[hayitsnik]

Sorry for the stupid question, I'm new to riding, and I'm having a hard time figuring out that sweet spot for how I should be sitting. I find myself leaning forward/arching my back to get lower like I'm on a crotch rocket or something. This results in my back starting to hurt - should my back be straight while I'm riding? If I do that, my arms are like 90% extended which makes it a bit harder for me to turn correctly, but its less strain on my back. What am I doing wrong? haha.
Thanks for any input.

 

[Kenny G]

Nik,

How tall are you?

Kenny G

 

[ithiel]

Same here. Just picked up my bike today and faced the same question. I was riding a Yamaha Nmax up until now, sitting completely up-right. I'm 5.6".

I remember Ryan from FortNine saying mentioning the same thing in his review of the Rebel, and I think he's way taller than me.

 

[Lyoko]

I'm 1,86 m tall, and I've been recommended to use a kidney belt. Helps with keeping the back more straight and less strained.
I've not experienced much pain or hassle without one so far, so I haven't gotten one yet, but might be worth looking into.

 

[FLrebel]

Give yourself some time since your a new rider and I'm sure you'll find the best position for you. Believe we all have different stances on the bike (height/weight), and eventually we find that "Sweet Spot" sooner or later.

 

[Djdavies]

You may want to rotate your handlebars closer to you. They will get a bit lower as well, but it might work for you. It worked for me.

 

[Jskafff]

^^^ definitely. I rotated the bars towards me and even that little bit helped with comfort a lot for me. As for the sweet spot you just have to figure it out, it's different for everyone. Personally I lean forward a bit because I feel like my back takes less of a beating compared to sitting fully upright.

 

[Djdavies]

^^^ definitely. I rotated the bars towards me and even that little bit helped with comfort a lot for me. As for the sweet spot you just have to figure it out, it's different for everyone. Personally I lean forward a bit because I feel like my back takes less of a beating compared to sitting fully upright.

For some reason people to tend to just leave things the way they came, and adjust themselves to fit. There isn't an adjustable part on this bike that I haven't adjusted. Twice.

 

[hammad.khan]

^^^ definitely. I rotated the bars towards me and even that little bit helped with comfort a lot for me. As for the sweet spot you just have to figure it out, it's different for everyone. Personally I lean forward a bit because I feel like my back takes less of a beating compared to sitting fully upright.

Hey, how does one do that exactly? A quick run down for beginners would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Jskafff]

Hey, how does one do that exactly? A quick run down for beginners would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

To rotate the bars?

- Remove the gauge cluster (2 allen head bolts facing the front of the bike) to gain better access to the stem bolts.
- Loosen the 4 allen head bolts on the stem where the bars are held in place.
- Adjust bars to desired position.
- Re-tighten stem bolts and re-attach gauge cluster.
- If needed, loosen the allen head bolts on the levers to adjust their angle if you are not comfortable with them after the bars are rotated.

A few extra tips:
Be careful not to strip the bolts when removing, they are not the strongest. Don't force it while trying to loosen them. Make sure your allen wrench has a nice tight fit, and if they are being stubborn try tapping the allen wrench to help break the bolt loose rather than leaning on it harder.

Be careful not to strip the stem bolts when re-tightening. They don't need to be cranked down insanely tight, just make sure they're tight and nothing is moving. For re-install on parts like these I like to use a short length allen wrench to help keep me from torquing them down too hard.

If you have a 300 I'd re-check the bolts after a few rides to make sure everything is still tight since they vibrate so much. Especially on a 300, that's probably a good thing to do any time you work on the bike.

 

[ithiel]

Thanks! Jskafff for the detailed how-to. I'm going to give it a go.

Do you happen to know if there's any engineered intention for the factory defined angle and if Honda has angle markings on the bar hidden somewhere?
Also, do you know if these bolts have any torque values I can use?

 

[Jskafff]

There's no markings that I know of but it's not an engineered angle really. Bars, levers, etc are all adjustable so people can tailor the bike to making them comfortable. You wouldn't buy a car and never adjust the mirrors/seat.

As for torque values there probably is somewhere but it's not really important on something like this. Tight enough where the bars don't rotate when you push and pull on them but not holy crap tight where it feels like you're about to strip the bolts.

 

[hammad.khan]

To rotate the bars?

