So as many know I have 2 Savage/S40's. I have an "03" with mods, and a stock at this point, 2011. My "03' originally had the buck horn handle bars, I replaced them with a pair of Highway Hawk window drag bars on original risers. The OEM buckhorns had solid steel rod welded internally from the ends. This made, I suspect, the bars stiffer and heavier and ultimately smoother feeling when riding at high speed on intersate type roads.

My 2011 definetely feels smoother at speed, does anyone know if the drag bars on the higher risers on this bike also have the rod stock welded in internally? It's more about curiousity now then anything else, but I will be working on the newer bike soon. It just feels more solid at 65-70 mph and I am thinking the dampening of the solid rod in the bar ends is why that is so.

Adding internall rod on after market bars is not all that complicated, does anyone have experience with this? What are thoughts?

I got wood plugs from Lowe's and hammered them about 5" deep into the handle bars. Melted down large fishing sinkers in a frying pan and pored the molten lead in.

SoC wrote on 08/09/20 at 21:17:29:




Yep, the stock drag bars on the later S40 have the weights in them, and yes, they dampen the vibration.

I've tried a few different bars on my bike, without risers. The 'Z' bars, which had a six inch rise, had the least vibration. The 'Superbars' vibrated so much that my fingertips went numb and white, at higher speeds.

Putting weights in the ends of my bars is on my list of mods.