Dirt bike riders who like to put lots of hours in will do anything to improve the quality of riding time, focusing on lessening fatigue and the possibility of injury. Rider aids such as extra resilient grips, suspension fine-tuning, ergonomics, and impact isolation devices all help keep fatigue and injuries down while improving the riding experience. There are several dirt bike handlebar-mounting systems that reduce vibration and minimize rider impact, with various degrees of success. The Urmosi 720 SBC soft bar clamp is a new $399 solution to the scene.
Riding with the Urmosi 720 SBC system is invisible. There is no change in control or steering. What you notice is a sensation that the terrain you are riding, no matter how rough, feels not as bad as it looks; spikey jolts and impacts are reduced.
Rider fatigue is significantly reduced. I find myself riding at least an hour longer before the beginning of my energy drop, which I attribute directly to the superior bar isolation. I also frequently move my handlebar to new positions, as my shoulders are not always cooperative on ride days.
The Urmosi 720 SBC system is unique. The handlebar rides in a large elastomeric isolation system, improving impact absorption without sacrificing control or durability. There is no metal-to-metal contact, full damping is supplied in every direction, engine vibration to the grips is reduced, and arm pump is less likely.
Unlike systems that use a small piece of elastomeric to reduce vibration and impact, the Urmosi system uses an elastomeric insert considerably larger than alternative systems. This provides a much more controlled and linear damping action that really works. There are no compromises, such as excessive bar leverage compromising the isolation or bottoming out of the damper material, which can happen on other systems.
The damping inserts are a consumable. You’ll have to replace them every 60 hours if you ride hard—80 hours for casual trail riders. You can opt for a harder insert—a $33 option—which extends the replacement interval by 20 hours.
Mounting the Urmosi 720 SBC is easy—they just bolt on using the stock bar clamp holes. Other setups require using only bar positions #3 or #4 for their system to fit correctly. This limits people with shorter or longer than average torso and arms. The Urmosi system works in any bar position on the top triple clamp, and on all off-road bikes.
The Urmosi 720 SBC system raises the handlebar mounting position by 3/4 of an inch. If you like the stock ergonomics, you will have to buy a lower-rise handlebar. For those who want their grips to be exceptionally high, Urmosi offers spacers to raise the 720’s clamp in half-inch increments ($25 option).
Many riders who run a damped handlebar also use a steering damper. Most damped handlebar systems require that you use its proprietary integrated damper mount, which can further limit bar mounting position. With little effort, the Urmosi 720 SBC’s current mount can be slightly modified to allow a damper and its mounting bracket to fit between the Urmosi isolation clamps. Scotts Performance makes a universal clamp that works great. With the Urmosi 720 SBC system, it is possible for the rider to employ a preferred steering damper and mounting system. It’s all protected by an included bar pad (your choice of five colors).
Urmosi is the brainchild of off-road enthusiast Robert Urmosi, who got started by designing an adjustable ATV thumb throttle. As he also rides dirt bikes, he expanded into the 720 SBC handlebar damper, along with wheelsets explicitly intended for enduro riding. The Urmosi 720 SBC system is not an inexpensive solution to the problem of hand and arm fatigue on long off-road rides. However, it is one that works.
