APRIL 15, 2008
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Product: Easton EXP HandlebarsBy Steve Matthes
You’ve heard what they say, right? Bigger is better? At least that’s what Cosmo magazine always tells me. The handlebar market has stayed the same since about 1990 or so when Answer debuted its Pro Taper crossbar-less handlebar. The size of the bar went up as well from 7/8ths to 1 and 1/8th in diameter. Who made that bar for Answer? None other than Easton sports, the same company that has made baseball bats and hockey sticks for years. Easton is very familiar with aluminum and all its strengths and weaknesses.
So in the last few years, Answer has taken its manufacturing of the Pro Taper overseas, and I suppose the Easton guys got bored, and thought that the off-road motorcycle market needed something new, something that could shake the foundation of all the other handlebar companies. So this year Easton is introducing its brand new handlebar: the Easton EXP handlebar system. After years of research the boys there determined that bigger is better also, as the EXP bar is a ginormous 1 and 3/8ths! It has the same features that their revolutionary Pro Taper has (no crossbar, oversize strength).
Features
Intelligent flex design. The walls of the bar stay stiff enough so when you’re charging through the whoops or hit a big jump, they stay in place. Yet they flex enough to absorb the small stuff and reduce rider fatigue.
Taperwall technology: This is developed by Easton using state of the art techniques that they used with their bats and sticks. The idea behind this is that Easton can now change the taper inside the bar for different applications. Basically, the walls are designed to absorb shock and make the ride plusher for you.
Of course, with bigger bars come bigger clamps and Easton also makes those for the EXP bar. The clamps are available in different offsets and heights to fit your desires. As far as bar bends, Easton has nine different ones including freestyle and woods height. You really can’t compare them as far as measurements go with their competitors because the bar mounts themselves are higher so the height and sweep is adjusted for that.
Track Tested
So with all that in mind and two complete sets of bars and mounts, my buddy Fireman Ron and I went out and tested them. Installation was easy as it was on an 08 KX450F and an 08 YZ450F. One thing that was a little funky was the fact that on Ron’s YZ450, the bolts had a bit of slop in the clamp, they were not a tight fit. Once on the bike, there was no movement detected however. On my Kawasaki, I use a Pro Circuit top clamp and I was happy to see that the Easton mounts bolted on as if it were a stock one.
Ron uses the Enzo Racing fork bottles on his bike, and the oversized bar came really close to the fitting on the top of the fork, but we got some new 90 degree elbows from Enzo and it worked perfectly. (Just an FYI for Enzo customers who want to use this bar.)
The eight bolt tightening system on the bar mount was a bit of a pain as it took a bit longer than usual to adjust, but what’s cool about it is that you can leave the front ones tight, loosen just the back ones and the bar will move in the mounts for you to adjust. Except for the non-tight fit on the YZ’s (which we never felt on the track) fitment was superb and easy to do.
Out on the track the bar worked great and Ron is a Henry/Reed bend normally and pounds laps out like a maniac. He immediately adapted to the Easton bar that was closest to that bend and never noticed any change. This, despite a deceptive look to the bar when used with the mounts. He reported that he thought they were stiffer than his Pro Tapers, but that wasn’t a bad thing at all. It felt very responsive out on the track and didn’t feel like any shock was transferred to his wrists/hands.
I normally use a Renthal Twinwall bar which is probably the stiffest bar out on the market. As a casual rider, I, like a lot of you reading this, suffer the dreaded arm/hand pump that comes with not riding that much. It frustrates me to no end that I cannot hang onto my bike out on the track and I don’t feel like whiskey throttling it into a fence. I honestly have to say that I felt like I can ride harder, for longer, when I put this bar on. I think that the crossbar-less design and the Taperwall ingenuity really makes the bar flex enough so that I can enjoy my riding more. The bar didn’t do anything funny and I felt like it really extended my riding time; that’s always a good thing.
The crossbar pad is a big honkin’ piece of rubber that fits very tight onto the bar, and Easton claims that no zip-ties are needed to secure it. They are right as I never used them and the pad stayed in place as well. I did notice that the Yamaha of Troy mechanics use a zip-tie but at that level, there’s nothing left to chance. I also felt like the pad would actually protect you if you slammed against it, unlike some other ones out there.
Easton came out swinging with this bar also introducing their new grips as well. They are the usual half waffle and full waffle with hard and soft compounds. I didn’t use them but Fireman Ron did and announced that they would now be his grip of choice, he was that impressed by them.
Verdict
Overall, we were impressed and happy with everything that Easton has introduced. The fit and finish are all very good and the bar is cool looking. The bend and mount options should take care of pretty much everybody. Ron did crash on them and even changed them after he said they were bent. Upon further examination, however, I don’t think the bar bent at all and Ron was just a weirdo. The Easton EXP bar system is recommended by the RXC crew!
