Greenbrier Enduro, March 13th

[Wingfixer]

And it'll have a DAMN banner on it!

[J&J]

Its a big gray enclosed v-nose being pulled by Wingfixer's X-tended cab dark charcoal chevy PU with a topper on back.

SJ, You guys have any room in that rig? Or Bucho?

Jacob can't go so I'd be riding up solo

[Bucho]

[

SJ, You guys have any room in that rig? Or Bucho?

Jacob can't go so I'd be riding up solo

sent you an email J

[J&J]

Ok, narrow trees... Bar width???

[J&J]

Ok, narrow trees... Bar width???

How wide are your bars guys? I need to decide before putting on my barkbusters. Stock is a little over 32" & barkbusers will add another inch.
I've read plenty of controversy about skinny bars being hard to handle, how to weave through the trees, etc. Just wondering where some guys on here cut em. My Honda is about 30". Just a little leery about cutting new bars on a new bike

[Skinny-J]

J,

On all my bikes I have cut off 1/2" on each side so after adding bark-busters, the bars remain at their original width. This is what Rich Laferty recommended when we took his riding course. I can measure tonight but on my 2 Yamies, both bars are the stock pro-tapers and IIRC they are currently 32" with bark busters.

Think about it this way, how often are you really bangin through tight-ass trees? Set the bike up for how you use it MOST of the time and if occasionally you have to slow down and wiggle through a spot; so what. Start with 1/2" and if you don't like it, you can always cut off more (but its a lot harder to add it back on!)

The other option is to just ride a wheelie through the trees with the bars turned sideways...

SJ

[Marylander]

Ok, narrow trees... Bar width???

How wide are your bars guys? I need to decide before putting on my barkbusters. Stock is a little over 32" & barkbusers will add another inch.
I've read plenty of controversy about skinny bars being hard to handle, how to weave through the trees, etc. Just wondering where some guys on here cut em. My Honda is about 30". Just a little leery about cutting new bars on a new bike

In the dirtwise class we took Shane claimed that most pros don't cut their bars down at all (I asked him specifically). I haven't cut down my flexx bars but I also haven't been in any tight stuff since putting them on the bike... A long time ago I followed a guy who did a lot of wheelying through tight trees. He'd lift the front wheel, turn the bars so they'd fit through the trees, and then put the front wheel back down after getting through. Maybe you could try that. ;) I think I'd be on the ground a bunch if I tried that, particularly towards the end of the day.

Ah, just noticed that SJ mentioned the wheelie technique. ;)

[Skinny-J]

Watsy (to his close personal friends like me; who bought his DVD) also talks about a technique he calls the "Watsy-wiggle". It works best when standing and you kinda throw the bike side to side and "weave" the bars through the tight spot. This is what I try to do and it works fairly well when you need that x-tra inch or 2.

[Marylander]

Yep, that wiggle thing is what he teaches in the course (and is one of the many times he would say you should be standing up). There happened to be a reasonable spot to practice that where we took the course near winchester. That's what prompted me to ask the question. He felt the loss of control with cut down bars wasn't worth it since you can move through very narrow spaces by threading the bars through the trees.

All that said I thought the class was great but I haven't applied/practiced enough to have made it worthwhile. That's totally my fault of course...

[Rut Row]

fond memories of trying to get through tight trees

one of the few times I was haulin' ass in front of Wingflopper

clipped the left bar, slammed into the tree on the right side and ...