Handlebar replacement

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2 Wheels
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Handlebar replacement

Post by 2 Wheels »

Well I dumped my bike, and the handlebars are a little tweaked. Barely noticeable, but I notice.
I did a small write-up in the injuries thread about the wipe-out. Nothing serious.
I reckon I wanna get new bars. That should be easy to do right?
Plus I was considering some of those guards I see on some of your bikes. The ones that look like they are designed to protect the controls if the bike goes down?
Any concerns or things I should know about before I attempt to swap handle bars out?
Thanks folks.
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Handlebar replacement

Post by rbates9 »

Don't be afraid to spend some money on them. Renthal, Pro Taper, ect are good brands at reasonable prices. If you want to keep it simple go with 7/8" bars. Then you don't have to mess with the bar clamps. But at least get a set of aluminum bars. They hold up much better.

Also it is a good time to think about if you want a different shape of bars. Taller, wider, narrower, shorter. If you are a taller person that likes to stand up then I would think about some taller bars. Narrow tends to be better for the woods but it might take a little getting use to if you go too narrow. And things get crowded when mounting the controls and guards when the bars get narrower.
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by 2 Wheels »

Good info rbates9. I guess I wanna go with the ones I have. They seem to fit me and handle well.
Is changing out the throttle grip assembly easy?
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by KDXGarage »

The throttle is held on by a couple of screws, so it is easy to swap over.
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by 2 Wheels »

Ok, cool. I am assuming that the bars are designed to bend a little on impact? Thereby relieving any stress further on down the line?
ie the clamps, or the watchamacallits? :rolleyes: Sorry, I don't know any of these terms. The bike didn't land too hard, everything should be ok.
It hit clutch side, and all of that still works.
Anyways, so I disconnect all the controls, brakes, clutch, take apart the throttle, the light switch and the kill button.
Put new handle bars on and replace all that stuff. Should I get a new throttle sleeve?
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Handlebar replacement

Post by rbates9 »

Only if you need it. You may find that if you loosen all of the control clamps then un bolt the bars it will be easier to remove the controls by moving the bars to the left and right. The cables and hoses will limit how far you can slid stuff off the old bars.
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by royadams »

You may also want to check if the bars are even bent. Sometimes the front end just gets twisted up a bit. I'd loosen up the bolts on the triples and stem and wiggle it a bit and retighten it up. You would be surprised how much the front end can twist. On the trail I usually just smack the Side of the wheel on a tree a few times.
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by 2 Wheels »

rbates, thanks great tip! I will see if I can re-use the old throttle sleeve.
Roy, that's interesting. I don't quite understand it though. I'll have a look and see if I can figure out what you mean.
I'm allergic to wrenches.... :mrgreen:
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by Thrahl »

One time I hit a tree pretty hard and swore I bent the forks. The bars were way out of line with the wheel. Loosened everything up like Roy said and it was back to normal.
If you hit the wrong way the upper triple can twist out of line with the lower and twist the forks with it.
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by 2 Wheels »

I'll give it a try. I don't know what all to loosen though.
I'm thinking the bars are bent though. The mirror and the clutch lever were spun around pretty good.
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Handlebar replacement

Post by rbates9 »

I think you will find that the rubber cones on the bar clamps in the upper triple clamp will twist before the forks will twist. The stock rubber cones are pretty soft and have a lot of give. If you look at the bar clamps compared to the top triple clamp they should be even. I have bent a few sets of bars and have never twisted the forks in the triples. I have pulled the cones out of place many times though. They do make better cones then stock.
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Handlebar replacement

Post by jeeptech1 »

