Best Dirt Bike Handlebars For Tall Riders 6’+
Finding a comfortable riding position is not that easy for tall guys. Sometimes rotating your bars is simply not enough and you need to look at getting a pair of bar risers along with a different shaped handle bar like the ones below.
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I feel your pain as a tall rider. I’m 6’2 – not the tallest but not the shortest either. I’ve had continuous struggles with finding the right handlebar setup to optimize my riding comfort.
I also have a damaged lower back, I’ve popped my L4-L5 lower spinal disc which makes standing and leaning forward incredibly uncomfortable (It’s a similar feeling when I lean over the sink to wash the dishes – which means I have the best excuse to never wash dishes again) The problem I now face is finding the right handlebar setup to alleviate the pressure and help my riding as a tall rider.
I’ve tested out a few different sets of bars, as well as bar risers, footpegs, seat heights and lever positions. Check out my detailed guide to dirt bike setup and mods for tall riders. Through a whole lot of trial and error I’ve managed to find the best dirt bike handlebars for tall riders as well as the best handlebar setup.
| Product | Best For | Overall Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pro Taper 1-1/8″ Windham Bend | Lightweight Handlebars For Tall Riders | ★★★★ |
| 2. Renthal Fatbar RC High | Tallest Dirt Bike Handlebars | ★★★★ |
| 3. Fasst Enduro High Flexx Handle Bars | Premium Handlebars For Tall Riders | ★★★★★ |
| 4. Pro Taper KX High Bars | Dirt Bike Handlebars for 6’4 + Riders | ★★★★ |
| 5. Pro Taper EVO CR High Bend | Tall rider handlebars for durability | ★★★★ |
Dirt Bike Handlebar Setup For Tall Riders
The first thing to point out which may seem obvious is that simply switching your stock bars for a pair of Pro Tapers or Renthals won’t necessarily change your bar height or riding position. A thicker bar also doesn’imacpt your ride height, so don’t get confused when you read measurements around the bar diameter, for example ⅞” and 1⅛” simply refers to the thickness of the bar, and not the height.
You want to pay attention to the measurements, height, rise and sweep which all have to do with the angles and taper of the bars.
For Comparison sake, The stock bars on my KTM 300 EXC have the following specs.
KTM 300 EXC Standard Handlebar Specs
- Manufacturer: Neken
- Bar Type: 1 ⅛’
- Length: 817mm
- Height: 112mm
- Sweep: 70mm
You need to play with the rotation of your bars and levers. This would be the first change that you can make without spending a dollar. If you feel like you’re hunching too far forward, it means you’ve rotated your bars too much, swivel your bars backwards, this will put you in more of an upright standing position.
If you have the opposite problem, swivel your bars forward a click or two until your standing position feels natural and comfortable.
Most riders over 6” set the angle of their bars either parallel with your forks or slightly more forward than the degree of your forks if you’re taller.
Dirt Bike Handlebar Lever Set Up For Tall Riders
If you’re adjusting your handlebars to feel more comfortable for your height, remember to adjust your levers as well. Every time you make a small change to the rotation of your bars, take your bike for a ride and pay close attention to how your bike, bars, and body feel, both when seated and in standing position.
As an enduro rider I do a lot of standing and I find that a slight forward angle on the bars with the levers set just below neutral to be the ideal set up. I also ride with a pair of bar risers and I’ll recommend a few of the best options for you to experiment with.
Best Dirt Bike Handlebars For Tall Riders
Renthal Fatbar RC High
Overall Rating : 4.8
Value For Money : 5.0
Features : 4.6
Style : 5.0
Installation : 4.7
Fit : 5.0
Durability : 5.0
Let’s begin our search for the best handlebars for tall riders with the extreme. The Renthal RC high bars are by far one of the tallest bars on the market. You have the option of choosing a fatbar at 1 ⅛’ or the thin bar at ⅞’. This won’t affect ride height but is more a matter of personal preference.
Both bars taper down to ⅞’ at the ends allowing for a universal fit when it comes to grips. If you’re in the market for a set of new grips, check out our review of the best dirt bike grips.
The Renthal Fatbar removes the need of having to use a crossbrace. This gives the bar a bit more flex and enables them to take on impact better than the smaller ⅞’ bars. The flex is said to improve rider comfort and reduce fatigue on your hands and forearms. It’s built from 7010 T6 aluminum which does a great job of absorbing vibration.
These bars offer an incredible height and rise of 120mm and 84mm respectively.
