This is a two part question. I just had one of those freak accidents on my 400EX where my front tire grabbed a rock and jammed the handlebars into my right hand (consequently breaking my wrist and bending my handle bars). Since my handlebars are now bent, I was thinking of putting on some Renthals. However, I swore that someone once told me that although Renthals are great handlebars, because they are stronger than stock handlebars, the risk of breaking your hands is higher with the Renthals because your hands have to absorb more of the impact force. Does this sound right?

The second part of my question is this. Apparently some truckers have shock absorbers built into the steering mechanism on their semi to prevent exactly what happened to me on my ATV. Has anyone thought about or tried doing something similar to an ATV. The only problem is I do alot of MX and backwoods riding, so I need quick steering response. It just seems to me that you could add something like this to an ATV, which would prevent the ultimate quick handlebar bending, bone breaking steering from the tires, but still allow the quick turning needed by the rider. Any suggestions on how to do something like this would be greatly appreciated, as I now have 6 weeks in a cast with no riding and so I have plenty of time to try a few modifications.

 

Aluminum handlebars are great not because they're stronger than stock (if that were the case, Moose carbon steel bars would be the best), but becuase of aluminum's superior flex pattern. Get a set as soon as possible... I actually run cheap aluminum bars by Factory Racing - I personally believe they're every bit as good as the higher dollar (someone has to pay for all those high dollar ads) Renthal's. The flex pattern is much better than stock, and they'll bend pretty easily if they have to. I've flattened a set on a bad landing before, and made my wrists sore, but rode the rest of the day out.

The other part of your question: Yes, it's called a steering damper. They work excellent for woods riding/racing. I run a higher end unit sold by W.E.R. performance. Scott's also makes an excellent high end model... There are cheaper setups out there by Denton, PeP, Graydon, Muscle, etc. They work fairly well also. I have a few issues with the Denton and PeP units, but anything is better than nothing. Shoot me an e-mail if you have any questions..

Later