Replacing out your crf 110 bars is usually the particular very first factor many people do when they get a brand-new pit bike, and for good reason. If you've invested more than five mins on a stock Honda CRF110F, you are already aware that the manufacturing plant setup feels the bit like riding a tricycle via a rock garden. The stock bars are incredibly low, they're made of a soft steel that bends the 2nd you tip over, and if you're an adult biker, your knees are probably striking the grips every time you try to make a tight turn.
Improving to some set of aftermarket bars isn't just about making the bike appearance "pro"—though that's a nice bonus—it's really regarding ergonomics and toughness. When you put a set of top quality aluminum bars upon these bikes, the entire riding experience changes. You go through feeling cramped and hunched over to actually having the ability to stand up and manhandle the bike.
Why the Stock Bars Have in order to Go
Let's be honest: Honda didn't design the CRF110 for the 180-pound adult to send it more than a double at the local pit bicycle track. They developed it for kids learning the rules. Because of that, the stock crf 110 bars are narrow and low. For a kid, they're good. For anybody over 5 feet tall, they're a literal discomfort within the back.
The greatest issue along with the OEM bars is the material. They are made of mild metal. While steel is definitely cheap to produce, it has zero "memory. " In the event that you drop the particular bike on the hard-packed trail, there's the 90% chance your left side will be going to become an inch reduced than your correct side for typically the rest of the morning. Once you bend steel bars, attempting to bend them back usually just weakens them more until they ultimately snap. Aluminum bars, on the various other hand, are much even more resilient and can consider a serious beating without turning in to a pretzel.
Choosing Between 7/8" and Fat Bars
When a person start looking for new bars, you're going to run in to two main choices: the standard 7/8-inch bars or the 1-1/8-inch "fat bars. " This will be where things get interesting for the particular 110 crowd.
The 7/8-inch bars would be the easiest "plug and play" choice. Because the stock three-way clamp on the particular CRF110 is designed for 7/8-inch tubing, you can just swap the bars out without buying any extra equipment. Most people choose something like the particular ProTaper SE (Seven Eighths) series. They're strong, they look great, and they'll bolt up to your stock clamps.
If a person want to proceed the "fat bar" route, you're looking at a bit more work. Because these bars are thicker in the middle, these people won't fit in the stock bar mounts. You'll possibly need a group of universal bar mount adapters or, if you actually want to do it right, an aftermarket top triple clamp. Fat bars are definitely more powerful plus they do the better job of dampening vibration, but for most casual pit bike cyclists, the 7/8-inch lightweight aluminum bars are even more than enough.
The "Honda Mini" Bend
When you look for crf 110 bars , you'll see the expression "Honda Mini" flex pop up almost everywhere. This is actually the gold standard for pit bicycles. Brands like ProTaper and Renthal particularly designed this bend to give mini bikes the height and width they require for adult bikers without feeling such as you're riding a chopper.
The particular Honda Mini flex typically offers a much more rise (height) and a much flatter carry (how much the particular bars pull back again toward you). By reducing the carry, it moves your hands further forward, which opens up the cockpit and provides your knees more room to inhale. When you mix these bars with a tall seat foam, the CRF110 suddenly seems like a scaled-down motocross bike instead of the toy.
Don't Your investment Cables
One thing people often worry about when setting up taller crf 110 bars is usually whether the share cables will reach. It's a legitimate issue. If you opt for a massive "high rise" bar, a person might find your own throttle or brake pedal cable getting tight when you change the bars most the way towards the lock.
Nevertheless, with most "Mini High" or "Honda Mini" bends, you are able to usually make the stock cables function. The secret is often within the routing. Occasionally you have to reroute the accelerator cable behind the fork leg or even move the brake line slightly to get that additional inch of slack. If you're going really tall—like several of the BMX-style bars people put on these bikes—you will almost certainly need to buy prolonged cables. But intended for the standard aftermarket replacement MX-style bar, you're usually safe using the stock setup.
The Installation Process
Swapping your own bars is a pretty straightforward Weekend afternoon project. You'll need to strip almost everything off the old bars: the grips, the particular throttle tube, the particular kill switch, and the brake handle.
The quick tip for the grips: the share Honda grips are usually vulcanized (basically melted) onto the throttle tube. Instead of spending an hour trying to scrape the rubber away from with a razor blade blade, just invest the ten bucks and purchase a brand-new plastic throttle pipe. It'll save you a massive headache create the throttle sense much smoother anyhow.
When you're mounting the brand-new crf 110 bars , don't tighten almost everything down immediately. Sit down on the bike, put the bars in the clamps, and rotate them forward and back again until they sense natural. Some individuals like them pulled back for any more relaxed feel, while some "pro-taper" them ahead to give all of them more leverage more than the front. As soon as you find the sweet spot, tighten up the clamp mounting bolts in a cross-pattern in order to ensure even stress.
Improving the particular Feel from the Bicycle
The difference in "feel" after changing your crf 110 bars is definitely hard to explain until you actually trip it. Aluminum bars have a different flex characteristic than steel. They soak upward those little high-frequency vibrations which make your own hands go numb during a lengthy ride.
More importantly, the additional width gives you way more handle. The stock bars are so slim the steering can feel "twitchy" at high speeds. Along with a wider set of bars, there is a longer lever to utilize, which makes the bike feel very much more stable via ruts and more than bumps. It's the particular single biggest confidence booster you can buy regarding a 110.
Final Thoughts on Upgrading
When you're on the particular fence about investing the money upon new crf 110 bars , just look at your stock ones. If they aren't bent yet, these people will be. It's not a matter of if , it's a matter of when .
Whether a person go using the traditional ProTaper Honda Small bend, a collection of Renthals, or even some thing from a boutique pit bike brand like BBR, you're going to be content with the results. It's one associated with those rare adjustments where you obtain a huge come back on investment within terms of both comfort and sturdiness. Plus, let's become real—a set of anodized bars along with a fresh club pad just makes the bike look 10 times cooler sitting in the garage.
As soon as you have the bars sorted, you'll probably realize you need much better footpegs plus a taller seat to match the new ergonomics, but that's the attractiveness (and the curse) of the pit bicycle world. It almost all starts with the bars, and following that, the sky may be the control for your little CRF.