Bar conversion with pics

[Jayneflakes]

When my bike got damaged, they could not find a new set of purple Renthals, so I requested silver ones instead. I actually think that these ones look much nicer than the Purple. You can also see my new paint job on the tank and front fairing, resprayed for the second time after the graphics peeled off under the lacquer.



See my Nun too!



Lifting the tank is a problem, it requires removing the Bars before twisting the front wheel so that the tabs on the tank can pass through the gap between the risers. The fit is so close that I doubt you could get a Rizla between them!

That looks good.

I did my conversion about 3 months ago and have been riding it since with no real issues. Managed to get all the cables to fit by just re-routing them out under the tank with some rubber covers to prevent wear.

I might convert it back to clip-ons as I am selling it having bought a Busa.

[ophic]

Awful lot of effort just to install an owl perch on your yoke

[Jayneflakes]

Originally Posted by ophic

Awful lot of effort just to install an owl perch on your yoke

But she loves going for rides and has been begging me for a go on the front!

In truth, I have carried Alby on the bike, she goes in a modified pet carrier which is very securely fitted onto the pillion pad. Internal mods to the pet box are a big blanket and make sure it is washable!

[Jayneflakes]

Right, time for an update on something that has been annoying me. Bar weights.

Fitting the Renthal bar means that my standard bar weights no longer fit, so I considered selling them. But then I had an idea. Fit them anyway, after all it should be a small amount of fiddling about! Sadly, finding replacement parts for them was somewhat harder than I thought it should be. Do motocrossers not use bar weights?

Anyway, after a little research I came up with this idea.



Concrete fixings, stainless steel Allen bolts and fit the weights on with those. First, I had to find the right sized fixings and these fit nicely inside the bar, thanks to the guys at Nuts 'N' Bolts in Weston.

The next difficulty is that the standard Suzuki ones use an M6 bolt to fit them and the concrete fixing uses an M8 bolt, so I need to drill out the bar weights by an extra two millimeters.

Once this has been done, I think that it is time for a respray on the weights. I have one concern about using these fixings and that is them gripping the inside of the handlebar. One plan that I have thought about is to increase the chances of them sticking is to fit them in with Impact glue which is rubberised or use chemical metal on the fins and allow them to bond that way?

Anyway, I still have the hard work to do, so we shall see how it progresses. Total cost so far has been a couple of quid for the fixings, so should it not work I have not lost anything really and I will just have to find bar weights for a motocross bike.

[ophic]

Bar weights are also supposed to protect the bar in the event of a drop. This is why they're rubber mounted - probably has an effect on vibration too. The concrete fixings might be a bit too rigid and bend the bar or vibrate badly. Otherwise, good thinking. Worth a try.

[Jayneflakes]

The outer rubber cap that fits between the weight and the end of the bar can still be used with this modification after a little work. However, at the moment my bars do already feel a little buzzy on long trips, so I hope that the weights will damp this down a little.

My Renthals have a plastic cap in each side of the bar, I am thinking that these are to keep water and muck out. Is this the right assumption?

[punyXpress]

Originally Posted by Jayneflakes

The outer rubber cap that fits between the weight and the end of the bar can still be used with this modification after a little work. However, at the moment my bars do already feel a little buzzy on long trips, so I hope that the weights will damp this down a little.

My Renthals have a plastic cap in each side of the bar, I am thinking that these are to keep water and muck out. Is this the right assumption?

Fitted these: >
DESCRIPTION QUANTITY PRICE COST
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Large Universal Bar End 1 £14.42 £14.42
Type of - Finish: 14MM - 1
BLACK
================================================== ====================
Subtotal: £14.42
Shipping (Courier UK (Insured and tracked)): £6.50
VAT: £3.67
Total: £24.59

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Oberon Performance Limited

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Tel: +44 (0)23 9248 1188
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admin@oberon-performance.co.uk

to my Renthals - seemed to work well.
Owl probably likes buzzy bars?

[keith_d]

Be careful when you tighten up those rawlbolts. If you over do it they will deform the aluminum tubing and you'll end up with a bulge inside your throttle tube.

[Jayneflakes]

Originally Posted by keith_d

Be careful when you tighten up those rawlbolts. If you over do it they will deform the aluminum tubing and you'll end up with a bulge inside your throttle tube.

This was very much on my mind, hence the idea of using a rubber based glue or an epoxy to add extra grip with out causing damage.

Given how the standard ones are held in, I do not think that I shall need that much force to ensure a good safe fit.

As for fitting new bar weights, I will admit to having struggled to find some that fit inside these bars, they do have very thick walls, so the inner diameter is only about 12 or 13mm. I went out to Fowlers and they had nothing that fitted.