[Apumotor]

Hello,

So at the age of 56, I have decided to make my ST more T than S.

I have looked through the various forums and decided upon 3 mods to make it less of a strain on the back/wrists, whilst at the same time (hopefully) improving on its aesthetics.

At present my ST is a 2012 stock version, other than the introduction of a Booster Plug which has helped enormously at low speeds, and a Kappa rear rack conversion which means the much more practical Givi/Kappa top boxes now fit. The bike is still poor at low speeds in my opinion, and I know I'm not alone in this view, but it still ticks most of the boxes for me. Great fuel economy, gear shift indicator, good luggage system, less than 200kg, heated grips, underseat petrol tank and best of all belt drive.

The modifications I plan to make are as follows:

1) Replace the handlebars with LSL Superbike bars, cut to match the width of the stock bars to help keep the mirrors clear. I intend to use the directions supplied by Helibars to re-route the cables and pipes without having to replace them. If the rerouting is not aesthetically pleasing I will find other solutions.

2) To modify the 'pee pot' bouncing brake reservoir off its bracket and down on top of the master cylinder (aesthetics only) using BMW OEM parts. Nice and neat.

3) I am 6ft and so will replace the stock screen with a taller, less acute angled aftermarket screen.

I am expecting 1 and 3 above to put the rider in a much more relaxed position on the bike with less buffeting. We shall see.

If anyone is particularly interested in any of the above I will take pics as I go and share.

Wish me luck.

 

[Apumotor]

Hello,

So at the age of 56, I have decided to make my ST more T than S.

I have looked through the various forums and decided upon 3 mods to make it less of a strain on the back/wrists, whilst at the same time (hopefully) improving on its aesthetics.

At present my ST is a 2012 stock version, other than the introduction of a Booster Plug which has helped enormously at low speeds, and a Kappa rear rack conversion which means the much more practical Givi/Kappa top boxes now fit. The bike is still poor at low speeds in my opinion, and I know I'm not alone in this view, but it still ticks most of the boxes for me. Great fuel economy, gear shift indicator, good luggage system, less than 200kg, heated grips, underseat petrol tank and best of all belt drive.

The modifications I plan to make are as follows:

1) Replace the handlebars with LSL Superbike bars, cut to match the width of the stock bars to help keep the mirrors clear. I intend to use the directions supplied by Helibars to re-route the cables and pipes without having to replace them. If the rerouting is not aesthetically pleasing I will find other solutions.

2) To modify the 'pee pot' bouncing brake reservoir off its bracket and down on top of the master cylinder (aesthetics only) using BMW OEM parts. Nice and neat.

3) I am 6ft and so will replace the stock screen with a taller, less acute angled aftermarket screen.

I am expecting 1 and 3 above to put the rider in a much more relaxed position on the bike with less buffeting. We shall see.

If anyone is particularly interested in any of the above I will take pics as I go and share.

Wish me luck.

Good luck, Pezos! I just purchased a 2012 ST. I am 6'3" and 57 years old. I want to do some of the same mods you are describing, especially the raising of the handle bar, and a taller screen. Please let me know what parts you end up installing and any problems you come across when it comes to re-routing or extending the cables and/or the brake hose. - Apumotor

 

[Apumotor]

Hi Apumotor, glad to help if I can. So most of what I did is documented in various posts above this one. In short I went for a set of Renthal Road Medium bars rather than use bar raisers and so they look like stock bars. To get the bar ends to fit I simply bought 2 x 100mm long M8 allen bolts and a pack of M8 rawlbolts that fit beautifully into the end of the renthal bars. The only mod to do to the bars themselves was to drill a 3.5mm hole through the left hand grip side to take the small bolt that holds the left grip on.

To start with I rerouted the brake line, the throttle cable and the clutch cable as per the Helibars conversion instructions, but I was not really happy with it. The brake line especially, it just got too bent up for my liking and so I had a new one made by HEL here in the UK. I believe Speigler in the USA will make one too or even sell one for raised bars. This would be the bare minimum I would do if I were you. Although the throttle cable is OK it just doesn't feel right having it behind the bars and so I will replace this very shortly. Likewise with the clutch cable. It is now on the 'wrong' side of the forks and although I've secured it out of the way is just wrong and left to its own devices would jam in the head stop and restrict the movement of the bars - not nice, so that will get replaced too. Venhill in the UK will supply known cables in any length you like. You just add however many inches you want. In short, new bars and 3 new cables/lines to do a proper job. Looks great though and I'm super happy with the new position.

Because of the more upright position I installed a new screen too. Beautifully made in Wales by Slipscreens it is taller and less acute, again looks perfect.

Hope that helps.... good luck

Awesome. Thank you for your guidance, Pezos! I have done the same modifications on my Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor. It is good to know ahead of time what parts I will need to order.