New Handlebars

[Brian43204]

I'm wondering if anyone has gotten a new set of bars? I want to raise mine up higher (I'm tall) and I'm curious who has gotten some new clip on bars and how did they work? Cost, etc?

 

[bentwrench]

Higher will be interesting, as you eventually run out of distance on the cables. Lower is easy, as you just have extra (which can be trimmed.)

Oh, by interesting, I mean a real PITA.

I'm putting my front end back together after switching to clip ons, and I'm amazed at how many wires there are to adjust...

 

[bcware]

If you want higher bars you're not going to want clip-ons; at a minimum they'd be 6 - 8" lower. I'm 6'1" and run euro bars, but my seat has been dropped significantly. Perhaps a straighter bar with less pull-back would help.

 

[drewpy]

you can't raise clip on's, they clip onto the stanchions.

if you go with apes then you can get cables and hydraulic line made up

 

[midtown]

I didn't want to start a new thread with a very similar question.

I'm replacing the stock handlebars. My problem is that the left hand grip is stuck. Right hand came right off with the ignition controls, but the left one is being quite stubborn.

Are they glued on? Friction mount? Will a lil' WD-40 do the trick, or do I need some kind of tool?

Thanks.

 

[midtown]

Here's a pic.

 

[bentwrench]

You won't be reusing it, so cut it off (or destroy by other means, without damaging the handlebar.)

 

[midtown]

I'm replacing the handlebars only. Grips are staying.

 

[PT_247]

you could try wd40, use the straw that comes with the can and shove it down between the bars and grip as far as you can, then try twisting the grip a little bit each way until it moves. If it works you'll want to get rid of the residue of WD40 before refitting.

Use hair spray on the insides of the grips when putting them back on, will act as a lube until it dries and then will grip them lightly, anything stronger and you'll maybe not get them off again if you change bars again!

 

[midtown]

Thanks. Still having some trouble, but at least I know it's supposed to be this difficult. sigh...

 

[bentwrench]

If it came off easy, it would be a safety issue, right?

 

[midtown]

Sadly, I ended up having to cut 'em off. Previous owner practically filled the grips with glue. There are still some chunks stuck on the old handlebars. You'd think some double-sided tape would do. Messy work.

I haven't put the new grips on just yet. After rearranging things, the headlight decided to stop working, so more troubleshooting it is. Already had to do some touch-up soldering to fix the turn signals.

 

[Onetype]

Use hair spray on the new grip, that way you can still remove it with soap/water if you ever need to.

 

[karatekid1194]

I use euro bars on my bike and I found a set of bar risers on ebay. I considered trying them but just eventually lost interest. The guy makes them himself, I would look into it. And i would recomend euro bars bc they look 10,000,000 times better than the stock ones and are more fun/easier to ride with.

 

[bcware]

Sorry I didn't catch your trouble in time; a good trick for removing grips is to ram an air gun attachment into the grip and blast it with 100+ psi. This sometimes pops them right off or at least loosens them up. If they are very stubborn I just start shoving something in them (like a coat hanger or something flatter) and working it around.

I've always used grip glue myself; just don't use too much. I've even run grips with no glue and they rotate very little; they certainly do not slide off.

 

[dO-bOy]

I haven't used anything ever and seems to work for me

 

[midtown]

I used some hairspray on them and gave it a day to dry. Clutch-side stays in place, but part of it rotates just a little. I might use just a little bit of glue on the very end of the grip.