monster 1100s , ? - Page 2

Mr Gazza · 19-01-2019, 01:10 PM

I'd second everything Flip said in his earlier post.
We're both probably old skool type Motorcyclist who believe the cheque book isn't always the first answer. (Showing my age there! It's the card or PayPal account now!)

So adding to what Flip said. I would also sit on the bike, preferably on a paddock stand, with the front chocked level if possible (in the absence of a centre stand...Oops there goes the age again!)
As well as loosening the lever assys, also loosen the bar clamps so the bars will revolve with a bit of resistance.
You can then pop your feet on the pegs and morph the bars and levers into a relaxing position, noting Flips comments about finger and wrist orientation. In this loose state the bars will not take your weight, you will find yourself compensating with your lower back and thigh muscles.. That's the feedback as to where you will be most comfortable.
Tighten everything in a chosen position and try again, noting your back and thigh muscles letting off, but your shoulders and/or wrists taking over. A couple of goes should get things sweet.
Also to consider is the position of your bum, fore and aft in the saddle.
The air pressure at high speeds, will turn the weight on the bars into a negative force, and you find yourself gripping too hard and pulling on the bars...Bad! I find it very advantageous to shift back slightly when high speed cruising. This restores the balance and comfort.
The reverse is true when in town at slower speeds.. Move forwards to relieve your wrists and shoulders of the weight.
The riding position is a dynamic. You only have to watch a few seconds of a racing rider to confirm that! Shifting about a bit on a long journey helps to keep you comfortable and sharp.

M900Sie... Most comfortable bike of 43 machines over 45 years.

vince53 · 19-01-2019, 04:31 PM

thanks all ,thanks Gasa, will have a play around with it and see how it all feels , not moved a thing yet since buying it so should be able to make things more in-fitting for me * ) thx vince .

SunEye · 19-01-2019, 10:10 PM

Whilst doing everything that Mr Gazza said also be aware of the difference a centimetre or two makes in the position of your hands width wise. The M1100 bars are quite wide. Hold the grips towards their outer edge and compare the feeling with holding them as far in as possible. I found that having my hands as far in as possible was more comfortable. On both my M1100 and M1100evo I chopped about 1cm off each end of the bars and fitted grips that were shorter than the stock ones. That kept my hands in a position that my shoulders found more comfortable.

Flip · 20-01-2019, 10:02 AM

[QUOTE=Mr Gazza;562184]I'd second everything Flip said in his earlier post.
We're both probably old skool type Motorcyclist who believe the cheque book isn't always the first answer. (Showing my age there! It's the card or PayPal account now!)QUOTE]

Yes I think you are probably right there Mr G, started out riding bikes with the philosophy if we couldn't repair them- we couldn't ride them.

Anyway, good call on loosening off the clamp bolts as well as I overlooked those in my post.

Also a good call from Suneye on the width of the bars themselves.

Drawing on the mountain bike scene where the recent trend has been to use a shorter stem length to speed up steering by effectively shortening the top tube of the frame and then trimming that faster steering by using wider handlebars.

It all looks very cool and macho but as soon as your hands are spread out much wider than your shoulders it means your wrists have to turn in to hold the grips which after a (fairly short) while starts to cause pain while riding.

On another point but going on from the old skool motorcyclist in me- I went for a ride on the Monster yesterday, the weather was pretty chilly down here and so I wore an extra thick 'Submariner' style jumper which was a bit more bunched up around the cuffs under my leather jacket than usual which again could, if it was any more cause a bit of wrist ache by restricting some movement there.

Luddite · 20-01-2019, 11:09 AM

Just a quick reminder for after you've made any adjustments; make sure you still have clearance between the bars and tank. The air vents on the 696/796/1100 are designed to accommodate the switchgear at full lock. If you change the bar position you may find that the switches no longer line up with the vents. If that's the case, you might need to adjust the lockstops to give you the necessary clearance. Better to find that out in the garage rather than when you do your next U-turn!

crawsue · 23-01-2019, 09:18 AM

As a general thought, I preferred the shorter bar and shape of the 696, both aesthetically and in use ,to the standard Evo bars. But then I had a made a major mod to the seat height on my 696.... absolutely transformed the riding position.....for the better.

