Scary as hell!
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,299
Likes: 2,393
From: Florida
Scary as hell!
So I'm riding down I-10 yesterday about 70-75 mph, just cruising along happy as a clam when all of a sudden my handlebars came loose and dropped (I have 12-inch mini-apes).
They didn't drop too far, just a few inches, but it spooked the holy hell out of me at that speed. I pulled off first exit and tightened them.
Anybody ever have this happen to them? I don't really want to loctite the clamp bolts because I like to move the bars around every now and then, get a different look and a different feel.
They didn't drop too far, just a few inches, but it spooked the holy hell out of me at that speed. I pulled off first exit and tightened them.
Anybody ever have this happen to them? I don't really want to loctite the clamp bolts because I like to move the bars around every now and then, get a different look and a different feel.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 6,975
Likes: 12
From: NJ
Good save. I wonder how many riders haven't been as lucky as you were. If I had apes I would install a set screw like some others here have done. With my cruiser bars I just re torque the clamps to specs plus 2-3 every so often.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,656
Likes: 10
From: Aledo, Texas
If they're not knurled (usually the bars), use a set screw as described. If they are, just use some blue loctite. It's easy enough to get back apart if you decide to change position. Sounds to me the bars didn't get tightend down good enough.
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 324
Likes: 1
From: USA
If those bolts are tightened down and torqued properly (proper sequence and number of steps as well as proper torque), they should not need loctite to keep them from coming loose. My guess is that they were tightened unevenly.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 66,948
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From: TOAK western branch
Thats nothing. Back in the day i took a gal for a ride on my Triumph and as soon as we got to my house she got off and i went to get off and my risers snapped. I guess there was a crack in them but the chrome covered it up. Thank god it didnt snap going down the road. No helmet law back then.
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I've had the same thing happen to me too, except it happened when I was taking off from a light. My bars are smooth and so are the inside of my risers. I thought about putting a piece of sand cloth around the bars and then tightening the risers back down on them to give them grip... Does this make sense? I feel my bars might be slicker than most because they are gloss black PC and the risers are the stock chrome ones.