International Dealer News IDN 153 February/March 2020 | Page 59

PRO GuIDe eXTRA Renthal - new lightweight FB36 handlebars Over 50 years of specialist experience have taught Renthal that a fraction of a second, a few grams, a couple of millimetres - "it all counts". Working alongside its factory race teams, Renthal have taken the concept of improving performance through weight reduction without compromising existing handlebar strength to a new level. "Every time you accelerate, brake, corner, jump, you work against the weight of the motorcycle. By reducing weight, it improves the performance of the motorcycle in all of these areas - resulting in faster lap times". Renthal's 50+ years of experience in handlebar design, testing and racing has resulted in the R- Works Fatbar36 - described as the "ultimate in lightweight motocross handlebars". Utilising Renthal’s 36Tech handlebar standard and proprietary Zarilium material to give a high strength handlebar at the lowest possible weight, "the R- Works Fatbar36 is 36% lighter than our standard 28 mm diameter Fatbar, previously the lightest motocross handlebar". "At Renthal we have always strived to produce the strongest, highest quality product we can. Our current handlebar range is at a level of strength that our factory level teams feel it needs to be, but weight saving will always be high on the priority list. In developing the Fatbar36, we made this our priority too". The company says that its new 36Tech advanced technology is a new handlebar standard developed by Renthal to push forward the boundaries of handlebar technology. Using advanced wall geometry, the 36 mm clamping diameter tapers down to a conventional 22 mm control section at each end, reducing weight by maximising material efficiencies in wall thickness along the entire length of the handlebar. Exclusive to Renthal, Zarilium is a new aluminium alloy that has +20% greater ultimate tensile strength, while maintaining the same elongation properties. This additional strength has allowed Renthal to achieve the maximum weight reduction possible whilst matching the best in class strength with the Renthal 28 mm diameter Fatbar. Founded in 1969 in the UK by Henry Rosenthal and Andrew Renshaw, the first Renthal handlebars were made for the motorcycle trials market and were the first to be made of aluminium. Even in the early days, there was a focus on supporting the world’s best riders, and in 1971, Renthal gained its first trials World Champion title with Mick Andrews. Renthal moved into the growing sport of motocross, with which the brand is now synonymous. Gaining instant popularity and racing success, the first motocross World Championship for Renthal was won in 1981 by Neil Hudson. Supercross in the U.S. boomed in the late 80s and Renthal was at the epicentre, supporting legend of the sport and seven times Supercross world champion Jeremy McGrath. For the entire 50-year history of Renthal there has been a focus on working with the world’s fastest riders. Renthal supported athletes who have won World Championship titles every year, from 1983 to the present day. To date, Renthal supported athletes who have won 213 World and 222 U.S. championship titles. Looking to the future, Renthal has returned to be a self-owned business after some 10 years or so under the ownership of the Motorsport Aftermarket Group in the USA. The company continues as a cutting-edge design and manufacturing company, with extensive on-site facilities such as its handlebar testing Lab - Renthal was founded in 1969 in the UK by Henry Rosenthal and Andrew Renshaw. Renthal is the only handlebar manufacturer using data acquisition and equipped with its own in-house test facility. "As the global leader in handlebar technology, we pride ourselves not only on our engineering abilities, but also our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. Taking raw Zarilium tube, we put it through a host of operations to turn it into the Fatbar36. "The R-Works badge represents uncompromising performance. It means we have selected the ultimate materials and manufacturing processes at our disposal to bring the market the very best performance product we can". Renthal products are available through leading distributors, including Techno Motor Veghel in the Netherlands (www.tmv.nl). RENTHAL LTD Stockport, Cheshire, UK Tel: [phone] [email protected] www.renthal.com www.idnmag.com INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 59