I've noticed several people have mentioned raising the stock bars. What is the purpose of the rings on the top of the fork tubes? Can they be removed so the stock bars can be raised to the top of the tubes?
I have an 06. Purchased new in 2008. I am 5'8" and felt leaned over a bit to much, after a year of riding and finding my hands hurt a bit to much on long rides I first tried moving the handlebars up a little and it offered minimal help as it was not that drastic of a position change. I think I moved them up to those rings. Not sure of the designed purpose for them. I then read and investigated the Heli-bars. They were a great solution for me and it made riding distances so much more comfortable and with no impact that I could tell on handling. If you need the change, I would go with the Heli-bars, in my opinion, it is a tremendous upgrade and body position modification for the shorter rider. Just my experience.
