 

[cityhippie]

I have the same bars, could you post a link to the barends you have on yours? I believe our bars don't take just any same size barends

hey mate, i went for these from hurricane. they're out of stock right now but anything listed as fitting an inner diameter of 18mm should fit! these ones say "Φ18-19mm"

 

[Arvind Singh]

Thank you sir. I thought our Hurricane bars had a 'different' inner finish that required specialised Bar ends, not just any 18mm ones?

 

[cityhippie]

Thank you sir. I thought our Hurricane bars had a 'different' inner finish that required specialised Bar ends, not just any 18mm ones?

i think they are the same as any other non-threaded, 18mm handlebar! sorry for taking so long to respond, didn't see this until now

 

[cityhippie]

hey guys, thought i'd post an update on these!
after becoming a lot more experienced, using renthal street lows, becoming confident with faster cornering, and just being better than i used to be overall, i decided to give them another go
it all makes sense now! doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. certainly narrower but i got used to that because the lower body position is much nicer for me now
a few additional factors:

• i think as a beginner (a bit under a year of experience, not much actual ride time since i was unemployed and had nowhere to go), the change from the stock high position to the swallows was way too drastic. i thought if i just jumped in, i would get used to it. this was not the case
• i've lost a lot of weight since writing this review and am a lot physically (and mentally, which is nice) healthier, which helps against feeling fatigued and maybe even the weight feeling too far forward

some "negatives" maybe

• i might take a minute to get used to the low speed handling of these, but i am now a master of slow traffic from commuting daily
• i feel kind of funny about using these welded steel bars when i have the super high quality renthals
• i can't figure out how to adjust the right mirror to see anything other than the ground. this also is a positive because now i have an excuse to buy some cool bar end mirrors 😤

here's another picture of how my bike looks now. i wish i knew how to tidy the cables up a bit, but everything works just fine and maybe the race cockpit look is actually very cool and fashionable. who knows!

 

[hombacher]

Thank you for coming back to your own thread. Thanks as well for being spot on and pointing to the fact, that physical and mental fitness are the keystone for a healthy and joyful motorbike riding.


Regarding the cable, you shall go for a rerouting those. Both radius are far too small or tight. You may check if it is possible to swap the routings, clutch to the right side and throttle to the left side of the steering head when heading downwards.
The MT-07 are a little bit shorter, but this would be plan B, if rerouting does not work.

 

[cityhippie]

Thank you for coming back to your own thread. Thanks as well for being spot on and pointing to the fact, that physical and mental fitness are the keystone for a healthy and joyful motorbike riding.


Regarding the cable, you shall go for a rerouting those. Both radius are far too small or tight. You may check if it is possible to swap the routings, clutch to the right side and throttle to the left side of the steering head when heading downwards.
The MT-07 are a little bit shorter, but this would be plan B, if rerouting does not work.

thanks for the comment and tip! i'll see what information i can get about cable routing
edit: just so nobody worries, i have made sure the tension is just fine on both, so they function with no issues. however those huge loops curves might be stressing the cables as well as me whenever i look at them, which isn't great