[Day Trippin]

I mentioned in another thread that I had ordered the extra heavy bar ends from HVMP to try and quell the vibration in my N1K. I finally got a chance to install them and ride with them for some time. I just completed a 500 mile ride today and can offer my impressions about them now.

HVMP offers 2 options; heavy at 13.9 oz and extra heavy at 17.2 oz. I decided to go with the extra heavy option as they are significantly heavier than the stock ones as I wanted to have the best chance to reduce the vibes.

At about 7k rpm my hands would be tingling so bad that I didn't really want to rev it much higher and not for long. I had a decent sweet spot of about 4-5k where the vibes weren't too bad so this is where I normally cruised. With the 16T countershaft sprocket it worked out to be a good rpm for cruising at about 75 mph.

Well I can definitely say that these bar ends made a significant difference. In my preferred cruising rpm, it is almost vibe free. At 7k it is still there but greatly reduced. The vibes then drop away from 7.5-9k and it is almost as smooth in that rpm band as it previously was at 4-5k. Pulling on up to redline doesn't result heavy vibration as before but more like a tingling now. It now is actually pleasurable to run it all the way up the clock.

With the exception of about 7k on my bike, I can now choose any rpm and have more tolerable vibrations. At 7k I wouldn't want to ride all day at that rpm but now I don't have to shift around it to avoid. I can easily transition it now and not feel like I am holding on to cement mixer at a very high rpm.

This is going to be one of my best mods for long haul riding after the 16T sprocket and modding the stock seat. I added some very nice LED lights and had a chance to use them at night. I added 2 - 2800 lumen LED aux lights (driving beam pattern) and 2- 1000 lumen LED aux lights (more of a wide angle beam). I'll write about those in another thread as well as my impressions of the Pirelli Angel GT tires I just mounted.

The bar ends cost $66 and are worth every penny. I wouldn't even bother going with just the heavy ones. I don't think they would get the results you might be looking for and I can clearly fell the difference with these. They fit and finish is excellent. They do stick out a bit more than stock but I like it. I'll try and post some pics when the rain stops. Most of my ride was in the rain and wasn't a lot of fun but I got to test out a lot of mods on the way.

Kawasaki bar ends

 

[landman]

I got a good result with the 12.9 ounce hvmp's on my concourse 14 but will most likely
get the extra heavy for my ninja 1000.

 

[PeteBKK]

Interesting write up, thanks. Have you made any exhaust changes, either headers, end pipes or both? Because that can also reduce vibrations in some bikes.

 

[Day Trippin]

@Pete - funny you should ask that. I planned to do that next. I was going to swap them out before my trip (Urban Brawlers) as I had them in my saddlebags but I realized the stock exhaust wouldn't fit in the bags. So if I swapped them out I would have to then ship the stock exhaust back up north. I will probably swap the exhaust in the next day or so.

 

[rcannon409]

If you are unsure of how bar ends help, there is a test you can try. Remove the stock bar ends and ride your bike. You will be surprised at how well the stock bar ends work.

making them more heavy has to help a great deal

 

[Day Trippin]

I actually did some testing before I bought them. I attached additional weight to the bars and free rev'd the motor. It was obvious it made a difference but the question was how much difference when I rode.

I remember years ago on another bike a bar end dropped off while on a trip. It bounced and took a nice chunk out of a saddlebag. It didn't take more than a couple hundred miles before I was trying to find a dealer that had one in stock so I could replace it. I didn't even grip about the apparently outrageous amount (at the time) they wanted to replace it.

I also recall a friend who decided to replace his factory metal ones with machined aluminum ones to save weight. I told him he was crazy and would regret it. Two weeks after installing them he had the factory ones back in.

 

[Biddles]

In your post you stated they were $66, but on the site it's $107 for me. Is there anywhere else to order these?

 

[Bikram]

Biddles, the post you're referring to dates back to 2015. The current price for the extra-heavy bar ends (black colour) is $90. If you go for stainless steel finish, the price is $78. Shipping, if applicable, is extra. Site is HVMP Motorcycle Bar Ends to Reduce Vibrations.