You’ve heard what they say, right? Bigger is better? At least that’s what Cosmo magazine always tells me. The handlebar market has stayed the same since about 1990 or so when Answer debuted its Pro Taper crossbar-less handlebar. The size of the bar went up as well from 7/8ths to 1 and 1/8th in diameter. Who made that bar for Answer? None other than Easton sports, the same company that has made baseball bats and hockey sticks for years. Easton is very familiar with aluminum and all its strengths and weaknesses.
So in the last few years, Answer has taken its manufacturing of the Pro Taper overseas, and I suppose the Easton guys got bored, and thought that the off-road motorcycle market needed something new, something that could shake the foundation of all the other handlebar companies. So this year Easton is introducing its brand new handlebar: the Easton EXP handlebar system. After years of research the boys there determined that bigger is better also, as the EXP bar is a ginormous 1 and 3/8ths! It has the same features that their revolutionary Pro Taper has (no crossbar, oversize strength).
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Here you can see Easton's eight bolt allen key system. What's cool is that you can leave the front ones tight and adjust your bars with only the rear ones loose. |
Features
Intelligent flex design. The walls of the bar stay stiff enough so when you’re charging through the whoops or hit a big jump, they stay in place. Yet they flex enough to absorb the small stuff and reduce rider fatigue.
Taperwall technology: This is developed by Easton using state of the art techniques that they used with their bats and sticks. The idea behind this is that Easton can now change the taper inside the bar for different applications. Basically, the walls are designed to absorb shock and make the ride plusher for you.
Of course, with bigger bars come bigger clamps and Easton also makes those for the EXP bar. The clamps are available in different offsets and heights to fit your desires. As far as bar bends, Easton has nine different ones including freestyle and woods height. You really can’t compare them as far as measurements go with their competitors because the bar mounts themselves are higher so the height and sweep is adjusted for that.
Track Tested
So with all that in mind and two complete sets of bars and mounts, my buddy Fireman Ron and I went out and tested them. Installation was easy as it was on an 08 KX450F and an 08 YZ450F. One thing that was a little funky was the fact that on Ron’s YZ450, the bolts had a bit of slop in the clamp, they were not a tight fit. Once on the bike, there was no movement detected however. On my Kawasaki, I use a Pro Circuit top clamp and I was happy to see that the Easton mounts bolted on as if it were a stock one.
Ron uses the Enzo Racing fork bottles on his bike, and the oversized bar came really close to the fitting on the top of the fork, but we got some new 90 degree elbows from Enzo and it worked perfectly. (Just an FYI for Enzo customers who want to use this bar.)
The eight bolt tightening system on the bar mount was a bit of a pain as it took a bit longer than usual to adjust, but what’s cool about it is that you can leave the front ones tight, loosen just the back ones and the bar will move in the mounts for you to adjust. Except for the non-tight fit on the YZ’s (which we never felt on the track) fitment was superb and easy to do.
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|
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Here is Ron in action carving up Perris raceway. My photography skills seriously suck but the bars look good! |
Out on the track the bar worked great and Ron is a Henry/Reed bend normally and pounds laps out like a maniac. He immediately adapted to the Easton bar that was closest to that bend and never noticed any change. This, despite a deceptive look to the bar when used with the mounts. He reported that he thought they were stiffer than his Pro Tapers, but that wasn’t a bad thing at all. It felt very responsive out on the track and didn’t feel like any shock was transferred to his wrists/hands.
I normally use a Renthal Twinwall bar which is probably the stiffest bar out on the market. As a casual rider, I, like a lot of you reading this, suffer the dreaded arm/hand pump that comes with not riding that much. It frustrates me to no end that I cannot hang onto my bike out on the track and I don’t feel like whiskey throttling it into a fence. I honestly have to say that I felt like I can ride harder, for longer, when I put this bar on. I think that the crossbar-less design and the Taperwall ingenuity really makes the bar flex enough so that I can enjoy my riding more. The bar didn’t do anything funny and I felt like it really extended my riding time; that’s always a good thing.
The crossbar pad is a big honkin’ piece of rubber that fits very tight onto the bar, and Easton claims that no zip-ties are needed to secure it. They are right as I never used them and the pad stayed in place as well. I did notice that the Yamaha of Troy mechanics use a zip-tie but at that level, there’s nothing left to chance. I also felt like the pad would actually protect you if you slammed against it, unlike some other ones out there.
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|
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Easton offers grips now too! |
Easton came out swinging with this bar also introducing their new grips as well. They are the usual half waffle and full waffle with hard and soft compounds. I didn’t use them but Fireman Ron did and announced that they would now be his grip of choice, he was that impressed by them.
Verdict
Overall, we were impressed and happy with everything that Easton has introduced. The fit and finish are all very good and the bar is cool looking. The bend and mount options should take care of pretty much everybody. Ron did crash on them and even changed them after he said they were bent. Upon further examination, however, I don’t think the bar bent at all and Ron was just a weirdo. The Easton EXP bar system is recommended by the RXC crew!
