Review: Cycle Gear Trackside CR HI Bend bars

The stock handlebars on the XJ have always bothered me. At first, I thought it was the height, then I rode a few bikes with dirt bike / mx style bars and I knew that was the fix but finding the right bar was turned out to be trial and error.

I started off with a set of bars that came stock on my friends Yamaha that he uses for flat track.  They were good but too wide.

The 2nd Annual Indianapolis Mad Max Run was fast approaching and I needed a solution.  So I picked up a set of Trackside steel CR HI Bend bars from CycleGear. In the store, I waffled between these and a set of FLY ATV bars that were taller.  The Trackside bars installed just as easy as any others with the exception that the left grip area is scored to help the grip stay in place.  I'm running heated grips with heat shrink tubing under the left side for added insulation, so this wasn't a big deal. However, it did cause an issue sliding my mirror mount on.  These bars are about an inch and a half shorter but with more pullback or sweep.  

The riding position is much better than stock in my opinion.  I feel like I have better control over the bike, especially over rough terrain.  To cut down on the buzz, I added a set of SPEEDMETAL milled bar ends.  They aren't as heavy as the stock set but they definitely help.