Aftermarket triple clamps worth the $?

Ask Chase sexton 

Not always the same result depending on bike and clamps. 

Just ride the bike, if you want bling you can paint your clamps whatever color you want!

Started paying way more attention to the torque setting

Made a big difference 

I'm being serious, most people put clamps on for the bling factor, you think riding around the c class you need clamps? Don't discount what a good paint job can do for your bike either, I take all the casting marks off all the cast pieces on my bike and think it looks a million times better. 

There was a team running solid clamps a few years ago that were anodized to look like split clamps, tell me that's not just for bling.

Find someone that blinged up their RMZ-250 and get their stock clamps….

I mostly ride older hondas that don't have adjustable handlebar mounts stock. 

I get aftermarket top clamps with adjustable handlebar mounts, those are a game changer to me

JT just spoke a bit about this on Pulp this week. Some clamps, like the slotted xtrig style, have more give/flex and therefore a softer feel, whereas others, like PC, are less forgiving and therefore a more rigid feel/no flex. Feel can be translated in both steering and suspension. Unless you are super sensitive to bike settings, I don’t know if it’s worth the coin. I personally would invest in other mods before going the triple comp route unless you’ve exercised all options and are chasing something specific. 

I’m impressed, and a bit sceptical, that people can easily feel the difference between cast and forged triple clamps (GG/KTM). And engine mounts that improve the feel. 

I’m at the level where I can notice if my front tire is flat. Eventually. 

Exactly.

If you have to ask then the answer is self-evident.

The biggest difference you'll feel is in the weight of your wallet.

I don't notice a significant difference changing from stock cast to billet clamps that have the same steering offset.  I do notice a change of the frame to cylinder head motor mount when there is a significant change in material, not just shape.

I do have a question as I havent tried spilt clamps yet. Have people noticed a change in comfort changing to the split triple clamps? Is there a different feel with slap down landings?

Ken say's "No". If your bike is lowered, you need triples with less offset to regain the lost 'trail' (and stability).

This! And depends how far you are into racing and what you have done already. There is actual good advice on here on what to do posted a while ago. Get the suspension sprung for your weight and then from there figure out what you’re missing. Most modern bikes need a re spring and bars for comfort and that’s about it. Make sure your sag is correct also. Lots of money to be spent on moto for only looks. Some clamps that are the same offset have different mounts etc that help with dampening. 

To me the Xtrig ROCS clamps with PHDS mounts has always been worth it. 

Sure they look cool, but the reason why i have bought them has been the fact that they give so many setup options (cockpit and offset adjustment) and eliminate twisting handlebars in small tip overs while maintaining vibration dampening and comfort.

Ask Seth Enslow

For the money, 95% of us will feel more of a difference in the wallet than well ever feel in the bike. On the contrary, if you have the money, theres nothing wrong with buying bling parts. Ive been told by multiple people that the Xtrig clamps made the bike feel noticeably more stiff than the stock clamp, not always a good thing for the mortals....

Not worth it unless changing the offset. 

I was extremely skeptical and was like you before testing FCP engine mounts, back-to-back with OEM mounts on the same day. I went out and did 16 laps on the stock mounts, came in and swapped to FCP, and went back out and did 16 more laps. I assumed I wouldn't be able to tell a difference, but boy was I wrong. My suspension felt plusher (the fancy testers call it "bump touch", lol) and lean angle traction was noticeably better (2024 350 SX-F). Average lap time, over 16 laps, was 2 seconds faster on FCP mounts...my mind was blown. With that said, would I have been able to tell the difference if I didn't do a back-to-back test, I really don't know. That brings me to the RE 23.5mm offset triple clamps that I also did on the same bike. I was unable to test back-to-back on the same day, and while I do believe they helped in section 1 and 2 of the corner, I can't say for sure and I don't have any data to support my claims. I can almost guarantee I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between cast and forged clamps with the same offset...but the only possible way would be a true, back-to-back test.

Yeah, when it starts coming off the rim 😂

2 seconds faster with just an engine mount swap is hogwash. You banged out 16 laps, got comfortable and then tested the mounts is all that happened. Comfort and pace improved your time.

I'm just a slow C rider but can't say I could tell any noticeable difference in comfort or compliance when I went from the stock KTM clamps to the Luxon clamps on my 350, but I didn't do a back-to-back test.  I went with the 23.5* offset and that made a huge difference in the stability of the bike.  I noticed the stability improvements second I pulled onto the track the 1st time after installing them. 

Depends on the bike and what you're trying to accomplish. Offset can make a huge handling difference (good or bad). Bar mounts and split designs can improve comfort.

Ive been on a KTM for a six years now. My hands started to bother me a lot while riding in my mid 30's. Going away from stock clamps allowed me to work with better bar mounts that didn't twist and also killed some vibes. The split clamps helped with some top-of-stroke comfort as well.

