clip ons for S3.

[burk]

im about a day away from putting the down payment on a new S3 aslong as the dealer can get me one in white. im not totally set on getting clip ons, but i just want to see more pics of S3's with them to get a visual on how they will feel. any pics/sites/comments are welcome!!

[rudebwoy85]

I dont suppose you were the guy that had a talk with the guys at Manayunk Triumph regarding clip-ons for the S3 were you?

I was there picking up a few bits and pieces and was asked about the ones I had on mine. I suggested the Tommaselli's I saw on a pic by a fellow forum member zmann; check out his album..hope he doesnt mind my promoting his album...

I have the WoodCrafts (www.woodcraft-cfm.com), they are the easiest to install as the clamps are two piece and so does not require that you remove the top clamp at all but they are very, very aggressive; they mount any you must commit to the crouch.

Perform a search, there have been a few threads with involved discussions and pics of '05 S3's with clipons.

Aikojo is another member that found a solution that made the LSL clip-ons (www.spieglerusa.com for clip-ons & www.jacklilley.com for LSL headlight and instument panel fork mounts) work with the S3.

Good luck, I lovemy bike with clip-ons but be forwarned, you loose the comfort and supreme agility you have with the bars.

[burk]

no havent talked to anyone in manayunk....what the story with that???

and you saying that you loose agility with the clips?? im good with the leaned over postion. my old bike is a 03 R6 which was really jacked over.

[odium]

Aikijo's bike looks like sex with the lights moved back the way he did them... Aikijo, if you read this, how much for you to kit me up what you did?

[Andhedrew]

I've recently put Woodcrafts on my 03 S3. I really like the look and the ride is awesome but definitely different from the stock bars.

If you have not ridden an S3 then you may not understand what Rude was trying to get across to you. The high stock bars give a very different feel/ride then the lower clipons. The more upright stance allows for quite a bit of control in slow, tight situations. Quite a number of guys choose the Triple for this very reason so it seems a bit beside the point (to them) to put clipons on this bike.

The differences are immediately apparent after the change. With the lower bars I have given up the slow-speed manuverability but at speed and in twisties... Oh, baby! Them clipons make for a fun ride. It's a whole different view of the road when you don't have that big plastic fairing over the front wheel! I haven't attempted any long distance rides with the clipons though. But I'm guessing that you will probably appreciate this type of stance more if the R6 was comfortable for you.

I should warn you that I am having slight problems with my cables being too long after the change. Not sure if the 05/06 models will have those issues.

[burk]

thanks for the input bro. greatly appreciated. like i said i am used to the R6. i have sat on the triple at the dealer and to be honest, it almost feels to upright for me. of course i am gonna be riding like that for a while, and will try to imagine how the clips would be before i actually buy them. and with the low speed manuvers.... that was the hardest thing for me to get used to on my R6. i have ridden many different bikes before my R6 but never a true sport bike and that threw me off for a little. not for too long though and after that it was on. on long rides i would usually pretty much lay on my tank and just go along for the ride. not the safest thing, but hey it worked. im just concerned that my center of gravity will be higher and that i may not be able to ride like i want to with the bars more upright.

where can i get those woodcrafts @? website?? also, are the a universal type fit or are they specific for the bike/forks. thanks bro!!!

any pics of your bike would be cool too!

[Andhedrew]

Another major difference I've found is the wind resistance. The clipons seem to have eliminated quite a bit of the wind resistance found with the stock bars. I'd assumed that the lack of fairing was the culprit when it came to wind but now that I'm lower wind doesn't seem to be an issue at all.

I actually bought my clipons through the classifieds at this site. The Woodcrafts are very low as the have a two piece clip for easy installation with no rise. If you do a search for "woodcraft" you may be able to come up with some recommendations for suppliers. Here are a couple of pics of my 03 with the clipons.

WITH



WITHOUT


WITH


WITHOUT


WITH


WITHOUT



I don't have any close-ups to share right now. If I get a chance tomorrow I'll try to snap some and upload them.

As for fit - you will need to verify the size of the upper forks and purchase accordingly. I believe this info can be found using the search function for "woodcraft" too. If you need help finding stuff let me know. The search function can be difficult here.

[ This message was edited by: Andhedrew on 2006-07-25 22:24 ]

[Geof3]

The overall ergo's of the S3 aren't great for clip-ons... This isn't a sport bike with the fairing removed and high risers added. It is purpose built.

To that, even with the stock bars, you can set them up pretty low and get tucked just fine... I'm on my tank always...

The best thing about the S3 setup is it does all things well. With clip-ons you would suffer serious comfort I would think for anything longer than about 45 minutes or so... Personally I love the leverage of the wide bars as you can chuck the bike whenever you want... Much fun... Plus, it's easier to do wheelies, even little ones...

[Andhedrew]

Geof makes a good point. Up until 2005 the S3 was basically a "bare" Daytona. I'm not sure if there was a difference in the rearsets but the bike itself seemed to be the Daytona minus all the plastic and with different performance characteristics. I haven't ridden the new model S3 but I have sat on one. It seems to be purpose built for the streetfighter/naked bike class rather than being a stripped down Daytona. The new S3 sits higher and may not be very receptive to the lower clipons (especially if you are short in stature). I am 5' 8" and couldn't put my feet flat on the new S3... definitely wouldn't have been able to if it had clipons.

[hool-a-gan]

If you came off an r6 put the clip ons on you'll love it!!! I installed the woodcrafts 2 days ago put around 100 miles on and yes you do sacrifice a little comfort but the corners make up for it I 'm a big fan of them. the woodcrafts were very easy to install and you can find them on ebay 52mm.