- Remove the gauge cluster (2 allen head bolts facing the front of the bike) to gain better access to the stem bolts.
- Loosen the 4 allen head bolts on the stem where the bars are held in place.
- Adjust bars to desired position.
- Re-tighten stem bolts and re-attach gauge cluster.
- If needed, loosen the allen head bolts on the levers to adjust their angle if you are not comfortable with them after the bars are rotated.

A few extra tips:
Be careful not to strip the bolts when removing, they are not the strongest. Don't force it while trying to loosen them. Make sure your allen wrench has a nice tight fit, and if they are being stubborn try tapping the allen wrench to help break the bolt loose rather than leaning on it harder.

Be careful not to strip the stem bolts when re-tightening. They don't need to be cranked down insanely tight, just make sure they're tight and nothing is moving. For re-install on parts like these I like to use a short length allen wrench to help keep me from torquing them down too hard.

If you have a 300 I'd re-check the bolts after a few rides to make sure everything is still tight since they vibrate so much. Especially on a 300, that's probably a good thing to do any time you work on the bike.

Big time thanks friend. I'll see if I have the chops to give it a go. I always think I'll screw something up and stop. Love the bike too much.

 

[zohararad]

Big time thanks friend. I'll see if I have the chops to give it a go. I always think I'll screw something up and stop. Love the bike too much.

I just followed above instructions and adjusted the bars by pulling them back a bit. Am happy with the angle for now. It was a 10m job with two Allen wrenches. Easy as pie.

I'm going to try and adjust further as needed until​ I get a slightly forward-leaning riding position, so my lower back and back side are under less strain

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[zohararad]

Just finished a 180km ride, with one quick stop for gas, water and cig. Handlebars adjustment is good, and I was making an effort to keep myself leaning forward, ass to back of the seat, legs pulled back whenever possible. Happy to say that my ass didn't hurt as much, my back was mostly pain free (I do have a backpack so it does put some extra strain). Along with seat padding I'm pretty pleased for now.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[JimInOz]

Thanks! Jskafff for the detailed how-to. I'm going to give it a go.

Do you happen to know if there's any engineered intention for the factory defined angle and if Honda has angle markings on the bar hidden somewhere?
Also, do you know if these bolts have any torque values I can use?

Full torque values should be in the workshop service manual (anybody have one?).

The owners manual has some basic values (see attached) and I've also added a generic chart I found some time ago.

As Jskafff said, use the right tools and it should be enough.

Cheers

Jim

 

[Djdavies]

They set the bars in line with the designers vision. Or wherever they happen to land as they snap these together.

Be aware that the switches -turn signal on the left and starter on the right do have a locator nub that drops into a hole on the handlebars. When you rotate the bars, these will rotate with it. Maybe too far down in my case. I drilled new holes in the bars so that I could rotate the switches back up into a better position.

 

[ithiel]

So I got hold of a good set of short handle allen keys and rotated the handlebars. I managed to rotate them by about 10 degrees before hitting some limitations.
It seems there is a marker dot on the bars and I used that as reference (see attached photo). After rotating the bars I had to rotate the brake and clutch levers to match.

The first limitation I noticed was the position of the brake lever against the throttle grip box. I got is as close as possible without limiting its motion. I think I might need to push the brake clamp further down the bar to give it more space.

The second limitation was the distance between the indicators switch and the tank. I got it as close as possible to let my finger safely fit without potentially getting caught.

I would like to reposition the grip switches as well, but drilling into the handlebars is too advanced for me at this stage.

 

[Rebelution]

My dealer delivered my bike with its bars as low as possible, and it felt wrong. All the buttons were dang-near underneath the bars. I also couldn't get the mirrors adjusted properly, the bar was so out of whack, nearly hitting the tank.

Today, I adjusted the bars up, what a difference! I aimed to get the mirror-stalks as vertical as possible, and lo and behold, I then saw THE MARK!

Do you happen to know if there's any engineered intention for the factory defined angle and if Honda has angle markings on the bar hidden somewhere?

Once I got the bars UP to where I thought they should be, I saw a small yellow dot, painted on the bars, and it was now lined up perfectly with the separation of the riser clamp. I'm guessing this is how it was engineered to be. Handles a lot better, more control, and more comfortable too, especially now being able to reach the buttons better and see the mirrors better.

It seems there is a marker dot on the bars and I used that as reference (see attached photo).