Changing handlebars?

[MattW]

My 1100 had a little lie down on a ferry last year and bent the rubber mounted end of the left bar down (so that it's closed the gap in the little flanged bit next to the switchgear to nothing - hopefully this makes sense).

So I want to remove them to either straighten the left bar or change them.

The Clymer manual says you've got to remove the tank and dismantle all the switchgear and remove the cables from the clutch levers and twistgrip. Is there any shortcut to this or is my Clymer actually telling the truth?

Also, does anyone happen to know the Renthal part number for a replacement with approximately the same geometry as the standard bar?

ta
Matt

 

[Steptoe]

if you have heated grips you have no choice....

 

[MattW]

No heated grips

 

[MattW]

No heated grips

Does that mean I do have a choice?

Or do I just take everything to bits?

 

[MattW]

Talking to myself (as usual )
I'm going to try disconnecting the left hand bar stuff (clutch and choke cables, clutch switch etc) and just loosening the right hand switch gear to slide the bars out of the right hand stuff leaving cables and hoses attached.

What could possibly go wrong?

 

[nunesaf]

Talking to myself (as usual )
I'm going to try disconnecting the left hand bar stuff (clutch and choke cables, clutch switch etc) and just loosening the right hand switch gear to slide the bars out of the right hand stuff leaving cables and hoses attached.

What could possibly go wrong?

Tell me how you get on because I need to paint mine soon

 

[Kenny]

Matt, obviously you can't damage the wire in the heated grip as you havn't any....try an old fork leg etc on the end of the bar and have somebody stand the other side holding the bike...then bend gradually back

I'm a lot posher and have heated grips so I'll have to remove everything ( great desigh for an 'off roader' eh? ) and then easier to replace the bars ( mentioned in earlier threads as to what bars people recommend - besides OE)

 

[MattW]

Thanks Kenny

I did try the scaffolding pole on the bar trick but although we tried, her indoors wasn't up to the job of holding the bike upright for me (and I didn't want to squish her with 2 tonnes of GS )

So I'm going to take the bars off this weekend. Hopefully I can slide the right hand controls etc off the bar intact once I've removed the left hand stuff.

I'll take the opportunity to rub them down and repaint while they're off the bike.

 

[Vern]

Just keep taking bits off and eventually you'll get there

If you get stuck, just give me a call, I've got a slab cutter you can borrow

 

[MattW]

Talking to myself (as usual )
I'm going to try disconnecting the left hand bar stuff (clutch and choke cables, clutch switch etc) and just loosening the right hand switch gear to slide the bars out of the right hand stuff leaving cables and hoses attached.

What could possibly go wrong?

And the answer is nothing could go wrong

Took left hand gubbins off, slacked right hand lever clamp, undid bar clamps slid bars out of right hand gubbins. No need to mess with throttle cables or brake hoses etc

2 minutes in the vice and my bars are now straight. Painting tomorrow.

Thanks for the advice

 

[MattW]

Just keep taking bits off and eventually you'll get there

If you get stuck, just give me a call, I've got a slab cutter you can borrow

Cheers Vern - slab cutter not required (see above)