When building his 1978 Arctic Cat El Tigre for the upcoming vintage racing season, Shane Gerwing appeared to have several options for his handlebar set-up.
But as we all know, when it comes to handlebars, there really is just one choice: Taller!
As with any good snowmobile set-up, the greater the distance between the grips and the running boards, the better. Fortunately, Shane had options, including a tall bar and several risers.
This first attempt (above) was good, but why stop at stacking just two risers when you have three?!?
And with the third block cobbled into place, the tape measure confirms that Shane’s achieved the critical high-teens for inches of height.
In fact, with the added mountain portion of the bar, he’s pushing the magical 10-plus-10-equals-20-in. handlebar riser territory (or, in this case, the 8-plus-1.5-plus-1.5-plus-7-in.).
This is where the pros are, and where the wannabe’s aim. This is where we all might eventually find ourselves.
Good luck this season, Shane, and don’t worry about shoulder fatigue or numb fingers. Those are the consequences of being cool.
And keep us posted on your ’78 Tiger build!