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Message started by arteacher on 08/03/12 at 06:02:07

Title: Handle bar "slip".
Post by arteacher on 08/03/12 at 06:02:07

I have a set of Builtwell Frisco's on stock risers and they move a bit when I pull on them trying to lift my rear off the seat when going over a bad bump. They do this because they are not knurled. I am tightening them up to the point that I am afraid of stripping the bolts.
Any ideas?

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by Dave on 08/03/12 at 06:08:44

Try putting a dab of epoxy on the clamps before you tighten them down. Just enough to provide some bond - but not enough to squeeze out and get ugly. You will still be able to get the bars off when you release the clamps. You might want to mark the rotation/location of the bars with some tape and a marker so you can get it right the first time.....when you epoxy them you will not be able to adjust them afterwards.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by Cavi Mike on 08/03/12 at 06:14:31

I think you mean Loctite. Epoxy dries like superglue.

Also, are you tightening the screws with an L-shaped Allen key or with a ratchet with extension? Using an Allen key causes a lot of your effort to be put into cocking the head of the screw instead of turning it, this is why people have a tendency of stripping the heads out of them when trying to take off their old bars. If you use a T-handle or a ratchet and extension, you put all of that cocking force into your hands and it puts all of the twisting force onto the screw - which also allows you to tighten them more.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by EJID on 08/03/12 at 08:00:41

When I swapped my drag bars for mini-apes, it was recommended by WD that I drill and pin my bars to the clamps so that they don't rotate like that. I haven't done that yet, and have not had them slip. Currently when I pull on my bars to lift my arse, I can feel the flex in the bars, but they haven't slipped, yet :-?

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by DangRider on 08/03/12 at 08:05:56

I recently swapped out the stock bars for some aftermarket ones that are not knurled. Here's an idea for you to try.

I took an aluminum can (just a Coke can in my case) and cut a strip that was just narrower than the clamps and long enough to almost touch when wrapped around the bar. I left about a 1/16 inch gap for expansion when compressed.

I used a small strip of scotch tape to hold the aluminum strip on the bar for convenience when positioning the bar in the clamp.

That did the trick for me - solid hold at an excellent price!

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by Boule’tard on 08/03/12 at 12:26:15

Musta read Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Here is an excerpt about the handlebar shims:

Quote:

His handlebars had started slipping. Not badly, he said, just a little when you shoved hard on them. I warned him not to use his adjustable wrench on the tightening nuts. It was likely to damage the chrome and start small rust spots. He agreed to use my metric sockets and box-ends.

When he brought his motorcycle over I got my wrenches out but then noticed that no amount of tightening would stop the slippage, because the ends of the collars were pinched shut.

"You’re going to have to shim those out," I said.
"What’s shim?"
"It’s a thin, flat strip of metal. You just slip it around the handlebar under the collar there and it will open up the collar to where you can tighten it again. You use shims like that to make adjustments in all kinds of machines."
"Oh," he said. He was getting interested. "Good. Where do you buy them?"
"I’ve got some right here," I said gleefully, holding up a can of beer in my hand.
He didn’t understand for a moment. Then he said, "What, the can?"
"Sure," I said, "best shim stock in the world."

I thought this was pretty clever myself. Save him a trip to God knows where to get shim stock. Save him time. Save him money. But to my surprise he didn’t see the cleverness of this at all. In fact he got noticeably haughty about the whole thing. Pretty soon he was dodging and filling with all kinds of excuses and, before I realized what his real attitude was, we had decided not to fix the handlebars after all.

As far as I know those handlebars are still loose. And I believe now that he was actually offended at the time. I had had the nerve to propose repair of his new eighteen-hundred dollar BMW, the pride of a half-century of German mechanical finesse, with a piece of old beer can!

Ach, du lieber!

Since then we have had very few conversations about motorcycle maintenance. None, now that I think of it. You push it any further and suddenly you are angry, without knowing why. I should say, to explain this, that beer-can aluminum is soft and sticky, as metals go. Perfect for the application. Aluminum doesn’t oxidize in wet weather...or, more precisely, it always has a thin layer of oxide that prevents any further oxidation. Also perfect.

In other words, any true German mechanic, with a half-century of mechanical finesse behind him, would have concluded that this particular solution to this particular technical problem was perfect.

For a while I thought what I should have done was sneak over to the workbench, cut a shim from the beer can, remove the printing and then come back and tell him we were in luck, it was the last one I had, specially imported from Germany. That would have done it. A special shim from the private stock of Baron Alfred Krupp, who had to sell it at a great sacrifice. Then he would have gone gaga over it.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by Charon on 08/03/12 at 12:35:35

I was going to suggest brass shim stock, but the beer can (I suppose a soda can would work, if you're a teetotaller) is cheaper and usually quite available.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by Cavi Mike on 08/03/12 at 12:43:20

That was a good read but I'll tell you what put me off wasn't his suggestion of using an aluminum can, it was his comment "best shim stock in the world." I would have a hard time taking him seriously after that comment as well. If he had said "most convenient shim stock in the world" I couldn't contest that.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by arteacher on 08/03/12 at 13:10:11

What kind of cretin would drink beer out of a can! :o
Thanks for the ideas, folks.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by arteacher on 08/04/12 at 12:58:12

Shim didn't work. :(

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by rfw2003 on 08/04/12 at 13:29:45

It's just a suggestion to try, but how about using some thing rubber strips as a shim, or some of that rough no slip grip tape like what you would put on steps to wrap around your bars where it bolts to the clamps?

