SuzukiSavage.com - loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars

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loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars
09/26/11 at 14:15:46

Parking my bike today I noticed the handlebars are loose. I can rotate the entire horizontal bar a bit forward and back several degrees and I think there's even a bit of play when rotating like one would do to steer at low speed.

So my first though is of course to just go and tighten things, looks like I have to pop off a few bolt caps and I assume it's the bolts under there I would need to tighten.

However before I do that, I was wondering if anyone has any notion why they would have just become loose, or if this is a common problem on the s40 or anything? I have only had the bike a few weeks, its an 07 with about 2200 miles. I did a quick search and found some barebones instructions on how to remove handlebars, but nothing about someone else who had this happen.

Thanks in advance!

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Oldfeller--FSO Serious Thumper ModSquad Online Hobby is now "concentrated neuropany" Posts: 12671 Fayetteville, NC Gender:	Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars Reply #1 - 09/26/11 at 14:35:21 Simple, the tech who de-crated your bike did a crappy job of putting on the handle bars and did a poor job of tightening down the fasteners .... Plus, he adjusted them to suit him, not you. This is your chance to correct things !!!
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Gyrobob Serious Thumper Offline Posers ain't motorcyclists Posts: 2571 Newnan, GA Gender:	Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars Reply #2 - 09/26/11 at 14:45:59 Thank your lucky stars you didn't find this out when an oncoming cager made an unsignaled left turn in front of you!!
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drums1

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Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars
Reply #3 - 09/26/11 at 17:25:34

Wow, Bob, you follow cagers that closely?

After my rock in the road incedent, I allow a little extra space just for things like that. No way would I ever slam into, or even come close to the back of the car in front of me. I see brake lights come on, I'm on mine.

Especially after having just gone to my buddy's funeral. ( The one that smashed into the back of the truck.)

Anyways, back on subject.....ya, the little caps pop off and there are 4 allen bolts. Adjust bars and tighten them down good and tight. Pop caps back on and ride. ( Rubber side down, of course. )

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WD

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Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars
Reply #4 - 09/26/11 at 17:31:34

The knurling (little friction aiding grooves) on the bars hogs out the risers. Savage risers are very soft to start with. If the bolts won't tighten and you still have play in the risers, cut some shims out of beer/soda cans, place between bar and riser caps and retighten the bolts.

I pin my bars. Drill through riser cap, into the bar, and install a self threading machine screw or sheet metal screw. Now the only play is in the cheap riser bushings.

I run 15" rise bars with HD knurling pattern, a bit narrow for metric risers.

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Gyrobob Serious Thumper Offline Posers ain't motorcyclists Posts: 2571 Newnan, GA Gender:	Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars Reply #5 - 09/27/11 at 13:54:43 drums1 wrote on 09/26/11 at 17:25:34: Wow, Bob, you follow cagers that closely? Hardly. I was discussing oncoming cagers.
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drums1 Serious Thumper Offline '87 Savage Bashed--Down for the count Posts: 664 Racine, Wisconsin Gender:	Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars Reply #6 - 09/27/11 at 19:15:10 Ah so. I see. My bad. I keep a sharp eye on them too. In town especially. I also look both ways at every intersection before entering it. Going 30 mph, I feel confident I can either avoid or stop before contact is made. Always leave an "out". Yes, I actually read the safety manual.
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OdysseusNY

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Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars
Reply #7 - 09/27/11 at 19:24:24

Thanks for all of the help.

Looking at it again today, I realize I posted an innaccurate description.

It's not the handlebar between the two riser clamps that is loose, it's how the risers fit into the two vertical bars from the frame/suspension that is actually loose.

It this also secured somewhere under the handlebar/riser plates and accessible by removing the four caps and allen bolts? It wasn't immediately clear to me where to tighten this.

I was able to remove a cap pretty easily without loosing any fingernails using a razor->small flathead screwdriver->large flathead screwdriver method

However I didn't continue because I needed a larger allen wrench than I had on me, and also it wasn't clear this was where I needed to be working anyway. I see how tightening those allen bolts would tighten the handlebar but the handlebar itself is quite secure.

Thanks for any other advice you have!

PS - My apologies for any newb terminology mistakes, I will try to get it right!

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Gyrobob

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Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars
Reply #8 - 09/27/11 at 19:32:38

drums1 wrote on 09/27/11 at 19:15:10:

Ah so. I see. My bad.
I keep a sharp eye on them too. In town especially. I also look both ways at every intersection before entering it. Going 30 mph, I feel confident I can either avoid or stop before contact is made. Always leave an "out". Yes, I actually read the safety manual.

Excellent! If we would all do this all the time, the accident rate would decrease markedly.

I've always ridden bikes as if I were in defensive combat with all the other vehicles. "How's he going to kill me?" "Is she really looking this way?" "I can't see the access to that intersection,.. they might be waiting for me!?"

After a while you can get really accurate, almost clairvoyant, about the things the cagers are about to do to dethrone you.

If you just ride along, doidy doidy doidy, like you would in your Camry, you are letting your guard down and it is just a matter of time,....

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If you think there's good in everyone, you haven't met everyone.

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Built2Last

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Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars
Reply #9 - 09/28/11 at 04:52:39

Bob and his cagers.. I love it... I drive like everyone's going to kill me as well, it's called being safe. And that little intuition going around a curve and swerving in a bit even though the oncoming car (that's going to fast) can't see you has saved me a few times.. even though I wasn't in the middle of the road they were still over the yellow going to fast to swerve back over if they did see me first.. I always assume that when I'm going around a bend that there's a tank coming 90mph halfway over the yellow line...

Good thing you found out about your bars, I've been riding a bicycle before when the bars decided to dip completely down and almost caught my mouth on the middle gyro... I'd be grinning like a jack-o-lantern right now if I would have been going down hill fast.

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arteacher Serious Thumper Offline Ride as if your naked and invisable! Posts: 2581 London ontario Gender:	Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars Reply #10 - 09/28/11 at 06:01:57 "Ride like you are naked and invisible."
Back to top	white '07, Raask exh, Corbin seat, slipstreamer shie, Raptor, Routy's fwd controls, Baron tach, Frisco bars, Isogrips, Headlight and taillight modulators, Dial-a- jet, AME 9 deg chop kit, K&N air flt IP Logged

Built2Last Serious Thumper Offline Tempt Fate Posts: 1447 FTF Gender:	Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars Reply #11 - 09/28/11 at 06:14:43 "Ride like you're not wearing any pants and you just stole some gas"
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OdysseusNY YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 24	Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars Reply #12 - 09/28/11 at 13:44:55 Just to bring the thread back on topic... not that defensive driving isn't a good topic... Any advice on how to tighten how the risers fit into the two vertical bars from the frame/suspension? TIA
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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28884 L.A. California Gender:	Re: loose handlebar / excessive play in handlebars Reply #13 - 09/28/11 at 14:02:39 The risers tighten with a nut below the top tree. The handlebar clamps tighten with an allen head bolt on top. to get access to the allens, take a knife and pry up and remove the chrome caps. Adjust the bars to your hearts content before tightening.
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