Cafe racer style
 

Hi, I saw Kevinj cafe racer bike and fell in love like many other onthis forum. I'd like to emulate that style but I'm having trouble selecting fitting clip on handlebar. Can someone please give me some pointer on what to look for, which model would fit my gz250? Also is "easy" to install or is it better to have a shop install them? thank you for the help.

Well, all of these bikes had 7/8" handlebars. You can find any style that you like in 7/8" and just got from there.

You may need to trim your cables if you get something extremely low or they will bunch up too much.

Thank you, do you think it's something that can be done by yourself or do you think you need the help of a professional for such a job?

If you can mess around with bicycles then you can handle motorcycles.

You're going to want to go ahead and order new grips, get some cable lube, a good set of screw drivers and allen wrenches and you'll be ready to go.

Throttle and controls won't come off without first removing the bar-ends.

Could you please link me to some suitable handlebars please? English is not my first language and I'm having a hard time finding some suitable ones. From what I gather I need some with 7/8 fork width and 37mm "something", is that even right? Thank you for the help, and sorry for the annoyance.

Fantastic job on the English. No worries. This forum exists to help other riders or it doesn't exist at all.

http://www.jpcycles.com/product/ZZ50600 - $22.99

http://www.jpcycles.com/product/634-912 - $89.99

http://www.jpcycles.com/product/ZZ50595 - $27.99

http://www.jpcycles.com/product/ZZ50579 - $26.99

I would personally choose the last one, as it's quite low but not quite as extreme as a flat bar. While these extremely low bars may look really cool, they change the angle at which you have to lean to control them, and that can wear on your back if you use your bike for moderate or daily use.

Thank you, great informations ! I will probably end up buying the one you pointed out. Also thank you for the compliment on my english, I appreciate a lot !
If I may ask some other questions : Will I be able to fit bar end mirrors on those?
And another question : I want to fit a crash guard on my motorcycle, will any do or do I need for a gz250 specific one? Once again thank you for the time you're taking to answer me.

Golem, what part of the world are you in? It would help a lot as some aftermarket products are U.S. based and some are European based. The availability and shipping is a major concern with some products.

I'm currently living in the USA, so there shouldn't need any problems to ship to me.
I ordered the handlebars that johnathan pointed to, do you think I need anything else to have the job done? New grips, lube etc? Thank you

Grips, yes. It will make your job easier to just cut the old ones off with a razor blade and put the new ones on after you're all said and done.

Yes, also, on the bar end mirrors. Just get them for 7/8" handlebars.

For lube when installing new grips, you can simply use hairspray to lube the interior for installation. Then, once it dries, it works like a light glue to help hold everything in place.

GRIPS - http://www.jpcycles.com/product/ZZ50766

GRIPS GUIDE: http://antihero.fileburst.com/bikes/...laceGrips.html

MIRRORS - http://www.jpcycles.com/product/405-505 (PAIR)
MIRRORS - http://www.jpcycles.com/product/ZZ76048 (INDIVIDUAL)

That's keeping it on the cheap - feel free to shop around some. Check E-bay too.

In the photo shown of my old Ninja, you can see my lowered risers and new grips installed. I used the above method and everything was flawless.

Thank you, really useful info ! I ordered all the things you recommended, I'll make sure to come back and report when I receive and install the parts.
I'm going to ask you one last thingg, can you tell me more about crash guards? Will any fit my bike or do I need to buy a specific one for the gz250?

If you buy the ones for the GZ250 they will fit readily to the mounting points. Even the ones for the GZ125 will not fit the 250 (they sent me the wrong ones first) due to the 250 having two pipes, against the 125's single pipe. I'm not saying that others will not fit, but getting the correct one means that it will fit first time. Some of the problems we've heard include being so close to the pedals that your foot hits the bars when braking or changing gear, so I really think that you'd be better getting the ones specifically for the Gz250.

Thank you ! This forum is really a nice & cozy place, really useful stuff and nice people. Thank you for your imput, it's much appreciated!

MC Enterprises has a full size engine guard for the GZ. It is a quality product. Lynda had their bar on her M-50 Suzuki and I thought they were a worthwhile buy.

I have a Barons bar on my VStar. You can purchase one for the GZ250 here:

http://www.phatperformanceparts.com/...ba-7182-00.htm


:)

That is another nice looking option.

How can I make the bar end mirrors fit? I bought them universal size 7/8 but the hole in the handle is way too small to insert the screw in? Is there a way to do it or did I order the wrong mirrors?

Have you got a pic or a link to the mirrors you purchased.

Is there one like this with foot pegs on it too? When I'm on the back roads my legs get tired being crapped up on the regular pegs.

Here they are http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nice full size bars. :tup: You should hunt around for pegs that will bolt on and have some adjustability to suit the position where you want your feet.

You do realize that the end of the rubber grip has to have a large enough opening to allow insertion of the mirror anchor.

I figured it out, I just had to remove the rubber thingy inside the handlebars. I'll post pictures later on, I'm pretty satisfied with the result.

That's the mirrors that I use.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/...59971c84_c.jpg

That would do it. :tup:

Sure looks like the Dragon to me. Been there done that in 2007 for the July 4th weekend. Rented a KLR 650.

Here's some pics of the mirrors I installed !
http://imgur.com/a/D5cwn
Next thing I think about doing is to install the 16 T sprocket and change the Handlebars !

Another question while I'm at it. I use my bike to go to work everyday and it's hot where I live (100 degrees). Every time I hop on the bike, I can hear air escaping briefly from the gas tank hole. Is it normal? I suspect it's the air created by the evaporating gas escaping but being a newbie I don't want to draw conclusions too fast. So..Is it normal or should I be worried?

The gas cap has a built in vent to allow for expansion and contraction of the gas.

Ok, thank you !

Further food for thought for you. The vent will not allow a vacuum to build up in the tank as the level drops. That would likely stop the gas from flowing to the carb. You can run out of gas with half a tank remaining. An easy temporary fix is just removing the gas cap for a moment to equalize the air pressure and continue on.

Thanks man, really helpful stuff right here !