19-01-2019, 01:10 PM	#16
Mr Gazza Lord of the Rings Join Date: May 2013 Location: Norwich Bike: M900sie Posts: 5,795	I'd second everything Flip said in his earlier post. We're both probably old skool type Motorcyclist who believe the cheque book isn't always the first answer. (Showing my age there! It's the card or PayPal account now!) So adding to what Flip said. I would also sit on the bike, preferably on a paddock stand, with the front chocked level if possible (in the absence of a centre stand...Oops there goes the age again!) As well as loosening the lever assys, also loosen the bar clamps so the bars will revolve with a bit of resistance. You can then pop your feet on the pegs and morph the bars and levers into a relaxing position, noting Flips comments about finger and wrist orientation. In this loose state the bars will not take your weight, you will find yourself compensating with your lower back and thigh muscles.. That's the feedback as to where you will be most comfortable. Tighten everything in a chosen position and try again, noting your back and thigh muscles letting off, but your shoulders and/or wrists taking over. A couple of goes should get things sweet. Also to consider is the position of your bum, fore and aft in the saddle. The air pressure at high speeds, will turn the weight on the bars into a negative force, and you find yourself gripping too hard and pulling on the bars...Bad! I find it very advantageous to shift back slightly when high speed cruising. This restores the balance and comfort. The reverse is true when in town at slower speeds.. Move forwards to relieve your wrists and shoulders of the weight. The riding position is a dynamic. You only have to watch a few seconds of a racing rider to confirm that! Shifting about a bit on a long journey helps to keep you comfortable and sharp. M900Sie... Most comfortable bike of 43 machines over 45 years. __________________ Last edited by Mr Gazza; 19-01-2019 at 01:13 PM..

20-01-2019, 10:02 AM	#19
Flip Registered User Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Beachtown Bike: M900 Posts: 2,188	[QUOTE=Mr Gazza;562184]I'd second everything Flip said in his earlier post. We're both probably old skool type Motorcyclist who believe the cheque book isn't always the first answer. (Showing my age there! It's the card or PayPal account now!)QUOTE] Yes I think you are probably right there Mr G, started out riding bikes with the philosophy if we couldn't repair them- we couldn't ride them. Anyway, good call on loosening off the clamp bolts as well as I overlooked those in my post. Also a good call from Suneye on the width of the bars themselves. Drawing on the mountain bike scene where the recent trend has been to use a shorter stem length to speed up steering by effectively shortening the top tube of the frame and then trimming that faster steering by using wider handlebars. It all looks very cool and macho but as soon as your hands are spread out much wider than your shoulders it means your wrists have to turn in to hold the grips which after a (fairly short) while starts to cause pain while riding. On another point but going on from the old skool motorcyclist in me- I went for a ride on the Monster yesterday, the weather was pretty chilly down here and so I wore an extra thick 'Submariner' style jumper which was a bit more bunched up around the cuffs under my leather jacket than usual which again could, if it was any more cause a bit of wrist ache by restricting some movement there. __________________ You're perfect, yes, it's true- But without me you're only you!

19-01-2019, 04:31 PM	#17
vince53 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: taunton Bike: M1100s Posts: 41	thanks all ,thanks Gasa, will have a play around with it and see how it all feels , not moved a thing yet since buying it so should be able to make things more in-fitting for me * ) thx vince .

19-01-2019, 10:10 PM	#18
SunEye Registered User Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Bognor Regis Bike: Other Ducati Posts: 589	Whilst doing everything that Mr Gazza said also be aware of the difference a centimetre or two makes in the position of your hands width wise. The M1100 bars are quite wide. Hold the grips towards their outer edge and compare the feeling with holding them as far in as possible. I found that having my hands as far in as possible was more comfortable. On both my M1100 and M1100evo I chopped about 1cm off each end of the bars and fitted grips that were shorter than the stock ones. That kept my hands in a position that my shoulders found more comfortable.

20-01-2019, 11:09 AM	#20
Luddite Registered User Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Southampton Bike: M1100evo Posts: 2,465	Just a quick reminder for after you've made any adjustments; make sure you still have clearance between the bars and tank. The air vents on the 696/796/1100 are designed to accommodate the switchgear at full lock. If you change the bar position you may find that the switches no longer line up with the vents. If that's the case, you might need to adjust the lockstops to give you the necessary clearance. Better to find that out in the garage rather than when you do your next U-turn!

23-01-2019, 09:18 AM	#21
crawsue Bronze Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Glasgow Bike: M1100evo Posts: 256	As a general thought, I preferred the shorter bar and shape of the 696, both aesthetically and in use ,to the standard Evo bars. But then I had a made a major mod to the seat height on my 696.... absolutely transformed the riding position.....for the better.