- Width: 802mm
- Height: 120mm
- Rise: 84mm
- Clamp Area: 105mm
- Sweep: 56mm
- Control Area:190mm
Fasst Enduro High Flexx Handle Bars
Overall Rating : 4.9
Value For Money : 4.0
Features : 5.0
Style : 5.0
Installation : 4.8
Fit : 4.7
Durability : 5.0
These are not the most common pair of handlebars seen out on the trails or at the track. The reason is because they’ve got a heavier price tag. They look different and feel different. I’ve never owned a pair personally, but I have ridden with these a few times. They take a little bit of getting used to but I can definitely say they significantly improved the fatigue in my hands and forearms. Another quick method to improve fatigue is change the gloves you ride with. Check out my review of the best dirt bike gloves and the pairs that have helped me with arm pump and vibration.
At the time I tested these, I was having a few issues with early ride arm pump. To my surprise I had absolutely no arm pump problems when I rode with the Fasst bars.
If you have a few extra $$$ lying around, I’d highly recommended you give these a chance. There are many sizes to choose from, but for taller riders I would suggest the High Flexx Enduro Bars.
I’ve read all the reviews on the Fasst website and they really are outstanding. I encourage you to do your own due diligence and check out the reviews, come back here and check out the next best options in the line up which will help you make a better informed decision before buying the best dirt bike handlebars for a tall rider.
- Width: 787mm
- Height: 116mm
- Rise: 71mm
- Sweep: 54mm
- Control Area:180mm
- Clamp Area: 204mm
Pro Taper KX High Bars
Overall Rating : 4.7
Value For Money : 4.6
Features : 4.6
Style : 4.9
Installation : 4.5
Fit : 4.6
Durability : 4.7
The KX High bar bend by Pro Taper is one of the tallest dirt bike handle bars on the market with an insane height of 107mm and rise of 74mm. These offer tall riders the ability to increase the height of their bars and adjust their riding position by rotating the bars forward by a few degrees.
What’s great about the KX high bar is that they offer the height without the awkward feeling of the Pastrana bars which feel very strange when it comes to corner handling.
Riders of 6’4 and taller have left behind impressive reviews for the KX High bars. If these still don’t hit the spot for you, the next improvement you can make is to add 2 or 3 tight fitting washers underneath the bar mounts and on top of the triple clamp. This will get you about an extra 8mm of rise height without having to buy actual bar risers. Important: If you do this, make sure that you’re able to securely fasten a full nut at the bottom of the bar posts.
- Width: 800mm
- Height: 107mm
- Rise: 70mm
- Sweep: 54mm
- Control Area:184mm
- Clamp Area: 223mm
Pro Taper EVO CR High Bend
Overall Rating : 4.7
Value For Money : 4.6
Features : 4.7
Style : 4.8
Installation : 4.2
Fit : 4.8
Durability : 5.0
The new EVO bars are the latest model from Pro Taper. They’ve kept all the best features of the original Pro Taper handle bars and improved the overall construction with new and improved alloys and manufacturing processes.
They’ve reduced the bar weight by using a 4mm wall, which also helps to give us riders a bit more control and precision feeling.
The EVO bars have been designed with more specific and detail oriented rise and pullback which gives more consistency to the feel of the bars. In addition, the durability of these bars outperform just about all other handlebars on the market. The EVO bars have been lab tested and confirmed to have the best fatigue life.
- Width: 800mm
- Height: 95mm
- Rise: 71mm
- Sweep: 60mm
- Control Area:180mm
- Clamp Area: 204mm
Best Dirt Bike Handle Bar Risers For Tall Guys
Rox Speed Handlebar Risers
When it comes to handlebar risers there’s not too much difference between the options. I suggest going with the more popular choice like these Roxx Risers which will give an extra 2 inches of height. One issue you might face when adding rises to high bars is that you may need to reroute your cables.
They make risers for both ⅞ or 1 ⅛ bars. If you’re looking for ⅞ fitting at the triple crown and 1 ⅛ fitting at the bars you can use the spacers along the triple crowns without spacers at the bars. The better option to skip all the fuss if you ride with 1 ⅛ bars is to buy the correct riser for 1 ⅛ here.
Last Checkpoint
As always, thanks for stopping by at First Checkpoint.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this tall rider buying guide and that it’s offered some clarity when it comes to finding the best dirt bike handlebars for tall riders.
As a 6’2 enduro rider, my pick for handlebars for tall riders would have to be the Pro Taper Bars With Windham Bend. These offer all the features I look for while also fitting into my budget.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the bars you currently ride with and which bars you’ve personally found to be the best for your type of riding. I’m sure your opinion would be very useful for other riders out as well.
As always, if you have any questions, feedback, thoughts, or advice for myself and other readers&7 riders, I encourage you to drop a comment below.
