Installing handlebars: opinions wanted

[Guest IanJ]

So, I'm in the process of installing a regular handlebar on my Le Mans, to replace the Two Brothers Racing clipons which had been on there before. I have successfully drilled the top triple clamp for a set of Moose Racing barclamps, and have a Street Master Daytona bar that will be installed. This leads me to my question for you all:

 

The switches on each side have an indexing tab, which is designed to fit into a hole in the handlebars, to keep them from rotating. Is this indexing scheme really necessary? Can the switches be safely clamped to the bars so that they won't rotate without those tabs? I don't want to remove the tabs only to find that they spin like tops without them. But, I do want to be able to adjust the bars around to find the best position, which may involve 3-5 iterations. I don't want to have to drill a new hole every time.

 

Anyone else tried this? Any experiences, positive or negative? I'll be calling and asking Moto International tomorrow to see what they have to say, but I'd appreciate any experiences any of you can relate.

 

(And yes, this will be documented on my website, but suffice to say that you need to extend the hydraulic lines, and then it's pretty easy to do.)

[TX REDNECK (R.I.P.)]

I took a dremel & cut the nubbies off & the switches still clamped tight. No problemo

[gthyni]

I took a dremel & cut the nubbies off & the switches still clamped tight. No problemo

Did the same when I switch to the Ghezzi&Brian clip-ons,

no problems to get them to fit tight on a 22 mm bar.

 

Have you got the bar yet,

I would recommend Renthal otherwise,

nice alu-bars which comes in many pretty colours.

[Mike Stewart]

Just a word of caution, On the starter button/kill switch, make sure that the plactic tit is cut off all the way so that it is flush/ past flush with the contour. I had just a very slight rise on my wifes switch when I changed her bars and a few months later, her starter melted down because of the starter switch button had a bind when it got hot and stuck in the crank position. After the $500. dollar starter was replaced, I found the culprit and ground down the remainder of the tit past flush. No more problem. Also, if the switch does move when tight, a drop of silicone adhesive works wonders.

 

Mike

[jrt]

Hey, good tip Mike.

 

I cut the tits off mine with a sharp knife and filed them flush. Works fine.

I have Alu bars (Whatever Spiegler carries) and I like them, but most bar ends, cruise controls, and other widgets are designed for iron bars.

J

[Guest IanJ]

Great, thanks for the replies! Sounds like it's a safe thing to do.

 

The bars I got are Street Master brand, and they're the Daytona model. $15 at your local accessories shop, and available in almost any shop that has anything to do with motorcycles. I got the black model, which is painted with some kind of moderately-durable plastic based paint. It's probably going to be somewhat scratched up by the time I'm done. Oh well.

 

Good tip on the starter button. I'll double check the function of all the switches and make sure nothing's binding or anything.

[Guest IanJ]

Moto International gave me a mixed opinion: one of "oh no, definitely drill the bar and leave that tab in place" and one of "it's probably better to leave the tab, but it's not bad to do without it; the switches will eventually start to rotate."

 

So, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do for now. I'll definitely dry-fit the whole thing together and then see where things stand.

[Mike Stewart]

I like the idea of having the controls indexed but getting the hole drilled in the correct spot the first time is difficult. I mean the difficult part is getting the right sweep of the bars positioned where you want them or thought you wanted them and then to find that yeah, you need to move the bars back toward the rider but then the switches look funky because the holes are drilled in the now wrong location.

 

And as we all know, a hole in the bars will be the first place a crack will start and I do not even want to think about this while I am riding. :!:

 

Jason,

 

I could never figure out why all the aftermarket bar ends would not fit my aluminum bars. I always threw away the inserts and machined my own out of aluminum .002" larger than the bar opening. I then drilled out the insert and tapped for the 6 or 8mm. bolt. A drop of loctite on the inserts and a few taps with the sledgeomatic and now there is something to bolt the bar end to.

 

Mike