R.F.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by arteacher on 08/04/12 at 13:41:19

I don't think rubber would work- if water wicked in it would act like a lubricant and make things worse. I had thought of the no slip stuff, and will see if I can find some thin enough.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by Wolfman on 08/04/12 at 14:40:16

Hammer and a metal punch will do it.
Mark the inside and outside of your bar clamps.
Make a small indent with the metal punch, then angle the punch and smack it again. You will get a raised bump. Do this a dozen times within the marks around the bar.. Basicly your knurling the bar.
Stay inside the marks and you'll never see em unless you take the bar off.
Don't get to aggressive with the hammer. You can always tap it a third or fourth time. Make sure the punch is sharp to.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by arteacher on 08/05/12 at 13:33:46

023A393338343B550 wrote:

Thanks for the idea, but I would rather not punch through the chrome on the bars, as they would then rust. It did give me the idea of punching through the copper shims, though.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by Wolfman on 08/05/12 at 14:09:43

Bar may still slip inside the shim. Id worry less about rust on a spot thats covered and out of sight then bar slippage when riding. You could always cover the indent with a spot of clear fingernail polish or clear coat. The raised dimples will still grab.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by 87 savage on 08/05/12 at 14:26:13

Art teacher, is the top part of the handlebar clamp touching the bottom part when the bars are installed? If so, machine down top part of the handle bar clamp. (the flat part where the bolts come through) Take off about an 1/8" or so and you'll be able to tighten it better.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/05/12 at 14:42:21

machine = file.. unless you have a Rowboat mill handy.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by 87 savage on 08/05/12 at 14:46:11

Yes but machine sounds so much better. ;D

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by Boule’tard on 08/05/12 at 14:49:08

machine also = sand = grind.

Very handy to at least have a thesaurus when you don't have access to a pretentious "machine shop." ;)

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/05/12 at 15:06:04

4E43594049584D5E482C0 wrote:

machine also = sand = grind.

Very handy to at least have a thesaurus when you don't have access to a pretentious "machine shop." ;)

First real LOL all day./..

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by WD on 08/05/12 at 22:22:54

Pinning them takes all of 5 minutes. Drill 2 holes, insert 2 sheet metal screws. Use stainless steel screws or you'll never get them out. 1/2" will just get it, 3/4" work better, you need to go into the bar. If the screw head bothers you, use a piece of 1/8" stainless rod stock. File flush with the riser cap.

Never trust stock potmetal risers with high bars, they WILL let you down.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/05/12 at 23:49:33

Never trust stock potmetal risers with high bars, they WILL let you down.

I would never have considered that. Sounds like sage advice,,

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by elitemunkeycrew on 08/06/12 at 09:32:25

0F04040D010E0F1514600 wrote:

Did you buy the 1 inch diameter bars or 7/8 inch bars? I have 1 inch diameter Keystone bars and they work fine.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by arteacher on 08/06/12 at 10:06:46

222F2126313772747A7B430 wrote:

Not touching.

Did you buy the 1 inch diameter bars or 7/8 inch bars? I have 1 inch diameter Keystone bars and they work fine.

1"

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by arteacher on 08/06/12 at 10:12:11

7467230 wrote:

Thanks WD, for sure that would work, but I don't want to loose the ability to adjust them, if necessary.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by bill67 on 08/06/12 at 10:47:44

Why couldn't you smear some super glue on both parts and let it dry good,Then it might be rough enough to get it from twisting.Theres also spray adhesives, done the same way might work.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by verslagen1 on 08/06/12 at 11:06:40

Here's an idea for you...

You can get set screws in several types of points.
Common is a cup point.
What you what is cone point, at least initially.

Second, drill and tap the bar clamp, but do so off to the side, not centered.

This will allow you to flip the cap, readjust the bar and lock it in to new clean position.

I'd also go high on one side and low on the other so that you can also switch caps from one side to the other and bite into new territory.

When you're happy, there's another type called dog point, pull the cone points and replace the cone points and drill the bars at that setting.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by Dave on 08/06/12 at 15:55:41

Try the epoxy method I suggested a week ago......it won't cost much and is totally reversible.

Get the bars where you want them, then put a piece of tape on the bars and clamps and mark it so you can align it. Then take off the caps and clean the bars and clamps with a little bit of solvent to get any grease off. Mix up a small amount of JB Weld and put a small strip in the top and bottom of the clamps, put on the bars and uppers clamps and tighten them down....wipe up anything that oozes out of the clamps. Then pull off the tape and wait 24 hours before you try it.
Some have also suggested Lock Tite......it may work as well.

Give this a try.....in will take less time to try this than it has to post the thread or read the replies.

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by arteacher on 08/10/12 at 14:51:34

50595C415058405B5E504C56475042350 wrote:

[quote author=0F04040D010E0F1514600 link=1343998927/0#0 date=1343998927]I have a set of Builtwell Frisco's on stock risers and they move a bit when I pull on them trying to lift my rear off the seat when going over a bad bump. They do this because they are not knurled. I am tightening them up to the point that I am afraid of stripping the bolts.
Any ideas?

Did you buy the 1 inch diameter bars or 7/8 inch bars? I have 1 inch diameter Keystone bars and they work fine.
[/quote]
Do you happen to have a pick of your bike with the keystones?

Title: Re: Handle bar "slip".
Post by brucey on 08/10/12 at 15:22:23

I have the biltwell keystones on my bike as well, I also got the biltwell slimline risers and the bars do not move at all. Its another $99 but they are great risers.