I have always been a crazy person for ergonomics which can involve lever placement, handlebar bend, grip compound, etc. I used to scour the pits hey year and ask a ton of mechanic which bar bend their rider prefers. I am sure they get SICK of answering these the of questions but I ask them anyway. Every year I try different handlebar bends and revisit old bends to ensure the triangle of each of my test bikes can fit a wide range of riders (like you, the consumer). Before I break down some Renthal bar bends that I like for 2024 I thought why not foreshadow an article about which Renthal bar bend and grip type all the motocross/supercross riders are running in 24′. Renthal provides product for the majority of the AMA paddock as well as a lot of MGP teams so below are the specs of some of your favorite stars that run Renthal. Feel free to geek out on this like I did for an hour or so.
Monster Energy Kawasaki:
Jason Anderson Kawasaki 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond Waffle Soft
Adam Cianciarulo Kawasaki 827-01 Fatbar 827 G092 Full Waffle Soft
Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki:
Austin Forkner Kawasaki 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Seth Hammaker Kawasaki 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Levi Kitchen Kawasaki 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Maximus Vohland Kawasaki 821-01 Fatbar 821 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Cameron McAdoo Kawasaki 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Team Kawasaki MXGP:
Romain Febrve Kawasaki 827-01 Fatbar 827 G092 Full Waffle Soft
Jeremy Seewer Kawasaki 821-01 Fatbar 821 G165 Aramid 1/2 Waffle
Honda HRC:
Jett Lawrence Honda 839-01 Fatbar 839 G198 Ultra Tacky 1/2 Waffle Tapered
Hunter Lawrence Honda 839-01 Fatbar 839 G166 Aramid 1/2 Waffle Tapered
Jo Shimoda Honda 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Chance Hymas Honda 839-01 Fatbar 839 G198 Ultra Tacky 1/2 Waffle Tapered
Honda HRC MXGP:
Tim Gasjer Honda 827-01 Fatbar 827 G165 Aramid 1/2 Waffle
Reuben Fernandez Honda 827-01 Fatbar 827 G165 Aramid 1/2 Waffle
Standing Honda MXGP:
Pauls Jonas Honda 827-01 Fatbar 827 G089 Full Diamond Soft
Alberto Forato Honda 604-01 Fatbar 604 G089 Full Diamond Soft
GDR Honda:
Tyler MedagliaGDR Honda/Canada 604-01 Fatbar 604 G197 Ultra Tacky 1/2 Waffle
Dylan WrightGDR Honda/Canada 839-01 Fatbar 839 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP:
Maxime Renaux Yamaha 827-01 Fatbar 827 G166 Aramid 1/2 Waffle Tapered
Jago Geerts Yamaha 821-01 Fatbar 821 G089 Full Diamond Soft
Calvin Vlaanderen Yamaha 996-01 Twinwall 996 G165 Aramid 1/2 Waffle
Thibault Benistant Yamaha 821-01 Fatbar 821 G165 Aramid 1/2 Waffle
Rick Elzinga Yamaha 994-01 Twinwall 994 G165 Aramid 1/2 Waffle
Andrea Bonacorsi Yamaha 997-01 Twinwall 997 G165 Aramid 1/2 Waffle
Progressive HEP Suzuki:
Ken Roczen Suzuki 996-01 Twinwall 996 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Red Bull KTM:
Chase Sexton KTM 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft + donutz
Aaron Plessinger KTM 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft + donutz
Tom Vialle KTM 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Julien Beaumer KTM 821-01 Fatbar 821 G089 Full Diamond Soft
Red Bull KTM MXGP:
Jeffrey Herlings KTM 997-01 Twinwall 997 G166 Aramid 1/2 Waffle Tapered
Andrea Adamo KTM 604-01 Fatbar 604 G198 Ultra Tacky 1/2 Waffle Tapered
Liam Everts KTM 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Sacha Coenen KTM 821-01 Fatbar 821 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
KTM Canada:
Jess Pettis KTM Canada 821-01 Fatbar 821 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Kaven Benoit KTM Canada 821-01 Fatbar 821 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Josiah Natzke KTM Canada 827-01 Fatbar 827 G089 Full Diamond Soft
Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Gas Gas:
Justin Barcia GasGas 827-01 Fatbar 827 G092 Full Waffle Soft
Ryder Difrancesco GasGas 827-01 Fatbar 827 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft + donutz
Pierce Brown GasGas 604-01 Fatbar 604 G092 Full Waffle Soft + donutz
Red Bull Gas Gas MXGP:
Jorge Prado GasGas 604-01 Fatbar 604 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Simon Langenfelder GasGas 604-01 Fatbar 604 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Marc-Antoine Rossi GasGas 604-01 Fatbar 604 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Monster Energy Triumph Racing:
Camden McLellan Triumph 604-01 Fatbar 604 G165 Aramid 1/2 Waffle
Mikkel Haarup Triumph 827-01 Fatbar 827 G165 Aramid 1/2 Waffle
Triumph Racing:
Joey Savatgy Triumph 821-01 Fatbar 821 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Jalek Swoll Triumph 821-01 Fatbar 821 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Evan Ferry Triumph 821-01 Fatbar 821 G086 Diamond/Waffle Soft
Popular Dimensions:
Fatbar 827 811mm Width/92mm Height/52mm Rise/52mm Sweep (20 Riders Run This Bar Bend)
Fatbar 821 813mm Width/78mm Height/42mm Rise/54mm Sweep (11 Riders Run This Bar Bend)
So why do so many riders like these two bar bends? From what I can tell both of these bars have a flatter feel and most of today’s top SX Racers like a flatter bar so they can get farther forward on the bike. Jett and Hunter Lawrence stick with the stock Honda 839 Fatbar bend as it is as tall as the 827 bend but is flatter than either 821 or 827 bends. I personally love the 839 Fatbar bend as it is my favorite bend for most Japanese machines. I am 5’11 with a long torso and the 839 bend gives me a nice feel on the Japanese bikes without feeling cramped or a feeling of riding with ape hangers (wide feel). I like a 800-803mm width bar as it helps me corners better (helps me lean the bike over more than a 811mm or 813mm length). You would think a wider bar would help with the leverage of cornering but to me it hurts more than it helps. Having a 810mm or over length for motocross puts my elbows/arms in a awkward spot where I can’t feel the front end/tire as well as a shorter 800-803mm width. Just some food for thought!
If you have any questions please carefully email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com or wait until the 2024 recommended handlebar spec article comes out to see what bar bend might be the right choice for you!