Billy did a really nice job with these blog posts if you're looking for some legit education.

https://www.luxonmx.com/blog-luxon-split-triple-clamps-flex-advantage.html

https://www.luxonmx.com/blog-luxon-gen3-triple-clamps.html

Unless you are looking to change a certain flaw that you have discovered in your steering geometry, 99% of Vital riders are wasting money on triple clamps. Riding a turn track for a month would do more to increase your speed and ability than any suspension or motor work ever could.

That is certainly possible, but I had ridden a lot that day and the track conditions were worse when I went out on the FCP mounts. I felt much more comfortable pushing into corner entry and felt better leaning the bike, which is what I contribute to the better lap times. But you seem to know more about what happened at the track than the person who was there and did the actual riding, so we'll go with your theory, bud.

I can write a book about this, but I'll try to hit the main points… First off, not all aftermarket clamps (or parts in general) are equal. There are few companies making good clamps, a lot of companies making mediocre clamps, and some pushing out rather garbage clamps. Just because it's aftermarket, doesn't necessarily make it better!

Now, regarding good triple clamp options, here are the main reasons you might consider them:  

Geometry Changes
This is the obvious one. Changes to the clamp offset can have a significant effect on handling. This varies by bike, rider, conditions, speed, etc., and there’s no solid answer for which offset is right for you. An adjustable offset is nice here as you can try different settings to see what works best for you. That said, there are some chassis and disciplines, in which the vast majority of riders will prefer a particular offset direction and you’re pretty safe at a fixed offset.

Bar Mount Positions
Good clamps offer multiple bar mount positions. There’s no correct position as everyone is different. Most stock clamps only offer two positions, some offer four. Some aftermarket companies simply copy stock and are no better. Luxon and Xtrig clamps have six positions front to back, plus riser options for height changes. Ours in particular have 24 different bar positions available with the front-to-back and riser options.

Bar Mount Interface/Options
Aftermarket clamps that copy the stock bar mount interface limit you to using bar mounts that fit that interface. And they’re all different – Honda cones are different from Yamaha are different from Kawasaki, etc. across the board. A direct bolt-on interface will open up different bar mount options and allow for easier mounting of accessories like steering dampers, etc. You may also be able to keep your bar mounts if you switch brands.

Weight/Strength
Well designed clamps are lighter than stock without sacrificing strength.

Revised Mounting
As far as I know, we’re the only ones doing this. For KTM/Husky/GasGas and Beta, we’ve changed the design to use a Japanese style stem/mounting rather than the pinch-bolt mounting that comes stock. This is a much more robust design: dramatically stronger, safety redundant, and easier to assemble/work on. It’s not as simple as just switching the stem, there’s a lot that needs changing to maintain the geometry.

Split Lower Clamp
A split lower clamp is always better. But the geometry of the split is important. If the clamp looks like they just took a saw to the center of a standard clamp, it will be better, but far from what it could be. We have an entire blog explaining it here:
https://www.luxonmx.com/blog-luxon-split-triple-clamps-flex-advantage.html 
but in short, you’ll get more plush suspension action with a split clamp. The upper clamp is irrelevant; it’s only the bottom that needs to be split. And an opposing split (like Xtrig) is irrelevant and isn’t any better than a non-opposing split (we’ve tested this; if were actually better we’d do it on our clamps).

Flex/Feel/Precision
This is where most clamps fall short and what really separates a performance modification from bling... Well-designed clamps are engineered to allow enough flex in the right direction for comfort while maximizing stiffness in other directions for precision. Few companies have the ability to analyze and optimize this; most just guess and “test”. In general, if the clamp has a similar material layout to stock (most aftermarket clamps), it’s not going to be much better than stock, if at all, and sometimes worse. If the clamp looks significantly different than stock, AND there’s good engineering and testing to back up the chosen material layout, then it can be a solid upgrade for increasing comfort and precision.

All that said, I wouldn’t recommend you buy a new bike and rush out to get triple clamps. There are other upgrades that are far more bang for your buck, like getting the suspension sprung and re-valved for you. But if you’ve done the basic upgrades to your bike already, then clamps can be a good option, depending on your needs and what you’re looking to accomplish. 

I'd say hands down, Billy's stuff is the most well thought out and refined product on the market. Worth every penny for me and my 450RX.

i bought a used set of Xtrigs(stock offset) for my 24yz450f, and i definitely noticed a difference on front end grip and feel.  It felt heavier on the front end but in a good way, like the tire was glued to the ground, and any push was predictable and controlled.  It just feels like i'm never going to lose the front end, and if it does slide a little its calm and easy to recover from.

I have a 2024 Beta 450RX...what offset did you go with? I love the stability of the Beta, but it takes more effort to initiate a turn than my other bikes. However, once initiated, the bike is super stable and holds the line better than my other bikes. I would like to improve the turn-in without sacrificing the other positives. MXA seems to love the 20 to 21mm offset for the 450RX...curious what your thoughts are.