I am getting ready to install 13 inch Todds Cyle Fat Bob Strip bars on the Fat Bob. I am deciding between 1.5 and 3 inch risers. I have read a lot about apes slipping and was wondering how important the top clamp really is. I like a set of RSD risers that dont have a top clamp. Even worse is the fact that the Strip bars arent knurled in the center. Should I be concerned about the bars slipping without a top clamp? Some guys claim that a sand paper strip mounted against the handlebars secures them. Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

doesnt need to be sandpaper. anything thin and grippy works. like a thin rubber strip ( or spray some plastidip on after masking off everything but the mount location. . basically it inflates the bar diameter slightly making the mount tighter thus less chance of slipping.

 

Best to use something that won't detiriate over time. Sandpaper will eventually surcome to the element (although the grit will still be there, so may be OK.)

The Plasti-dip is a good idea.

As an engineer, I would use peel-shim and rubberized epoxy sealant, but I'm a bit **** about loaded joints (No, not PCP dipped blunts, the structural kind.)

Another alternative, and a good one, is to dimple the bars and use a set screw to prevent rotation.

 

Any opinions on the necessity of a top clamp guys? If I went with only 1.5" risers??

 

i'd like to find some offset risers. i bought the rivco's thinking they would do the job but they dont fit under the speedo. i like the height of my bars with the stock, i just want them to come back an inch or two

 

Maybe I don't quite understand. But wouldn't not having a top clamp complete void the point of risers? What holds the bars in the risers if there is no top clamp? I had to pop my bars out of the bottom part of the risers but hitting a large bump would do that if there was no top clamp. I wouldn't trust that riding down the road. But like I said maybe I don't understand and am just being ignorant...

 

May we have a photo please?

 

If I'm reading this right he's talking about a one-piece top clamp joining the risers together as a unit (usually recommended when fitting apes), versus the two single smaller top clamps that come with the RSD risers.

I have no problem with slippage on my 1.5" single risers using only their individual clamps, but my bars do have a light knurl in them so can't comment on yours would behave. Plasti Dip shim sounds like a plan, no need to go overboard. Only one way to find out...

 

Thanks Hero, that answers my question. I have decided on the RSD risers with individual top claps instead of a one piece. And I will do something to the handlebars in the clamping position. Still trying to figure out which route to take.

 

I super glued emery cloth to the bottom of my riser and didnt add anything to the top. I'm using fat boy low risers with the todds 18" fatbob apes. No problem with slipping.