RC51.org Clip-ons page

Selecting a set of clip-ons can be just about as difficult a choice as choosing an exhaust. To some riders adjustability might be the important factor for others especially racers where crashes are possibly frequent it may be cheap replacement parts & still for others it may be nothing more than looks...

Woodcraft & Vortex ($150 per set) are the best bang for the buck & very popular with racers because they are relatively inexpensive with very cheap & readily available spare parts so if someone crashes their bike then replacing parts is quick & the cost is low. They are not however very glamorous looking nor are they adjustable for that price.

Others like the Sato's ($225) & PVM's ($279) are fully adjustable as they have part of the bar machined down at an angle to provide for an eccentric adjustment as you rotate them in the cuff style clamp & some people need that to help alleviate wrist pain or cramped riding positions or even give added leverage with wider bars etc... Two Brothers ($265) even has a fully adjustable set as well & even though I am not very fond of their exhaust products I can find no fault with their clip-ons (although for the price it would be nice if they were the cuff style like the others). Some of the manufacturers also offer color anodising which of course is nothing more than eye candy, but again some people want function & looks combined.

I personally have used Vortex, PVM & Sato's on my RC51 & in that order & firmly find the Sato's to be the best all around clip-on for my tastes. They basically took the best features of all the different clip-on styles & incorporated it all into one design with flush fasteners & attention to detail that I had not previously witnessed. There was some increased vibration felt through the aftermarket handlebars, but it was really insignificant throughout the entire rev range of the RC51. Another benefit to aftermarket clip-ons is weight reduction as the stock bars & bar end weights are actually quite heavy in comparison.

Arrow makes them as well, but getting parts from them is like pulling teeth so I have not had the opportunity to try them out in spite of trying more than once to order them plus getting spare parts in the event of a crash would probably be even more of a hassle...

Below you will find some pics & pricing for several different brands as well as RC51 specific installation hints:

When installing on the RC51 I literally melt the nubs on the control pods with a hot nail. The only hole I drill is the one for the nub on the throttle housing because I certainly don't want that moving around on the bar when I'm twisting on it...

Sliding the grip back onto the bar is simplified by using some hair spray appplied to the inside of the grip immediately before putting the grip onto the bar.

In this example pic you can see how to remove the stock hand grips in the event you would like to do so without actually cutting them off. This way you can actually re-use them, insert an air hose nozzle under the lip of grip & use the air pressure to lift the grip off the bar. With a little practice at this maneuver you can get the grip off in one quick blast of air

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