steering stem

[TRX23rider]

My brother has rolled my quad over a couple of times and bent the steering stem so i have decided to get a new one. Should i get an aftermarket stem or just but a stock one. i dont want to spend too much money. Also if i get and after market one will my trail tech calmps fit it. My final question is if i get an extened stem like plus 2" would i need to get new cables for throttle and brakes etc.?

[rob-u/21]

Should i get an aftermarket stem or just but a stock one. i dont want to spend too much money.
Depends on how much you want to spend.

if i get an extened stem like plus 2" would i need to get new cables for throttle and brakes etc.?
No. You shouldn't have to get new cables, just new bars probably.

[TRX23rider]

i was plannig on spending around $100 but i cant find any in that price range except for the stocker. do you know of any that are around $100. and will my trail tech clamp work on an aftermarket stem?

[400exstud]

Aftermarket stems are going to start at about $200 and go up but they are worth it if you ride hard. I got my houser for $275 w/ clamps and fortunately I haven't had to test its strength yet.

I think that you only need new cables if you go over +1. I got a +1 stem with CR double high bend bars which are a -1 so I am at stock. Then I can just get new bars if I want to go really high.

It all depends on how deep your pockets are.

[DirtDevilBT]

Trx23, you have another option that most people don't concider. I had my stock stem lengthend by 1.5 inches and it came out great. You spend all this money on an aftermarket stem that is longer and then by smaller bars, what was the point of that? Hey, some do that... spending over 300+ dollars to be back to square one. The throttle cable wasn't a problem but the brake line was. I use my stock bars with the lengthened stem and found that the brake line was binding real bad so I did a simple fix and it has been fine for over 60+ hours. The brake line has a mount very close to the stems mount just under the hood. Disconnect the mount. Then slightly bend the brake line with both hands at all bends after the a-arms. What you are looking for is just enough length to remount the brake line higher. Let me explain. The brake line has a rubber peice on it that protects it where it mounts. The rubber continues slightly past where it mount. This will be where you want the mount to now grab, just under where it used to. This will give you just enough to have a good amount of slack in your brake line when turning your handlebars lock to lock.

It might sound hairy to some of you but the stem and line has held up through 60+ hours of abuse. I would be willing to do a quick write up if the interest is there.

[sickmojave]

DirtDevilBT where did you cut your stem? did you cut it above or below the top stem mount?
:confused:

[400exstud]

You spend all this money on an aftermarket stem that is longer and then by smaller bars, what was the point of that? Hey, some do that... spending over 300+ dollars to be back to square one.

1. I dominated my stocker.
2. I wanted anti-vibe
3. I wanted T2 bars (1 1/8" mount)
4. I am really only at stock height, the bars are a dirt bike bend so they are an inch forward.

[<DRS>GPF]

actually, a longer stem with shorter bars worked out very well for me..

i got a +2 chromoly stem given to me..cool huh.. the clamp says "Herrmann" so im guessing they made it..
so anyway, i bought the MSR "CR bend" low bars so it wouldnt look and feel like "ape hangers"..

anyway, on to the parable..
toward the end of last summer, i made the mistake of taking the quad to a family get-together..
needless to say, compared to the 3-wheelers and older utilities, it was the fastest, funnest ride there..
but.. there were those that didnt have respect for the speed and sure enough, it was sent into a prime example of a "world of outlaws" tumble..

i watched as it went completely airborne, tumbling at least twice.. then bouncing backwards onto the handlebars which knocked the powermadds flush to the level of the bars, before flopping over 1 last time onto the wheels.. facing the other way..

didnt bend or break a thing.. it mustve only hit tires, bumper and bars.. the height is still even to the ground on both grips and the powermadds werent rediculously tight so i moved them back into position...
i spoke the magic words.."alla peanut butter sandwiches!!" and POOF! all gooder..

oh, the idiot was ok and we were both much wiser..(me for letting fools play with my toys..)

the low bars leave little leverage for bending and if the chromoly stem gets bent, then ill surely have bigger problems..