Honestly, as long as the bars aren't super tweaked( say more than 1-2" back or in) I wouldn't worry about it, cuz guarentee you'll put it down again! I have pro taper 7/8 bars and they are bent for sure, I notice it if I stare at the bars but once I'm riding it I don't notice it. for the 70$ to replace them ill just keep riding them til they are super bent. Definitely check the rubber bar mounts that attach the bar clamps to the upper tripple clamps as others have suggested due to the fact that they can twist in the mount. You will need a new set of grips if you get new bars cuz the clutch side grip will probly get destroyed trying to reuse it. Hand guards/bark busters are one of the best investments you can make. They save levers, hands, and beef up the bars. I recommend enduro engineerings version. They work awesome and can take a hit and don't cost as much as cycras or fastway(both of which are awesome as well). I had tusk ones but they bend easy due to a weak inner clamp design. Just my 10 cents.
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Handlebar replacement

Post by 2 Wheels »

Thanks for the replies. Very useful info. I'm actually learning things. :doh:
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by diymirage »

personally, I wouldn't keep fiddling around with the 7/8th bars (even if they are thick walled aluminum) and just get a set of fatbars
there are several brands out there who make them, but I like protaper

the fatbars are 7/8ths on the end so all your controls still fit but 1 1/8th between the bends
If you wish to install them you will need a set of these (or similar)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/02-2822-Pro-Tap ... 0b&vxp=mtr

(this model replaces your stock mounts but you can also get them that mount into your stock mounts and act as risers, nice if you are taller)

when I installed the fatbars on my bike I had to take the inner mounts of my handgaurds and machine them from 7/8th to 1.0 in order to fit nicely


on a side note, this seems like a good deal

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-Taper-Conto ... 53f9a6a68f
newbbewb wrote:DIYmirage has it right.


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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by Postigo »

diymirage wrote:personally, I wouldn't keep fiddling around with the 7/8th bars (even if they are thick walled aluminum) and just get a set of fatbars
there are several brands out there who make them, but I like protaper

the fatbars are 7/8ths on the end so all your controls still fit but 1 1/8th between the bends
If you wish to install them you will need a set of these (or similar)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/02-2822-Pro-Tap ... 0b&vxp=mtr

(this model replaces your stock mounts but you can also get them that mount into your stock mounts and act as risers, nice if you are taller)

when I installed the fatbars on my bike I had to take the inner mounts of my handgaurds and machine them from 7/8th to 1.0 in order to fit nicely


on a side note, this seems like a good deal

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-Taper-Conto ... 53f9a6a68f
+1 on diy, fat bars are stronger and will last for a long time,if you are more than 5'10" tall you will be more comfortable with the pastrana probend and the protaper rubber mounts. Dont go with the solid mounts because they bent pretty easy.
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by diymirage »

easy enough with the stock triples, but once you convert over to USD forks you might not have a chance to stay with the rubber mounts

IMHO fatbars are definitely the way to go, they will outlast regulars many spills over
newbbewb wrote:DIYmirage has it right.


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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by royadams »

Bates they make aluminum cones to replace the rubber ones if you desire. My bike has the bar clamps molded in the upper clamp. And I have twisted my forks more than once, although the last time I took a big header I wiped out my forks. You can never win a battle with a tree.
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by Postigo »

Its possible! If you learn to ride chainsaws. lol
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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by diymirage »

Postigo wrote:Its possible! If you learn to ride chainsaws. lol

why not?
you're already using the same premix right :lol:
newbbewb wrote:DIYmirage has it right.


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Re: Handlebar replacement

Post by rbates9 »

royadams wrote:Bates they make aluminum cones to replace the rubber ones if you desire. My bike has the bar clamps molded in the upper clamp. And I have twisted my forks more than once, although the last time I took a big header I wiped out my forks. You can never win a battle with a tree.
I would never consider using the aluminum cones in place of the rubber. They are there for a reason. They reduce vibration and give flex to the bars in a crash. Have you ever thought that maybe the reason you twisted the forks is because the bars had no give? I would rather reposition the bar mounts in the triples then twist the forks and have to realing the whole front end.

Also, can anyone give a good reason to swap to fat bars other then thats what the pros use? I have seen them bend just as easy as any other quality bar. And to be honest I think they bend a little easier then 7/8 bars. But to each their own. I will stick with the 7/8 bars.
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