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Audace Handlebar thread

PaulDavies

Cruisin' Guzzisti
GT Contributor
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
370
Location
Comox, BC, Canada
Being only 5'8" I found the stretch to the straight "drag" bars of the Audace a bit of a "handful" and struggled a little with back/hip ache as a result. It also made tight corners and roundabouts a bit awkward. Working in a University Engineering dept, I got one of our machinists to knock up some simple 2" tubular spacers to match the diameter of the bars with a 10mm hole down the middle for a longer bolt. Just for good measure he powder coated them in black (gloss rather than matt, but what the hell). The effect was to raise the height of the bars by just under 2 inches and, due to the slope also bring them back towards the rider by about an inch. Made a big difference. I also found adding a small screen took the pressure off me and allowed me to keep my elbows bent without being ripped off the back of the bike at speed. I can comfortable cruise at 80mph with no real turbulence but I have always used ear plugs

Spacers Screen
 
I got one of our machinists to knock up some simple 2" tubular spacers to match the diameter of the bars with a 10mm hole down the middle for a longer bolt. The effect was to raise the height of the bars by just under 2 inches and, due to the slope also bring them back towards the rider by about an inch. Made a big difference. I can comfortable cruise at 80mph with no real turbulence but I have always used ear plugs

Nice job Paul. How did you manage with the hoses and cables? Was there enough slack so you could use the stock parts even with the risers in place?
 
Yeh, the stock cables and hoses weren't a problem at all, they were plenty long enough, although I did redirect the routing of the throttle cable to take it around the back of the fork instead of over the top yoke. You can partly see this in the windshield shot. In fact there's probably another inch of play that you could get out of the standard cables/hoses before you needed to swap to anything longer. If you went for more rise, you'd probably need to rotate the banjo bolts on the brake and clutch reservoirs to angle them to be more in a straight line with the hoses, but I left them as they were.
 
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I had the Cali 1400 Touring handlebar fitted, incl. the risers. Cables needed replacing also with touring model's longer ones. Cables shown on photo were original Audace cables, too short.
 

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So having fitted the home made risers to my 2016 Audace, I still wasn't entirely happy with the pull back which was still a little bit of a stretch to relax. In the end I bought the new Audace bar that is fitted, I believe, to 2017 models. The photo shown here shows the old and new bars lined up next to each other. As you can see the new bar has much more pullback and is easier on the wrist position resulting in less of a stretch on full lock turns.

The risers on the new bar are also a little taller too, which you can't see in this vertical shot which has allowed MG to angle the bars downwards at the ends instead of being flat, again to make it more comfortable. The good news is they are drop in replacements for the old bars (as far as I can tell) - I didn't need to change anything that was already there, bolts, bar ends, controls etc. I still have my own additional risers fitted to give extra rise and reach and had to relocate the throttle cable because of that, but it all feels real good - way more relaxing to ride, easier to turn and change direction with due to being able to put more weight on bars, and I sit more upright.


DSC01773

Here's the shot of the bars and my risers on bike
DSC01774 DSC01775 DSC01776
 
I'm 5"8 in height too, absolutely love the reach and stance of the AUDACE. At any speed and well above 200K's she handles superbly, perhaps a Custom or Eldorado would have been a better choice for you, the AUDACE was meant to be bold
 
Hey guys , thats a great idea. swap out for 2017 bars. My 2016 is a bit of a stretch too, Sounds like a good solution.
Have either of you pulled the gas tank off one of these ?
I'm adding driving lights to my Audace and am looking for wire routing suggestions.
It looks plenty tight down that frame tunnel , and I don't want to just poke around.... thanks
 
Hey guys , thats a great idea. swap out for 2017 bars. My 2016 is a bit of a stretch too, Sounds like a good solution.
Have either of you pulled the gas tank off one of these ?
I'm adding driving lights to my Audace and am looking for wire routing suggestions.
It looks plenty tight down that frame tunnel , and I don't want to just poke around.... thanks
Well I've not had to pull it yet. I may be wrong but I thought the wiring for the lights was already present (along with GPS, heated seat and others). Maybe someone else can comment, but I thought it was a case of removing the plastic covers in front of the tank where it wraps around the steerer tube and extracting the plugs/cables and tapping into them, but as I said I haven't done it myself
 
Well I've not had to pull it yet. I may be wrong but I thought the wiring for the lights was already present (along with GPS, heated seat and others). Maybe someone else can comment, but I thought it was a case of removing the plastic covers in front of the tank where it wraps around the steerer tube and extracting the plugs/cables and tapping into them, but as I said I haven't done it myself

Paul is correct, if you take off the left hand part of the cover there is a 3 slot female spade connector tucked under the tank that is for the driving lights on the Cali. There is also a gps connector, green I think.
 
... In the end I bought the new Audace bar that is fitted, I believe, to 2017 models. The photo shown here shows the old and new bars lined up next to each other. As you can see the new bar has much more pullback and is easier on the wrist position resulting in less of a stretch on full lock turns.

Hi Paul, Where did you get the new handlebars? and how much were they?
 
Update. I ordered the 2017 Audace bars from the dealer for 180.00. They do have a different part# from the 2016's.They are on and they really help relieve that stretch to the bars on the longer hauls. Quite a bit more pullback and a little taller. I really recommend them from the comfort aspect. And they still look badass . I've outfitted mine with the medium height Moto Guzzi windshield , Hepco and Becker bags and Top case. All C-bow mounted.
It has the full Electronics / Fuel treatment from Todd less his exhaust. I use Agostini slip ons. They work fine , but pull the silencers if you want
better performance. I am working on some 1/2" thick wall tubing to move those saddlebags in closer to the fender and back about 4" , so they tuck in behind the shocks. I'll post pics when I get my jig set up done.
 
Hi Paul, Where did you get the new handlebars? and how much were they?
Ordered them from Corsa Meccanica in Toronto, Search their web site for part number 2B003940 they show it listed at $320 CDN. Not sure if they have them in stock, maybe you could order one more locally, but at that time, the 2017 model parts lists and prices were not available. Adam Herring (at CM) did the inquiring and ordering for me and was very helpful. The risers I made myself (well a machinist in work).

Not everybody likes the new bars, some like the old drag bars for their "bold" look, but it all seems a bit pointless (to me) if it makes it unduly hard to corner and deal with roundabouts due to the extreme reach and length of the bar when turning (I'm 5'8" so that didn't help either). I guess Guzzi have come to the same conclusion themselves by changing the bars in 2017. Good luck, it's a straight forward swap
 
I ordered the Cali custom C bow and it didn't fit because the fenders have a different shape. I you have to make everything fit.
 
I mounted the c-bow mounts on my Audace. I believe it was the same as the custom. I did make sure I got the black not the chrome. The bars sound interesting. I like the stock ones but I sometimes do get wrist pain. I also installed the Matris shocks. The stock ones weren't bad but the Matris really smoothed out the ride.
 

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Nice setup. Clean. Matris shocks . The ride is a little choppy with the stockers. I adjusted the collars on mine down a turn or two for two up riding , and it was ok for a fully loaded trip from Washington to Wyoming last year. My 175lb 26 yr old son didn't complain. I'm 240 lbs.
I might try them out. What advantages do you notice on the Matris? More travel? Better spring rate? More BMW like ride?
 
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