For years I have been riding my bike and I have been very uncomfortable and did not know It. I am 6'2" and when I stand and ride I am hunched over to far with the typical set up even with tall bars. The way I see It the average motorcycle rider Is much shorter then me and probably you, not to mention that our bikes are made by Asian people who I know are typically much shorter than me. I think the average kx500 rider probably tends to be on the taller side. I decided to raise my handlebars until I thought they were stupidly high then go back to something reasonable. What I found out is I had a hard time making my bars to tall. I started out by making new bolts for my risers. This is very easy you take longer bolts and chuck them up in a big drill then take a grinder and grind the head round once they are the right size grind a flat on one side and they should go right in your risers. Then use stacks of large washers to raise your bars until you think you have gone to far then go back to where you liked it best, at this point you can call it a day or do what I did and make some spacers out of aluminum the desired size. Now when I ride I feel like I'm out sight seeing on a Sunday drive even when setting a very aggressive pace I can go for miles further before getting tired of standing. I have the tallest bars I could find made by any one at the time with 12mm spacers I would like them a tad taller but I am restrained by my damper. Everyone of my friends that I have let ride my bike could not believe the difference even my shorter buddies have decided to raise their bars some. Keep In mind we all ride open desert not motocross and this mod was done on my crf450 but If you are a tall rider you should try this even if you think your bike is perfect the way It is. It is cheep and easy to do and you will probably be surprised just how uncomfortable you have been. When you stand and ride If your bars are to short you will find yourself pulling up on the bars trying to stand upright the pressure will be on your finger tips and your lower back gets tired. When your bars are tall enough you will find that you can rest on them and the pressure will be in the palm of your hands and you can rest your lower back because you are no longer pulling up on the bars trying to stand upright. This has a great impact on rider fatigue.
