I’m old now and I like to enjoy my riding, especially when I’m putting in 150km at a local trail ride, or spending 4 hours grovelling in the bush. I’ve always been a guy who will just tough it out, but now it’s time for some self-care and I am starting with my hands. So what is this XTRIG PHDS system all about?

I’m a big believer that bikes come well dialled in stock trim for the majority of us riders. Over my racing career, I have made a habit of running my bikes stock, bar a couple of very minor modes to mostly help with my height. Handlebars were a definite swap out (mostly to go from 7/8 bars to the fat bar), and when seats became a big thing, I started running a taller one. In a perfect world, I should have had my suspension re-valved every time, but I didn’t have too much in the way of spare cash, so for the majority of my career I ran stock suspension too. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great.

These days, bikes come off the floor in even better trim than ever before and the amount of R&D that goes into a 2022 model dirt bike is insane. So to crack on with engine mods right out of the box, swap out pipes and clamps doesn’t necessarily equate to a better machine. Yeah, sometimes it does, but sometimes the factory just might know what they are doing.

As bikes become more rigid in the never-ending grind to gain speed and stability, vibration starts to increase. The main place you tend to notice vibration is through your hands, which comes from the bars, which comes from the bar clamps, and triple clamps and chassis. And depending on what brand you ride, depends on what the vibrations are like.

Rhonda (like all the Hondas) comes with rubber bar mounts which help dampen the vibrations from the chassis through to the hands. It’s a pretty simple but effective idea. It does have its deficits though, one being they have a tendency to twist when you crash. Not ideal in a race situation. I also notice that compared to the 2020 CRF450R that I had been riding previously, the engine delivery is much more aggressive and tends to give a little more feedback through the bars.

I knew about the X-TRIG PHDS system from years back when they were a big-ticket aftermarket item for the KTM solid mounts, and I have always wanted to try a set to see if the result matched the hype. 2022 saw that want come to fruition.

What It Does

The PHDS (Progressive Handlebar Dampening System) is a system supported by elastomers designed to absorb engine and chassis vibrations. The elastomers separate the top metal clamping surface from the bottom clamping surface and is designed to help with both vertical and horizontal forces acting on the handlebar, while also maintaining steering precision. You have different elastomer options (Stock, Soft, Firm) depending on how much flex and vibration absorption you desire.

Installation

They look like a technical set of bar clamps and should be treated as such. Mounting up the PHDS bar mounts is a little tricky as the mounts themselves have a lot of moving parts, so make sure to read the instructions to ensure proper mounting. You will need a torque wrench so if you don’t have one, borrow one – please don’t use your eye-cromitor – and you don’t need to do anything other than to remove your stock clamps. Another thing you must watch out for with the PHDS is to be sure that you are tightening the bolts evenly, so the elastomers are evenly compressed. If you can read, you will be fine. I mean I got it done with little fuss.

I also sourced the Green inserts which are the soft option to get even more vibration damping.

How It Worked

Honestly, I didn’t really feel much difference right off the bat. And initially you might be thinking – well what’s the point then? And I say to that, if these clamps changed the way Rhonda handled, I don’t think I would be into it. I find this 2022 CRF450RX feels very stable and planted already, and turns where and when I want it to, with very little input. I’m just looking for some softer feeling through the bars and some easing on my hands for when I’m in the seat for a long day. I recently turned 41 and I am not quite as tough as I used to be – crazy as that sounds I know.

The real revelation came when I tried my friend’s RX without the PHDS system – Game Changer.

The PHDS mounts send less vibrations through to my hand compared to the OEM rubber mounted bar mounts. The bars flex a lot when you are sitting on the stand and pressing the bars down – it almost looks like too much flex. But this is virtually unnoticeable when out on the track and obviously aids the smoother feeling you get. I think the system is most noticeable when the bike is at higher RPM’s (more engine vibration) and when you are slapping down the front end on something or driving the front onto things like logs, rocks and tree roots, as well as braking bumps too.

The clamps are obviously heavier than the stock ones, but the PHDS is very light when you compare it to other systems out there. I have sampled a few other vibration damping systems (though not to the extent of these) and I would say this system kept the most bike feel out of them all, and the amount the handlebars are raised is negligible. This is the system you want to use if you are looking to skim off some of the feeling you get from quick, sharp impacts, without taking anything away from the handling or precision on the bike.

It allows for the use of your fat bar of choice, doesn’t interfere with your controls and I could still run my stock bar pad which I was happy about. In a nutshell, the vibration damping the PHDS mounts provide are, in my opinion, well worth their weight blister tape and arm pump. Again, yes they are slightly heavier than the stock mounts, but I will gladly take some extra grams over vibration any day.

I have been lucky enough to try the PHDS system on loan from the NZ importers Moto SR for the next we-while. But I don’t think old mate is getting them back any time soon. These are kinda like, third base – once you’ve been there, second base seems a little underwhelming.

Check them out by CLICKING HERE or get in touch with Scotty and the team at Moto SR and have a chat not only about the PHDS system, but also about any other handling issues you might be having.