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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> bent handlebars
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Message started by SugarBoogers on 06/10/16 at 10:12:03

Title: bent handlebars
Post by SugarBoogers on 06/10/16 at 10:12:03

How would you guys straighten bent handlebars? PO gently dumped bike, and you really wouldn't notice they are bent, but the windshield won't sit straight, and it just looks a tiny bit crooked form the driver's seat.

I have a small propane torch and a larger one for Al melting and a 10lb maul. Maybe I could whack it cold with the maul or heat it on the bike and bend it by hand, or what else?

Title: Re: bent handlebars
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/10/16 at 10:36:04

If you don't see a spot where it's dimpled on one side with high spots 90degrees from it, then you don't know exactly where they are bent. If you can feel the bulges then you have a clue about where to work. A fluorescent bulb , doesn't have to be long, held above and moved will show distortion.

Once you know where they are bent, then you can put pressure on them and gently work the bulges down, which will help push the low spot out.

Workbench , vise, drilled out wood, holes slightly smaller than the bars, cheater pipe for pressure, heavy hammer, light hammer, heavy hammer held tightly against the bars, light hammer gently tapping the bulge while pressure is kept on the bars. Flip the bars, repeat, flip, repeat, flip repeat..

Or, it's more likely that the forks twisted in the triple tree.

Measure your bars, ends to center then from bar end to center of the front tire. A piece of parachute cord works, just don't pull harder on one side than the other. I measured as far forward on the tire as possible. Mark the cord, secure it, take it to one side, mark it, go to the other side.

Title: Re: bent handlebars
Post by batman on 06/13/16 at 11:10:14

You should take care ,no matter what the cause be it bent handle bars or forks,if the windshied is not straight to the forks it could cause high speed wobble !the shield sheds air off each side it needs to be straight to the fork to keep the pressure balanced.

Title: Re: bent handlebars
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/13/16 at 11:44:29

Since the actual Bent spot isn't obvious, I'm betting it's just the fork tubes twisted in the lower clamp. I bounced the Guzzi and that is what happened. Fixing it was easy. Riding home from Arkansas, not so much.