This past weekend I finally got around to extending my NC700X handlebar rise beyond 2" (50mm). The limitations for going beyond 50mm are the lengths of the clutch, throttle, and electrical cables, as well as the front brake hose. Note in my example the bike is a non ABS, manual transmission model; I can't speak from experience about any other versions.
I started with a 30mm block riser many years ago. I then went to a 50mm (2 inch) Rox riser, along with a custom length front brake hose and a clutch cable from a CTX700, which is 100mm longer than the NC700X clutch cable. At that point I could rise no further because the electrical cables to the switches were stretched tight, and the throttle cables were getting tight.
This weekend I installed throttle cables from the CTX700, which added 60mm length. I spliced in an additional 90mm (3.5 inches) to both the left and right handlebar switch cables. There are, I believe, 5 wires to the right handlebar switch, and 13 wires to the left handlebar switch. The splices were done between the triple clamp and the handlebar, so the spliced area would not be in the cable flexing area below the top triple clamp. All splices were in-line and soldered. and covered with heat shrink tubing. The splices were staggered at 3/4 inch intervals to avoid increasing the bundle diameter. The bundle was partially shrink tubing wrapped and partially taped, then entirely covered with a split loom cover. You can see the finished product in the last photo. I'm very pleased with the result, and of course all the switch functions still work.
Back on the throttle cable replacement, this is not a lot of fun, but it's doable. I replaced them one at a time. I removed both body side panels and attached string to the old cables, then transferred the string to the new cables so could re-thread them through in the exact same path.
Now I have a 50mm Rox riser sitting on top of a 30mm fixed riser, for a total of 80mm (3,1") rise. With the cable lengths I have now, I could safely do a 100mm (4") rise in the future.
The point of all the handlebar rise is not about wrist, shoulder, or back comfort, it's about seat comfort. The NC has a fairly long reach to the bars as stock, but bringing the bars farther back allows me to sit more squarely on the seat for better support and butt comfort. It's beginning to feel a little more like a touring bike and less like a sport bike.
I started with a 30mm block riser many years ago. I then went to a 50mm (2 inch) Rox riser, along with a custom length front brake hose and a clutch cable from a CTX700, which is 100mm longer than the NC700X clutch cable. At that point I could rise no further because the electrical cables to the switches were stretched tight, and the throttle cables were getting tight.
This weekend I installed throttle cables from the CTX700, which added 60mm length. I spliced in an additional 90mm (3.5 inches) to both the left and right handlebar switch cables. There are, I believe, 5 wires to the right handlebar switch, and 13 wires to the left handlebar switch. The splices were done between the triple clamp and the handlebar, so the spliced area would not be in the cable flexing area below the top triple clamp. All splices were in-line and soldered. and covered with heat shrink tubing. The splices were staggered at 3/4 inch intervals to avoid increasing the bundle diameter. The bundle was partially shrink tubing wrapped and partially taped, then entirely covered with a split loom cover. You can see the finished product in the last photo. I'm very pleased with the result, and of course all the switch functions still work.
Back on the throttle cable replacement, this is not a lot of fun, but it's doable. I replaced them one at a time. I removed both body side panels and attached string to the old cables, then transferred the string to the new cables so could re-thread them through in the exact same path.
Now I have a 50mm Rox riser sitting on top of a 30mm fixed riser, for a total of 80mm (3,1") rise. With the cable lengths I have now, I could safely do a 100mm (4") rise in the future.
The point of all the handlebar rise is not about wrist, shoulder, or back comfort, it's about seat comfort. The NC has a fairly long reach to the bars as stock, but bringing the bars farther back allows me to sit more squarely on the seat for better support and butt comfort. It's beginning to feel a little more like a touring bike and less like a sport bike.
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