Apex bar mounts

When it comes to the feeling of your bike it’s important to enjoy each and every lap. These days it comes down to a balance between a stiff chassis and comfort. For me the first impression is in my hands. Good grips, levers, and bars are critical to that feeling for me. On the Austrian models “GasGas, Husqvarna, and KTM” the stock bar mounts are not rubber mounted so there is a lot of feedback from the chassis through your hands. 

KTM makes its own bar mounts called the PDHS bar mounts and they make a big difference on eliminating vibration and comfort on slap down landings. The only negative to this system from my experience is there is a few parts to this system that can break in a crash. 

I have been enjoying ripping around my GasGas 125, but I haven’t done much to the chassis so when Nige from MXstore asked if I would test the system, it was a no brainer. My first impression of the Apex clamps is that they were designed strong and with a purpose to eliminate vibration through your hands. At first glance the bars mounts look like they are going to raise your bar height a lot but after measuring it’s only a couple mil. The hardware on the mounts is really good quality and the fitment was perfect when applying them to the stock mounts. 

I chose to stay with the stock cast GasGas clamps on my 125, but sand down the casting marks for the factory look. The cast alloy clamps aren’t as rigid as the stock Husky and KTM clamps but adding the Apex bar mounts was the next level of comfort just like the KTM PDHS mounts just designed to take a little more abuse on the track or trail. The one negative with the Apex bar mounts could be the weight when you are putting the bar mounts on a scale but what people don’t understand is that weight in the right places is a good thing. 

Since the test on my 125 I have moved the bar mounts over to my son’s 85. That’s proof that I am confident in the product not breaking

The Verdict

After a full day of racing on my using the Apex bar mounts, I can say that I will be leaving the bar mounts on my GasGas 125. The added comfort and riding experience was a big gain especially on the 125 that has some vibration though your hands in stock form.  Rumour has it that Apex has some softer and stiffer compound rubber inserts on the way so you can really get that feeling you want in your hands if the current ones don’t fit your needs.

APEX Bar Mounts are available at MCS Moto

FEATURES

  100% Australian made with CNC machined Billet aluminium

   Lightweight without sacrificing strength (503g)

   Polyurethane resign dampers prevent twisting and reduce vibration

   Softer damper Options available

   Mount height - 40mm to centre of handlebar

   Hardware - All stainless steel fasteners

FITMENT

KTM EXC  - All models with rigid bar clamp mounting 2000 - 2022
KTM SX  -  All models with rigid bar clamp mounting 2000 - 2015
KTM adventure models - 390 - 790 - 890 - 1090 - 1190 - 1290
KTM 690 enduro 2008 to 2018
KTM road models - Super Duke 990 - 1290R and GT
Husqvarna Enduro models 2014 to 2022
Husqvarna MX models 2014 and 2015
Sherco - most models (please check your top triple clamp as some factory models with Xtrig clamps might not fit)
Gas Gas all models made in the latest generation made by KTM
Beta - all models using M10 mounting bolts.