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 2025 I thought why not foreshadow an article about which Renthal bar bend and grip type all the Motocross/Supercross/MXGP riders are running in 25′. 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 Fatbar
Jorge Prado Kawasaki 604 MX/827 SX
Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki:
Seth Hammaker Kawasaki 827 Fatbar
Levi Kitchen Kawasaki 827 Fatbar
Cameron McAdoo Kawasaki 997 Twinwall
Ty Masterpool Kawasaki 604 Fatbar
Garrett Marchbanks: 996 Twinwall
Drew Adams: 839 Fatbar
Ice 1 Kawasaki MXGP:
Romain Febrve: 827 Fatbar
Pauls Jonas: 827 Fatbar
Mathis Valin: 839 Fatbar
Honda HRC:
Jett Lawrence Honda 839 Fatbar
Hunter Lawrence Honda 839 Fatbar
Jo Shimoda Honda 827 Fatbar
Chance Hymas Honda 839
Honda HRC MXGP:
Tim Gasjer Honda 827 Fatbar
Reuben Fernandez Honda 827 Fatbar
Ferruccio Zanchi: 996 Twinwall
Valerio Lata: 839 Fatbar
GDR Honda Canada:
Dylan Wright: 604 Fatbar
Ryder Mcnabb: 839 Fatbar
Noah Viney: 839 Fatbar
Kemea Yamaha MXGP:
Maxime Renaux 827 Fatbar
Jago Geerts 821Fatbar
Calvin Vlaanderen 996 Twinwall
Hutten Metaal Yamaha MXGP:
Thibault Benistant 827 Fatbar
Rick Elzinga 826 Fatbar
Karlis Reisulis 996 Twinwall
MX101 Yamaha Canada:
Jess Pettis: 999 Fatbar
Sebastian Racine: 827 Fatbar
Preston Kilroy: 996 Twinwall
Progressive Ecstar Suzuki:
Ken Roczen Suzuki 996 Twinwall
Red Bull KTM:
Chase Sexton KTM 827 Fatbar
Aaron Plessinger KTM 827 Fatbar 827
Tom Vialle: 827 Fatbar
Julien Beaumer: 821 Fatbar
Red Bull KTM MXGP:
Jeffrey Herlings: 997-01 Twinwall
Andrea Adamo: 604-01 Fatbar
Marc-Antoine Rossi 999 Twinwall
Decarli Red Bull KTM:
Sacha Coenen: 821 Fatbar
Lucas Coenen: 839 Fatbar
Simon Langenfelder: 996 Twinwall
KTM Canada:
Kaven Benoit: 821 Fatbar
Dylan Rempel: 821 Fatbar
Stark Future:
Jack Brunell: 821 Fatbar
Eddie Wade: 827 Fatbar
Justin Bogle: 821 Fatbar
Yannis Irsuti: 839 Fatbar
Jorge Zaragoza: 821 Fatbar
Eddie Karlsson: 821Fatbar
Jordi Sala: 821 Fatbar
Virgine Germond: 672 Fatbar
Triumph Racing USA:
Jalek Swoll: 821 Fatbar
Austin Forkner: 821 Fatbar
Jordan Smith: 821 Fatbar
Stilez Robertson: 821 Fatbar
Ivan Tedesco: 821 Fatbar
Triumph Racing MXGP:
Guillem Farres: 827 Fatbar
Camden Mclellan: 827 Fatbar
Mikkel Haarup: 827 Fatbar
Popular Dimensions:
Fatbar 827 811mm Width/92mm Height/52mm Rise/52mm Sweep (19 Riders Run This Bar Bend)
Fatbar 821 813mm Width/78mm Height/42mm Rise/54mm Sweep (14 Riders Run This Bar Bend)
Fatbar 839 802mm Width/91mm Height/51mm Rise/51mm 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 and currently the Triumph. 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 corner 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! Also, Austrian bikes measure taller from center of front axle to top of triple clamp so lower bar bends are usually found on riders of Austrian bikes.
If you have any questions please carefully email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com or wait until the 2025 recommended handlebar spec article comes out to see what bar bend might be the right choice for you!
