Clip Ons

[dgrimes]

I am going to gradually track my bike out and was wondering whether it was worth it to put on aftermarket clip ons. What is the advantage to this?

[Lowlypawn]

I think it depends on the bike whether it’s worth it or not. For example on my 954 the stock clipons have little risers built into them. This makes for a little more comfy ride on the street but on the track it makes it harder to get all the way down on the tank. Since it places my hands higher it makes me feel like I’m crowding my throttle hand on right turns.

So I have considered buying a set of clipons for my 954 since I don’t really care about street comfort anymore. But newer sportbikes already come with the straight clipons so I don’t really know what the benefit would be to change them. My guess is the aftermarket is cheaper to repair after a crash because of their modular design, you can just buy the part that is damaged.

[Grashopr]

The aftermarket clipons allow you to move the bars into a position where you have more leverage on the bar at more radical lean angles and they are usually lower than the stockers. Without the locating bolt, you can get a lap-timer-holder between the clipon hanger and the triple clamp. Plus when you crash, the bars are usually not the cheap pot-metal-aluminum that they make stockers out of, so they dont instantly snap when they hit the ground. A lot of guys can ride after a minor low-side when the bar doesn't bend much. Plus, as Lowlypawn stated, extra bars are only $8-$10, and you never really hurt the hangers, so it's easy to keep a couple spares in the trackday box and slide a new one on between sessions. Woodcrafts use a 2-peice hanger so even the hanger is easy to install and move if you need to.

[dgrimes]

Very informative.