Ballabio or V11 LeMans with MPH Cycle risers

[BMWDavid]

I've been looking for a Ballabio (or Café Sport) with little success. Been thinking about perhaps putting a set of MPH Cycle V11 bar risers on my '02 LeMans. Can anyone chime in with sitting position difference between a Ballabio and a LeMans with the MPH risers?

Thanks...David

[twhitaker]

I have the risers on mine and they make a huge difference. I added Gustaffsen 5" over windscreen that works out well.

[arveno]

I've been looking for a Ballabio (or Caf� Sport) with little success. Been thinking about perhaps putting a set of MPH Cycle V11 bar risers on my '02 LeMans. Can anyone chime in with sitting position difference between a Ballabio and a LeMans with the MPH risers?

Thanks...David

You have not been looking hard enough.....
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/mcy/5331994840.html

Mark @ moto guzzi classic... give him a call , stand up dude.

[smdl]

Hi, David.

As mentioned before, I have the MPH risers and MotoBits pegs on my '03 Le Mans, and there is a substantial difference from stock.  It's been a while since I sat on a Ballabio, but the bars on that bike are definitely still substantially higher than the MPH risers.  Sometimes, when I look at the current height of my bars with the risers, I honestly can't imagine riding the bike with lower, stock bar position.  They still seem fairly low!

That said, the MPH riders look great, whereas the Ballabio bar position just looks odd to me.  Also, for me, the risers are comfortable *enough*, allowing me to make long trips with little discomfort (longest in excess of 3000 miles).  YMMV.

Hope this helps.

Shaun

[BMWDavid]

Thanks for the reply's! That Ballabio in California is just too far away. I'd like to find one within say 300 miles of Southwest Indiana. I just missed a Café Sport in Chicago the other day!

Shaun...appreciate the input. I may just do the MPH risers on my '02 after all. Its my "default" rider while my '03 is the garage queen and will remain stock. Just wondering how difficult it would be to install the hoses? Is there enough slack in the wiring to accommodate the risers? I understand your saying that the Ballabio looks strange next to a LeMans but I think the more open look is kind of neat. That big lump of a V-twin really shows.

That said I would probably make room for a third V11 should I locate a suitable Ballabio.

 

[dxhall]

Ballabio bars and MPH risers aren't your only choices.  I tried the risers, then tried a set of Apex clip ons with the bars on the rider's side of the fork tube.  This setup brings the bars up a couple inches, as well as back 2-3 inches.   I find the Apex setup very comfortable.

If you'd like to try a set of risers, I'll send you mine for the cost of shipping.  They will fit with the stock brake and clutch lines.  The Apex setup requires longer lines, which you can buy from MPH.

[smdl]

Ballabio bars and MPH risers aren't your only choices.  I tried the risers, then tried a set of Apex clip ons with the bars on the rider's side of the fork tube.  This setup brings the bars up a couple inches, as well as back 2-3 inches.   I find the Apex setup very comfortable.

If you'd like to try a set of risers, I'll send you mine for the cost of shipping.  They will fit with the stock brake and clutch lines.  The Apex setup requires longer lines, which you can buy from MPH.

Sorry to disagree, but I had to install the longer brake and clutch lines that came with my MPH risers.  Wiring was long enough, though.

Edit:  Forgot to answer your question, David.  I did the install of both the risers and the foot controls myself, and I had very little experience working on motorcycles at that time.  The instructions were good, and I found great support on the v11lemans.com forum.  It wasn't to difficult to do, really, but it would depend on your personal confidence/experience.

Cheers,
Shaun

[dxhall]

I can only tell you that I ran the risers with the stock lines for a couple thousand miles with no problems.

Installing new lines wouldn't be a big deal if it weren't so difficult to thread the clutch line onto the slave cylinder with the slave in place.  The clutch line rubs on the spine, and you can't get a good feel for it when you're threading it on.  It's easy to cross thread it.

[Scud]

Re the clutch line:  Is it not possible to have a small hydraulic line extension made? Just a couple inches from the master to the current line would do the trick (and no messing with the slave cylinder). That would also make it easy to return to stock bars should you wish to.

The Ballabio in Long Beach has been on and off Craigslist for a while. Shipping is not terribly expensive if the bike is the one you want. It's about 70 miles from me and I need to drive through Long Beach on Monday night. Let me know if you'd like me to visit the bike on your behalf.

[arveno]

Thanks for the reply's! That Ballabio in California is just too far away. I'd like to find one within say 300 miles of Southwest Indiana. I just missed a Caf� Sport in Chicago the other day!

Shaun...appreciate the input. I may just do the MPH risers on my '02 after all. Its my "default" rider while my '03 is the garage queen and will remain stock. Just wondering how difficult it would be to install the hoses? Is there enough slack in the wiring to accommodate the risers? I understand your saying that the Ballabio looks strange next to a LeMans but I think the more open look is kind of neat. That big lump of a V-twin really shows.

That said I would probably make room for a third V11 should I locate a suitable Ballabio.

 

Haul bikes will ship it to your door for 499.  http://haulbikes.com/
being the seller of that Ballabio , Mark Etheridge ( ever heard of him ? ) you can buy it unseen.

Here another one in PA :
http://www.manayunktriumph.com/new_vehicle_detail.asp?veh=8588&pov=4357659

....no more excuses now... 
just kidding...

[Thunderbutt]

David- I owned at the same time a 2000 V-11 Sport that had been converted to standard bars and an '02 LeMans with risers.  One day I rode both bikes one after the other just to see the difference.  I found the Sport very comfortable with the higher bars but also noticed more wind on my chest and helmet buffeting.  Getting off the Sport I immediately got on the LM and rode the same route.  The riding position with the risers was just slightly lower than the Sport but for some reason felt more comfortable.  Possibly due to just a bit less wind buffeting.  The MPH risers were already installed on my LeMans when I purchased it so I am not sure how much of a difference there is but I have taken it on several rides in excess of 200 miles with no discomfort.  Soon after buying the LM I sold the Sport.

[Tom]

Of the 2 bikes posted.  The one at Mark's is a better deal but the Ohlins  on the Philly bike is worth the upgrade in price.  I'm not in the market but the bike in Long Beach is worth the price and doing a long distance buy with Mark sight unseen is not a problem.  I'd buy Tetanus from him.  Ratbike supreme.

[BMWDavid]

Thanks to everyone for the reply's. A few months ago I had the Philly Café checked by a fellow member. It is rather rough and consequently way over priced and that explains why its still for sale after several months.

Now the LA Ballabio looks promising...might have to check on that, I appreciate the input and good word others have about the seller of the La bike.

I think I'm going to leave my '02 stock and ultimately put a Ballabio in the garage. 

[mjptexas]

David- I owned at the same time a 2000 V-11 Sport that had been converted to standard bars and an '02 LeMans with risers.  One day I rode both bikes one after the other just to see the difference.  I found the Sport very comfortable with the higher bars but also noticed more wind on my chest and helmet buffeting....

The fairing on the Ballabio does a remarkably good job of keeping the wind off your body with very little turbulence. 

[twhitaker]

I was able to rig mine this way and still retain original hoses. They get tight when at steering lock but so what.

[twhitaker]

I got that riser from a Canadian company that markets them to the Suzuki SV crowd. Wasn't sturdy enough. Manufacturer suggested bedding the lower clamp in epoxy. I found getting just the clamps from MPH to be a little more expensive but much, much better.