Narrow bars are ok, as long as you don't go fast...very fast.

 

Is it really that bad when you do high speeds with narrow bars? I like doing 90-up on some stretches, though rarely. My city is too small and the roads are too bumpy for high speeds for long times.

 

You'll be fine. 25-27 inch bars are rock solid well into the 110s

 

Mine are 26" wide...I ride very fast sometimes and have never experienced a stability problem.

 

Maybe I should rephrase that.

Narrow bars offer reduced leverage when initiating a lean, when at a very high speeds. The rider has to overcome increased gyroscopic effects...

That's what I was thinking when I wrote the earlier post. I see it wasn't read that way. Oops!

 

This is 100%, factually-correct information. The good news is, however, is that the vast majority of narrow bars are rislerless. A riserless bar transfers energy into the triple trees without the added play of a multi-piece set up. When combined with high-end bushings, you can very easily come out ahead of where you were in regards to handling, and still have the style, comfort, and lane-splitting ability of the narrower bars.

 

Thank you for all your feedback. I can now make a well-informed decision on what to buy now! I'll probably go for T-bars, I like their mean, no-nonsense look and the fact that my arms will not be better aligned with my shoulders...

 

Just remember one thing: if you need to make a split second maneuver and can't make that happen because of the lack of leverage with real narrow bars, it may well be a very bad day.

 

If you can't make a quick maneuver because your bars are a couple of inches narrower than stock....you're too weak to ride a motorcycle.

 

If you'll read my post, you'd see that the key word was "real".