WARNING about Renthal bars

[QuadMatt]

FIrst of all, I am not out to bash Renthal or hurt their reputation. I consider Renthal to make a good product and have good service.

But.......

I have had this pair of bars for close to two years. Standard Renthal. I have NEVER bent them nor fixed them. The bars served me well, in that they would flex but not bend, and this is important for me because i have injured wrists, and the shock absorbtion is critical. WHenever my quad (400EX) rolled over, the bars would fold at the neck because i don't have the nech too tight. SO, bottom line, the bars worked great.

The other day, I was puuling the quad out of the shed. As it rolled out i thought i heard a rattle. SO i puuled up on the handle bar on the one side and....SNAP! The handle bar broke off in my hand.

I was pretty surprised how easily it broke off, and immediately thought of what could have happened if i was riding.

Upon closer look, it was clear that there had been a crack existing, and my pulling just propigated that crack. I then looked at the other side, and there was a crack there also. See pics.

SO, in conclusion, Renthals are good bars, but check them for cracks.

[QuadMatt]

Here is the other side not yet broken. This is what to look out for.

[300EX KING]

Wow that sucks. i just got some renthal bars last month . they seem pretty strong. the only way i can see them cracking like that is from rolling the quad . if you have ever crashed thats probably what did that.

[QuadMatt]

Actually, I'm alomost certain that the cracks are from fatigue over time. Also from repetative cycling back and forth on the bars. It is not likely from a single incident as I have not had a good wreck for awhile, and if these cracks were there all this time, the bars would have surely broke prior to now.

[Sparkles]

how old are those bars ?

[Ex'r Marlin]

I'm surprized after looking at the photos. They do look like stress cracks to me. Looking at the picture, your handle bars seem to have the same "Honda" atv bend like mine. I will take a moment and look at my bars. Thanks for sharing. I would not hesitate e-mailing your photo to Renthal.

Note: So far after 3 years on my 400ex with the same Renthal bars from all my mishaps, (hitting trees, roll overs, and hard poundings through rock sections), mine seem to be holding up great. Even the anodized finish still looks good.

BTW, I tighten the four bolts that hold the handle bars in place to the point where when I crash, they will rotate and hopefully avoid bending the bars and possibly bending the stem.

[QuadMatt]

I have been in contact with Renthal and they indicated they will replace my bars once they have a chance to look at them. They were very friendly and helpful over there, and again, I think that Renthal has a good product.

I've seen a couple renthal bars crack,,but there's about a million more sets of renthals out there than any other bar so that might be why it seems more common..good ta hear their gonna take care of ya..:macho

[cdalejef]

quadmatt, you may want to try some over size bars this time ie pro taper, tag bars. They flex more than the standard Renthals and are much stronger.

if u like low bend bars, try tag x-5 in cr-hi, i love mine

[Pro400EXC]

I just read some test on the Fat Bars (ie: Pro

Taper,Tag,Magnura,Renthal,blah blah blah) and they did lab

tests, well..... the Tag where the worst, they where the first to

bend, the Pro Tapers were best,the Magnura(KTM's come stock

with them) came in 2nd, the 3rd was the Renthal Fat Bars, then

Moose Bulge Bar,then Fly, then Tag, so I think ProTaper is the

best,they also been around the longest( fat bar wise)

Hey to be fair...you had these on FOR TWO YEARS!!!!! i think you got your 59 bucks worth!:devil